is a
Fictional Character created by
Joss Whedon for the
Television Series ''
Angel ''. The character is portrayed by
Amy Acker .
Illyria is one of the legendary
Old Ones , an original pure demon from the Primordium Age who ruled territory that included modern-day
California . She was one of the most feared of all the Old Ones and ruled from her citadel, Vahla ha'nesh, which corresponds to modern-day
Los Angeles . However, Illyria was defeated and murdered by her many rivals.
As depicted in an illustration of a statue of her in Vahla ha'nesh, Illyria was a sight to behold in her original form. If one assumes that the statue is life-size, she would be at least five times taller than an average human. Illyria had five tentacles on either side of her torso that she uses like arms, which are flexible and ambulatory to the point that she can clutch and operate weapons with them. She has two claw-like feet that allow her to perch, much like an
Eagle . The rest of Illyria's form is obscured by armor, but its
Humanoid shape suggests that her head and torso are in much the same configuration as a human's. Illyria was loved and feared as few of the Old Ones were, so much so that she still had followers and acolytes in the modern day - arguably millions of years after her reign. Her features as an Old One resemble much the ones of
Lovecraft 's Spawn of
Chthulhu .
When the Old Ones lost their claim over this world, Illyria's corpse was placed in a stone
Sarcophagus , her powers were drained and placed in jewels embedded on her coffin. Her sarcophagus was placed in a mystical graveyard known as the Deeper Well along with the coffins of other Old Ones. A warrior of good and his army were assigned to guard the Deeper Well to prevent anyone from extracting one of the coffins, as the Old Ones are capable of resurrection. In the
20th Century , the Keeper of the Deeper Well was
Drogyn The Battlebrand .
Before falling, Illyria planned her resurrection. She hid her temple in a different time plane, rendering it completely intangible, until she could return to open the gateway and enter it. Illyria's army was placed there as well, waiting to be raised once again by its leader. However, sometime in the passing centuries, the army was destroyed, leaving only dust in its place.
As preordained, Illyria's sarcophagus is teleported to the general area of
Los Angeles , but due to continental shifting, it ends up outside of the
United States Of America . Somehow, it is delivered to
U.S. soil, but is held up in Customs on its way to
Wolfram & Hart . Dr. Sparrow manipulates
Charles Gunn into releasing the sarcophagus in exchange for fixing his brain enhancements.
Knox , Illyria's self-fashioned Qwa'ha Xahn (High Priest) and the mastermind behind her resurrection, has the sarcophagus delivered to
Fred Burkle at Wolfram & Hart's science lab. Curiosity draws Fred to the sarcophagus, and when she touches one of the coffin's embedded crystals, Illyria's essence is released into Fred's body. Illyria's spirit acts as an
Infection that liquefies Fred's organs, hardens her skin, and allegedly consumes her soul. After hours of agony, and despite
Angel and
Spike traveling to Illyria's former prison in an attempt to find a way to draw her out of Fred, Fred's body is completely taken over by Illyria, who also absorbs her memories (which she later likens to "sparks").
With the aid of Knox, Illyria attempts to bring about the destruction of humankind by resurrecting her ancient army. Despite the best efforts of Angel, Spike, and
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce , she manages to fight off all three of them and open the portal to where her army is waiting, but soon she discovers that it was destroyed long ago. Lost and without purpose, Illyria agrees to learn how to adjust to the modern world with Wesley's help, who is drawn to the ancient being that now occupies the body of his love. She spends her nights with the oft-drunk Wesley and her days wandering the corridors of Wolfram & Hart.
When Wesley mentions to her that Gunn is trapped in a Wolfram & Hart-imposed pseudo-
Hell , Illyria opens a portal and rescues Gunn without hesitation, later noting the great debt that the group owes to her. In the process of finding Gunn, she destroys eleven torture units, two troop carriers, an ice cream truck, eight "beautifully maintained" lawns, and "rendered useless" dozens of Wolfram & Hart employees according to
Marcus Hamilton . At this point, her pastimes include talking to plants and training with Spike—or, more accurately, beating him up while he tries to ask her how she feels when he hits her and record the details on a clipboard ("I have been hitting the half-breed. He makes noise," she notes). Although she criticizes Spike's adaptability (declaring adaptation to be a compromise), Illyria enjoys beating him up; at one point, she expresses her desire to keep him as a pet.
Eventually, Illyria's power becomes extremely unstable. To others, the Old One appears to be going mad. In truth, Illyria is being thrown out of linear progression of the timeline, altering her perspective as her power seeks a way to escape its shell. Initially, she kills Spike, Wesley,
Lorne , and Angel in a confrontation, interpreting their actions as an attempt to kill her, but, during her time jumps, she drags an earlier version of Angel into the present, revealing what just took place before she detonates, potentially causing enough destruction to wipe out the continent. Fortunately, the explosion sends Angel backwards in time to shortly before Illyria killed the others, allowing Angel to use his new foreknowledge of their deaths to save his friends and calm Illyria down. Before Illyria can detonate again, Wesley uses a Mutari generator to extract a large portion of her power, effectively ending the threat.
