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 series, 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 was born in the Badlands, a section of inner-city Los Angeles where the police would not go, and looked after his sister, Alonna, from a very young age. Although he had a few brushes with the law, he acted 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 street-fighters who protect their turf from vampires using guerrilla 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 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 his own sister, 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 he initially regards his time with Angel Investigations as a "paying side-gig," Gunn eventually becomes a full-time 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." Cordelia is accidentally sucked into a portal to Pylea while a member of Gunn's 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, he 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 comes back to haunt him in the episode "Double or Nothing," when 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 Angel Investigations 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, but Gunn's devotion suffers the ultimate test in the episode "Supersymmetry" when he kills Professor Seidel, the person responsible for deliberately sending Fred to Pylea, in order to save Fred 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 Wesley. During Angel's absence from the group, when he embarks on a one-man crusade against Wolfram & Hart, Gunn and Wesley develop a brothers-in-arms bond. This friendship continues to develop, but it is severely affected 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 Wesley deteriorates further after Wesley is expelled from the agency after a misguided attempt to kidnap Angel's son Connor. However, in Season Four, Wesley 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, and Gunn has a fling with Gwen Raiden in the episode "Players."
When Wolfram & 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 conduit to the Senior Partners, who impresses Gunn with his immense power. Soon, he undergoes a remarkable transformation at Wolfram & Hart.
Gunn submits to a procedure at the hands of Wolfram & Hart's 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 Angel's team who 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 Wolfram & Hart, Gunn's figurative (and almost literal) deal with the devil eventually comes back to haunt him when his mental abilities begin to diminish. Fearful of losing his new talents and position of respect, Gunn makes a pact with the doctor who performed his implant, and he gets a permanent upgrade in exchange for Gunn signing to release an ancient curio stuck in customs.
The curio ends up being a sarcophagus containing the essence of the Old One known as Illyria. The ancient 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 had entered into a relationship shortly before) and stabbed Gunn. Later, devastated by his part in Fred's death, Gunn willingly offers himself to take Lindsey McDonald'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 Gunn with ease; Angel and his team sense 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, 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, but is seriously injured in the process. This does not stop him from meeting up with Angel and his surviving comrades to stage one last fight against the army of the Senior Partners.
Although initially considered to be the muscle of the Angel Investigations team, 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, though he has lost an eye. These comics are not necessarily considered canonical.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Gunn is a regular human and has no supernatural abilities. He does possess 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 techniques and knows all Gilbert & Sullivan light operas.
[edit] Trivia
- There are several instances where Gunn displays his knowledge regarding comic books.
- In one instance, Gunn 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, Gunn 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 the Vampire Slayer.
[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 this girl 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."
