Bad Guys Gone Good: Our Favorite TV Villains Who Turned Over a New Leaf

Photo: The WB

Spike – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

If you ask me, Spike was always mostly a good guy. Buffy and her Scooby gang demonized him and made him a convenient dumping ground for all their feelings about their work as hunters. But he was never really downright evil.

Once he and Buffy had their little tryst, he softened even more, and everyone came around, mostly. In the Buffy/Angel/Spike love triangle, I always thought Spike was a better choice for Buffy. I was disappointed when they used him as a vehicle for Buffy’s self-loathing, and I always felt kinda sad for his unrequited feelings for Buffy.

Time and time again, he tried to prove his worth to Buffy and her friends, but they always had some inherent prejudice against him. I mean, I didn’t see any of Buffy’s other boyfriends hanging around at the end of the world, fighting against Armageddon.

In my mind, after Buffy and Spike saved the universe, they rode off into the sunset to begin their happy life together. Maybe Buffy churned out a couple of children, and Spike got a night job. They have a full life, with friends, hobbies, and Friday night dates. All that nasty Hellmouth business is long in the rearview, and they are living a mostly normal life, free of demons and evil enemies.