1. Spike (aka William the Bloody) as portrayed by James Marsters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
My love for vampires would not exist without Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by extension Spike, my selection for top vampire. From his introduction in the Season 2 episode “School Hard” to the final episode of Angel, Spike defied all notions as to what a vampire character can be and at various times existed within all of the various archetypes. He begins as the viscous, violent, and evil monster that we immediately think of when the word vampire comes to mind and evolves into the wacky sidekick, the soulful lover, the morally ambiguous partner, and ultimately a hero… all while never getting rid of the monster within. James Marsters’ performance was incredibly sexy and charismatic, and he could play scary, poetic, and funny somehow all at the same time. He even proved to be a rock star in the musical episode “Once More With Feeling.” All of the best traits of the vampire are rolled into one package with Spike, and to my mind he is a character (and monster) for the ages.
Advertisement
