Gwen Raiden as a child had extraordinary electrical powers which made her unable to touch humans without giving them electric shocks. Unable to cope, her parents offered a generous donation to a school to take her to deal with her unusual and dangerous talents. As she grew older, Gwen began to hire out her electrical talents to the rich as a cat burglar, retrieving rare and priceless items for cash.
She met Angel’s when he attempted to steal the Axis of Pythia - the same artifact she has been assigned to retrieve. During this time she accidentally killed Gunn and subsequently restarted his heart. She later went to Angel when one of her clients, a member of the Ra-tet, was killed by the Beast, and offered her own luxurious apartment as a safe haven for the last surviving member of the mystical group.
She later asked for Gunn’s help to rescue Lisa, whom she said was the kidnapped daughter of a client, although her true motives were later revealed to be less selfless. She and Gunn stole what was in fact L.I.S.A (a Localized Ionic Sensory Activator) which regulates body temperature, heartbeat and body chemistry. Gunn used the device on Gwen to control her electricity. Finally able to touch a human again, Gwen and Gunn made love.