Buffy the Vampire Slayer Houses Some Awful Characters, But It Quietly Redeemed Its Most Hated-Character
Not every character from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe has the luxury of being as adored as its title character. Xander Harris has been largely considered the worst, while some fans hated Dawn just as much. However, few Buffyverse characters drew as much ire as Angel’s Connor, the son of the spinoff’s lead.
The comic book continuation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe, particularly the Angel series from IDW Publishing, was a saving grace for Connor. Played by Vincent Kartheiser during the show’s last three seasons, the half-demon son of vampires Angel and Darla constantly fought an internal (and external) battle with a father he was trained to hate in a hell dimension.
While Connor’s story could’ve been a compelling arc, it largely amounted to some icky storytelling that even Cordelia’s Charisma Carpenter calls problematic. The show never had the opportunity to truly expand on Connor”s redemption story, but the comics do, making him not only redeemable but likeable.
Angel’s Connor Is Completely Redeemed in IDW’s Comics
Beginning in Angel: After the Fall #1 by Joss Whedon, Brian Lynch, Franco Urru, Ilarla Traversi, and Robbie Robbins
After Angel has his son’s life re-shaped entirely to give him a normal life in season four’s finale, Connor returns in Season 5’s “Origin,” then again in the series finale, “Not Fade Away,” as the far better adjusted Connor Reilly. While the father-son duo reconciled, there wasn’t enough time to truly flesh out this new version of Connor before the show was canceled. Thankfully, the comics pick up immediately after the finale. Starting with Angel: After the Fall, Connor works with Nina (Angel’s werewolf love interest) and former guest star Gwen Raiden to provide a safe haven for innocents caught in Hell’s crossfire.
Note
During the “Twilight” storyline, in which all magic in the Buffyverse was destroyed, so was the magic that gave Connor his false memories, helping him regain the memories that trained him to hate Angel. However, because of the new memories he made with his father, he did not regress into the Connor seen in Seasons 3 and 4, adding to his redemption tale.
After Los Angeles is saved and retrieved from Hell, Connor continues cultivating a relationship with Angel, along with balancing a life between fighting demons and normal day-to-day activities as a college student. Along the way, Connor is kidnapped by the Sisterhood of the Jaro Hull, who hope to use the human blood of two vampires as a sacrifice. The ritual gifted Connor with new powers that prove instrumental in the final issue’s final battle. As he continues to learn about his powers, one thing he understands unquestionably is his undying love for his father, and vice versa.
How Do the Angel Comics Redeem Connor?
New Powers and a Relationship with His Father Endear Him to Audiences
On TV, fans were either annoyed by or outright hated Connor, largely for the same reasons Dawn was hated on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She, like Connor was an often pouty, childish, and emotional teenager who acted as such. The difference being that by the show’s end, Dawn’s character development saw her slowly mature into something the audience could get behind. Angel was canceled before viewers had a chance to get behind a more-matured Connor, but the comics allowed Connor to grow and learn, understand both himself and his father, and cultivate a true hero’s journey.
What truly makes Connor’s redemption story feel complete in the comics is that the final issue of 2009’s Angel title ends not with some major battle or a bang, but with a sincere conversation between a father and his son, in which Angel expresses how proud he is of Connor, sharing a hug in one of the last panels. The comics don’t just flesh out the new version of Connor and undo everything that made fans hate him. Most of all, the story has time to depict an actual healthy relationship between Connor and his father. Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans finally get the chance to watch Connor evolve.
Angel: After the Fall is available now from IDW Publishing
Original article at Screen Rant
This article has been reproduced for archive purposes
