- “You gotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father.”
- ―Connor[src]
Connor was the half-demon son of the vampires Angel and Darla.[1]
Connor was conceived when his father, Angel, slept with Darla while going through a dark phase.[2] After several failed attempts to abort her pregnancy, Darla returned to Los Angeles seeking Angel's help.[3] In order to allow for the baby to be born, Darla staked herself, leaving Connor alive.[4] Connor's birth, though theoretically impossible, was prophesied in the Nyazian Scrolls, having foretold that he would kill the Granok demon Sahjhan when he reached adulthood.[5]
Shortly afterward, Connor was kidnapped by Daniel Holtz and taken to the dimension of Quor'toth,[6] where he was raised, trained, and conditioned to hate Angel. Holtz's brutal training regimen, combined with constantly fighting for his life in Quor'toth, left Connor mentally and emotionally unstable.[7]
Upon his return to Los Angeles, Connor set about trying to kill Angel,[7] eventually trapping him at the bottom of the ocean when Holtz committed suicide in a manner simulating a vampire attack as part of his plan.[8] Further manipulated by a possessed Cordelia Chase,[9] the subsequent Jasmine crisis drove Connor over the edge.[10] As part of a deal with Wolfram & Hart, Angel had the Senior Partners alter reality to give Connor a normal human life and family with no memory of the Angel Investigations team.[11]
However, Connor's memories of the original reality were restored when Wesley Wyndam-Pryce destroyed an Orlon Window used in the original spell, defeating Sahjhan as the prophecy foretold[12] and teaming up with Angel to finally kill Marcus Hamilton. Recovering his family granted him the emotional stability he once lacked.[13]
Biography
Infancy
As the child of two vampires, Connor was considered a miracle birth.
Connor was born in November 2001 in Los Angeles, California.[4] He was a "miracle" child; a superhuman born of two vampires, Angel and Darla.[14] His existence was brought on by his father enduring the Trials to win a new life for his mother who was, at the time, dying; the Trials were for naught as Darla had already gotten a second chance at life,[2] but, thanks to a night the two vampires shared,[15] Angel's prize did not go to waste.[16]
Darla failed several attempts to abort her pregnancy and returned to Los Angeles seeking Angel's help. Their baby's soul began affecting Darla, allowing her to feel love for the child. She realized that she would lose the connection after birth and feared she would eventually want to kill the child.[3] Unable to physically give birth with her undead body, Darla killed herself to save Connor; she drove a wooden stake through her heart to leave the newborn Connor unscathed.[4]
For the first few months of his life, Connor became a part of the Angel Investigations family, jointly raised by the entire group at the Hyperion Hotel.[17] At the hospital where he was brought after birth, he was officially registered as "Connor Angel," as his father was given the alias "Geraldo Angel." However, being the "miracle child" born from two vampires, Angel Investigations speculated that the Order of Phillius, Beltar the Cremator, Frank, Piper Beast, and the Scourge were potential threats against the baby.[1]
Connor was prophesied to destroy the time-shifting demon Sahjhan. In an effort to negate the prophecy and save his own life, Sahjhan traveled back and forth through time and rewrote the prophecy to read, "The father will kill the son," in reference to Angel and Connor. Worried for the baby's safety, with his concerns ever growing when Angel grew increasingly violent when Lilah Morgan spiked Angel's food with Connor's blood,[18] Wesley kidnapped the baby and planned on taking him away from Angel permanently. However, before Wesley had the chance to leave Los Angeles, Holtz ordered his follower, Justine Cooper, to slit Wesley's throat and take Connor as vengeance for Angel's murder of his own family centuries earlier.[6]
It was Holtz's intent to raise Connor as his own son, renaming him Steven Franklin Thomas Holtz. However, several factions wanted the baby Connor for different reasons, ultimately resulting in nearly no one getting what they really wanted. The lawyers at Wolfram & Hart wanted the miracle baby to dissect and analyze it, Sahjhan wanted the baby killed, Holtz wanted to escape and raise the baby as his own, and Angel just wanted his son returned. In an intense power play, Holtz ran into a portal to the dimension Quor'toth, opened by Sahjhan, with baby Connor in his arms.[6]
Quor'toth and Holtz
- “Couple of weeks ago he was wearing diapers. Now he's a teenager?”
- ―Charles Gunn[src]
Connor was greatly feared in the dimension of Quor'toth.
