- ⤷ Note: This article is about the sentient dimension. For other uses, see Twilight.
- “I will be more monstrous, more beautiful, than anything [Buffy] has ever feared or fantasized.”
- ―Twilight[src]
Twilight was the consciousness of a prophesied new dimension to replace Earth and its contents.[1] Seeking a vampire and a Slayer for such evolution, Twilight manipulated Angel and Buffy Summers into giving birth to itself.[2] The name Twilight also applied to the masked persona Angel adopted to bring about this apocalypse.[3]
History
Prophecy
- “It-it's just a Watcher myth... A fairy tale.”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
The entity known as Twilight apparently existed in some form since the creation of Earth. The Watchers Council was aware of it, and they spoke of a prophecy in which a Slayer who changed everything in the world would become granted with the power of a god and the chance to bring about the birth of a new world. In the 1680s, it appeared as though the Twilight prophecy would come to pass with the current Slayer; the Watchers were so afraid that thirty members of the Council committed mass suicide.[2]
The demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart also knew about Twilight and actively worked for many years to bring it about, believing they would play a crucial role in it.[4]
Whistler, an agent of the Powers That Be, identified the ensouled vampire Angel and introduced him to Buffy, who had been just called as the Slayer.[5] Whistler knew they were destined to either die together, kill each other, or change the world. After thousands of years of working to bring balance to the world, he decided to use them for this new evolution.[6]
The prophecy was finally set in motion when Buffy and her witch friend Willow Rosenberg activated multiple Potential Slayers worldwide, turning them into fully-powered Slayers.[7] By shifting the balance of power in the world so drastically, Buffy had proven herself as the Slayer spoken of in the Twilight prophecy, which was believed to be the "next step up the metaphysical ladder." Her reward for this would be to eventually gain god-like superpowers,[2] including flight, increased strength, and complete invulnerability;[8] these powers would enable her to bring about Twilight and survive the resulting apocalypse. Described as the "yin to her yang," Buffy's vampire ex-boyfriend Angel was also chosen for this purpose.[2]
Angel as "Twilight"
- “For thousands of years, the universe has been watching, waiting to find one Slayer, just one, who measures up to its test. Century after century, they all meet the same fate. Until Buffy Summers came along and did the one thing that no Slayer, no Slayer in history, had ever done before.”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
Sometime following the restoration from the Fall of Los Angeles,[9] Twilight contacted Angel, communicating through vessels such as humans and animals. It convinced him that, to protect the world from an inevitable apocalypse involving Buffy's recently-created Slayer Organization, Angel would have to adopt the "Twilight" persona and become Buffy's enemy[3] to prevent the entire world from going through what Los Angeles did during the Fall.[9] Angel, who had recently received god-like abilities, reluctantly agreed to work for the entity. As the masked "Twilight," Angel believed he had to unite the anti-Slayer terrorist forces in a single cabal under his leadership and minimize the resulting destruction they would cause. His other objective was to become the focus of Buffy's anger and power so that she would meet her true potential.[3]
Angel was initially reluctant to deceive Buffy, but his old ally Whistler convinced him that not doing so would result in Earth's destruction.[10] Adopting a leather costume that masked his face,[3] Angel recruited various factions to his anti-Slayer army; these included human members of the United States Armed Forces such as General Voll[11] and Riley Finn,[10] demon evolutionists such as Pearl and Nash,[9] and Buffy's existing enemies Amy Madison and Warren Mears.[12]
At this point, Wolfram & Hart discovered that the Twilight would not include the Senior Partners, contrary to what they expected. The law firm then planned to appropriate an interdimensional vehicle to evacuate the Earth dimension completely.[4]
Buffy began having the same dream repeatedly, in which a "thing" (Twilight in his winged lion form) chased her and, no matter how hard she ran, it always ended up swallowing her whole, saying, "The queen is dead."[13] Angel had his first attack directly against Buffy as the masked "Twilight," when he told her that activating the Slayers was a mistake and she would suffer as a result; he explained to his followers that he had to strip Buffy of her moral certainty to defeat her.[14] He also orchestrated various global assaults on the Slayer Organization, including a mystical missile attack on their base in Scotland[15] and a shipment with the Swell from Japan.[16]
Having already killed hundreds of Slayers across the world, Twilight/Angel's forces eventually cornered Buffy's core group in Tibet, where they had sought sanctuary in a monastery with the werewolves Oz and his wife, Bayarmaa.[17] During the battle against his army and the awakened wrathful goddesses, Buffy's Twilight powers were finally activated.[18] After defeating the three goddesses,[19] Buffy tested her new powers with enthusiasm until she theorized that their source had been the deaths of multiple Slayers in a coordinated attack worldwide.[20][21] Buffy then used these powers to attack the masked "Twilight," who had kidnapped her allies Rupert Giles, Faith Lehane, and Andrew Wells. Buffy was horrified when she unmasked him as Angel.[22]
Furious at his actions over the previous months, including the death of 206 Slayers, Buffy immediately fought and tried to stake Angel, but his invulnerability protected him long enough for him to explain himself. He told her there was a divine reason why they loved each other and encouraged Buffy to give in to that love. A glow began to overtake them, seemingly taking away Buffy's ability to fight against it. With Twilight urging them on, Buffy and Angel gave in to their passions;[22] they had powerful airborne sex, which caused them to smash through mountains, fly into outer space, and then break through the walls of reality.[2]
The Twilight crisis
- “Don't you know me by now, Angel? I never do what I'm meant for.”
