Personality

Spike is seen as something of a paradox amongst vampires in the series, and frequently challenges vampire conventions and limitations. He embraces certain elements of humanity, such as love and loyalty, that would be considered too human (and therefore offensive or impure) by other vampires. With or without a soul, Spike often displays a strong sense of honor and loyalty; leaving anonymous flowers to show respect for Joyce Summers' death, enduring torture at the hands of Glory rather than reveal Dawn's identity, and continuing to aid the Scooby Gang after Buffy's death. Many of Spike's actions, good or evil, are motivated by love for either Drusilla or Buffy.

One of Spike's most notable personality traits is his incredible lust for violence, which is immense even by the standards of demonic society. He has noted that he finds the very act of violence therapeutic: in the episode "School Hard," he responds to a lackey's incompetence by snapping the neck of a hostage he considers to be 'too old to eat' and notes that he felt better afterwards. Similarly, during his drunken pining for Drusilla in the episode "Lovers Walk," he notes that getting pent-up aggression out of his system by staking and driving off several vampires 'put(s) things in perspective' for him. After a prolonged period of being unable to bite or hurt humans, Spike is delighted to discover that he is able to fight demons and gladly accompanies the Scooby Gang on patrol, proving that it does not much matter to him what he is fighting for so long as he can fight.

Spike has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. A polar opposite to his callow and simpering human nature, Spike quickly adopted a swaggering posture and enjoyed living by nobody's rules save his own. Fitting in with this was his habit of making pithy remarks and glib insults, even towards the few he did not view as antagonists. Among his favorite targets was his grandsire and rival, Angel (often making fun of his large forehead, constantly groomed appearance, and his attempts to be a 'big, strapping hero'); others include Xander Harris, Rupert Giles, and, to a lesser degree, Buffy Summers. However, Spike also retained something of his literary intellect from his human side, routinely referencing poetry, songs, and literature; he would, on occasion, also wax poetical on the nature of love and life (and unlife) as being driven by blood, reasoning that blood is more powerful than any supernatural force because it is what separates the living from the dead (cf. "Lovers Walk" and "The Gift").

He has a habit of nicknaming people, such as "Mr Forehead" (Angel), "Mr Bits" (Adam), "Red" (Willow) and "Blue" (Illyria). His strong English accent, which James Marsters fakes, is enhanced by his use of "English" words, such as pet, bugger, bloody, bollocks etc.

Spike often treats his vulnerability to the sun as an inconvenience, rather than a limitation; he drives in broad daylight in vehicles with blacked-out windows, and he regularly travels outside during the day, using a blanket for cover. He also has a taste for human food and drink, such as beer, whiskey, hot chocolate (even asking Joyce Summers if she has any of "those little marshmallows,"), chocolates, Buffalo wings, and onion blossoms, constituting the most varied diet of any vampire on the show. Sometimes he adds extra ingredients into his blood, such as Weetabix (for texture), and spices and burba weed (for flavor). He also smokes cigarettes (as do many vampires); his preferred brand being Morley, which he lights with a trademark silver Zippo lighter.

Spike appears to be a fan of pop culture; when held captive by the Scooby Gang in Buffy Season Four, his biggest concern was missing his favourite soap Passions. Over the course of the series, he makes references to movies and shows such as Star Wars (cf. "School Hard"), Dawson's Creek (cf. "Out of my Mind"), It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (cf. "All the Way)", Ghostbusters (cf. "The Killer in Me"), and The Nightmare Before Christmas (cf. "A Hole in the World"). In the Angel episode "You're Welcome", after his hands are cut off and subsequently reattached, he is instructed to play video games for physical therapy, including Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot, and can be seen playing a Game Boy Advance in "The Girl in Question."