Spike, played by James Marsters, is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Spike is a vampire and played various roles on the shows, ranging from villain to anti-hero. For Marsters, the role as Spike began a career in science fiction television, becoming "the obvious go-to guy for US cult [television]". For creator Whedon, Spike is the "most fully developed" of his characters. The character had intended to be a brief villain, with Whedon originally adamant to not have another major "romantic vampire" character like Angel - Marsters says "Spike was supposed to be dirty and evil, punk rock, and then dead" - but the character ended up staying for the second season, and then returning in the fourth to replace Cordelia as "the