Barely 200 years-old when he makes his first appearance in the episode "School Hard," Spike, also known in vampire circles as William the Bloody, earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. As a British vampire with punk rock attitude, Spike wildly sails into Sunnydale to help his sickly vampire girlfriend, Drusilla, get better by tapping some evil energy emanating from the Hellmouth. Although he brags about killing two Slayers, he can't seem to conquer Buffy, and is even hit with an ax by Buffy's protective mom. By the end of the second seasons, Spike resorts to betraying all his demon buddies to the Slayer in order to escape with his true love, Drusilla.