Since time ran more quickly in Quor'toth, Connor aged at an accelerated rate in relation to the time on Earth. He was forced to constantly fight for his life in the violent, demonic dimension. Holtz raised Connor as his son, Steven, trained him to fight and hunt vampires, and told him tales about Angelus, Angel's soulless vampiric persona — especially what Angelus did to Holtz's family, as well as a slightly biased version of what Angel had become since regaining his soul. This effectively turned Connor against his true father and Connor grew to despise him. Holtz's training regimen involved a session in which Holtz tied Connor to a tree and ran away, leaving Connor to free himself and track Holtz down in the wilderness of Quor'toth; while looking back on those days, Connor proudly remarked to Angel that once, it "only took [him] five days" to find him.[19]
Connor emerges from Quor'toth as a disturbed teenage warrior with a vendetta for Angel.
Mere weeks after his disappearance from Los Angeles,[7] Connor, called "the Destroyer" by beings in Quor'toth, suddenly returned[20] as an eighteen year old.[21] He punched a rift out of the dimension and was transported into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel[20] with one goal: to kill Angel. Conflict and confusion were abundant as Connor adjusted to life in Los Angeles[7] and he was further manipulated by Holtz, who had followed him back into this reality. Eventually, under his own plan, Holtz was killed by his loyal follower, Justine, in a manner that framed Angel for the action. Enraged, Connor, with help from Justine, sealed Angel in a metal box and sunk him to the bottom of the ocean, where he could survive indefinitely due to his vampiric nature.[8]
Angel Investigations
- “I know she's a lie. Jasmine. My whole life's been built on them. I just... I guess I thought this one was better than the others.”
- ―Connor[src]
Afterward, Connor seemingly joined Angel Investigations, who, at that point, consisted of Charles Gunn and Winifred Burkle, who acted as his guardians. During that time, their primary mission was searching for clues around the disappearance of both Angel and Cordelia, though Connor went out of his way to ensure that Angel's whereabouts remained hidden from them, even going so far as to kill the only witness to his deed. When the truth was revealed, Gunn and Fred attacked him, and Fred went so far as to torture him with a stun gun and accuse him of disposing of Cordelia as well, though the returned Angel deduced that Connor was not responsible for Cordelia's disappearance.[22]
Proceeding this, relations between Angel and Connor were quite shaky, yet slowly improved. Due to his difficult upbringing, Connor found it difficult to develop emotional attachments to people, yet, once she returned, he formed a close bond with amnesiac Cordelia; she chose to stay with him over the rest of the team as he was the only one who didn't initially lie to her about her past.[23]
Jasmine seduces Connor.
When a seemingly all-powerful demon known as the Beast rose from the ground in the very same place that he had been born, Connor felt responsible. As fire rained from the sky, Connor sought solace in Cordelia's arms.[24] Unknown to him, and to everyone else, was the fact that Cordelia was under the control of a powerful cosmic entity who sought dominion over the human race, and who had been orchestrating events for years to be fully brought forth into the world. Connor's night of passion with Cordelia had serious repercussions as it allowed the arrival of this very being, later named "Jasmine." Connor's very existence was orchestrated for this event to occur.[16] Thanks to hijacking Cordelia's body to have sex with Connor, she became pregnant and told Connor that his new family was "special."[9]
Later, when they were forced to break Angel's curse to destroy the Beast, Connor openly supported killing Angelus rather than attempting to re-ensoul him. He attempted to stake an unconscious Angelus on the orders of "Cordelia" while Willow Rosenberg was attempting to re-ensoul him once more, though he was stopped by Slayer Faith Lehane long enough for Willow to do so.[9]
Once Cordelia was exposed as the one responsible for the terrible things that had been going on,[25] she and Connor went on the run, Cordelia having convinced Connor that Angel and his team were trying to murder their child because they didn't understand it. When Cordelia asked Connor to murder an innocent girl so her blood could anoint their child, the Powers That Be sent Darla to stop him. Though he was initially skeptical, Darla nearly got through to Connor before Cordelia arrived and shunned his mother's presence as nothing more than a magic trick. Connor told Darla that she was not really his mother and proceeded to allow the innocent girl to be sacrificed, allowing Cordelia to give birth to Jasmine.[26]
However, while everyone basked in the glory of Jasmine, who caused immense joy and peace for whomever was in her presence,[16] Connor did not feel the same inner peace and was left with loneliness and isolation. He went along with Jasmine's lie because he did not know what else to do, feeling as though his entire life had been based on lies and hoping that hers was better than the others.[10]
After Angel broke Jasmine's hold over Los Angeles by revealing her true name to them in a live broadcast, Connor killed her himself and then attempted to kill the comatose Cordelia and himself by wiring them and a shop full of innocents to explosives.[10] Meanwhile, Angel agreed to take over the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart in exchange for his son's life. As per the agreement, Connor was to have a whole new existence as an ordinary boy raised by a happy family, with no memory of his kidnapping, his childhood in Quor'toth with Holtz, and the subsequent year after his return. Connor died at Angel's own hand so that he could be "reborn" into his new life. Other than Angel,[11] and some special cases like Cordelia[27] and Eve,[12] everyone's memories were rewritten to accommodate this new reality.[11]
New Life
- “Come on. You drop by for a cup of coffee, and the world's not ending? Please.”
