Ethan Rayne
Encyclopedia
Ethan Rayne is a fictional character
created by Joss Whedon
for the television
program Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Robin Sachs
.
. The first time we meet him is in the episode "Halloween
", when he reveals his dark nature. The first we know about him for certain is revealed in the second season episode "The Dark Age". In the early 1970s, Ethan met and became friends with Rupert Giles
, then known as "Ripper." Giles had dropped out of Oxford University and traveled to London to seek out the worst crowd that would have him. Associating with the dregs of the supernatural subculture that exists in the Buffyverse
, he was in a phase later described by Xander Harris
as an "electric Kool-Aid funky Satan groove."
The group practiced small magics for pleasure and gain, until Ethan and Ripper discovered something bigger: the demon known as Eyghon, or the Sleepwalker. Tattoo
ing themselves with the Mark of Eyghon, they would take turns falling asleep, and the rest of the group would summon the demon into the sleeper. According to Giles, it was an extraordinary high, a euphoric feeling of power, but was also incredibly risky. When Eyghon took control of Randall, one of their group, the others tried to exorcise
the demon, resulting in Randall's death. Giles was changed by the event, leaving London and returning to the Watchers' Council. Ethan, on the other hand, went the opposite direction, delving deeper into the black arts. When Ethan asked, years later, why things had changed, why they stopped being mates, Giles replied, "When you started to worship chaos."
" as the seemingly benevolent owner of a costume shop. His worship of chaos often serves as a convenient plot excuse for random supernatural occurrences. Becoming a magical subcontractor
and making deals with demons, vampires
, and humans alike in his varied jobs, Ethan gained a reputation for getting the job done. He has performed magic without apparent financial reward, but simply for the amusement of chaos.
Opening a small costume shop in Sunnydale
's business district around October 1997, Ethan curses his costumes in the name of the Roman
god Janus
, so that the wearer becomes whatever they are dressed as. For example, once the spell is cast, Xander Harris
becomes a soldier
, Buffy Summers
becomes an 18th century noblewoman, and Willow Rosenberg
becomes an actual ghost
. Upon discovering that Ethan is responsible, Giles describes the spell as "sick, brutal, and it harms the innocent", and proceeds to beat Ethan until he reveals how to break the spell.
Later, in the episode "The Dark Age", Ethan comes looking for Giles in the Sunnydale High School library
. He has been having dreams of Eyghon, and the fate of the others who wear "the Mark." Ethan knows that somehow the demon has returned again and is roaming free upon the world. The Mark of Eyghon on the original group members acts as a beacon for the demon to locate them, kill them, and possess each corpse in turn to hunt his next victim with. Ethan plans to 'hide behind the Slayer', exploiting her desire to protect Giles and thus protect Ethan in the process. Knocking Buffy unconscious, he waits for her to wake up before tattooing the Mark of Eyghon on the back of her neck and removing his own Mark with acid. The substitution works, and the demon loses interest in him, instead going after Buffy. But Giles arrives, and then her friends, who stop Eyghon from killing both of them.
In the Season Three episode "Band Candy", the vampire Mr. Trick, in the employ of Mayor
Richard Wilkins, later calls on Ethan's services when he needs Sunnydale's adult population distracted during a tribute ceremony for the demon Lurconis. Ethan curses candy bars that are distributed to adults through Sunnydale High School students. The curse on the chocolate makes adults act as if they are teenagers, leaving many areas of the city unprotected, including the hospital where the tribute of small babies needs to be taken from. Buffy and Giles uncover the plot, and stop Mr. Trick and Ethan (who claims ignorance of the nature of the tribute), but they both escape.
In the fourth season, Ethan returns to Sunnydale in the episode "A New Man". Discovered lurking in a crypt by Giles, he talks him out of a promised beating, and instead, they go for a drink together. Ethan warns Giles that the Initiative is throwing the worlds out of balance, which goes "way beyond chaos", into "one hell of a fight." Giles doesn't seem to take the warning seriously, instead being somewhat envious of the Initiative. After spending the night reminiscing and drinking with Ethan, Giles wakes the next morning in the form of a Fyarl demon. After being forced to reverse the spell, Ethan is arrested by the Initiative, who apparently place him in military custody pending determination of his status, before sending him to a rehabilitation facility in Nevada
.
's "The Long Way Home, Part Three
", Ethan reappears for the first time in several years, acting as Buffy
's guide in the "dreamspace", where he offers her cryptic messages about an approaching Twilight and shows her some of her more symbolic dreams. He also helps Buffy find a fragment of Amy Madison
's dreamspace to find a memory to use against her.
While infiltrating a military installation two miles (3 km) south of Sunnydale
, Buffy attempts to break Ethan out of his cell, but instead finds him dead, having been shot and apparently killed by General Voll in "The Long Way Home, Part Four
".
and chaos magician, adept at performing curses and transmogrification
. He also had great knowledge of demonology
and black magic
as well as possessing fluency in Latin. The Mark of Eyghon granted him a psychic link of sorts to the demon, and gave him visions when the demon was in close proximity. He also claims to have "missed [his] calling as an artist
" after tattooing Buffy with the Mark of Eyghon.
