Why Did Spike Hate Angel?

anyatara

anyatara

Scooby
Joined
Mar 29, 2007
Messages
2,811
Age
31
Okay, so this is something that has always bugged me, because it didn't make that much sense to me, why does Spike hate Angel so much? It really confuses me.
 
He didn't, but as Willow and Tara had already done the same gender thing, well, dear little Spikey didn't want to be seen as a follower of fashion, that's why he beat the crap outta Angel for a taste of Mountain Dew.
 
I think that the real hatred began the first time that Spike cought Anger having sex with Dru (I don't remember the Angel episode) and sort of escalated from there. Of course, as the alpha male of the vampire pack, Angel would naturally be the target of the next highest male (assuming that the vampire hierarchy runs the same way as other predators, as it seems to, given the fact that Darla, Angel's sire and therefore senior member of the pack seems to defer to "her boy" in most things). Also, while there is no direct evidence of this on the show, it has been conjectured that there might be a history of sexual abuse involving the two. Finally, there is simply the two different personalities, Angel being basicly a bully and a rapist who enjoys torturing his victims before killing them, while Spike seems more inclined to seek out what he considers more worthy opponents (i.e. Slayers and even other vampires). William probably considered himself the mental superior of Angelus, hense the "Spike" persona, more the ruffian than the poet, could have been simply an attempt to "fit in" with Angelus, at least initially.
 
Is it so much a "Spike hating Angel" as opposed to "Angel hating Spike"?

I don't think it's a "hate" thing as such. For me it's like an alpha male thing (like White Avenger said). When Dru sired Spike, I think that Angelus would have felt threatened with another male presence and beat down on him until Spike became "the working-class vamp" that someone in the commentary said he was at some stage (I don't remember who or which one it was...but it was probably Fool for Love). And the fact that he didn't become a minion would have irked Angelus.

Angelus fancies himself the authority. Spike sees himself as a rebel. It's a clash of personalities that used to involve fisticuffs and deintensified into arguments about theoretical battles between cavemen and astronauts (cavemen rule! 😛)...but I don't think it's hate.
 
Then there's the "Dru made me a vampire. You made me a monster" speech that Spike gives Angel while beating the bloody crap out of him. Might have something to do with it. Also, Spike had all these lofty, poetic ideas about what being a vampire was going to be like, and Angel and Dru smacked those down for him. Spike would have blamed most of it on Angel, because he loved Dru (even though she obviously didn't feel quite the same way about him).
 
Yeah i don't think Spike hates Angel at all. In School Hard he's genuinely pleased to see 'Angelus' and its only when he realises that all is not quite right that he gets angry. Also, the flashbacks in season five of Angel show how Angelus taught Spike everything he knew about being a vampire including the lesson that as a vampire you can have anything you want but you don't own anything and he demonstrated this by taking Dru sexually. Yes Spike was angry and resented this but they (Angelus, Darla, Dru and Spike) went on to live together for nearly 20 years and In The Girl In Question Spike and Angelus are shown getting on famously. When Angelus returns in season 2 of buffy, its not so much that he hates Angel but more hates his intrusion into his and Dru's lives and having to give up his position as 'top dog' to the heirachically higher Angelus. Even though he doesn't like to admit it Spike idolises Angel - in Tabula Rasa he basically admits that he wants to be just like Angel. His obnoxious, spiteful attitude to Angel in season five is rooted in the fact that Angel won't give him the time of day, won't admit that he's changed, won't give him credit for saving the world. When somebody we love doesn't like us back we tend to say 'well i don't like you either' and make a big thing about not likeing the other person and this is how i interpret Spike and Angel's relationship. I think they truely love each other like brothers and that by the end of S.5 this is quite obvious.
 
I do not think Spike hates Angel. I think he resents him for some things in his life, ie the having sex with Dru deal. But I think that Spike just likes to Annoy Angel. He knows it works so he enjoys that.
 
I dont think its a hate-hate relationship but more the kindda thing that youd share between siblings. I reckon that Angel feels resbosible for Spike and Spike looks up to Angel, but being themselves, try to cover it up with teasing and hatred.
 
And I guess it doesn't help that each one thinks they are better than the other. Angel thinks he is stronger, faster, smarter, better looking (mmmm Angel) and Spike feels the same way...It's like a competition for them two. And you know that Angelus was jealous Spike killed 2 slayers. Oh ya, that's gotta sting. If they hate each other, it's mutual. I think that Spike is annoyed by Angel and vice versa more so than the fact they hate each other.
 
When somebody we love doesn't like us back we tend to say 'well i don't like you either' and make a big thing about not likeing the other person and this is how i interpret Spike and Angel's relationship. I think they truely love each other like brothers and that by the end of S.5 this is quite obvious.
Click to expand...

I think this is one of the best descriptions of Spike and Angel's relationship. I cannot help but wonder how Wes felt about this relationship.
 
I don't think there's hatred there either. Strongly dislike, sure. But if you think about everything that had done way back in the good ol' days together, i think Angelus was almost a father figure to Spike. But then after a while i think Spike hated that Angelus always had the power, he came off as the leader and yeah Dru always seemed more drawn to Angelus. And maybe even Spike hated Angel (we are talking soulful angel lol) because maybe at first he was mad at what happened to him, but then realized this made him the big bad but yet there was angel, always getting in the way, even when he was all good. Either way as Angelus or Angel he was in Spike's way of what he wanted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom