- "You have a father's love for the child. Most people would think that is useless to the cause. But I myself admire it."
- ―Oracle to Nigel
Nigel Oliver Rodgers is a veteran hunter and the Watcher of Mia. Over time, he evolves into a father-figure of Mia. He is also one of the six main protagonists, along with Oracle, Rayne, Lilly, Mia, and Sidney. He is also the occult expert of the Gang.
History[]
Early Life[]
Nigel was born in 1972 into an upper-class family in London, England. His family had worked within the Watchers Council for at least three generations.
Becoming Mia's Watcher[]
At the behest of the Watchers Council, Nigel traveled to Los Angeles, California, and took up the post of librarian. There, he met the Slayer, Mia Salvatore, whom he began to train. The library became a sort of command center for Mia and Nigel. He also grew into a father figure to Mia and an adviser to her friend Sidney, together forming the "core four" of the Gang. He also develops a friendship with both the Dhampir Rayne and the Angel Oracle.
Personality[]
For a Watcher and a hunter, Nigel seems to stay fairly stationary. However, as a Watcher, hunter, librarian, and general authority/father figure, Nigel frequently delivered exposition. Nigel was often portrayed as somewhat of a "straight man" and his "stuffy" Oxford sensibility served as counterpoint to the stereotypical Southern Californian characters and setting. According to Sidney, he made a "weird cluck-cluck sound with his tongue" when he was angry but was "too English to say anything."
He seems to have amassed quite a bit of knowledge over the years, plus he lives in a library, hence his house is full of bookcases and stacks of books about the supernatural world and the things hunters go after.
Abilities[]
Nigel has amassed an immense wealth of knowledge in his years as a watcher and hunter. Nigel has immense knowledge of demonology and Slayer combat (including at least a theoretical knowledge of jujutsu and aikido, but excelling at the art of fencing), mainly due to his training as a Watcher. While he had no true supernatural powers of his own, his extensive experience in dealing with vampires, demons, and other creatures made him capable of handling them effectively. His youthful interest in witchcraft and sorcery had endured into his adult life, granting him knowledge of a wide variety of spells, though his natural aptitude for it was only moderate.
Nigel is also an extremely capable marksman, able to shoot a moving target with his eyes closed, made more notable by the fact that he was in the woods at night when he did it. Despite his appearance, he is also very intuitive and cunning. He was able to tell that Sidney was possessed by a demon almost at first glance and was able to spike her drink with holy water without her noticing.
He is also very durable for his age. Nigel has been shown to be proficient in several languages, including Latin, ancient Greek, Sumerian, Japanese, Gaelic, German, Mandarin, Cantonese, and several dead languages.