- ―Connor to Angel[src]
In his new reality, Connor became Connor Reilly, the son of Laurence and Colleen Reilly, with new, normal memories of a traditional life, with his most traumatic memory being getting lost in a store when he was five. However, he was destined to cross Angel's path again. A few months after Angel took over Wolfram & Hart, Laurence and Colleen brought Connor to the office to get some answers about their son. Connor had been hit by a van, but suffered no injuries. Angel sent the family away, saying that there was nothing that he could do for their situation. Soon after, Connor's family was attacked by demons, and in the struggle, Connor surprised everyone with an amazing feat of strength. Having no other choice, Angel informed Connor of his special abilities, but left out the fact that he was his father or the source of his powers.[12]
However, the attacks were not random occurrences. Cyvus Vail, an elderly demonic sorcerer and the architect of Connor's new life, drew Connor out on purpose. Vail demanded that Connor fulfill his destiny and kill Sahjhan, who Vail considered an enemy. When Angel resisted, Vail threatened to return Connor's memories. Connor agreed to the fight, but was outmatched since his fighting skills had been erased.[12]
Meanwhile, Wesley discovered Angel's deception thanks to Illyria's revelation that Fred's memories had been altered, and confronts him at Vail's. No longer trusting Angel, and wondering if restoring reality would bring Fred back, he shattered the Orlon Window, a magical artifact holding the memories of Connor's original existence, which upon breaking, restored the memories of those present when the window broke, thus allowing Wesley and Illyria to remember the original course of events and enabled Connor to kill Sahjhan. Connor said goodbye and returned to the Reilly family, not mentioning the truth about his restored memory, only commenting with Angel that "his father" taught him to do what you have to in order to protect others.[12]
Connor tells Angel he knows who he really is.
On the eve of his final battle with the Circle of the Black Thorn, Angel visited Connor for coffee. Connor revealed that he knew Angel was his father and was grateful for all he had done for him, but preferred to leave it at that. Later, when Angel fought Marcus Hamilton, Connor showed up to fight by his father's side, saving Angel from being staked by Hamilton. The two fought together, but even with Connor's help, Angel was no match for Hamilton, and Connor was knocked out. However, shortly afterward, Angel finally defeated Hamilton when the latter accidentally exposed his own weakness. As the Senior Partners began to exact their vengeance, Angel told Connor to go home and that, as long as Connor was safe, the Partners could never destroy him.[13]
Fall of Los Angeles
- “I need you to promise me something. And you gotta do it, because it's like, a last request. No matter what happens, Angel, don't let them win. You're a good man. Vampire or not... you're a good man.”
- ―Connor's final words.[src]
When the Senior Partners sent Los Angeles to Hell, every single memory Connor had ever had were restored.[28] A group of demon warriors caught him for being Angel's son, but Kate Lockley rescued him. As Connor became torn between what his three fathers had taught him, Kate told him something Angel had told her: "If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do." Her words inspired Connor to do his best to help people in Hell.[29]
Connor came to provide humans and benevolent demons sanctuary with the help of the werewolf Nina Ash and the mutant Gwen Raiden,[30] with whom he began a relationship.[31][32] Connor also partnered with Spike and Illyria, who became the Demon Lords of Beverly Hills.[33]
When Angel re-emerged, Connor joined his father in the fight that overthrew the Demon Lords,[34] and the team moved back into the Hyperion Hotel.[35] Illyria revealed to the others that Angel was no longer a vampire, and Connor chastised his father for risking himself.[36] When Connor realized that Gwen was loyal to Gunn, who was then a vampire, he was forced to pit Angel's dragon against her.[32] Gwen subsequently gave her life to hold off Wolfram & Hart's army.[37]
Connor encourages his father before dying in his arms.
