Charles Gunn (Angel)

Did You Know?

• In the episode 'Supersymmetry', Gunn threatens a college student by referencing Daredevil #181, in which Bullseye kills Elektra, quoting the cover blurb '...One wins, one dies.'
• Following his mental upgrade, Gunn sheds his street look for sleek professional suits and lets his hair grow slightly, which surprises Cordelia in the episode 'You're Welcome'.

Biography

Charles Gunn grew up in the Badlands, a place of poverty and violence, where he used his street smarts and fighting skills to protect his community from vampires. As a teenager, he became the leader of a street gang that defended his neighborhood. At seventeen, believing he had no future, he traded his soul to a demon named Jenoff for a truck. Gunn first appears in the episode 'War Zone', where he observes the vampire Angel roughing up a blackmailer and tries to dust him. Later, a gang of vampires attacks his group's hideout, kidnapping several members including his sister Alonna. Angel wins Gunn's trust, but not in time to save Alonna from turning into a vampire; Gunn stakes his own sister, a decision that haunts him. Alonna's death causes Gunn to re-evaluate his priorities and seek help from Angel. He initially regards his work with Angel Investigations as a paying side gig but eventually becomes a full-time member. In the episode 'Belonging', Cordelia is sucked into a portal to Pylea while a member of Gunn's old crew, George, dies from a vampire bite. Gunn feels responsible but joins Angel, Wesley, and Lorne to rescue Cordelia.

Relationships

Gunn had a romance with a girl named Veronica prior to becoming a full-time member of Angel Investigations; she appears briefly in 'First Impressions', where her non-fatal injury brings back painful memories of Alonna. Gunn falls in love with Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, and they have a strong relationship through much of seasons 3 and 4, which ruptures when Gunn murders a human to protect Fred's innocence. He retains strong feelings of friendship for her and is devastated by her death, for which he is partially responsible. Fred always called him Charles. Gwen Raiden flirts with Gunn in her first two appearances, and they have sex in the episode 'Players', when Gunn helps her gain the ability to touch people without harming them. Gunn and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce develop a brothers-in-arms bond during Angel's absence in season 2, but their friendship is strained by romantic rivalry over Fred and later by Wesley's misguided attempt to kidnap Angel's son Connor. They reconcile by season 5, though stress arises again when Illyria's creation causes Fred's death and Wesley stabs Gunn with a scalpel; they eventually reconcile. Cordelia Chase advocated for bringing Gunn into Team Angel and pushed for him to be paid and seen as an equal; Gunn quickly respected her and a solid friendship formed.