In the campy, chaotic, and often bloody world of HBO’s True Blood , few antagonists left as enduring a mark—or a trail of bodies—as Steve and Sarah Newlin. As the faces of the , a fundamentalist anti-vampire church, the Newlins represented the extremist human opposition to vampire integration in Louisiana. Over seven seasons, their story evolved from a shared mission of hate to a complex tale of infidelity, betrayal, supernatural turning, and ultimately, a tragicomic battle for survival.

Years later, Steve reappears as a vampire. The man who built a career on hating the undead is now one of them. More surprisingly, he is openly, flamboyantly in love with Jason Stackhouse—the man who helped destroy his church. Steve’s transformation is both comedic and pathetic. He trades his cross for fangs but retains his obsessive, performative personality. He eventually meets his true death at the hands of his ex-wife.

He embraces his new life, becoming a "Sanguinista," a vampire who believes they are superior to humans and should not mainstream.