Illyria
Illyria is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.
CHARACTER HISTORY
Illyria is one of the legendary Old Ones, an original pure demon from the Primordium Age who ruled territory that included modern-day California. She was one of the most feared of all the Old Ones and ruled from her citadel, Vahla ha'nesh, which corresponds to modern-day Los Angeles. However, Illyria was defeated and murdered by her many rivals.
As depicted in an illustration of a statue of her in Vahla ha'nesh, Illyria was a sight to behold in her original form. If one assumes that the statue is life-size, she would be at least five times taller than an average human. Illyria had five tentacles on either side of her torso that she uses like arms, which are flexible and ambulatory to the point that she can clutch and operate weapons with them. She has two claw-like feet that allow her to perch, much like an eagle. The rest of Illyria's form is obscured by armor, but its humanoid shape suggests that her head and torso are in much the same configuration as a human's. Illyria was loved and feared as few of the Old Ones were, so much so that she still had followers and acolytes in the modern day - arguably millions of years after her reign. Her features as an Old One resemble much the ones of Lovecraft's Spawn of Chthulhu.
When the Old Ones lost their claim over this world, Illyria's corpse was placed in a stone sarcophagus, her powers were drained and placed in jewels embedded on her coffin. Her sarcophagus was placed in a mystical graveyard known as the Deeper Well along with the coffins of other Old Ones. A warrior of good and his army were assigned to guard the Deeper Well to prevent anyone from extracting one of the coffins, as the Old Ones are capable of resurrection. In the 20th century, the Keeper of the Deeper Well was Drogyn the Battlebrand.
Before falling, Illyria planned her resurrection. She hid her temple in a different time plane, rendering it completely intangible, until she could return to open the gateway and enter it. Illyria's army was placed there as well, waiting to be raised once again by its leader. However, sometime in the passing centuries, the army was destroyed, leaving only dust in its place.
LOS ANGELES
As preordained, Illyria's sarcophagus is teleported to the general area of Los Angeles, but due to continental shifting, it ends up outside of the United States of America. Somehow, it is delivered to U.S. soil, but is held up in Customs on its way to Wolfram & Hart. Dr. Sparrow manipulates Charles Gunn into releasing the sarcophagus in exchange for fixing his brain enhancements. Knox, Illyria's self-fashioned Qwa'ha Xahn (High Priest) and the mastermind behind her resurrection, has the sarcophagus delivered to Fred Burkle at Wolfram & Hart's science lab. Curiosity draws Fred to the sarcophagus, and when she touches one of the coffin's embedded crystals, Illyria's essence is released into Fred's body. Illyria's spirit acts as an infection that liquefies Fred's organs, hardens her skin, and allegedly consumes her soul. After hours of agony, and despite Angel and Spike traveling to Illyria's former prison in an attempt to find a way to draw her out of Fred, Fred's body is completely taken over by Illyria, who also absorbs her memories (which she later likens to "sparks").
With the aid of Knox, Illyria attempts to bring about the destruction of humankind by resurrecting her ancient army. Despite the best efforts of Angel, Spike, and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, she manages to fight off all three of them and open the portal to where her army is waiting, but soon she discovers that it was destroyed long ago. Lost and without purpose, Illyria agrees to learn how to adjust to the modern world with Wesley's help, who is drawn to the ancient being that now occupies the body of his love. She spends her nights with the oft-drunk Wesley and her days wandering the corridors of Wolfram & Hart.
When Wesley mentions to her that Gunn is trapped in a Wolfram & Hart-imposed pseudo-Hell, Illyria opens a portal and rescues Gunn without hesitation, later noting the great debt that the group owes to her. At this point, her pastimes include talking to plants and training with Spike—or, more accurately, beating him up while he tries to ask her how she feels when he hits her and record the details on a clipboard ("I have been hitting the half-breed. He makes noise," she notes). Although she criticizes Spike's adaptability (declaring adaptation to be a compromise), Illyria enjoys beating him up; at one point, she expresses her desire to keep him as a pet.
