When a group of ruthless, demonic hunters known as the Scourge begin killing a family of helpless half-demons because of their mixed blood, it brings back painful memories for Doyle (
Glenn Quinn) of the years he spent denying his own half-demonic nature. Angel (
David Boreanaz) swiftly moves into action, going undercover in the Scourge and also arranging safe passage on a ship for the half-demons. But when one of the half-breeds, a troubled teen, runs away, Doyle must find and rescue him, delaying the ship's departure. By then, a double-cross has tipped off the Scourge to the ship's location and they show up, bloodthirsty, before it can leave port. Meanwhile, Cordelia (
Charisma Carpenter) learns of Doyle's true nature and responds not with the disgust he was expecting, but with shock that he avoided telling her. She agrees to go out with Doyle, fulfilling his greatest wish, but it's not to be. The Scourge unleash a terrible weapon designed to destroy everyone with human blood in a quarter-mile radius. Doyle sacrifices himself to turn the weapon off, leaving Cordelia with a passionate goodbye kiss. Originally broadcast November 30, 1999, on the WB network, "
Hero" marked season one, episode nine of the supernatural comedy drama. Although some reports indicated a rift between actor
Glenn Quinn and the show's producers, his character's death was actually planned early in the show's development. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide