Beloved Buffy Villain Secretly Named After Horror Icon
The fan-favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer character Spike was a man of many names—in addition to his cool vampire nom de bite, he was once known as “William the Bloody” for his “bloody awful poetry.” However, even some of the show’s biggest fans don’t know that the character’s real name is William Pratt, which is basically a very cheeky Easter egg. You see, Spike’s real name is the same as the real name of Boris Karloff, one of the first real horror icons of the silver screen.
Spike
One of the reasons few fans have made the connection between Spike and Boris Karloff is that Buffy basically teased out details about this vampire’s real name for most of the show’s seven seasons.
He was originally introduced to us simply as “Spike,” which made perfect context within the universe of the show. After all, most of the other major vampires we had seen went by a single name, including Angel, Darla, and Drusilla.
William The Bloody
Later, doing his research like a good little Watcher, Giles discovers in season 2 that this vampire used to torture his victims with railroad spikes, which served as the only explanation for his vampiric name.
He was also known as “William the Bloody,” but in a season 5 flashback, we learn that he only got that particular nickname because of his tendency to write “bloody awful poetry.”
We Never Hear His Last Name On The Show
As for how Spike’s real name came to be a tribute to Boris Karloff, it’s a long story. The show itself never gives us a last name for his character or even his mother.
In fact, in the one episode where his mother is featured via flashbacks (“Lies My Parents Told Me”), she is only referred to as “mother,” and the script refers to her as Anne (the same as Buffy’s middle name, but that’s a story for another time).
The Comics
Now, put that stake away—we’re about to explain exactly why Spike is now associated with Boris Karloff, and it has nothing to do with the show and everything to do with comic books. Buffy was popular enough early on to warrant comics, and two of these provided William’s surname as “Pratt.”
Those were the graphic novel Spike: Old Times and the comic Spike: Asylum, the latter of which evocatively had his last name written on a jar of his blood.
Now, those Spike comics and the new character info in them weren’t considered canonical when they were written, and it was obvious the writers were just horror fans who wanted to link this Buffy vampire to Boris Karloff.
However, Buffy eventually got some canon comic books that provided an official story for what happened to our Slayer and the Scooby Gang after the end of season 7. And in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 11 #7, our title character officially verifies William’s last name as “Pratt.”
Boris Karloff
The real irony of Spike’s name being changed over time to eventually serve as a tribute to Boris Karloff is that the actor himself famously changed names. This horror icon was born as William Henry Pratt and chose “Boris Karloff” as a cool stage name.
He liked that “Boris” sounded suitably exotic and always claimed that “Karloff” was a family name, though his own daughter disputes this claim.
Whether or not you like the belated retcon that Spike shares his real name with Boris Karloff, you should definitely check out those canon comics if you’re a big Buffy fan. They wonderfully flesh out your favorite characters and engage in the kinds of bonkers storytelling only made possible by comics. Plus, since the Buffy reboot seems deader than Anya (too soon?), these comics are the best way of getting more of that sweet, sweet Slayer content you’re craving.
