Character that you USED to hate, but now you LOVE

[Buffanator]

Which character(s) did you used to hate, but grew to love?

For me there's only one: Cordelia. I just hated her in Buffy, but loved her in Angel. In Buffy, she was a literal PITA cheerleadery, popular, mouthy, spoiled rotten bratty POS. But in Angel, she really grew - and I really liked her in Angel. And after seeing her in Angel, I was able to appreciate her in Buffy, so now I no longer hate her in Buffy.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

It was Wesley for me. I didn't really like his character in Buffy, but he was great in Angel. However, I'm sure if he hadn't started as he did I wouldn't have liked him there either, so it was a kind of necessary period of dislike! I did like his clumsiness in Spin the Bottle though; that scene with the sword arm was classic, and he did the best comedy fall into the basement that I have ever seen!

 

[Joyce Summers]

Initially I hated Dawn, not because of her character, but more because of how she was put into the series. She was acting as though she had been there from the off when she hadn't but we had. But we as an audience no longer had the same memories as the characters we loved and so I felt kinda cheated.

And then Blood Ties and the comic Hoopy the Bear happened. And everything just clicked for me, weirdly enough I guess it was in the same way that it clicked for Dawn in the same episode. I stopped being so obsessive about Dawn Memories being a big fat fib, and just started enjoying the character as a character and now, years on, I love her and consider her one of my favorite characters. Even to the extent that her random outbreaks of 'Get out! Get out!' no longer frustrate me but just make me sympathetic. There's so many instances throughout her three seasons that I just want to hug her so much. And she completely and utterly is the empowered (or as Buffy said 'close to being empowered') 'little woman' in season 7 which is incredibly cool and amazing to see especially when you compare to how she was in Real Me. An episode I now enjoy quite a lot by the way.

I don't think there's any other character that I went from hate-to-love for. The rest my opinion pretty much has always been the same. (Does that make me boring and predictable?) Though I have to say I have moved from being Riley Tolerable, to Enjoying Riley to being a Briley Shipper. Haha. So I suppose that has changed but not as drastically as the Dawn example.

 

[Washburne]

Even though hate is a word I wouldn´t use I guess it´s Wesley for me too. In the beginning I really didn´t care for him at all and was sure he was going to get killed. And on Angel I really loved him.

Cordelia. Well she was a bitch, she really was and she grow a lot on Angel. But I think she was pretty funny on Buffy so it was never near hate. But the whole me, me, me thing got a bit annoying.

Dawn I never had a problem with, but boy was I confused until we learned the truth.

Connor. Well the whole Cordeliasituation is a big no no, but other than that I don´t mind him. With his upbringing I could totally relate to the why he reacted as he did. Bad choices yes, but understandable. And come on, who would turn Cordy down in that situation? Stupid writers! 😉 But I have to admit that his apperances in season 5 are clearly the best.

Faith is a story of its own. First I was like Xander. "Hey here is a really cool chick!" Then she got bad and I was like "Just kill her already." Then she woke up from her coma and I started liking her again and on Angel she was even better. I don´t think she´s all that great in Buffy season 7 though. She´s good but nothing special.

Riley I liked until he and Buffy had gone steady for a while, then he just got boring. I felt really sorry for him in the end though.

Kendra? Didn´t like her in the beginning, didn´t care that she died. But the shirt-comment and lamp-situation are funny.

Whom have I forgotten? I guess I´ll have to get back to you.

 

[Seven Of Nine]

I disliked Cordelia at first but didn't hate her, so I'd say for me it's probably teen-Connor. Once he got his memories back in season 5 and he knew what Angel had given up for him, that's what I'd been waiting for.

 

[white avenger]

I don't know if "hate" is the proper word, but I certainly had very little respect for Wesley in Season 3 of "Buffy," though by the end of "Angel," I saw him as a real hero in every sense of the word.

 

[Lyri]

I don't think I ever hated anyone, every character brought something to the shows, without which the shows wouldn't be what they were.

But I will admit that I wasn't the biggest Anya fan, not until 'The Body', anyway.

 

[Dancing man]

I hated Spike until he came to Angel in season 5 and was so funny!!! Still prefer Angel though 😛😀

 

[Bluebird]

I never hated any of the characters either although Wesley in season 3 of Buffy I wasn't too keen on. But for me it was quite a quick turnaround of opinion when he arrived on Angel in Parting Gifts as a Rogue Demon Hunter! You felt a bit of sympathy towards the guy cos he'd been fired from the council and became a bit pathetic. So I went from not really noticing him on Buffy to him being one of my favourite characters, just from his first episode on Angel. I love Wesley!

 

[Vicariously]

Cordiella was a character that I loved to hate....I appreciated the role she played on the show, but she was just such brat I always wanted her to get eaten lol...

She surprised me on Angel though...that I actually started to CARE for her character hahahaha

.......................................................

 

[Violette]

Wesley, I didn't like him very much in Buffy, but liked his character in Angel.

I wasn't too fond of Anya when she first appeared in the show, but as time went on and she became funny (with her brutal honesty), I just totally adore her character (especially in seasons 5 to 7).

 

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

Agreed to Wesley.

Actually, i was backwards with Cordelia. loved her in Buffy, thought her so funny and great, didn't like her in Angel. Guess i miss the "bitch" in her.

There are other characters who were more of a, used to hate but now can at least stand to watch sort of thing, but dont LOVE. Like Dawn.

Oh, and Kendra was more of me hating her in my first 2 viewings of Buffy, and then recently, really liking her the last time i watched those episodes.

 

[caitaintdead]

I always hated Angel because of my feelings towards Bangel (boring, overindulgent and unnecessary). So always kind of considered Angel to be all of those things as well. Over the past 10 years though I've gradually started to hate him less. I don't know if I'd say love yet, but I can definitely see him on screen without throwing things at him - which has made watching Angel more enjoyable, let me tell you that!
I'm pretty loyal when it comes to who I love and hate so most of my opinions on the characters have stayed the same.

 

[Aethra]

I don't think I actually hated any character in the beginning that I later loved. I was pretty loyal to my forst impressions, I suppose. But to all those who've said Wesley--for me it was the complete opposite. I loved him in Buffy season thee and the beginning of Angel, but once he went all "woe is me, I'm a loner" I hated him for the rest of the series. It's actually most likely why I dislike Fresley... by the time they got together, I couldn't stand Wesley.

 

[T.I.P]

Used to hate Dawn and Glory, But after watching s5 again i love everything about it.

 

[Tranquillity]

I really didn't like Dawn when she first appeared but after re-watching the show so many times i find that i now really like her. I find her funny - she gets some really good lines. A favorite:

DAWN: Sorry to interrupt the sex-capades. I just wanted to tell you that Mom's coming.

I think Buffy babies her too much, that would make me pretty whiney too🙂

 

[InsaneMystic]

With Dawn, it was more a mild annoyance at first viewing going to love from second viewing on.

Real hate-to-love (and this during first viewing!) was with Oz... but the only reason I hated him at first was because of jealousy (I had an even bigger crush on Willow then than I still have nowadays 🙂 ), and because his looks reminded me strongly of a guy I knew IRL who kept rubbing me the wrong way, for years (his looks apart from height and weight, that is... the guy in question is 6'2" and rather fat :lmao🙂. Well, while I could never grow out of my jealousy enough to actually like Will&Oz together (even though, objectively, I can see why people love the ship), as a character I really couldn't help but have Oz grow on me warp-speed when he got more screen time from WML onward.

 

[percepto girl]

I used to hate Riley, and I had largely unfounded reasons. I basically already knew that Briley wouldn't last and I wanted him to leave already so Spike could get more screen time (ugh, how superficial of me). My opinion has drastically changed - I really appreciate Riley for just being a good person and a good boyfriend to Buffy. I like him as a character on his own now and have no problem watching Riley scenes - yay me. Also, I'm currently on season 5 and I feel so bad for him. He's just trying so hard to be there for Buffy ad he knows that everything is falling apart - his line at the end of The Replacement is hearbreaking.

 

[crabby patty]

It was Willow for me, I couldnt reallt stand her in Seasons 1 - 3 (although she was pretty good in Dopplegangland) but wierdly as soon as she hit college in season 4 I really started to like her, I think its cos she dropped that geeky image and her character really grew and started to shine.

 

[Spirit_Of_Fred]

wow, i must have a lot of dislike in me for characters, which is weird because the opposite is true in real life (i would tend to dislike people at first, then grow to like them). the only characters i can think of where my opinion changed, its the other way around.

having started with watching "angel", i liked later cordelia first, THEN early cordelia, but now have grown to dislike later cordelia because i miss her being "bitchy", as LittleMissLikesToFight put it.

when i first saw connor, he was my very favourite male character. then he started to bug me. i cant really explain the change; it just happened.

here's an ironic one. i start watching season 4 buffy, and riley shows up. i dont like him as a first impression. i go "oh, great. he's the new love interest for buffy post-angel, isn't he?" then parker shows up. he seems cool (as he was intended to come off...at first). im like "oh, cool. maybe buffy will date him instead! yay!". the harsh light of day through beer bad happens. im like, "well, crap". apparently, parker's the bad guy, and riley is indeed the love interest. episodes through into the woods happen. still not liking riley, for obvious reasons. the guy has issues. thank goodness for season 5 spuffy! 😀