10 Harsh Realities About Buffy's Character

AlphaFoxtrot said:
Reading between the lines, the Hammer of the Troll God was enchanted, only the worthy may wield it, and to become worthy you have to take it from the prior owner in combat. That's why Buffy alone can use it, and why it disappears after Buffy dies, maybe.
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If only Mjölnir existed in the Buffyverse...
Then again, the Scythe was the answer to that: “It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield.”
 
Skanky Vamp said:
Here's another choice Screenrant article about how problematic the Buffy character really is. Reading this list makes me glad that they haven't done a reboot yet, as I'm sure, many of these flawed aspects of the character would be missing as they seem to not understand why they are there to begin with.

Buffy Summers Often Acts Rashly
Against the better judgment of her friends, Buffy often rashly jumps into situations that yield unfortunate consequences. It's a notion that applies to several aspects of her life, such as her love life and, most notably, her slaying. Take season 7's "Dirty Girls," for example. Buffy heard the new player in town, Caleb, had something of hers. Without knowing anything about Caleb, what he had of hers ("It could be a stapler"), or if he was even telling the truth, she rushed to his vineyard, taking her friends and the potential slayers with her. It resulted in several potentials being hurt or killed and Xander losing an eye.

Buffy Puts Her Friends In Harm's Way
This was touched upon in the previous entry, but the very nature of Buffy's responsibilities as the slayer means it's highly irresponsible of her to involve normal humans in her fight. From the moment Xander and Willow discovered her secret life in which she fights evil in season 1, she should have told them they couldn't be involved in it - and it should have been her permanent stance from that point. Instead, she allowed more humans, including her kid sister, to get involved. Granted, several of them could handle themselves, and others developed evil-fighting powers of their own, but too many got hurt through their involvement.

Buffy Is Self-Pitying
Buffy often feels immensely sorry for herself, bemoaning her responsibilities as the slayer and citing how alone she is. For example, in season 7's "Selfless," she told Xander and Willow, "You get down on me for cutting myself off, but, in the end, the Slayer is always cut off." But that isn't true at all. Buffy has lots of friends and allies around her more often than not. When she does find herself alone, it's usually by choice - such as when she departed Sunnydale and exiled herself to Los Angeles at the end of season 2 - which renders her complaints about it rather hollow.

Buffy Is Self-Righteous
While Buffy is physically superior to everyone around her, she has no right to feel better than them. However, that's sometimes how she comes across. In the aforementioned "Selfless," she ended her tirade at Xander and Willow by saying, "I am the law!" That's a pretty bold claim given that, while she has the power to fight evil, without the guidance of others, she wouldn't have wielded it half as well. Another example comes in season 3's "Enemies," when Faith asks Buffy if she thinks she's better than she is. Buffy replies, "I am. Always have been." While it may be true, saying it looks pretty high and mighty.

Buffy Often Displays Ingratitude
There have been times when Buffy has shown gratitude for their help in fighting evil. However, all too often, she seems to forget to. Make no mistake, without the help of Giles, Xander, Willow, and company, Buffy would've been defeated many times. However, she sometimes thinks her friends should appreciate her, not vice versa. One example of Buffy's ingratitude comes in season 7's "Empty Places." When referring to Spike, she tells Giles, "You sent away the one person that's been watching my back," forgetting Xander had just lost an eye when doing precisely that while fighting Caleb, to which Giles bitingly and justifiably responds, "We're all watching your back."

Buffy's Romantic Choices Were Awful
As much as former villains and long-time rivals Angel and Spike are beloved characters, they're terrible romantic choices. Buffy's life is dangerous. Bringing two of history's most notorious vampires into it only makes it more so, regardless of whether they've changed their ways. In addition to Angel and Spike, her other prominent relationship was with Riley Finn, whom she managed to date without even being told he hunted demons - he obviously had that aura. Even the seemingly "normal" Owen in the season 1 episode "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" is dangerous due to his excitement at the danger of her lifestyle.

