Buffy and Angel-Which is the greater or true hero?

[Revan]

I was reading the thread about Angel's growth and then I remembered that the PTB only cared about Buffy up till the end of season 2. She helped create Angel and yet he has surpassed her in later seasons of Ats. Did buffy fufill her best act when helping Angel find himself. Do you think Angel has surpassed buffy?

Looking at the later seasons of Buffy and Angel. Buffy keeps on preventing apocolypses and Angel is fighting the real in Wolfram and Hart. keeping this in mind who is the greater champion?

I think Angel is the greater Hero because he is still working for the PTB and doing direct good while buffy is fighting evil. There is a difference between doing good and fighting evil. What's your opinion?

[Enisy]

If we compare the last "incarnations" of them in the televised series (Season 7 Buffy and Season 5 Angel), I think it's pretty obvious that Buffy was the better hero, when it came to both morality and "fighting the good fight". (In the comics, it's reversed.)

[assydingo]

The real? That seems to imply the only real fight is W&H. They definetly control a huge demonic base but it's not the only way evil comes into the world or the only major threat.

[carousel_girl8]

In my opinion Angel is the greater hero because his is down to a choice and Buffy's was her destiny it was something she would have had trouble walking away from. I think Angel had to prove more as a vampire not to other people but to himself aswell, he has had to struggle with his past as Angelus and I believe he isn't just fighting as a way of making up for his past but because he truly wants to help people and the world.

[Nina]

The both have vitues and flaws. And everybody decides for him/herself what vitues they think is more important for a hero.

It's really hard to compare for me; Buffy is a real hero, yes she has flaws but she is still the one who will win. Angel is much more the tragic antihero. Angel's life is much harder.


For me;
Angel is for me more a hero (I think both are amazing heroes) because he came from so far. Yes he is an antihero but not because he made himself one ... the world made him an antihero and he tries to fight it. He would probably never recieve Buffy's glory or know the taste of winning a big fight. But he tries and goes on while it's much harder for him than for somebody who wins.

[kana]

I'm not really into the 'let's reduce heroism to a scoreboard' thing.

I think for the most part they have both had noble intentions. I prefer Angel's mission statements but I don't think that makes him a better hero.

Also I pay little attention to who the PTBs claim are the glorified monkey nor do I think it matters that Buffy was made a Slayer against her will. Buffy and Angel are heroes because they define it, not some ancient prophecies.

[vampmogs]

I can't decide either.

At the end of the day they both want to do good and help people, they both succeed and sometimes fail at this. I think they're both heroes.

If we're going to judge it on the morally dubious things they've both done, Buffy's giving Angel a run for his money at this point in season eight whereas Angel seems to have made no such decisions in 'After the Fall.' I agree with Enisy, there's been a role reversal there for sure.

In saying that, I think Angel's been messed around in the head a lot more. He had Wolfram and Hart constantly trying to turn him dark, by tormenting him or tormenting his friends. I really feel for him when he lets loose his frustration to Lorne in his car, telling him that people expect too much of him. He sarcastically quips "Angel be happy, why don't you smile more?" and I really feel for him, because people expected so much from him but he had an evil law firm making it their daily assignment to play with his head.

Once season eight and ‘After the Fall’ are done and dusted, given what we’ve seen so far, it’s going to be very hard for me to see them as anything but equals. They’ve both hit amazing heights and lows, but both of them want to fight evil and help people, that’s what makes them heroes.