Warning: contains a preview for Angel #5!

In a preview for Angel #5, shared by BOOM! Studios, the beloved vampire-turned-antihero, Spike, shows that he is doubting his own path of redemption that began years ago when he fell in love with Buffy.

Spike is one of the the Buffy franchise's most fan-favorite characters - a tragic but undeniably cool antihero who often overshadows his fellow converted vampire, Angel. Spike debuted as a villain in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show, and the instant popularity of the character played by James Marsters quickly made him part of the stable cast. Spike's sacrifice was fundamental to winning the day and saving the world in the very last episode of the series but he was resurrected in the spin-off show Angel. In the BOOM! Studios reboot of the Buffyverse, which began with a new Angel comic in January 2022, followed by The Vampire Slayer in April, Spike is still hanging out in Los Angeles with his friend/rival Angel, helping him solve supernatural crimes and mysteries.

Related: Buffy & Spike's Romance Secretly Averted a Much Darker Future

In line with the publisher's intention of re-telling the Buffy story with the same characters but in a different context, Angel picks up many characters and situations from the TV show (and the follow-up comics) but adds a new spin. The Slayer in Los Angeles is Fred, who gives a whole new nerdy and science-based outlook to the role. Angel is still a vampire who turned to good after receiving a soul, but in this dimension of the Buffyverse, he is also the star of a Hollywood TV show. Spike is also a reformed vampire, but the comic has not yet explained how or when he received a soul, and readers do not know if he has met Buffy in this universe. In a BOOM! Studios preview for Angel #5, by Christopher Cantwell, Daniel Bayliss, and Patricio Delpeche, Spike's role as a "vampire champion" is questioned by Fred after former watcher Wesley sacrifices himself to save the blond vampire. Spike, who hasn't lost his haughty and sarcastic attitude, starts questioning his choice of trying to be a hero. The preview includes main cover art by Nimit Malavia and a variant cover by Jahnoy Lindsay.

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The reason why Spike is such a beloved character by Buffy fans is exactly because of his antiheroic attitude. Contrary to Angel, Spike was not cursed with a soul. In the Buffy TV show, he chose to obtain one through excruciating pain and sacrifice, acknowledging the danger he posed to those he'd grown to care about. While Angel's origins stayed consistent throughout the many alternate versions of the story, it is still unclear how Spike got started on his path of redemption in this most recent Angel comic. Whatever the case, it's clear Spike will always retain that sense of torment and tragedy that made him so popular, and may even seek to rid himself of the soul that's driving him to care about helping others.

The concept of multiple universes (dubbed the "Slayerverse") has opened a lot of creative opportunities for the Buffy franchise. The new line of comic books by BOOM! Studios are doing a great job of refreshing these beloved characters and making their stories attractive to a new generation of fans, but they also create the possibility for new decisions and twists on Buffy lore, meaning there's no guarantee Spike won't be tempted back to the dark side as Angel's story continues.

Next: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Has Officially Been Replaced by a New Chosen One

Source: BOOM! Studios

Angel #5 is available for sale in print and digital from BOOM! Studios, May 18.