The lore of Buffy the Vampire Slayer confirms that Angel and Spike are technically the same person. The two vampires with souls were often in conflict with each other, largely because both were objects to Buffy's affection and because they're too similar for their own good. Their being alike is why they hate each other, but they're closer than they could've ever imagined.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #14 confirms that Angel and Spike are literally the same person through blood. They are both connected to the same great-great-grandsire, Archaeus, whose shared connection to The Master and The Whirlwind means they all share the same blood. Upon learning the news and reflecting on her romance with Angel and Spike, Buffy says, "I literally fell in love with the same guy twice?"

Similarly, thinking about his romance with Drusilla, Spike says, "I shagged myself?" The revelation further complicates, but deepens Angel and Spike's connection, especially considering they canonically romanced each other.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Confirms Angel and Spike are Literally the Same

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #14 by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs, Dan Jackson, Richard Starkings, and Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

This issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer canonical comic book continuation introduces Archaeus, which translates to "The Old One." Spike starts having vivid visions of people being killed by his hand. Although the Scooby Gang knows that Spike isn't doing the killing, they investigate his mind using Giles and Willow's magic. They soon discover his dreams have been filled with the murders of Archaeus, the god-tier vampire who eventually tries to mind-control Spike, which backfires due to his undying love for Buffy.

This places them all under a complex family tree, but as Giles explains, a vampire is a combination of the demon's essence and the host's persona; and with all of these vampires being connected through an all-powerful demon, their mannerisms and existence are all influenced by him.

Giles explains that Archaeus is an elder vampire who sired The Master. Since The Master sired Darla, who sired Angel, who sired Drusilla, who sired Spike, they all share a hint of Archaeus' blood in their veins; every member of the Whirlwind becomes connected as one through Archaeus' bloodline. This places them all under a complex family tree, but as Giles explains, a vampire is a combination of the demon's essence and the host's persona; and with all of these vampires being connected through an all-powerful demon, their mannerisms and existence are all influenced by him.

Angel and Spike's Lives Always Paralleled on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Comics Canonizes How That's More Than a Coincidence

Dating back to the original television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer always framed Angel and Spike as being perfect mirrors of each other, to the point that the parallels were always eerie. At the most surface level, they are both notorious vampires who renounce their evil ways thanks to gaining a soul and a love for the Slayer hunting them. However, multiple scenes in the show see Angel and Spike directly parallel each other's movements and actions, to the point that many of their moments can be placed side-by-side with each other like an actual mirror image.

Many scenes from the show seemed to exist specifically to emphasize just how alike Angel and Spike are in a narrative sense, but the comics insert a more literal sense into the official canon. This explains why so many scenes featuring Angel and Spike are such perfect echo chambers of each other - it's because they are. Not to say that Angel and Spike sharing enough actual blood to be the same person was always the plan by Buffy's creative team, but the comics show how they can take common tropes from the show and weave them into a deeper story.

The Buffy Comics Help Deepen the Lore of the Show

The Revelation Further Connects its Central Vampires While Turning Creative TV Choices into Narrative Devices

This is a prime example of how Buffy the Vampire Slayer's comic sequels add to the lore of the original show. The comics didn't always hit the mark, but they succeeded in expanding on different plot lines, themes, and connections based on the show. The introduction of Archaeus simultaneously deepens vampire lore while also adding a more complex connection to its central vampires. Angel, Spike, Drusilla, and Darla, canonically referred to as The Whirlwind, are the main four vampires of the franchise.

Spike's debut in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's second season originally revealed Angel as his sire. Later episodes would retcon Drusilla into being Spike's sire, turning Angel into his grandsire since Angel sired Drusilla.

While killing together and lusting after each other within the same pack gives them a history that will forever connect them, this new addition to the lore manages to make their connection all the deeper. Not only were they in unison together and effective as a pack because of their cohesive villainy, but because they were the same person multiplied by four. Archaeus gave birth to the most dangerous vampire in modern times and split them into four people (five including Darla's sire, The Master). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten makes sense of Angel and Spike's shared history.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #14 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.