Connor returned after Angel had been mortally wounded in a fight with Gunn and kicked Gunn out of a window before convincing a dying Angel to trust in himself and keep fighting to live.[37] After Gunn caused Illyria to revert to her true form, Connor, the wounded Angel, and Spike were the only champions left standing.[38] Connor was mortally wounded by Gunn when Gunn tried to prevent Connor, Angel, and Spike from stopping Illyria. Connor died in his father's arms, but not before he reassured Angel that he was a good man regardless of being human or a vampire.[39]
Post-Twilight
Following Angel's time as Twilight, he relocated to London and cut off ties with Connor despite Connor's attempts to call him, reasoning that Connor was better off without him in his life due to the damage that Angel had caused him in the past.[40] Angel, however, had been keeping tabs on Connor, knowing that he was in school, had a girlfriend named Natalie, and was happy for the most part. Angel was, however, unaware that the end of magic had also undone the reality alteration that gave Connor a normal human life and family; Connor then remembered his fake memories in the sense that one would recall watching "an old movie seen a long time ago," while the Reillys did not remember him at all. However, Connor had gained enough new memories since then to prevent from regressing back to his previous state of insanity.[41]
After hooking up with Angel and Faith in London during her quest to reverse the end of magic, Willow claimed that she needed Connor to actually do so; to regain her magic, she needed to travel to another dimension where magic still existed and "soak up" the energy from there, but the only dimension that could still be accessed from this world was Quor'toth as there were never any portals to Quor'toth in the first place. A ritual that she had found required something from the target dimension to access it in the first place, requiring Connor due to the time he had spent in that world. After seeing Willow's desperation and inner turmoil, Angel reluctantly agreed to the plan but made it clear to Willow that it was Connor's choice to go along with it.[41]
Connor returns to Quor'toth with Angel and Faith.
Making their way to L.A., Angel, Willow, and Faith, accompanied by Gunn, drove to Connor's school just as he got out of his Psych class, and they reunited. Though Connor was confused and hurt that Angel distanced himself from him, he nonetheless assured his father that, though he did have a good life and that his place was here, he didn't want Angel to hide from him ever. Already aware of Willow's plan to travel to Quor'toth, Connor readily agreed to help despite Angel's objections, stating that Willow was right and that Earth needed magic to survive. Returning to the Hyperion, Willow carved several sigils in Connor's chest with the Scythe as part of the ritual.[41] Willow succeeded in charging her magical reserves and opened a portal to the world without shrimp to continue her quest, though Connor chose to stay behind in Quor'toth to help out a cult that worshiped him and his legend. Connor also revealed that his fake memories with his fake family were disappearing but told Angel nevertheless that he was grateful for what he did and understood a lot better then.[42]
During his time, Connor realized more about his father and admitted to Angel that he loved him as well as calling him "Dad." Forced to fight against the Old One named Quor'toth, the group managed to survive the ordeal, only for things to get even more complicated as Connor and the others were faced with Willow, who was starting to develop veins and black eyes once more because of the dark magic.[43]
After Willow resolved to fight due to Angel's encouragement, she ended up fully turning "dark," attempting to attack Connor who had, at the time, been trying to lead his followers to Earth. However, she was soon stopped by Angel biting her and consequently reverting her back to her normal self despite his father briefly struggling with the dark magics as well. His followers were transported to the world without shrimp thanks to Willow and Connor himself returned to Los Angeles with Angel and Faith. Connor and Angel once again make up, Angel promising to contact him more often. Connor then returned to his college life.[44]
Personality and traits
- “...your raging, psychopathic son...”