However, his fighting skills are mediocre, as Giles repeatedly beats him up with little-to-no effort; whenever Giles does this, Ethan doesn't even try to fight back.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ethan has appeared in 4 Buffy episodes as a guest
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
: Ethan appeared in two issues:
material such as comics
and novels
.
Some of the official novels that he has been in are:
Visitors,The Journals of Rupert Giles Vol 1,
The Angel Chronicles Vol 2 and
Resurrecting Ravana
Possessed by the First Evil
, he was a boss character in the 2003 video game
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
.
He also appeared in the final book of the Buffy Gatekeeper Trilogy. He came to Sunnydale and summoned the Lord of Hell Belphegor via a magic mirror but when Belphegor rejected him he helped Buffy and the gang. He was there for the final battle although he and Giles were both quickly knocked out but his subconscious reached out to Buffy and showed her what he had learned on how to defeat and destroy Belphegor. She used this information and Belphegor was destroyed and the world saved. He left soon afterwards.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
for the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Robin Sachs
Robin Sachs
Robin David Sachs is an English actor.Sachs was born in London, the son of actors Leonard Sachs and Eleanor Summerfield...
.
Character history
Little is known about Ethan's early years, although his accent confirms he is EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
. The first time we meet him is in the episode "Halloween
Halloween (Buffy episode)
"Halloween" is episode six of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by freelance writer Carl Ellsworth and directed by Bruce Seth Green...
", when he reveals his dark nature. The first we know about him for certain is revealed in the second season episode "The Dark Age". In the early 1970s, Ethan met and became friends with Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
, then known as "Ripper." Giles had dropped out of Oxford University and traveled to London to seek out the worst crowd that would have him. Associating with the dregs of the supernatural subculture that exists in the Buffyverse
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...
, he was in a phase later described by Xander Harris
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
as an "electric Kool-Aid funky Satan groove."
The group practiced small magics for pleasure and gain, until Ethan and Ripper discovered something bigger: the demon known as Eyghon, or the Sleepwalker. Tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ing themselves with the Mark of Eyghon, they would take turns falling asleep, and the rest of the group would summon the demon into the sleeper. According to Giles, it was an extraordinary high, a euphoric feeling of power, but was also incredibly risky. When Eyghon took control of Randall, one of their group, the others tried to exorcise
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
the demon, resulting in Randall's death. Giles was changed by the event, leaving London and returning to the Watchers' Council. Ethan, on the other hand, went the opposite direction, delving deeper into the black arts. When Ethan asked, years later, why things had changed, why they stopped being mates, Giles replied, "When you started to worship chaos."
Sunnydale
Ethan was first introduced in the second season episode "HalloweenHalloween (Buffy episode)
"Halloween" is episode six of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by freelance writer Carl Ellsworth and directed by Bruce Seth Green...
" as the seemingly benevolent owner of a costume shop. His worship of chaos often serves as a convenient plot excuse for random supernatural occurrences. Becoming a magical subcontractor
Subcontractor
A subcontractor is an individual or in many cases a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract....
and making deals with demons, vampires
Vampire (Buffyverse)
Vampire, in the fictional world of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is a species of demon which inhabits and animates a human corpse...
, and humans alike in his varied jobs, Ethan gained a reputation for getting the job done. He has performed magic without apparent financial reward, but simply for the amusement of chaos.
Opening a small costume shop in Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
's business district around October 1997, Ethan curses his costumes in the name of the Roman
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
god Janus
Janus (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past...
, so that the wearer becomes whatever they are dressed as. For example, once the spell is cast, Xander Harris
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
becomes a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
becomes an 18th century noblewoman, and Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
becomes an actual ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
. Upon discovering that Ethan is responsible, Giles describes the spell as "sick, brutal, and it harms the innocent", and proceeds to beat Ethan until he reveals how to break the spell.
Later, in the episode "The Dark Age", Ethan comes looking for Giles in the Sunnydale High School library
Sunnydale High School library
The Sunnydale High School library is a fictional location on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, central to the show's first three seasons....
. He has been having dreams of Eyghon, and the fate of the others who wear "the Mark." Ethan knows that somehow the demon has returned again and is roaming free upon the world. The Mark of Eyghon on the original group members acts as a beacon for the demon to locate them, kill them, and possess each corpse in turn to hunt his next victim with. Ethan plans to 'hide behind the Slayer', exploiting her desire to protect Giles and thus protect Ethan in the process. Knocking Buffy unconscious, he waits for her to wake up before tattooing the Mark of Eyghon on the back of her neck and removing his own Mark with acid. The substitution works, and the demon loses interest in him, instead going after Buffy. But Giles arrives, and then her friends, who stop Eyghon from killing both of them.
