TV Meme: Day 14 - Favorite Male Character

Still surviving the Meme in its fourteenth day, and the topic is: favorite male character. This was a bit of a conundrum. There's so damn many to choose from. My initial, rather obvious choice would be Jack Bauer on 24, played to utter perfection by Keifer Sutherland (of The Lost Boys fame). However, Rachel's already got that pretty well written already, so why bother repeating her brilliant write-up? So I've gone with my number two choice (although it was NEARLY Malcom Reynolds from Firefly).

Angel. Or Angelus, if one were to refer to his original, soulless vampire self. Angel is the vampire with a soul, cursed by gypsies after killing the wrong gal. His reign of terror - which was plentiful - came to a screeching end. This beast that defiled, murdered, and drove people insane felt every act of evil he committed, and he was repulsed by it. The soul made him feel every ounce of pain, and the conditions of the curse ensured that Angelus would never be happy again, or the beast would be set free once again (something the soulful Angel could never allow). Angelus, the mighty demon that stalked the night and murdered innocent girls without a second thought, become a whimpering, burdened, sorrowful shell.

Until he met her.

In 1996, Angel met Buffy Summers in Sunnydale, and she changed his life forever. A new path presented itself to him, and he took it. He chose the life of protector, of a guardian, of a...'hero.' He would spend eternity or the rest of his existence seeking redemption for his sins, and he would never give up. Angel vowed to fight evil at the end of a sword.

Angel is my favorite male character because he is the ultimate hero. Hell, one of the ultimate characters ever written. The fight against evil was never more amazing than with Angel - the evil of the outside world and the evil from within himself he always fought, second after second of every day. On more than one occasion, the fight cost him and his friends dearly. But he continues to fight. No matter the blow. Everyone he knows and love could die right in front of him, and the world would be ending and everything would be a lost cause, but Angel would still pick up his sword, axe, arrow, weapony-thingy and fight until he can't possibly fight anymore.

He's my favorite character because he has no right to be. He doesn't ask for it, he doesn't need it. He's perfectly content with saving the day and being righteous and just sulking back into the shadows again. Angel is the vampire equivalent of the Dark Knight. Angel is the biggest, baddest-assest vampire and don't nobody mess 'wit' 'em! ...Seriously, watch the show. Writing this post has now made me uber eager to rewatch all five seasons.