Powers and Abilities
Caleb provided Buffy and her allies with a villain who was both a physical threat (in contrast to the non-corporeal First Evil) and a recognizable individual (as opposed to the nameless Bringers and Turok-Han, who were formidable but also interchangeable, and the First itself, which had no fixed form).
Caleb's superhuman body serves as a vessel for the awesome power of the noncorporeal First Evil. With the exception of Glory, Caleb's might dwarfs that of Buffy's previous adversaries. When channeling the power of the First Evil, he possesses immense physical strength and durability greatly exceeding that of most vampires, demons, and Slayers. He can easily punch through solid concrete, and send an opponent flying for dozens of feet with a single blow. In their first encounter, he effortlessly defeated the combined might of Buffy, Faith, and Spike: two full-fledged Slayers and an elder vampire. However, with enough experience fighting him, it is possible to overcome his sheer power as shown when Buffy, in the last few episodes, is able to put up a better fight.
However, in order to maintain this power, Caleb must merge with the First to recharge after extended periods. Power transfusions from the First also allow him to return from death, as long as his body is still intact.
Caleb also possesses psychic abilities. He is shown to be capable of telepathy and aura reading.
Behind his priest's collar, Caleb is a sadistic sociopath with a pathological hatred of women. Impressed by his body's fortitude as well as his single-minded nature, the First Evil makes him the commander of its campaign of carnage and mayhem. He likes to reenact his killings by asking the First to take on the form of the girls he killed, so he may "kill them again."
Read more about this topic: Caleb (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Famous quotes containing the words powers and/or abilities:
“Strange and predatory and truly dangerous, car thieves and muggers—they seem to jeopardize all our cherished concepts, even our self-esteem, our property rights, our powers of love, our laws and pleasures. The only relationship we seem to have with them is scorn or bewilderment, but they belong somewhere on the dark prairies of a country that is in the throes of self-discovery.”
—John Cheever (1912–1982)
“It contributes greatly towards a man’s moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.”
—Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)