In the Season Three episode "Band Candy", the vampire Mr. Trick, in the employ of Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Richard Wilkins, later calls on Ethan's services when he needs Sunnydale's adult population distracted during a tribute ceremony for the demon Lurconis. Ethan curses candy bars that are distributed to adults through Sunnydale High School students. The curse on the chocolate makes adults act as if they are teenagers, leaving many areas of the city unprotected, including the hospital where the tribute of small babies needs to be taken from. Buffy and Giles uncover the plot, and stop Mr. Trick and Ethan (who claims ignorance of the nature of the tribute), but they both escape.
In the fourth season, Ethan returns to Sunnydale in the episode "A New Man". Discovered lurking in a crypt by Giles, he talks him out of a promised beating, and instead, they go for a drink together. Ethan warns Giles that the Initiative is throwing the worlds out of balance, which goes "way beyond chaos", into "one hell of a fight." Giles doesn't seem to take the warning seriously, instead being somewhat envious of the Initiative. After spending the night reminiscing and drinking with Ethan, Giles wakes the next morning in the form of a Fyarl demon. After being forced to reverse the spell, Ethan is arrested by the Initiative, who apparently place him in military custody pending determination of his status, before sending him to a rehabilitation facility in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Post-Sunnydale
In Season EightBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
's "The Long Way Home, Part Three
The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)
"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final...
", Ethan reappears for the first time in several years, acting as Buffy
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
's guide in the "dreamspace", where he offers her cryptic messages about an approaching Twilight and shows her some of her more symbolic dreams. He also helps Buffy find a fragment of Amy Madison
Amy Madison
Amy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
's dreamspace to find a memory to use against her.
While infiltrating a military installation two miles (3 km) south of Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
, Buffy attempts to break Ethan out of his cell, but instead finds him dead, having been shot and apparently killed by General Voll in "The Long Way Home, Part Four
The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)
"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final...
".
Powers and abilities
Ethan's years of experience in the world of the supernatural made him a skilled sorcererMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
and chaos magician, adept at performing curses and transmogrification
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
. He also had great knowledge of demonology
Demonology
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
and black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
as well as possessing fluency in Latin. The Mark of Eyghon granted him a psychic link of sorts to the demon, and gave him visions when the demon was in close proximity. He also claims to have "missed [his] calling as an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
" after tattooing Buffy with the Mark of Eyghon.
However, his fighting skills are mediocre, as Giles repeatedly beats him up with little-to-no effort; whenever Giles does this, Ethan doesn't even try to fight back.
Canonical appearances
Ethan has made 6 canonical Buffyverse appearances:Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ethan has appeared in 4 Buffy episodes as a guest
- Season 2 (1997, 1998) - "HalloweenHalloween (Buffy episode)"Halloween" is episode six of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by freelance writer Carl Ellsworth and directed by Bruce Seth Green...
"; "The Dark AgeThe Dark Age (Buffy episode)"The Dark Age" is episode eight of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was written by Executive Story Editors Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali and was directed by Bruce Seth Green...
" - Season 3 (1998, 1999) - "Band Candy"
- Season 4 (1999, 2000) - "A New Man"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and follows the events of that show's final televised season. It is produced by Joss Whedon, who wrote the...
: Ethan appeared in two issues:
- "The Long Way Home, Part 3 and 4The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)"The Long Way Home" is the first arc from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series of comic books, a direct continuation of the television series of the same name. It is written by creator Joss Whedon. It ran for four issues. The first issue was released on March 14, 2007, and the final...
"
Non-canonical appearances
Ethan has also appeared in a number of Buffy expanded universeExpanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
material such as comics
Buffy comics
Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics refer to comic books based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While many of these comics were published when the television show was on air they are not all considered canonical and often deal with characters who do not appear on in the television...
and novels
Buffy novels
Buffy novels have been published since 1998. Originally, under the Pocket Books imprint of Simon & Schuster they are now published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment which launched in 2004...
.
Some of the official novels that he has been in are:
Visitors,The Journals of Rupert Giles Vol 1,
The Angel Chronicles Vol 2 and
Resurrecting Ravana
Possessed by the First Evil
First Evil
The First Evil 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 7th and final season.A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an...
, he was a boss character in the 2003 video game
Buffy video games
Several official video game adaptations of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer have been released:-Buffy the Vampire Slayer :Released in 2000 for Game Boy Color. Set in the fourth season...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds is a video game and the fourth video game based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. It is the first multiplatform game in the franchise as well as the first game in the franchise to allow players to control characters other than Buffy Summers and also...
.
He also appeared in the final book of the Buffy Gatekeeper Trilogy. He came to Sunnydale and summoned the Lord of Hell Belphegor via a magic mirror but when Belphegor rejected him he helped Buffy and the gang. He was there for the final battle although he and Giles were both quickly knocked out but his subconscious reached out to Buffy and showed her what he had learned on how to defeat and destroy Belphegor. She used this information and Belphegor was destroyed and the world saved. He left soon afterwards.