Daniel Holtz
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Daniel Holtz was a vampire hunter during the 18th century and an enemy of the vampires Angelus and Darla. He was portrayed by Keith Szarabajka.
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Biography
Holtz was an 18th century English vampire hunter who chased Angelus and Darla through much of Europe and North Africa. He had connections to an elite order of Inquisitors within the Roman Catholic Church and an army at his command. Angelus and Darla retaliated by attacking Holtz's family, raping his wife and killing her and their infant son. As a finishing touch, they turned his remaining daughter, Sarah, into a vampire. Upon returning home, Holtz had little choice but to throw his sired daughter into direct sunlight and watch her burn to ashes.
Holtz relentlessly chased Angelus and Darla across two continents, even capturing Angelus twice (only to lose him both times). Desiring more than just a quick death for his nemesis, Holtz repeatedly squandered his chances to kill Angelus. Holtz finally managed to trap him in the sewers beneath Rome, and tortured him for hours; but eventually Darla arrived and broke Angelus free. Following this incident, Holtz gave up his hunt and became a hermit.
After a time, the demon Sahjhan came to him and offered him a chance for revenge. Holtz is placed in a state of mystical suspended animation, and reawakened in Los Angeles in the year 2001. There he was briefed by Sahjhan on navigating the city, and is also given a new army, this time a cadre of demons. However, a lot had changed in those 200 years: Darla was pregnant and Angelus now had a soul.
Since his motives were not in the interest of justice but rather vengeance, Holtz spared Angel's life--unsatisfied with merely killing him--and instead devised a more elaborate plan to use Angel's newborn son Connor to cause the vampire as much pain as Angelus caused him.
Holtz poisoned his demon mercenaries for being soulless soldiers of fortune. Holtz wanted real warriors, people who believed in his cause and would be ready to die for it. His first recruit was a brash young vampire hunter, Justine Cooper, who had lost her twin sister to a vampire attack and had since fallen to drinking and wandering graveyards at nights hunting vampires. Holtz manipulated her thirst for vengeance, as well as that of many others, and built an army of like-minded individuals.
Shortly after Connor's birth, Holtz arranged for Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, who believed a false prophecy that announced Angel would kill his own child, to kidnap Connor. Out of devotion to Holtz, Justine helped abduct the baby and slit Wesley's throat.
Holtz and Justine planned on keeping Connor for themselves and raise him as their own. However Wolfram & Hart's Lilah Morgan and the firm's Special Operations Team, as well as Angel ambushed Holtz's truck. A tense four-way confrontation between Angel, Wolfram & Hart, Holtz, and Sahjhan ensued beneath a bridge at the edge of town.
Sahjhan threatened to swallow all of them into portal leading to Quor Toth, "the darkest of the dark worlds", but at the last minute Holtz leaped into the hellish portal with Connor clutched in his arms.
For years Connor grew up in Quor Toth, where time moved faster than on Earth. During his childhood and teenage years, Holtz acted as Connor's adoptive father, as well as trainer, teaching the boy to hunt demons and survive, as well as instilling great hatred for Angel. Connor found a way to return to Earth, and an elderly Holtz soon followed.
Back on Earth, the now older Holtz is confronted by Angel and gave him the impression that he wanted Connor to live a healthy life with his biological father. However, this was simply the final phase of his scheme. Reunited with Justine, Holtz ask her the to perform one final demonstration of her loyalty: to kill him in order to fulfill his revenge.
Death and legacy
- "You promised. You said you'd do anything for me. Come on, Justine. I'm not asking you to follow me into hell. Just help send me there. Do it!"
- ―Holtz[src]
Together, they simulated a vampire attack by stabbing Holtz twice in the neck with an ice pick, in a manner resembling a vampire's bite. Connor arrived to find his father's corpse cradled by a crying Justine. Just like Holtz had planned, Connor, goaded by Justine, believed Angel was responsible. The two plotted to kidnap Angel and exact their own revenge. Instead of killing him, the two locked him inside a metal crate and dumped it into the ocean. After Angel returned, he revealed the truth behind Holtz's death to Connor.
Trivia
- The song Holtz can be heard quietly singing to himself throughout the series was first sung by him to comfort his daughter, Sarah, after finding his wife and son murdered. The song is Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night), a Welsh song that later became widely used as a lullaby in England.
- Holtz is first mentioned in Season Two's "The Trial", though doesn't appear until the first episode of Season Three, "Heartthrob".
- Like many villains in Angel, Holtz did not start out evil; in fact, he was a force for good in the 18th century. However, Holtz's life was completely destroyed by Angelus, and he never recovered. He found no solace in Angel's remorse, or his ensoulment, and instead exploited his soul as an instrument of torture. Even in death, he thought of nothing but his own revenge against Angel. However, he does seem to have realized how far he went in his scheme against Angel, as evidenced by his last words to Justine.
- Holtz has certain similarities to Robin Wood; both have loved ones who were killed by notorious vampires (ironically, the vampires in question -Angel and Spike- are, in a way, related) and both desire revenge for their deaths. Like Holtz, Robin found no solace in Spike's remorse or ensoulment, only caring about getting his revenge. However, the major difference between the two is that Robin managed to let go of his hate and became a trusted ally of the Scooby Gang, while Holtz's hatred led to his fall.
Appearances
- The Trial (First mentioned)
- Heartthrob (Only in flashbacks)
- Offspring
- Quickening
- Lullaby
- Dad
- Provider
- Loyalty
- Sleep Tight
- A New World
- Benediction (Killed)
- Tomorrow (body only)
