In the spin-off series Angel, Cordelia Chase undergoes a transformation into a hero that the original show Buffy the Vampire Slayer could not provide for its protagonist. This character development highlights a key difference between the two series in the Buffyverse. Creator Joss Whedon has praised this evolution as a compelling journey from shallowness to heroism.
The WB's supernatural teen drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in 1997 and ran for seven seasons, based on the 1992 movie of the same name. Early in its run, it became clear the show featured numerous compelling characters, leading to the 1999 spin-off Angel, which relocated some to Los Angeles for a darker, grittier tone.
Angel aired for five seasons and received slightly better reviews than its predecessor, establishing itself as one of television's strongest spin-offs. Showrunners Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt used the series to explore elements unavailable in Buffy, where protagonist Buffy Summers begins as a fully formed vampire hunter without an origin arc for her heroism.
Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia Chase starts as a vain, self-obsessed cheerleader on Buffy before evolving on Angel. As Whedon told Entertainment Weekly in 2019, "You get to watch her go from somebody who is completely shallow and self-involved to somebody who is a hero."
The spin-off's mature, noir environment challenges characters like Cordelia and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof), who transition from comic relief. Cordelia faces personal hardships, including near destitution, and receives burdensome demonic visions from Doyle (Glenn Quinn), granting her supernatural powers and a central role in battling evil.
This arc, executed across Angel's seasons, renders the later Cordelia nearly unrecognizable from her initial Buffy portrayal, compensating for the absence of such growth in the original series.