Giles – Rupert Giles
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Giles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Giles
Thank you Janae N. for your help with this one.
This inventor is working to merge Magic with Science. He has invented a new school of magic by blending magic with math. Or has he? Instead of showing this “new” school of magic, he leads Your Wizard into a trap.
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers’ mentor and surrogate father figure. The character proved popular with viewers, and Head’s performance in the role was well received. Following Buffy’s run, Whedon intended to launch a television spin-off focused on the character, but rights issues prevented the project from developing. Outside of the television series, the character has appeared substantially in Expanded Universe material such as novels, comic books, and short stories.
Giles’ primary role in the series is Watcher to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in her capacity as vampire Slayer; he is in the employ of the Watchers’ Council, a British organization that attempts to oversee the actions of the Slayer. From youth, Giles was expected to follow the family tradition and become a Watcher, though as a teenager and young adult he rebelled, dropping out of Oxford University to experiment in dark magic and the rock music scene, until a bereavement brought him to his senses. In adulthood, his loyalty to Buffy and her group of friends costs him his job for a time. As the series progresses, Giles increasingly becomes a father figure to Buffy and her friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon). His encyclopedic knowledge, affinity for magic, moderate fighting skills and willingness to kill when necessary make him an asset to Buffy in her fight against the supernatural evils that plague Sunnydale, California.
Following Buffy’s conclusion in 2003, Whedon intended to continue Giles’ story as a spin-off series, Ripper, which he intended to produce with the BBC. The series was to depict Giles in ghost stories set in present-day England, coping with loneliness as well as figurative ghosts from his own checkered past. Over several years Whedon restated his commitment to the project, though announced it would take the form of a one-off TV movie. Despite Head’s availability and the BBC’s willingness to fund the project, rights issues concerning the character ultimately led to it not developing further. Canonically, the character’s story is continued in the comic book Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007–2011) and subsequent stories. The Season Eight sequel Angel & Faith (2011) heavily features Giles and utilizes ideas and characters from the proposed Ripper spin-off.
The current list of all the (known) Empyrea references can be found here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Giles image is from Wizard101, and copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
Rupert Giles image is borrowed from Wikipedia and is copyright Mutant Enemy Productions.
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.

