Who Is Spike? Origin, Powers and Key Facts

Spike is a Company-Licensed comic book character, the alter ego of William Pratt, with over 344 comic issue appearances. An infamous vampire, Spike began to help Buffy in her fight once he could no longer bite humans. Later, he fought to get his soul back so that Buffy could love him, and sacrificed himself for her.

Who is Spike?

Origin Born and raised in England in the mid-to-late 19th century, William Pratt was a struggling poet of middle class origins. Mocked and belittled by his acquaintances for his poetic efforts, he was an outsider for much of his adult life before, in 1880, he was sired by Drusilla . He was taken in by Drusilla and Angelus , the latter of whom instructed William in the art of cruelty. Despite his taste for cruelty and brutality, he possessed a remarkable capacity for human emotion, even going so far as to sire his mother to prevent her from dying. He was forced to stake her due to her taking on the emotional and moral vacuity common to vampires. He immersed himself in the vampiric lifestyle, developing a reputation as a particularly bloodthirsty rebel, and obtaining the nickname "Spike" due to his propensity to use railroad spikes as instruments of torture. He travelled Europe and Asia engaging in violence and delinquency for several decades, developing feuds with the Immortal and Dracula , among others. He killed a Slayer in 1900, and another in the 1970s.

Key facts

Spike is of other origin. The character is published by Company-Licensed. With 344 recorded issue appearances, Spike ranks among the most featured characters in comics.