Charles Gunn
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 J. August Richards as Charles Gunn |
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Charles Gunn (born 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Garry Campbell for the cult television program, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon.
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[edit] Biography
Gunn is a dedicated member of Angel's group at Angel Investigations.
Charles Gunn was born in the badlands, a section of inner-city Los Angeles where police would not go, and looked after his sister Alonna from a very young age. Although he had a few brushes with the law, Gunn acts as a kind of urban Robin Hood to keep the streets in his neighborhood safe. In his teens, Gunn rose through the ranks to become the leader of a gang of streetfighters who protect their turf from vampires using guerrilla warfare tactics.
Possessing the mind of a military strategist and the strength of a back-alley brawler, life in the ghetto hardened Gunn to the extent that his life became less important than the cause, resulting in him trading his soul for a truck in a deal with a demon named Jenoff when he was only 17, because he believed he had no future.
Gunn first crosses paths with Angel in 2000 when he observes Angel roughing up a blackmailer and tries unsuccessfully to dust him. Eventually, Angel wins Gunn’s trust, but unfortunately not in time to save Alonna from being turned into a vampire. Gunn has no choice but to stake her, a decision that haunts him to this day. It is this loss that forces Gunn to question his own motives and become more receptive to Angel's help, realizing he cannot do everything alone.
Angel recognizes Gunn's strength and often calls on him if he needs back up in battle or if he needs protection for the people he cares about when he cannot protect them himself. Although Gunn initially regards his time with Angel Investigations as a "paying side-gig", he eventually becomes a fulltime member of the gang, gaining mutual respect for those he fights side by side with while finding his place in the world.
His work with his new 'family' often leads to conflicted loyalties, never more so than in the episode "Belonging". In this, Cordelia is accidentally sucked into the portal to Pylea while a member of his old street crew, George, succumbs to the bite of a vampire. Gunn feels responsible for his friend's death, believing that it would not have happened if he had still been around to help in the fight. Yet even in his grief, Gunn realizes that he could not commit the same crime twice and allow Cordelia to suffer the same fate, so he joins Angel, Wesley and Lorne to rescue her.
A short time after their return, demons across the city are being massacred. Gunn comes to the conclusion that his old gang is responsible for the deaths. He realizes that his ties with his old life are gone and that his loyalty now lies with the vampire with a soul. In a showdown with one of his lifelong friends, Gunn finally chooses the mission of the Angel Investigations team.
Without realizing it, Gunn finds the future he thought he would never have. He has friends, loyalty, respect and a mission to pursue. He even finds love in the arms of the new girl Fred Burkle, but his past still came back to haunt him. In the episode "Double or Nothing", the demon Jenoff decides it is time to cash in on the deal Gunn had made years earlier by claiming Gunn's soul. Luckily, Angel and the others at AI are able to aid Gunn and defeat Jenoff, allowing Gunn the luxury of living his life to the fullest.
Fred becomes the most important person in his world. His devotion suffers the ultimate test in the episode "Supersymmetry" when he kills the person responsible for deliberately sending Fred to Pylea in order to save her from having to carry the burden of doing it herself. The guilt of what he had done for her plagues Fred and instead of bringing them closer together, it begins the rut that leads to the end of their relationship.
That same relationship with Fred also destroys the friendship between him and his co-worker (and later, his boss) Wesley. During Angel's absence from the group, where he went at it alone, Gunn and Wesley had developed a bond of brothers in arms. This friendship continues to develop, however it is severely effected by Gunn and Fred entering into a relationship. Wesley is hurt because he too is in love with Fred and is jealous of their relationship. The friendship between Gunn and Wes detoriates and they almost become bitter enemies during the show's fourth season. However, in season four, Wes is gradually reintroduced to the AI team and the pair are friends again by season five.
Although no longer romantically linked, Gunn and Fred continue to fight side by side as part of Team Angel. Gunn later goes on to have a fling with Gwen Raiden in the episode "Players".
When the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart want to cut a deal to have Angel take over the L.A. branch, Gunn is led into the mysterious White Room where he is exposed to the mysterious, panther-like conduit to the Senior Partners, who impresses Gunn with his immense power.