- ―Marcus Hamilton to Angel[src]
As a result of his harsh upbringing and the brutal training he endured from Holtz, Connor initially emerged from Quor'toth with several mental and emotional problems, as well as an intense hatred of Angel thanks to Holtz's conditioning. Though impressed with Angel's nobility and heroic attitude after the initial hostility of their first meeting, Connor was nonetheless quick to assume that Angel murdered Holtz, and after trapping him under the sea, joined Angel Investigations for the sole purpose of ensuring that Angel would not be found and that Gunn and Fred would not know that he was behind his disappearance (though he failed on both counts thanks to Wesley); when confronted by Gunn and Fred, Connor made it clear that he did not regret doing so and refused to acknowledge Angel as his father, and continued to insist that Angel "deserved it" after discovering the truth behind Holtz's death. Also as a result of his upbringing under Holtz, he was openly prejudiced against vampires and demons despite being half-demon himself, calling Lorne a "filthy demon" to his face and attacking Cordelia with a knife the minute he discovered she was a half-demon.[citation needed]
However, Connor slowly came to realize that Holtz had been wrong about Angel and began to develop a more neutral relationship with him, even beginning to address him as "Dad." Connor still greatly resented his father, however, and blamed him for everything that was bad about his life. Jasmine's manipulations subsequently drove him over the edge. Connor was desperate to believe in something, and despite knowing Jasmine's true visage, gave himself over to her wholly. After Team Angel had overthrown Jasmine however, Connor killed her before she could do any more harm. The death of Jasmine finally broke Connor and led him to nearly commit suicide while taking others with him as he felt that the world was too harsh for anyone to live in, though the subsequent reality alteration done by Cyvus Vail restored him to a more stable and sociable person.[citation needed]
In his new life, Connor appeared to be well-adjusted and happy, with an easy going attitude and a sarcastic wit.[11][12]
After his memories were restored and he returned to Angel Investigations, Connor developed into a more heroic figure much like his father. Following the Twilight crisis and the end of magic, Connor recognized the cons of the Seed of Wonder's loss outweighed the pros and that the Earth was slowly but surely dying, and readily agreed to Willow's plan to travel to Quor'toth to restore magic as a result. With magic lost, his false memories were also lost — Connor remembered his new life only in the same sense that someone would recall watching a movie, although he has developed enough good memories thanks to Angel since then to prevent him from regressing back to his original psychotic state.[citation needed]
Connor also disliked magic, having "pretty much concluded" that it "sucks." He saw it as a crutch and one that hardly ever worked as intended.[45]
Powers and abilities
Due to his vampiric heritage, Connor possessed some typical abilities of a vampire: superhuman strength, speed, durability, regenerative healing factor, and heightened senses. However, he was unaffected by traditional vampire weaknesses such as sunlight and holy items, had no need to drink blood, could subsist on normal human food, and could not assume a "vamp face." Also, being alive rather than undead, his physical durability was different than the vampiric one — while he lacked most of the vampiric resilience to lethal injuries, he was fairly resilient to other forms of physical trauma.[citation needed]
- Strength: Connor possessed strength far superior to that of an average human. He had been bested in battle by both Faith and Angel, but he was still stronger than most vampires and many kinds of demons, even those from Quor'toth. An example of his strength was when he was able to land a hit on Marcus Hamilton that momentarily stunned him, albeit after he caught him off-guard when Hamilton was shown to be very hard to injure in any way. However, Connor was no match for him when he was expecting his attacks even with his strength. Furthermore, he shattered Jasmine's head with a single punch whereas Angel was unable to cause her any long-term damage, though it is likely that his connection to Jasmine enabled him to do so. Connor killed a powerful demon by effortlessly ripping its heart out of its stomach. Shortly after he returned from Quor'toth, he managed to easily lift a snack machine and smash it to the ground with great force, breaking it.[citation needed]
- Speed: Like all vampires, Connor possessed superhuman speed and reflexes. He saved Fred from a thrown axe by showing up out of nowhere and catching it.[22] He also surprised Cordelia by handing her a towel despite sitting by a window still several meters away a few seconds before.[46]
- Durability: Though stab and gunshot wounds could prove life-threatening to Connor, he was still notably resistant to blunt force trauma. Later, when the Beast threw him out of a sixth-story window while the sun was being blocked out by the Ra-Tet eclipse spell, Connor asked Cordelia if things were supposed to go dark when someone loses consciousness, implying that he had never done so before.[7]
- Regeneration: Due to his vampiric heritage, he also possessed a vampire's regenerative healing factor. After his first encounter with the Beast, the Jasmine-possessed Cordelia discovered a large bruise on his upper torso and assumed it to be broken ribs, to which Connor remarked that he had never broken a bone before and didn't even know he could, and he healed from such injuries at a rapid pace.[citation needed]