Buffy Is Less Interesting Than Most Characters
One of the most blatant truths about Buffy Summers is she isn't that interesting - at least not compared to her friends and some other supporting characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Willow, for example. Her character development dwarves that of Buffy's. She went from a meek geek to a badass witch, and rather than just punching things, she uses magic to creatively solve problems. Then there's Xander, who fights the same fight as Buffy without any powers and does so while being thoroughly entertaining and witty. Meanwhile, characters like Angel, Spike, and Anya have centuries of stories to tell. There are five more intriguing characters to start with.

Buffy Summers Is Hard To Relate To
Unlike many of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's characters, Buffy Summers is incredibly hard to relate to. Every other central character in the show has multiple personality traits that make viewers able to connect with them. While Buffy does have some, they are far fewer than her supporting characters. Perhaps it's because of how she often distances herself from others, making her literally hard to connect with, but there's undoubtedly something off about her in terms of connectivity. It makes sense, given that there are countless humans, vampires, witches, and demons in the Buffyverse, but only one true slayer (or at least there's only meant to be one).

Buffy's Power Levels Are Inconsistent
This example comes down to bad writing more than anything else, but the power Buffy Summers demonstrates in Buffy the Vampire Slayer fluctuates wildly. One minute, she's lifting a troll god's hammer that Spike can't even budge and swinging it around jauntily to beat up a hell goddess; the next minute, a newly transformed vampire is getting the better of her in a graveyard. This issue makes it almost impossible to accurately gauge how strong and durable the slayer is. It's not her fault, but it still fits the bill as an unpleasant truth about the nature of her character.

Buffy Isn't Special, She's Lucky
Much is made of the fact that Buffy Summers is special, exceptional, and the chosen one. However, the truth is slayers aren't chosen because they're special; they're chosen randomly. It's sheer luck - if that's what the burden of being a slayer is - that Buffy has powers and others don't. That randomness has been proven in the Buffyverse on several occasions. It's doubtful Faith was given slayer powers for her virtuous nature, for example, and the psychotic Dana from Angel season 5's "Damage" probably wasn't chosen for her strength of character. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Buffy Summers may be powerful, but it's by chance and nothing more.
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Skanky, why do you insist on making us have to go through these terrible articles? 😭 This one is so completely dumb and clueless, that I need to deconstruct the hell out of it.

Let's start with the contradictions. In point two, the writer claims that it is foolish and irresponsible for Buffy to allow her friends to be involved with her 'work'. Yet, later in the article, he argues that Buffy wouldn't have handled her powers as well without the help of her friends. He keeps diminishing Buffy's actions and elevating those of her friends, claiming she would have been defeated many times if not for them. What's more, he complains about Buffy's character being hard to relate to because she "distances herself from others". So, he didn't want Buffy to involve the other characters, but he also thinks she'd have died without them because she's dumb and rash? And doesn't that also imply that he'd have found her character even less relatable because she wouldn't have let anyone else in? Interesting thought process.

The writer also criticizes Buffy for calling the shots and imposing her "law", yet apparently he would have been fine with Buffy forcing her friends not to help their town, their families, the other citizens in Sunnydale, and the world at large. Is he even aware that literally every single member of the Scoobies CHOSE to put their lives at risk? Nobody twisted their arms. It was never - and should never have been - up to Buffy to decide if they would fight evil or not. It sounds like the writer disliked that Buffy could be bossy and self-righteous, but he also would have wanted her to double down on those traits when it pleased him. Hypocritical and incoherent much?

Next, in point three, the writer argues that Buffy wallows a lot in self-pity and that she often claims that she is alone. Bewilderment! How could Buffy feel alone?! She is surrounded by friends and allies! ... Has this guy lived as a human being for more than ten years? Is he aware that a person can feel extremely alone even when amidst many other people? It's about being able to find other human beings who understand your personal struggles. This happens to many of us in the real world. Imagine a fictional character like Buffy, who is literally UNIQUE in the world as a Slayer (well, almost unique!). Has this guy even watched the show? 😂 This was a major story point for almost seven seasons, concluding with the Scoobies handing out Slayer powers to many girls around the world, which is what made Buffy smile in the final shot of the series. She was not alone anymore. *shakes head*

Now, I'll tackle points seven and eight. His whole argument about Buffy being a trash character who is difficult to relate to. What a load of bullshit! Buffy goes through a lot of character development throughout the course of the show, especially during season five and season six. The Buffy we have at the end of the series is a mature, hardened, wise woman who knows a lot more about herself and the world surrounding her than the whimsical, little teenage girl from season one who worried about breaking a nail while fighting vampires. Static protagonist, my ass!

