Caleb is a fictional character played by

Nathan Fillion Nathan Christopher Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian and American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on ''Castle''. , he sta ...

in the television series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' created by

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...

. The character is a sadistic

sociopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to st ...

with a

pathological Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

hatred of women. According to Whedon, the character was introduced because the mutable, non-corporeal nature of the

First Evil The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode " Amends", and became the main antagonist of the s ...

"meant that we didn't have anything to push against. We needed... a sidekick. Somebody physical that we can see from episode to episode." Whedon describes him as "the creepiest

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

", adding, "he is the most bald-faced

misogynist Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practised ...

we've had since, well, since last year, with

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

Character biography

As revealed through his conversations with the

, Caleb was a

defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...

priest and

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

responsible for the deaths of at least two girls, whom he lured with his sermons and charms. By the time of his appearance in the show, he is acting as a lieutenant to the First. Despite not appearing until the last five episodes of the series, the character is revealed to be one of the prime movers for the events of the seventh season. In an effort to eliminate all threats to the First Evil's resurgence, he directed hordes of Bringers to systematically kill Potential Slayers around the world. He also ordered the bombing of the Watchers' Council Headquarters in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, causing the deaths of Quentin Travers and all current Watchers and Council Operatives present, and arranged for a prisoner to attack Faith in a Los Angeles prison. In the episode "

Dirty Girls "Dirty Girls" is the 18th episode of the seventh and final season of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The episode aired on April 15, 2003, on UPN. Plot A young Potential Slayer, Shannon, is chased through the woods by Bring ...

," Caleb attacks the Scooby Gang in person. He murders two potential Slayers, Molly and Dianne. He also breaks the arm of another (Rona), and effortlessly defeats Buffy,

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

, and

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...

. Before the Gang retreats, he also violently

blinds A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mate ...

Xander Xander is an abbreviated form of the name Alexander and pronounced like "Zander". Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek name "Alexandros". The name's meaning is interpreted from "alexein" which means "to defend" plus "andros" which translates ...

in one eye by forcing his thumb into his left eye socket. The character later dies in the last two episodes of the series. In "

End of Days End of days may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''End of Days'' (film), a 1999 supernatural film * '' Carnival: At the End of Days'', an upcoming fantasy film Music * '' The End of Days'', a 2010 album by Abney Park * ''En ...

" and " Chosen".

Powers and abilities

The character Caleb provided a villain with a physical threat, in contrast to the non-corporeal First Evil, and a recognizable counterweight to Buffy and her allies. The character's body serves as a vessel for the superhuman power of the non-corporeal First Evil. The First makes him the commander of its campaign of carnage and mayhem. Caleb likes to re-enact his killings by asking The First to take on the form of the girls he's killed so he may "kill them again". With the exception of Glory, Caleb's strength dwarfs Buffy's previous adversaries. When channeling the power of the First Evil, he possesses immense

physical strength Physical strength is the measure of an individual's exertion of force on physical objects. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training. Overview An individual's physical strength is determined by two factors: the cross-section ...

and durability, greatly exceeding that of most other demons, slayers and vampires. He effortlessly defeats the combined might of Buffy, Faith and Spike in their first encounter. In order to maintain this power, Caleb must merge with the First to recharge after extended periods. Power transfusions from the First also allow Caleb the ability to return from death, as long as his body is still intact.

Beliefs

The character periodically delivers quasi-

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

quotes, even frequently making allusions to his belief that the First Evil is actually

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, or even superior to God. When The First, in the guise of Buffy, asks him if he thinks it is God, Caleb replies he believes The First is beyond such definition. He states plainly in his debut episode, "I don't truck with

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

, that was just me havin' fun. Satan is a little man". Caleb also comments further on his admiration of the First, when it, under the guise of Buffy, vocalizes its envy of humans' ability to feel lust and engage in primal sexual acts. At the same time, several members of the Scooby Gang engage in such activity elsewhere. He dismisses them all as "sinners", commenting enthusiastically that The First is miles beyond that, for it is "

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

" itself. The character quotes the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

more often than the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. For example, the character's misogynistic views are expressed through the story of

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

, and the forbidden fruit. When asked about the character's religious connections, Whedon said, "I'm not coming down against priests. This guy clearly is not one".

Writing and acting

*Caleb was referred to by Buffy writers as the "Second", a reference to his boss' nickname, the "First",

Appearances

Caleb appears in: ;''

'': Caleb appeared as a guest in 5 episodes: *Season 7 – "

," "

Empty Places "Empty Places" is the 19th episode of the seventh and final season of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The episode aired on April 29, 2003 on UPN. Plot The citizens of Sunnydale flee en masse to escape the Hellmouth and Sun ...

," " Touched," "

," " Chosen" ;''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. It serves as a canonical continuation of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and follows the events of that show's ...

'': Caleb appeared in a dream in the e-comic "Always Darkest."

References