As a result of the Mutari generator, Illyria is stripped of much of her super-strength, as well as her abilities to alter time and talk to plants. She grows bitter and withdrawn after the loss of her powers, which she considers a significant defeat. Her primary emotional connection is with Wesley, who continues to help her adjust to the world. After recognizing Wesley's feelings for the "shell" (Fred), Illyria wishes to explore her relationship with Wesley in a more sexual or romantic direction; however, he rejects any possibility of accepting her in Fred's form. She also develops a connection with Spike, who can relate to her newfound situation and treats her with acceptance and dignity, communicating easily with her and helping her venture into the world.
Illyria is brutally beaten and humiliated by
Marcus Hamilton , which fuels the Old One's extreme anger and motivates her to join the final battle against the
Senior Partners . In the ''
Angel '' series finale, "
Not Fade Away ," Illyria, Spike, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne,
Lindsey McDonald , and Angel each fight separate groups of demons from the
Circle Of The Black Thorn . After killing her demon victims, promising to "make trophies from their spines," Illyria seeks out Wesley and finds him dying. Perceiving his imminent death, she comforts Wesley in Fred's form. Grieving for him uncontrollably, Illyria violently dispatches his murderer,
Cyvus Vail , by shattering his head with a single punch, an action that does not begin to assuage her grief and leaves her with a strong desire to "do more violence." Her wish is granted when the Senior Partners send their army against the gang; Illyria joins Angel, Gunn, and Spike in the final battle against the Senior Partners.
According to rumors about a possible spin-off, mentioned by
Joss Whedon and
Amy Acker , Illyria survived the final battle against the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. However, despite this, her current status is unknown.
The full scope of Illyria's power is unknown. When Illyria takes over her new "shell," Illyria possesses tremendous physical strength.
Spike likens a blow from Illyria to being hit by a
Mack Truck . Her strength, reflexes, and agility make her a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. Illyria uses an ancient fighting style that Spike compares to
Tae Kwon Do and
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . Although Spike's adaptability gives him an occasional advantage, Illyria dominates their sparring sessions. Her skin is a hardened shell, providing her body with a heavy armor capable of withstanding blows from forged weapons, such as swords or axes.
Illyria is aided in combat by her ability to selectively alter time, which allows her to easily dodge both attacks and bullets; she can accomplish a goal and leave an area before her opponent even realizes she has moved. She can also open interdimensional portals. In the episode "
Underneath ,"
Wesley comments on her not needing to sleep.
Illyria can alter her physical appearance on a basic level, and she is capable of recreating
Fred 's persona accurately enough to fool Fred's parents. She tells
Knox that she can take any form she chooses. Illyria has
Empathic Abilities that allow her to perceive the emotional states of others. She was, for instance, capable of sensing
Connor 's lust for her, Wesley's frustration with
Angel as well as his grief over Fred's death. Illyria communicates with
Flora , often spending hours at a time communing with a plant. She is also capable of distinguishing humans (or "primitives"), from demons,
Vampires , and other half-breeds. Illyria also retains the insights from her experiences as an
Old One , which enable her to effectively analyze the power dynamics, personal motivations, and emotions that influence those around her. She is stronger than Spike and Angel combined (having proven at one point to be able to withstand them both simultaneously).
After being drained by the Mutari generator, Illyria's abilities are significantly diminished. Her physical strength is decreased (although retaining a high level of strength, well above that of
Vampires and most demons), and she no longer has the ability to alter time, open portals, or commune with plants.
Wesley perceives that Illyria is no longer as durable as she once was (cf. "
The Girl In Question "), and she is later beaten unconscious by
Marcus Hamilton in the episode "
Power Play ."
Even so, Illyria is still a formidable opponent in battle, and successfully kills several members of the
Circle Of The Black Thorn with minimal difficulty. She retains her ability to morph her physical appearance.
Illyria is referred to as "Little
Shiva ", "
Babe The Blue Ox ", and "
Blue Meanie " by
Spike . While in a drunken and irritable state,
Wesley calls her a "
Smurf ". Both Smurfs and the
Hindu god Shiva have blue skin. In the final episode "Not Fade Away" Gunn refers to her as "Blue Thunder."
- — After her resurrection, Illyria shares an emerging bond with Spike. Each is on a path from demon to hero, and they share a love of violence. Their sparring sessions are mutually satisfactory; Spike hones his fighting techniques and Illyria is able to regularly inflict pain and dominate in combat. She, at one point, expresses a desire to keep Spike as a pet. After Illyria's powers are diminished, Spike helps her regain confidence and venture into the world again. Their relationship remains non-romantic, but develops into mutual respect.
- — Though their "relationship" was not a true romantic relationship, the undertones of attraction were mostly based on Fred and Wesley's relationship, Wesley wanting to be around the one part of his deceased love, and Illyria being influenced by Fred's memories. Illyria shed tears for Wesley when he died at the hands of Cyvus Vail (although she was disguised as Fred at the moment), and took vengeance by putting her fist through Vail's face. The rapid development of "Fred-like" emotions inside Illyria escalates to the point of uncontrollable grief, which she can only withstand by channeling it into rage in the last scene.
;'''''s fifth season in 2004, first appearing in the episode "
A Hole In The World ," replacing
Fred . Technically, since she is played by the same actress as Fred, it could be said that she was credited as a regular from her first appearance, but the first instance of the opening sequence showing
Amy Acker specifically as Illyria and not Fred is in the episode "
Underneath ." Illyria appears in 8 episodes in total.
Illyria has also appeared in ''Angel'' '' in 2006.
