Although Alexis Denisof played the character of Wesley Wyndham-Pryce on both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel", "Buffy"'s Wesley and "Angel"'s Wesley are very different.
While Wesley is now a brave rogue demon hunter, on "Buffy" he was the hapless watcher- whether begging for his kneecaps in "Consequences", or being taken out of the fight at the first punch in "Graduation Day Part 2", he wasn't the bravest or strongest character.
"I need a volunteer to hit Wesley," Xander once said.
Wesley was often resented by the Scooby Gang because he would think more with his head than his heart.
Take for example, his actions in "Choices". The gang had possession of the Box of Gavroche, an item necessary for the Mayor's Ascension.
The Mayor and Faith then kidnapped Willow and demanded a trade- her for the box.
Take away the emotions of the situation and it was a bad deal. Willow would live, but others could (and would) die. Wesley told them this, but the gang would not hear of it. They made the trade and because of it, many died at Graduation.
Now that Wesley is on "Angel", he thinks equally with his head and his heart. Whereas in the Buffy episode, "Consequences", he was willing to turn Angel into the Watcher's Council, in the "Angel" episode "Sanctuary", he made the exact opposite decision, realizing that Angel was more than just a vampire.
Although now Wesley has all the makings of a hero- bravery, talent and strength, he is still considered an underdog. Why? One word: Doyle.
Doyle was one of the most popular characters in the history of the Buffyverse. In just 9 episodes, we managed to become very attached to him and his untimely demise left us all shocked.
Poor timing landed Wesley introduced in the episode directly after Doyle's death. Some fans were outraged- they saw Wesley as a replacement for Doyle- one they would not accept.
The old names flared up again- "Weasely" and "Wussley". These fans refused to see the character development he was going through and only saw him as an unwanted presence.
Thus Wesley is an underdog- a fiercely loyal one. One that can be depended on. One to watch. One we love.
