- ⤷ Note: This article is about the werewolf. For the Slayer, see Athena Jamison-Smythe.
- “I eat bloody meat now.”
- ―Nina[src]
Nina Ash was an art student, a Lycanthropus exterus werewolf,[1] and Angel's ex-girlfriend.[2]
Biography
Becoming a werewolf
Nina Ash was a young art major attending Southern California Academy of Art & Design,[3] and lived with her older sister and niece, Jill and Amanda Ash, in Los Angeles at 2315 Harvard. One night, while jogging, Nina was attacked by a werewolf, McManus, and was saved by the vampire Angel. Although, the werewolf had bitten her, which made her eventually became one herself.[1]
Nina had her first werewolf transformation in the following night, when she then almost attacked her niece at home. She was intercepted at the last minute by Angel, who had identified her address through a red light camera picture, so he brought her to Wolfram & Hart L.A. branch to be caged. As soon as she woke up in human form, Nina was informed about her nature, and was horrified when she remembered her violent thoughts against Amanda. Angel offered her assistance in adapting to her new condition, and had her driven back home.[1]
At home, Nina had a fight with Jill for having left Amanda alone and hiding something from her. She left home again, only to be taken by masked men working from Jacob Crane. Angel saved Nina once again, as she would be used by the restaurateur bent on serving her alive as a rare delicacy for a select clientele. Though Nina was initially distraught and simply planned to let Crane and his clients eat her, Angel convinced her to live and that being a werewolf was not so bad. She returned home, but decided to never let her family know about her condition.[1]
Angel's girlfriend
After becoming a werewolf, she voluntarily went to Wolfram and Hart every month during the full moon in order to be caged. Angel eventually realized, with the help of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, that it was time to pick up the pieces of his turgid love life and ask Nina out for coffee. This was hindered by the fact Angel was transformed into a puppet, but regardless, he overcame his fear of dating.[4]
Nina was referenced as being Angel's girlfriend often (usually by Wesley) and the pair had eventually had sex, prompting her to joke about whether or not Angel was perfectly happy, as this didn't trigger the curse on his soul. She tried to get closer to Angel, who, worried about the impending apocalypse at the hands of the Senior Partners, attempted to send Nina, her sister, and her niece away.[3]
After the fall
Nina didn't take that trip, and was still in town during the fall of Los Angeles. Nina provided a sanctuary for humans and demons, with the help of Connor and Gwen Raiden. In the hellish Los Angeles, the sun and the moon were out at the same time; while the sun kept Nina from transforming, the moonlight made her more primal in her attitude and actions.[5] She would later explain to Angel she allied herself to his son so she could still help him in any way she could.[6] At this point, Angel already referred to Nina as his ex-girlfriend.[2]
After the fall of Los Angeles was reverted, Nina continued to assist Angel researching on what happened to Wolfram & Hart.[7] In 2007, Charles Gunn told him that Nina had married someone, to which Angel responded saying it was good for her.[8]
Powers and abilities
Like most werewolves, Nina transformed into a wolf like appearance during the full moon cycle. She was of a rare breed known as Lycanthropus exterus, not known to have been found in North America. This breed was distinguished by the fact that such werewolves, when killed, immediately revert to their human form.[1]
Nina's werewolf physiology granted her the potential to transform into a berserk, lupine creature with enhanced strength, speed, stamina and sense under the light of a full moon. In human form, she displayed heightened senses of sight, smell and hearing, as oppose to normal werewolves whose only heightened sense was the sense of smell. In the night she was infected, Nina incurred a few large claw and bite wounds; although untreated, the wounds stopped bleeding and seemed to be healing well by the next day, suggesting enhanced healing as another possible power.[1]
Nina was an art major and had mentioned pottery classes, suggesting some artistic knowledge and ability. After she, as a werewolf, killed someone who was participating in an attempt to kill her, she felt guilty even though the person was trying to kill her and her human mind played no role in the action, indicating she had a very strong sense of morality and responsibility.[1]
Behind the scenes
- She was portrayed by Jenny Mollen.
Appearances
Canonical
| Angel: Season 5 | |||||||||||
| "Conviction" Absent |
"Just Rewards" Absent |
"Unleashed" Appears |
"Hell Bound" Absent |
"Life of the Party" Absent |
"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" Absent |
"Lineage" Absent |
"Destiny" Absent |
"Harm's Way" Absent |
"Soul Purpose" Absent |
"Damage" Absent | |
| "You're Welcome" Absent |
"Why We Fight" Absent |
"Smile Time" Appears |
"A Hole in the World" Absent |
"Shells" Absent |
"Underneath" Absent |
"Origin" Absent |
"Time Bomb" Absent |
"The Girl in Question" Mention |
"Power Play" Appears |
"Not Fade Away" Mention | |
| Angel: After the Fall | |||||||||||
| After the Fall, Part 1 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 2 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 3 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 4 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 5 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 6 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 7 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 8 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 9 Absent | |||
| After the Fall, Part 10 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 11 Appears |
After the Fall, Part 12 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 13 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 14 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 15 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 16 Absent |
After the Fall, Part 17 Appears |
Epilogue Absent | |||
| Spike | |||||||||||
| Asylum, Part 1 Absent |
Asylum, Part 2 Absent |
Asylum, Part 3 Absent |
Asylum, Part 4 Absent |
Asylum, Part 5 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 1 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 2 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 3 Absent |
Spike: After the Fall, Part 4 Mention | |||
| Alone Together Now Absent |
What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas Absent |
Everybody Loves Spike Absent |
You Haven't Changed a Bit Absent |
Bedknobs and Boomsticks Absent |
Something Borrowed Absent |
Give and Take Absent |
Stranger Things Absent |
Spike: Into the Light Absent | |||
| Angel & Faith | |||||||||||
| Live Through This, Part 1 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 2 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 3 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 4 Absent |
In Perfect Harmony Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 1 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 2 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 3 Absent |
Daddy Issues, Part 4 Absent |
Women of a Certain Age Absent | ||
| Family Reunion, Part 1 Mention |
Family Reunion, Part 2 Absent |
Family Reunion, Part 3 Absent |
Family Reunion, Part 4 Absent |
The Hero of His Own Story Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 1 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 2 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 3 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 4 Absent |
A Dark Place, Part 5 Absent | ||
| Death and Consequences, Part 1 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 2 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 3 Absent |
Death and Consequences, Part 4 Absent |
Spike and Faith Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 1 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 2 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 3 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 4 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 5 Absent | ||
Other
- The Curse, Part One (Only in flashbacks)
- Smile Time, Part One
- Smile Time, Part Two
- Smile Time, Part Three
- "Mystery Date"