- ―Buffy rejects Twilight[src]
Buffy and Angel's lovemaking was the catalyst needed to give birth to the Twilight dimension. As Twilight was born, Earth succumbed to natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, and cyclones,[2] and numerous hordes of "placenturian" demons were unleashed through interdimensional portals to destroy Earth and allow the passage of the new universe. Meanwhile, Buffy and Angel found themselves transported to Twilight itself, an idyllic dimension where reality was shaped in reaction to them. Though Angel initially planned to comply with the prophecy and remain in Twilight, Buffy realized the dire situation her friends were in, and Angel reluctantly agreed to accompany her back to Earth.[23]
When Spike arrived on the scene, he revealed that the solution to the current crisis laid in the ruins of Sunnydale; more specifically, the sunken church where the Master had been imprisoned after his original attempt to open the Hellmouth. Inside the church, laid the Seed of Wonder,[3] a mystical artifact that drew magic into to Earth and sustained the gateways to other dimensions. Spike explained that the Seed was effectively the source of all creation, and its destruction would lead to the end of magic, while its removal would result in an apocalypse; thus, they had to ensure that the Seed remained untouched by both human and demon hands. The Scooby Gang returned to Sunnydale to track down the Seed and avert the demonic hordes, where they discovered the Master, resurrected by the Seed, had been guarding it.[24]
While Angel helped Slayers throughout the world against the placenturians, Twilight itself confronted him in the form of a winged lion.[24] It fought Angel for having been abandoned, and it demanded that he and Buffy finish what they had started. Twilight then physically possessed Angel and traveled to Sunnydale.[1] While possessed, Angel killed both the Master and Giles, who were respectively trying to protect and destroy the Seed.[25]
End of magic
- “Buffy... What happened? Did we... Did we win?”
- ―Angel awakes from Twilight's possession[src]
Devastated by Giles' death, Buffy beat Angel back and used the mʔ weapon to destroy the Seed, banishing the placenturians back to where they had spilled from and ensuring that the Twilight prophecy would not come to pass. However, such action also closed all portals and pathways to other dimensions, leaving Earth effectively cut off from magic. Although the prophecy had not completely come to pass, the Twilight entity and dimension continued to exist, alone and unable to access Earth again.[25]
Appearances
| Angel & Faith | |||||||||||
| Live Through This, Part 1 Mention |
Live Through This, Part 2 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 3 Absent |
Live Through This, Part 4 Absent |
In Perfect Harmony Mention |
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 Mention |
Family Reunion, Part 4 Absent |
The Hero of His Own Story Mention |
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 Mention |
Death and Consequences, Part 2 Mention |
Death and Consequences, Part 3 Mention |
Death and Consequences, Part 4 Mention |
Spike and Faith Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 1 Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 2 Absent |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 3 Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 4 Mention |
What You Want, Not What You Need, Part 5 Absent | ||
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 | |||||||||||
| "Magical Mystery Tour, Featuring the Beetles" Absent |
Freefall, Part 1 Absent |
Freefall, Part 2 Absent |
Freefall, Part 3 Absent |
Freefall, Part 4 Absent |
Slayer, Interrupted Absent |
On Your Own, Part 1 Absent |
On Your Own, Part 2 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 1 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 2 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 3 Absent | |
| "In Space No One Can Hear You Slay" Absent |
Guarded, Part 1 Absent |
Guarded, Part 2 Mention |
Guarded, Part 3 Absent |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 1 Absent |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 2 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 1 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 2 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 3 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 4 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 5 Absent | |
| Welcome to the Team, Part 1 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 2 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 3 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 4 Mention |
The Watcher Mention |
The Core, Part 1 Mention |
The Core, Part 2 Absent |
The Core, Part 3 Absent |
The Core, Part 4 Mention |
The Core, Part 5 Mention |
Love vs. Life Absent | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 | |||||||||||
| New Rules, Part 1 Mention |
New Rules, Part 2 Absent |
New Rules, Part 3 Absent |
New Rules, Part 4 Absent |
New Rules, Part 5 Absent |
I Wish, Part 1 Absent |
I Wish, Part 2 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Absent |
Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Absent | ||
| Love Dares You, Part 1 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 2 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 3 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 1 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 2 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 3 Mention |
Freaky Giles Day Absent |
Triggers Absent | ||
| In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Mention |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Absent |
Own It, Part 1 Absent |
Own It, Part 2 Absent |
Own It, Part 3 Absent |
Own It, Part 4 Absent |
Own It, Part 5 Absent | ||
| "Where Are They Now?" Absent | |||||||||||
| Angel: Season 11 | |||||||||||
| Out of the Past, Part 1 Mention |
Out of the Past, Part 2 Absent |
Out of the Past, Part 3 Absent |
Out of the Past, Part 4 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 1 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 2 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 3 Absent |
Time and Tide, Part 4 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 1 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 2 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 3 Absent |
Dark Reflections, Part 4 Absent |