While there are great similarities to (and extensions of) his personality from when he was human and after he was turned into a vampire, there are also differences. The main one being his sense of rebelliousness and laissez-faire attitude towards the world-- with the exception of his loyalties, of course, for Spike is largely a bundle of constant contradictions. It greatly contrasts his nature when he was human, where he was withdrawn and shy, awkward and quietly ambitious without a real sense of direction and a need for direction. As a vampire, he's very roguish-- does what he pleases, doesn't care (for the most part for, as always, the exception lies within the boundaries of his loyalties) what others think of him, and doesn't care about having direction. He's very impulsive, does what he wants when the urge strikes him and hardly ever plans things out ahead of time, preferring to play things by ear. He loves fighting, something that he plays off of when helping Buffy and her friends, channeling that need to do violence into something more "practical" by fighting bad guys instead of attacking people and starting brawls for the sheer sake of doing so. Spike is sarcastic and purposely mean, hurting feelings with the intention of doing so more often than by accident. He speaks regardless of whether he was spoken to or not, offering up his opinion to those who seldom want it. This doesn't mean he's stupid, though, for he's quite intelligent, but uses his intelligence in more pragmatic and self-benefiting ways, favoring instinct over practicality.
Now that he has his soul back, however, he's faced with that same frustration over a lack of clear direction following the events of his canon point. He felt so sure of his end when he died willing in the hellmouth to save the world, never wanting (or expecting) to come back. When he was resurrected and recoporalized, a destiny, a reason for returning was given to him, then taken away as it was revealed to be an elaborate ploy to make Angel doubt himself. Now, destiny-less, he's not entirely sure what to do with himself and is angry with himself over being being so bothered by it. That's just another item to add to the list of things he's upset with himself over in the (belated) wake of the return of his soul, however. In 4.11 of Angel, Spike claims he deserves what Dana (a psychotic, rogue Slayer) did to him (torturing him and cutting off his hands, which were later reattached), stating: "I never did think that much about the nature of evil. No. Just threw myself in. Thought it was a party. I liked the rush, I liked the crunch. Never did look back at the victims." So, where Angel felt the guilt for all he'd done while he was soulless almost immediately after his soul was returned, it doesn't truly hit Spike until much later, when he's forced to deal with the consequences of someone else's actions.
Unlike Angel, however, he's not on this big quest to atone for his wrongdoings. He endeavors to do good, but more so because he honestly wants to (for himself instead of others) and not because he feels that he has to.
While there are great similarities to (and extensions of) his personality from when he was human and after he was turned into a vampire, there are also differences. The main one being his sense of rebelliousness and laissez-faire attitude towards the world-- with the exception of his loyalties, of course, for Spike is largely a bundle of constant contradictions. It greatly contrasts his nature when he was human, where he was withdrawn and shy, awkward and quietly ambitious without a real sense of direction and a need for direction. As a vampire, he's very roguish-- does what he pleases, doesn't care (for the most part for, as always, the exception lies within the boundaries of his loyalties) what others think of him, and doesn't care about having direction. He's very impulsive, does what he wants when the urge strikes him and hardly ever plans things out ahead of time, preferring to play things by ear. He loves fighting, something that he plays off of when helping Buffy and her friends, channeling that need to do violence into something more "practical" by fighting bad guys instead of attacking people and starting brawls for the sheer sake of doing so. Spike is sarcastic and purposely mean, hurting feelings with the intention of doing so more often than by accident. He speaks regardless of whether he was spoken to or not, offering up his opinion to those who seldom want it. This doesn't mean he's stupid, though, for he's quite intelligent, but uses his intelligence in more pragmatic and self-benefiting ways, favoring instinct over practicality.
Now that he has his soul back, however, he's faced with that same frustration over a lack of clear direction following the events of his canon point. He felt so sure of his end when he died willing in the hellmouth to save the world, never wanting (or expecting) to come back. When he was resurrected and recoporalized, a destiny, a reason for returning was given to him, then taken away as it was revealed to be an elaborate ploy to make Angel doubt himself. Now, destiny-less, he's not entirely sure what to do with himself and is angry with himself over being being so bothered by it. That's just another item to add to the list of things he's upset with himself over in the (belated) wake of the return of his soul, however. In 4.11 of Angel, Spike claims he deserves what Dana (a psychotic, rogue Slayer) did to him (torturing him and cutting off his hands, which were later reattached), stating: "I never did think that much about the nature of evil. No. Just threw myself in. Thought it was a party. I liked the rush, I liked the crunch. Never did look back at the victims." So, where Angel felt the guilt for all he'd done while he was soulless almost immediately after his soul was returned, it doesn't truly hit Spike until much later, when he's forced to deal with the consequences of someone else's actions.
Unlike Angel, however, he's not on this big quest to atone for his wrongdoings. He endeavors to do good, but more so because he honestly wants to (for himself instead of others) and not because he feels that he has to.
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