- Agility: Due to his vampiric heritage, Connor could jump great heights and distances. He leapt across a room to fight some vampires.[47]
- Sense: Due to his vampiric heritage, Connor possessed acute senses superior to humans. He noted that he can track people by scent, and was able to hear Cordelia whispering from a distance of several meters.[46]
- Combat: In addition to his innate powers, Connor was trained by his foster father, Daniel Holtz, in hunting and in both unarmed and armed combat. However, unlike the technical skills displayed by the Slayers and Angel, Connor generally relied more on a brute force approach, his usual combat strategy based around hitting his opponents fast and beating them into submission, leaving him at a disadvantage when faced with more sophisticated combatants. Although he once defeated Angel in a fight, it should be noted that he was using a taser at the time, and also had the advantage that Angel wasn't expecting him to attack, and didn't want to hurt him back. During a later fight, Connor was defeated by Angel even when his father had lost his memories and thought he was a teenager, and was fighting on instinct. Connor's subsequent victory over Sahjhan was only aided by the fact that he took Sahjhan by surprise with the sudden return of his original memories. With his memories restored, Connor also proved a match for the demon Sahjhan, someone Angel was no match for. However, this was mostly while he was armed with an ax with which he landed most of the blows that hurt while his own punches seemed to have little effect on the demon.[citation needed]
Relationships
Romantic
- Sunny — A teen runaway and a heroin addict, she was the first female human Connor had ever met since being taken to Quor'toth and with whom he shared his first kiss after protecting her from a drug dealer named Tyke. She subsequently died of an overdose after providing him with new clothes. Her death was the beginning of Connor's negative worldview.[7]
- Cordelia Chase — Connor developed an affection for Cordelia when they lived together after Cordelia returned from the higher planes with total amnesia. After she regained her memories, a possessed Cordelia seduced Connor and he lost his virginity to her; as a result, the pair became the "parents" of the being known as Jasmine, who had possessed Cordelia and exploited Connor's emotionally-unstable psyche to turn him against his father. After regaining his memories, Connor reflected on how disturbing it was that his first time was with his surrogate mother.[citation needed]
- Faith Lehane — Connor was instantly attracted to Faith's toughness and fighting skills, but her refusal to give up on Angel clashed with his willingness to stake Angelus, culminating in the two of them coming to blows when Connor was tricked into nearly staking Angelus before Willow could restore his soul.[citation needed]
- Tracy — Connor's new dad made reference to a girl named Tracy and asked if they were going to the same college, suggesting the two were romantically involved. One of his siblings commented (by way of an insult) that she was a vegan.[11]
- Illyria — When the two met, Illyria sensed that Connor was lusting after her, prompting Connor to claim he'd always had a thing for older women, to which Angel mumbled that "they were supposed to fix that."[12]
- Gwen Raiden — During Los Angeles' time in Hell, Connor began dating Gwen, although with problems because of Gwen's electric nature. This relationship came to an end after Los Angeles returned to Earth, due to her betrayal of the team for Gunn.[citation needed]
- Natalie — Connor's latest girlfriend, also majoring in Social Work. At the time Angel visited in Los Angeles, they had been dating for three months. Describing their relationship to his father, Connor said he knew it was early, but it was "something special," and that he was in the right place for him.[41]
Parental
- Angel — Connor had a complicated relationship with his biological father: at first, when he was a baby, Connor loved Angel unconditionally, but when he went to Quor'toth he was brainwashed into believing his father was the evil Angelus to the point that he tried to kill him immediately upon his return to Earth during which time Angel did everything possible to get him back. Despite this, Angel did everything he could to reach out to Connor and was starting to get through to him when Holtz committed suicide in a manner that simulated a vampire attack, making Connor think Angel killed him. To get revenge, Connor dumped him into the ocean chained down and did everything in his power to prevent Gunn and Fred from finding out the truth. When Angel was rescued, he admitted he loved Connor but still kicked him out. Following the release of the Beast, Connor started living with Angel once more but their relationship was still strained at best. When Angel decided to release Angelus to deal with the Beast, he warned Connor about it and said this was the side of him he never wanted his son to see. Connor, however, told Angelus that Angelus was his real father and not Angel. During the ensuing crisis with Angelus, Connor advocated many times to kill Angel instead of reensouling him, particularly when his soul went missing. He even tried killing Angelus under the influence of "Cordelia," despite the fact that Angel's soul was being restored at that point, only stopped by Faith. Connor eventually betrayed Angel for "Cordelia" and fought him over her and during the Jasmine crisis, was at odds with Angel even after Jasmine's spell was broken over the team. Connor eventually saved Angel and killed Jasmine, but later tried to kill Cordelia and a lot of other people because of his unstable mindset, daring Angel to kill him.