Eventually, Illyria's power becomes extremely unstable. To others, the Old One appears to be going mad. In truth, Illyria is being thrown out of linear progression of the timeline, altering her perspective as her power seeks a way to escape its shell. Initially, she kills Spike, Wesley, Lorne, and Angel in a confrontation, interpreting their actions as an attempt to kill her, but, during her time jumps, she drags an earlier version of Angel into the present, revealing what just took place before she detonates, potentially causing enough destruction to wipe out the continent. Fortunately, the explosion sends Angel backwards in time to shortly before Illyria killed the others, allowing Angel to use his new foreknowledge of their deaths to save his friends and calm Illyria down. Before Illyria can detonate again, Wesley uses a Mutari generator to extract a large portion of her power, effectively ending the threat.
As a result of the Mutari generator, Illyria is stripped of much of her super-strength, as well as her abilities to alter time and talk to plants. She grows bitter and withdrawn after the loss of her powers, which she considers a significant defeat. Her primary emotional connection is with Wesley, who continues to help her adjust to the world. After recognizing Wesley's feelings for the "shell" (Fred), Illyria wishes to explore her relationship with Wesley in a more sexual or romantic direction; however, he rejects any possibility of accepting her in Fred's form. She also develops a connection with Spike, who can relate to her newfound situation and treats her with acceptance and dignity, communicating easily with her and helping her venture into the world.
Illyria is brutally beaten and humiliated by Marcus Hamilton, which fuels the Old One's extreme anger and motivates her to join the final battle against the Senior Partners. In the Angel series finale, "Not Fade Away," Illyria, Spike, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne, Lindsey McDonald, and Angel each fight separate groups of demons from the Circle of the Black Thorn. After killing her demon victims, promising to "make trophies from their spines," Illyria seeks out Wesley and finds him dying. Perceiving his imminent death, she comforts Wesley in Fred's form. Grieving for him uncontrollably, Illyria violently dispatches his murderer, Cyvus Vail, by shattering his head with a single punch, an action that does not begin to assuage her grief and leaves her with a strong desire to "do more violence." Her wish is granted when the Senior Partners send their army against the gang; Illyria joins Angel, Gunn, and Spike in the final battle against the Senior Partners.
According to rumors about a possible spin-off, mentioned by Joss Whedon and Amy Acker, Illyria survived the final battle against the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. However, despite this, her current status is unknown.
NICKNAMES
Illyria is referred to as "Little Shiva", "Babe the Blue Ox", and "Blue Meanie" by Spike. While in a drunken and irritable state, Wesley calls her a "Smurf". Both Smurfs and the Hindu god Shiva have blue skin.
Powers and abilities
The full scope of Illyria's power is unknown. When Illyria takes over her new "shell," Illyria possesses tremendous physical strength. Spike likens a blow from Illyria to being hit by a Mack truck. Her strength, reflexes, and agility make her a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. Illyria uses an ancient fighting style that Spike compares to Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Although Spike's adaptability gives him an occasional advantage, Illyria generally dominates their sparring sessions. Her skin is a hardened shell, providing her body with a heavy armor capable of withstanding blows from forged weapons, such as swords or axes.
Illyria is aided in combat by her ability to selectively alter time, which allows her to easily dodge both attacks and bullets; she can accomplish a goal and leave an area before her opponent even realizes she has moved. She can also open interdimensional portals. In the episode "Underneath," Wesley comments on her not needing to sleep.
Illyria can alter her physical appearance on a basic level, and she is capable of recreating Fred's persona accurately enough to fool Fred's parents. She tells Knox that she can take any form she chooses. Illyria has empathic abilities that allow her to perceive the emotional states of others. She was, for instance, capable of sensing Connor's lust for her, Wesley's frustration with Angel as well as his grief over Fred's death. Illyria communicates with flora, often spending hours at a time communing with a plant. She is also capable of distinguishing humans (or "primitives"), from demons, vampires, and other half-breeds. Illyria also retains the insights from her experiences as an Old One, which enable her to effectively analyze the power dynamics, personal motivations, and emotions that influence those around her.
POWERS DIMINISHED
After being drained by the Mutari generator, Illyria's abilities are significantly diminished. Her physical strength is decreased (although retaining a high level of strength, well above that of a typical vampire), and she no longer has the ability to alter time, open portals, or commune with plants. Wesley perceives that Illyria is no longer as durable as she once was (cf. "The Girl in Question"), and she is later beaten unconscious by Marcus Hamilton in the episode "Power Play."
Even so, Illyria is still a formidable opponent in battle, and successfully kills several members of the Circle of the Black Thorn with minimal difficulty. She retains her ability to morph her physical appearance.
Relationships