The title character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's one true romance is with Spike, not Angel. On and off, Buffy Summers has found herself in love with two vampires with souls, forcing fans to choose their favorite pairing. While the debate over which vamp is better for Buffy seems never-ending, the franchise itself confirmed the answer years ago.

The answer to who Buffy's one true love is arrives in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #15, where Buffy chooses to trust an evil Spike to go good again much more willingly than she was willing to give the same courtesy to Angel during the original television series.

Moments before a newly antagonistic Spike is ready to pierce his fangs into her neck, Buffy refuses to fight back, citing the opinion that her lover would persevere and break through. Thankfully, she's proven correct in her theory. This further highlights the discrepancy in her relationship with Angel, where she wasn't nearly as forgiving or trustworthy of Angel breaking through his Angelus guise.

Sorry Angel, Buffy Trusts Spike’s Love More Than Yours

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #15 by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs, Dan Jackson, Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

Much like the controversial eighth season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten is contained within the comics, but is still considered a part of the official Buffyverse since it is authorized by Joss Whedon. Hence, there's no arguing that this isn't a canon take. The story in issue #15 continues as Spike starts having visions of a mysterious killer. The Scooby Gang soon learns the killer is Arcaheus, The Old One who sired The Master, and, by proxy, great-great-grandsired Darla, Angel, Drusilla, and Spike. Having that blood connection allows Archaeus to mind-control Spike, forcing him to serve as his pawn in a battle with the Scoobies.

Buffy can't bring herself to fight Spike without the risk of killing him, so she opts to put down her defenses in hopes of breaking through the mind control, dropping her weapon altogether. It's a risk that pays off when Spike breaks his mind control, all because of his love for Buffy. It's certainly a testament to the power of Spike and Buffy's love for each other that the former's plan manages to work based solely on gut instinct, but as a consequence, it forces readers to re-evaluate Buffy's love for Angel.

Buffy Was Less Forgiving When Angel Faced a Similar Struggle with Evil

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2, Episode 14, "Innocence"

Angel was faced with an all-too-similar predicament to Spike's years beforehand in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's second season, when he first becomes Angelus. Like Spike, Angel's mind is severely altered, and he becomes a far different, evil version of himself. In fact, it's most accurate to say he became an entirely different person, much like Spike. The difference is that, although Buffy is shocked by the situation, she ultimately accepts by the end of the episode that Angel is no longer the same man and mentally prepares herself to kill him, a decision she carries out by the season’s end.

It took Buffy just one episode to essentially give up on her relationship with Angel and accept that the man she once loved was not coming back. Yet, she granted Spike the benefit of the doubt when he went through the exact same scenario, and even more impressively, her love for Spike was strong enough to break through his spell in ways it never did with Angel. This feels like a deliberate choice by the creative team to canonize that Buffy’s romance with Spike is stronger than her relationship with Angel.

Buffy’s Heart Divided: Angel as Her First Love, Spike as Her True Match

Why the Franchise Ultimately Favors Buffy’s Romance with Spike Over Angel

It's interesting to think that whenever Buffy recalls her union with Angel, she frames him in the show as the only man she's ever loved. That notion eventually morphs into her loving both Spike and Angel, but more often than not, stories have Buffy expressing the sentiment that Angel is her first and most important love. That's interesting because she's paired with Spike for most of the franchise. She dedicates most of the first three seasons to Angel, but the remainder of the show and the comic book expansion lean more toward Spike and Buffy's pairing.

Stories like Season Ten highlight how most storylines and writers tend to favor Buffy being with Spike. This makes sense because, unlike Angel, who comes with major complications such as losing his soul, Spike presents fewer obstacles for the writers to navigate. Even fans who prefer Buffy and Angel often acknowledge this. As a result, Spike’s love is portrayed as more enduring than Angel’s in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, making their relationship the franchise’s most compelling and frequently explored romance.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #15 is available now from Dark Horse Comics!