Angel Saved One Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's OG Characters After The Main Show Wasted Their Potential

By Faith Roswell

Published Dec 9, 2024

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The the characters in Angel the chance to shine in a more serious show.

Buffy was often more comedic than Angel, which was popular among its audience but occasionally led to problems with its character development. When somebody became a "comic relief" character in Buffy, it was difficult for them to break away from that role. While Xander has regularly been referenced as the best example of a character stagnating, other characters also suffer from a lack of development and wasted potential. Out of the 13 Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters who appear in Angel, one was saved by her new leading role in the show.

Angel Unlocked Cordelia's Potential After Buffy The Vampire Slayer Ignored It

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Could Not Give Cordelia The Development She Deserved

Cordelia Doing Magic with Her Hand in Angel Season 4

Cordelia Chase had some of the wittiest lines in Buffy and a character arc that took her from a "mean girl" stereotype to an asset to the Scooby Gang. Still, Buffy kept Cordelia as either the snarky comic relief, or the love interest, and it was only when she arrived in Angel that her true potential was unlocked. Angel showed Cordelia's pain, pride, and resourcefulness when she was broke and infiltrated celebrity parties so she could eat the food. Angel showed Cordelia as a three-dimensional character, and gave her depth, setting her up as the show's biggest hero.

Actress Charisma Carpenter was nominated for a Saturn Award four times, for her portrayal of Cordelia Chase in Angel.

Cordelia became a fan favorite during her time on Angel, and the show's darker themes gave Cordelia the development she needed. Cordelia began the show hungry, desperate, and ashamed of herself. While Buffy' might have portrayed a character in this position as getting their comeuppance, Angel gave Cordelia a redemption arc. Cordelia turns down her dream life to prevent Angel from being tortured, witnesses the collective pain of humanity, and even becomes a challenge for some of Angel's "Big Bad" villains. Cordelia was a perfect hero for a more serious show like Angel, while Buffy could not have done her justice.

Spotlighting Underused Characters Was One Of Angel's Biggest Strengths As A Spin-Off

Cordelia Returned For The Buffyverse Audiobook Spin-Off, Set Before Her Controversial Angel Death

Cordelia was not the only Buffy character who became better and more compelling after switching to Angel. Cowardly Wesley was extremely unpopular on Buffy, especially when sharing scenes with the antihero, Faith. However, Angel allowed him to become a more interesting (if tormented) character, and his death was one of the show's most heartbreaking. While Harmony became a vampire in Buffy, Angel gave her a similar arc to Cordelia, taking her from being one-dimensional to a well-rounded character. Even Angel spent much of Buffy being a love interest, while his darker spin-off made the most of his vampire-with-a-soul selling point.

"Personally, I Kind of Want to Slay the Dragon": Angel's Ending Gave Cordelia the Perfect Badass Tribute

Cordelia Chase's death in wider Buffy continuity didn't mean she was forgotten - as a genius twist in Angel continuity proves.

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Cordelia's long coma and offscreen death were poorly received in season 5. Though the comic books continued Angel's cliffhanger ending and tributed Cordelia by naming a dragon after her, her death was a low point, with many reviewers feeling that Angel had failed Cordelia. The Slayers audiobook has retconned this to an extent, with an alternate-universe Cordelia starring as "the chosen one," and a slayer herself. Angel may not have given Cordelia a fitting end, but without appearing in Angel, she would not have had the chance to shine and become popular enough to return.