This article was first published in Pop Culture Heroines (now offline).

It may seem sensible for a heroine to eschew romance in order to remain focused on her ongoing mission. However, love can give the heroine the impetus to carry on the fight in the face of overwhelming opposition. It may also be a factor that tests the heroine’s resolve to take the higher path for the greater good of all.

Cordelia Chase was no ordinary heroine. This rich, beautiful, spoiled ex-cheerleader did not appear to be meant for a life of heroism, but her dynamism and athleticism would prove indispensable to her future career as a formidable heroine.

Her spiritual journey began in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, where she reluctantly joined the Scooby Gang and frequently served as bait for demons and vampires alike. Her romance with Xander precipitated her move out of her cliquey social circle and challenged her to move beyond her superficial and shallow persona.

At the end of season three she left Sunnydale for Los Angeles in order to find fame as an actress. When she met Angel there and joined Angel Investigations her evolution into a mature woman really began.

Cordelia slowly began to warm to Doyle during the first season of Angel, and even when she discovered that he was half-demon her feelings for him did not diminish. Just before Doyle sacrificed his life to save the Lister demons and the rest of Los Angeles, he kissed Cordelia. During their first and last kiss he transferred his visions to her, making her Angel’s link to the Powers That Be. That was a significant turning point in Cordelia’s life.

Although the premonitions caused her tremendous pain, as they were not meant to be endured by a human, she felt that they had given her life purpose and she was loathe to give them up. During her time in the demonic dimension Pylea, she was given the opportunity to transfer her visions to the Groosalugg by having sex with him, but she refused in spite of her strong attraction to him. When the Groosalugg meets her again in Los Angeles, she finds a spell that allows her to sleep with him without giving up her visions.

Cordelia eventually chooses to be changed into a part-demon so that she could bear the visions without pain. As a part-demon she also acquired the ability to levitate and heal.

Meanwhile the attraction between Angel and Cordelia grew. It had been developing before the Groosalugg’s appearance in Los Angeles, and continued after his departure, which was itself due to his realisation of the depth of her feelings for Angel.

The final test of her heroic will was when she was told that by choosing to become part-demon she had earned the honour of becoming a Higher Being. The only problem was that she would have to leave without saying goodbye to Angel, on the same night that she had decided to declare her love for him. She chose to give up the chance of love with Angel to fight evil on a higher plane of existence.

Unfortunately during her time away she was corrupted by the being who would later be known as Jasmine. After giving birth to Jasmine she fell into a mystical coma.

During the episode “You’re Welcome” in the fifth and final season, Cordelia awoke from her coma and visited Angel at Wolfram and Hart, where he had become jaded and disillusioned by the evil surrounding him. She helped to remind him of the original ethos of Angel Investigations, “to help the helpless”, and helped him to defeat Lindsey, had been plotting to destroy Angel.

At the end of the episode she tells Angel that she has to leave, and reveals that the Powers That Be sent her back to him as a final favour. They share a final kiss. His phone rings, and when he answers it he learns that she has died. She never woke from her coma. In that episode we had a bittersweet vision of Cordelia’s development into a true heroine, and what might have been if she had not been exploited by evil.

Cordelia added humour and passion to Angel. She was an inspirational character, and was fundamental to many of the plot arcs in the show. By the end of her time on Angel, not only had Angel grown to adore her, but also anyone else who had encountered this breath of fresh air.