The Master

“Where are your jibes now? Will you laugh when my Hell is on Earth?”

Also known as Heinrich Joseph Nest
Played by Mark Metcalf

First Appearance: Welcome to the Hellmouth

A vampire of the highest order and the leader of the Order of Aurelius, the Master is responsible for the most prolific vampire line in history. Born over 600 years ago, the Master was responsible for the siring of Darla, who in turn sired Angelus, the vampire one day known as Angel. While Darla travelled with Angelus, the Master and his Order prepared for the coming of the Anointed and sought to open the Hellmouth that was underneath the town that would one day be referred to as Sunnydale. However, an earthquake buried the church that the Master was based in and the mystical energy kept him trapped there.

In 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer arrived in town, and the Master’s attempts to break free were thwarted at each turn, one resulting in the death of Darla. Eventually, Buffy herself entered his lair and was killed when the Master left her to drown in a pool of water. She was revived by Xander through CPR and followed the Master, who was free. As the Hellmouth began to open, the Master surveyed the destruction below him, but a battle ended with Buffy throwing the vampire lord through the library skylight and he was impaled on a splinter of wood. Only his bones were left.

At some unknown point the mystical Seed of Magic, which protected Earth and sustained it’s magical essence, resurrected the Master and placed him in Sunnydale, underneath the Hellmouth, to protect the Seed from harm.

Forced to work with Buffy to attain his goal, the Master made one too many comments in Angel’s direction, which led Twilight to put his fist through the Master’s skull, killing him once more.

APPEARANCES

Buffy SEASON 1