[citation needed] Instead, Angel made a deal with Wolfram & Hart to become the new CEO of the Los Angeles branch if they gave Connor a normal life. Angel later visited Connor from a distance and was content with him being happy with his new family.[11] Months later, when Connor came to Wolfram & Hart as a result of Cyvus Vail's actions, Angel tried to keep him away to keep him safe, but still followed and protected him. The normal happy Connor and Angel formed a bond with Connor clearly looking up to Angel. After Connor regained his memories and killed Sahjhan, he returned to his old life, but indicated that he knew the truth with his parting comment about learning from his father how important it was to protect family.[12] Some time later, when Angel thought he was going to die before attacking the Circle of the Black Thorn, he spent the day visiting Connor who told him he knew Angel was his father and was grateful for what he did but wanted to leave it at that. Angel honored his wishes, but Connor realized something was wrong to the extent that he came to Angel's rescue against Marcus Hamilton that night, saying if Angel dropped by like that the world had to be ending, showing a deeper understanding of Angel than he had before the reality shift. Angel and Connor got to fight side by side and even though Connor had earlier told Angel he didn't think fighting was for him, he offered his help against the Senior Partners' army. However, Angel sent him home stating that as long as Connor was safe, they would both be better off, the Senior Partners couldn't destroy him.[13]
- Darla —
- Daniel Holtz — After being kidnapped by Holtz as an infant, Connor was taken to Quor'toth with him and raised from infancy. Despite his harsh and brutal upbringing and inhumane training, Connor grew to love Holtz as a father. However, upon their return to Earth, Holtz proceeded to commit suicide in a manner simulating a vampire attack to frame Angel for his death, knowing that Connor would blame Angel.[8]
Other
- Willow Rosenberg — Willow met Connor when journeying to Los Angeles to ensoul Angel, who had recently been let lose. She showed no surprise at seeing Angel had a son (already told over the phone) and upon introduced, had quipped, "And the sneer's genetic, who knew?" However, they had briefly been on opposing sides due to Connor's efforts to kill Angel but in the end he had failed.[9] Willow later reunited with Connor as she had needed him to help her open a rift in Quor'toth, which he had heartily agreed to. Willow and Connor appear to have a friendly relationship, as Willow had described him as an amazing guy and was visibly shaken that she had to injure him with the Scythe for the ritual to work.[41] Willow hugged Connor when they finished their journey in the dimension, thanking him for seeing the problems since the end of magic and reassuring herself that she wasn't crazy. She genuinely told him to be happy and that he deserved it, before leaving to bring magic back.[44]
- Jasmine — Connor had a complicated relationship with the being known as Jasmine. During his time of being in a relationship with Cordelia, it was actually Jasmine possessing her to use Connor to create a new body for herself to exist on Earth. After Jasmine was born, although he could see through her illusion and wasn't under her spell, Connor still followed her willingly as his life was built on lies and the Jasmine lie seemed the best of them all despite all the evil things she did to get her perfect world. Connor and Jasmine shared a connection to each other similar to the one shared between Jasmine and Cordelia as Connor was her body's father which made him and Cordelia two of the very few things she was vulnerable to. Jasmine was able to telepathically communicate with him and even through him even though he wasn't under her spell. However, Connor started to lose his faith in Jasmine and when Angel destroyed her powers, Connor killed her, but not to save the world but simply because he didn't have anything left. The loss of Jasmine made Connor go from slightly unstable to extremely unstable forcing Angel to give him a new life to save him.[citation needed]
- Sahjhan — Despite only physically meeting him twice, one of the relationships that shaped Connor's life was his relationship with the Granok demon Sahjhan. After learning of a prophecy that Connor would kill him, Sahjhan tried to prevent Connor's birth and kill him after he was born to prevent the prophecy, leading to his alliance with Holtz. When that failed and Holtz tried to raise Connor as his own son, Sahjhan's efforts to prevent it led to Connor and Holtz's imprisonment in Quor'toth for several years and Connor's being raised to hate Angel there.[citation needed] Ironically, it also led partially to the fulfilment of the prophecy: due to the time difference between the dimensions, Connor came back older and with a great knowledge of fighting. When Cyvus Vail forced Connor to try to kill Sahjhan and Wesley broke the Orlon Window, Connor regained both his memories and the fighting skills he gained in Quor'toth, allowing him to kill Sahjhan where others had failed.[12]
Gallery
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Behind the scenes
- He was portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser and as a baby by triplets Connor, Jake, and Trenton Tupen.
- Infant Connor was an accessory for an Angel action figure.
