(born in
London ,
England ) is a
Fictional Character created by
Joss Whedon and introduced by
Douglas Petrie for the cult
Television programs, ''
Buffy The Vampire Slayer '' and ''
Angel ''. The character is portrayed by
Alexis Denisof .
The character first appeared in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' as a replacement
Watcher for
Faith Lehane and
Buffy , following the discharge of
Rupert Giles by the
Council for disobeying its orders, and becoming too attached to his charge.
Wesley is introduced as a clean-cut, somewhat pompous and bossy watcher who is immediately disliked by the Slayers under his watch. New to the Watcher profession, he is inexperienced and handles himself poorly in combat; prior to his assignment to Buffy and Faith, his only encounter with vampires had been brief and controlled. Giles, his predecessor and fellow Englishman, does not take him seriously, and tends to support Buffy's predilection for ignoring Wesley's counsel as Watcher.
Wes develops an inappropriate crush on
Cordelia Chase , a high school student and the ex-girlfriend of
Xander Harris , eventually culminating in a dance at the high school prom, followed by the mother of all sloppy, awkward kisses.
Faith gradually descends into criminal activity, and Buffy quits working for the Watchers' Council entirely when they would not help her save
Angel ; Wesley is fired from the Council. He stays to help fight the pivotal battle on high school graduation day, when the Sunnydale mayor ascends into a powerful demonic form. The last appearance of Wesley in the series shows him being carried away on a stretcher (after taking only one hit).
Even as early as his first episodes on BTVS, his role as being the "one to make the hard decisions even if he has to make them alone" is evidenced through an episode in which he would rather allow Willow to die than to give the Mayor back an object which would allow him to complete his Ascension. He is immediately dismissed by the group as being discompassionate, although his logic is perfectly sound.
In the first-season episode ''
Parting Gifts '' of the ''Buffy'' spin-off series ''
Angel '', Wesley appears in the somewhat comical role of a leather-clad "rogue demon hunter," a self-applied title that only serves to make him seem more ridiculous. Memorably, after introducing himself to Cordelia with this title, he is faced with her question 'What's a rogue demon?'
Over the course of the series, Wesley grows from being Angel's comic-relief sidekick to a mature and capable man, the brains and later the leader of Angel Investigations. Though not the best hand-to-hand combatant, Wesley has exceptional aim with thrown weapons and firearms.
Wes gradually begins to show signs of emotional complexity and a troubled past. In the episode ''
I've Got You Under My Skin '', viewers are given hints that Wesley may have been psychologicially abused as a child, and that his various insecurities may be in part a result of his father's unrealistic expectations of him. Indeed,
Roger Wyndam-Pryce , a respected member of the Watcher's Council, was an insensitive and harsh father, a man who made little or no effort to tolerate Wesley's mistakes, or the actions he perceived as such, and in a way inspired Wesley's ruthlessness.
His path on ''Angel'' is filled with tragedies and difficult choices. Just as he was beginning to have romantic feelings for
Winifred "Fred" Burkle , he was supernaturally influenced to attempt to kill her, ending what may have been his only opportunity for love.
After the birth of
Connor ,
Angel 's son, Wesley becomes convinced of the truth of a prophecy that Angel would kill Connor. With the intention of saving Connor, Wes kidnaps him, betraying all of his companions. In doing so, Wes himself is betrayed, his throat is cut and the baby taken from him. When he finally recovers, Angel tries to kill him. The prophecy turns out to be false, meaning his betrayal had been for naught. As a result, Wesley was banished from Angel Investigations.
Wesley continues his descent into self-loathing when he begins to sleep with
Lilah Morgan , a mortal enemy. He eventually returns to Angel Investigations during the
Jasmine crisis, deeply changed from his foppish early appearances on ''Buffy''. He is very serious and has a pessimistic view on life, and his methods are questionable, as on one occasion he has been known to torture people to get what he wants. This ruthlessness was already shown during his attempted kidnapping of Faith, his consideration of sacrificing Willow in order to weaken Mayor Wilkins and allowing a group of
Pylean rebels march to their deaths as part of his plan to rescue Cordelia from the
Covenant Of Trombli . As he explained to Gunn when the latter questioned his willingness to sacrifice the rebels: "If you try not to get anybody killed, you end up getting everybody killed."
He is further traumatized when his father appears on Los Angeles, reprimanding him and scrutinizing his every move. When his father threatens to kill Winifred, Wesley shoots and kills him without an instant's hesitation, only to find seconds later that what he thought was his father was a cyborg, designed to infiltrate them in order to enslave Angel, and who had complete knowledge of Wesley's background learned from the Council's records. The fact that the being he had killed wasn't his real father did little or perhaps nothing to appease Wesley. Wesley's relation with his father over the years had left him convinced that the real Roger Wyndam-Pryce was a ruthless man who would be capable of deceiving and killing even his own son in the name of the greater good.
In the 5th season, Wesley finally gets together with Fred, only to lose her shortly after when her body is occupied by the spirit of the demon
Illyria , one of the Old Ones. This leaves Wesley a broken man that turns to alcohol to ease his pain and tries to help Illyria understand the world, a move that furthers Wesley's suffering but at the same time he sees as the only way to keep some part of Fred close to him. Also, upon finding out that
Charles Gunn was indirectly responsible for what happened to Fred, he stabs him in retaliation. He also kills
Knox for his part in Illyria's ascension. Despite his pain, Wesley remains compromised with the good fight.
When Angel proposes to attack the
Circle Of The Black Thorn , the secret arm of the
Senior Partners , Wesley agrees to challenge a demon sorcerer named Cyvus Vail, who was weary of Wesley's growing instability and believed him to be a wildcard that could betray Angel. However, Vail distrusts Wesley and when attacked by the ex-Watcher, he overpowers and stabs Wesley. Despite his wounds, Wesley manages to temporarily knock Vail out with an energy sphere, which allows him to spend his final minutes with Illyria at his side, finally agreeing to let the demon take the form of Fred. After Wesley finally passes away, Illyria avenges his death by shattering Vail's skull with one punch.
- : with whom Wesley had a one-night stand
- : Though not a real relationship, Wesley felt drawn to Illyria as she was all that remained of Fred.
