Penn (Buffyverse)
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Penn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the televison program Angel. Jeremy Renner portrayed Penn.
Angelus sired Penn in 1786 (according to shooting script). He was trained by Angelus, and seemed to look at him as a father figure. He would later point out that Angelus is his father, as he made Penn into the vampire that he was.
When Penn was alive, he was a puritan. Once he became a vampire, his kills were made to “mock god”. He killed his victims by carving a cross into their cheek then before they could die of fear, he would drink from them. According to Angel in the episode "Somnambulist", he was reliving killing his family. His first kill was of his sister, the kill was made with Angelus by his side. He then went with Angelus to kill the rest of his family.
It was never mentioned how long Penn was with Angelus but he did say that the pair were to meet in Italy. Penn waited in Italy until some time in the 19th century. He, apparently, visited Boston in 1908. He is known to have visited Los Angeles on at least two accounts, the first in 1929. He seems to have been a suspect in a case at the Regent Gardens Hotel. He returned to LA in 1963 and was at the Clover Wood Apartments. The police chased him, but by the time, they went to make their move Penn had already fled. On both accounts Penn was never caught.
Penn’s third known visit to the City of Angels would be his last. In 2000, Penn returned to LA and began to kill, as it was his nature. His first victim was Reggie Sparks, a volunteer crossing guard. His second was Jinny Markem; she had just started the 10th grade. The third victim was Jessica Halpen, a waitress. When killing them, he used an old trademark of Angelus's; he carved crosses on their cheeks. Angel had dreams of Penn killing the victims and thought that it was himself; Kate's profile of Penn even appeared to fit Angel. When Angel confessed this to Cordelia and Wesley, they tied him to the bed in case the dreams were real. As it turned out Angel was not the killer, but Penn killed a fourth person that night. The fourth victim was a white female. Penn was almost successful in killing an adolescent male he met outside of a local bar, but the police interrupted him.
After the failed attempt to kill the boy, who reminded him of a brother he had, Penn went to Angel Investigations. He told Angel to think of the worst thing imaginable, and he would be there. He left plans to make it look like he was going to attack some kids at a local school, but that was just a diversion so that he could kill detective Kate Lockley. Angel saw through this plan and met up with Penn and Kate. Kate ended up killing Penn, making him the first vampire she staked. Having only just learned about Angel's vampire side, Kate was instinctively distrustful of him, but, at the time, when she had a chance to stake Penn and Angel (Penn was on Angel's back) she stuck the wood through Angel's stomach and into Penn's heart. Despite this, however, Kate never fully trusted Angel after learning about his demon.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Penn possessed the normal vampire abilities as well a weaknesses. He was stronger than most humans but was vulnerable to holy objects. He could be killed by direct sunlight, decapitation, and a stake to the heart. Like all vampires, Penn needed an invitation in order to enter the home of a living being.
Penn also seemed to possess speed that has not been seen by any other vampire. He was able to move so fast in the police briefing room that he appeared as a blur. It is unknown if this is a trait unique to Penn or if other vampires may possess this ability as well.
Penn was often seen wearing glasses. However, in some scenes he did not appear to need them, so it can be assumed that he only wore them as an accessory rather than a necessity.
[edit] Appearances
- Angel
- Season 1 (1999) - "Somnambulist"