- In the Angel comics post-After the Fall, which are dubious canon, Connor developed abilities akin to those of higher beings, including potent energy projection, flight, teleportation, and (implied) immortality.[citation needed]
- Vincent Kartheiser stated that he quickly lost interest in playing Connor after about four episodes. He disliked that every scene would have him and Angel arguing, and he would then go into a corner to sulk. He said he wasn't surprised when he learned that Connor was disliked by the fans as well.[citation needed]
Appearances
Canonical
| Angel: Season 3 | |||||||||||
| "Heartthrob" Mention |
"That Vision- Thing" Mention |
"That Old Gang of Mine" Absent |
"Carpe Noctem" Absent |
"Fredless" Absent |
"Billy" Absent |
"Offspring" Mention |
"Quickening" Mention |
"Lullaby" Appears |
"Dad" Appears |
"Birthday" Appears | |
| "Provider" Appears |
"Waiting in the Wings" Appears |
"Couplet" Appears |
"Loyalty" Appears |
"Sleep Tight" Appears |
"Forgiving" Mention |
"Double or Nothing" Mention |
"The Price" Appears |
"A New World" Appears |
"Benediction" Appears |
"Tomorrow" Appears | |
| Angel: Season 4 | |||||||||||
| "Deep Down" Appears |
"Ground State" Appears |
"The House Always Wins" Appears |
"Slouching Toward Bethlehem" Appears |
"Supersymmetry" Appears |
"Spin the Bottle" Appears |
"Apocalypse, Nowish" Appears |
"Habeas Corpses" Appears |
"Long Day's Journey" Appears |
"Awakening" Appears |
"Soulless" Appears | |
| "Calvary" Appears |
"Salvage" Appears |
"Release" Appears |
"Orpheus" Appears |
"Players" Appears |
"Inside Out" Appears |
"Shiny Happy People" Appears |
"The Magic Bullet" Appears |
"Sacrifice" Appears |
"Peace Out" Appears |
"Home" Appears | |
| Angel: Season 5 | |||||||||||
| "Conviction" Mention |
"Just Rewards" Absent |
"Unleashed" Absent |
"Hell Bound" Absent |
"Life of the Party" Absent |
"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" Absent |
"Lineage" Mention |
"Destiny" Absent |
"Harm's Way" Absent |
"Soul Purpose" Absent |
"Damage" Absent | |
| "You're Welcome" Mention |
"Why We Fight" Absent |
"Smile Time" Absent |
"A Hole in the World" Absent |
"Shells" Absent |
"Underneath" Absent |
"Origin" Appears |
"Time Bomb" Absent |
"The Girl in Question" Absent |
"Power Play" Mention |
"Not Fade Away" Appears | |
| Angel: After the Fall | |||||||||||
| After the Fall, Part 1 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 2 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 3 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 4 Vision |
After the Fall, Part 5 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 6 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 7 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 8 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 9 Appears | |||
| After the Fall, Part 10 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 11 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 12 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 13 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 14 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 15 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 16 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 17 Absent |
Epilogue Absent | |||
| Spike | |||||||||||
| Asylum, Part 1 Absent |
Asylum, Part 2 Absent |
Asylum, Part 3 Absent |
Asylum, Part 4 Absent |
Asylum, Part 5 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 1 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 2 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 3 Appears |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 4 Appears | |||
| Alone Together Now Absent |
What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas Absent |
Everybody Loves Spike Absent |
You Haven't Changed a Bit Vision |
Bedknobs and Boomsticks Absent |
Something Borrowed Absent |
Give and Take Absent |
Stranger Things Absent |
Spike: Into the Light Absent | |||
| Angel & Faith | |||||||||||
| Live Through This, Part 1 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 2 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 3 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 4 Absent |
In Perfect Harmony Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 1 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 2 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 3 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 4 Absent |
Women of a Certain Age Absent | ||
| Family Reunion, Part 1 Appears |
Family Reunion, Part 2 Appears |
Family Reunion, Part 3 Appears |
Family Reunion, Part 4 Appears |
The Hero of His Own Story Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 1 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 2 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 3 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 4 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 5 Absent | ||
| Death and Consequences, Part 1 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 2 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 3 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 4 Absent |
Spike and Faith Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 1 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 2 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 3 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 4 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 5 Absent | ||
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 | |||||||||||
| New Rules, Part 1 Absent |
New Rules, Part 2 Absent |
New Rules, Part 3 Absent |
New Rules, Part 4 Absent |
New Rules, Part 5 Absent |
I Wish, Part 1 Absent |
I Wish, Part 2 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Absent |
Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Absent | ||
| Love Dares You, Part 1 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 2 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 3 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 1 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 2 Mention |
Old Demons, Part 3 Absent |
Freaky Giles Day Absent |
Triggers Absent | ||
| In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Absent |
Own It, Part 1 Absent |
Own It, Part 2 Absent |
Own It, Part 3 Absent |
Own It, Part 4 Absent |
Own It, Part 5 Absent | ||
| "Where Are They Now?" Absent | |||||||||||
| Angel: Season 11 | |||||||||||
| Out of the Past, Part 1 Absent |
Out of the Past, Part 2 Absent |
Out of the Past, Part 3 Absent |
Out of the Past, Part 4 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 1 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 2 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 3 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 4 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 1 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 2 Mention |
Dark Reflections, Part 3 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 4 Absent |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 12 | |||||||||||
| One Year Later Absent |
Future Shock Absent |
The Reckoning Mention |
Finale Absent | ||||||||