Gunn undergoes a remarkable transformation at Wolfram and Hart. He submits to a procedure at the hands of W&H medical department that enhances his mind with a comprehensive understanding of the law (and Gilbert & Sullivan, to help improve his voice and diction), making him the only member of the Angel team that can work inside the system seamlessly. The change not only makes Gunn a mental equal, he also sheds his street look for the sleek, professional suits of a legal powerhouse. He also serves as their only conduit to the Senior Partners in the White Room.
While he helps finesse many a case and client at W&H, his figurative (and almost literal) deal with the devil eventually comes back to haunt him when his mental abilities begin to diminish and - fearful of losing his new talents and position of respect - Gunn makes a pact with the doctor who performed his implant - Gunn gets a permanent upgrade in exchange for Gunn signing to release an ancient curio stuck in customs.
The curio ends up being a sarcophagus for the Old One, known as Illyria. The demon ends up infecting Fred and killing her from within. Although the friendship between him and Wesley had been mended by that time, and although Wesley could understand, he could never forgive (he and Fred having entered into a relationship shortly before), and he stabbed Gunn. Later, devastated by his part in her death, Gunn willingly offers himself to take Lindsey's place in a hell dimension in order to free their former nemesis and get information on how to stop the Senior Partners.
While the team have no clue how to free him, Illyria saves him with ease (before her powers were drained). Team Angel senses that maybe she only did this because she sensed that Gunn was important to them and that by saving him she would have earned herself some bargaining power. Gunn returns to the fold, changed and seeking redemption for his sins. In the end, Charles Gunn comes full circle, returning to his roots taking back his street clothes and reawakening his purpose as a soldier in the fight against evil; emphasized further with him carrying his trademark axe made of car rims that he hadn't carried since the fourth season. He slays Senator Helen Brucker, one of the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn, and is seriously injured in the process. However, that does not stop him from meeting up with Angel and the rest of the team to stage one last fight against the army of the Senior Partners.
Although initially considered to be the muscle of the Angel Investigations Team, Charles Gunn proved himself over time to be much more. He was as smart and resourceful as he was strong, and was immensely loyal to the team right up until their last stand.
Although Illyria said that Gunn had only minutes to live at the series' end, in the Angel comics Gunn somehow has survived the battle against the demonic legion sent by the Senior Partners. However, these comics are not necessarily considered canonical.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Gunn is a regular human and has no supernatural abilities. However, he possesses great strength and martial arts expertise due to his years as vampire hunter.
Due to Wolfram & Hart's legal upgrade, Gunn also has knowledge of all legal codes, both human and demon, as well as fluency in some demonic languages, knowledge of golf technique and knows all Gilbert and Sullivan light operas.
[edit] Trivia
There are several instances where Gunn displays his knowledge regarding comic books.
- In one instance he threatens a man (in a comic book store) by referencing the specific issue of Daredevil (#181) in which Bullseye kills Elektra, even quoting from the cover blurb which reads "...One wins, one dies."
- When commenting on how fast Illyria appears to move when using her time-warping abilities, he compares her to three different incarnations of the Flash: Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Barry Allen.
Gunn is (along with Lorne) one of the members of Angel's team to never be seen or referenced in Buffy.
[edit] Possible Future
In a recent article posted on IGN.com, Amy Acker, who played Fred and Illyria, states that, had the rumored TV films about the Buffy/Angelverse been made, Gunn would have become a vampire and would have become a central villain [1].
[edit] Romantic relationships
- Veronica: Gunn had a romance with a girl named Veronica prior to becoming a full-time member of Angel Investigations
- Winifred Burkle: Gunn and Fred fell in love and continued a strong relationship throughout much of seasons three and four. However, an incident in which he murdered a man in order to protect Fred's innocence led to the end of their close relationship.
- Gwen Raiden: Gunn and Gwen flirted and had sex in the episode "Players" in which Gwen gains the ability to touch people without harming them.
[edit] Appearances
Gunn has appeared in:
- Angel
- Gunn became a regular in the series' second season and remained so until the series' end. He appeared in 91 episodes in total, including guest appearances in the episodes:
- Season 1 (1999-2000) - "War Zone", "Blind Date", and "To Shanshu in L.A.".