As for being relatable, sure, no one can relate to being a Slayer, being thrown into the role of world savior before even hitting eighteen. However, many of the dramatic events that affected Buffy throughout the story had to do with very relatable circumstances such as a parent dying, living without a dad, going through difficult breakups, losing friends, dealing with depression, assuming real life responsibilities at a young age, etc. The Buffster was incredibly relatable to me and many others. I think Mr. Article Writer needs to take a hike on that front.

That last point... Sounds like the guy would have sided with Anya in that scene from 'Empty Places'. 😂 Sure, Buffy was "lucky" to get Slayer powers (who the hell would call that a lucky life, though, knowing all that it entails?), but she was also special. Not because of her Slayer powers, but because of her strength of character, her courage, her resilience and tenacity. To make an apt comparison, just take a talented musician or a talented athlete. Were they lucky to be born with a certain gift that not everyone has? Of course. But talent is never enough. One needs hard work, one needs discipline, one needs to always push themselves further. There are plenty of people who are born with a unique talent, and who never do anything with it. This was not the case for Buffy. She was lucky and special.

Finally, concerning Buffy's flaws as a human being... Well, duh. Did he want a perfect character? Those are beyond boring. Nobody is perfect in the real world. It is these imperfections that make fictional characters relatable and loveable. It also gives them the possibility to go through character development, which is something this article's writer apparently thought was inexistant with Buffy. Again, more contradictions.

The only point he made that I can agree with is that the power levels of Buffy were a total mess. But then, this was also an issue with Angel, Spike, Giles, Willow, and many other characters in the Buffyverse. In fact, this is a recurrent problem in nearly all fictional universes that involve some sort of superpowers.

Oh and Spanky, I'm not sure I get how this article could be indicative of how Buffy as a character would be treated in a potential reboot or remake. The writers would hopefully be a lot more versed in the Buffyverse and would go at it intelligently.
 
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Tome said:
The writers would hopefully be a lot more versed in the Buffyverse and would go at it intelligently.
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But see, if these articles, and there are other like it from other sites, are how "real" people view the series and people on this message board are the outliers then I really doubt that new writers would be more versed or write it in a way the 'hardcore' fans like. Just look at the new comics. They were fans of the show and they had/have no idea how to write it. Maybe the people on this board, and their views, are in the minority and not a representation of how most people see the characters and series.
 
Skanky Vamp said:
But see, if these articles, and there are other like it from other sites, are how "real" people view the series and people on this message board are the outliers then I really doubt that new writers would be more versed or write it in a way the 'hardcore' fans like. Just look at the new comics. They were fans of the show and they had/have no idea how to write it. Maybe the people on this board, and their views, are in the minority and not a representation of how most people see the characters and series.
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Well, I wouldn't even consider Screenrant writers to be serious critics. Their own arguments don't even make sense and they are click-baity as hell.

As for other places, I guess it depends what people you're talking about. If you have in mind much younger viewers who recently discovered the show, then sure. I bet some of them have a different outlook on the series, if only because they grew up in a different world. However, even then they wouldn't be arguing the asinine points made by that 'critic' from Screenrant. There's no way.

By "new writers", are we talking about people in their thirties/forties? Because that'd be my generation, and most of us watched BtVS during its heyday. I'm confident that if the writers were fans who cared about the original series, it would be done respectfully. I'm sure the people you call "hardcore" would find things to complain about, but I have faith they would keep the soul of the story intact, just modernize the setting and the context.

I can't talk about the new comics because I stopped reading Buffy comics ages ago, but I'll take your word for it. Aren't they just redoing the original story all over again? I'm not a big fan of that approach anyway. I'd want the TV series to be a continuation of the original story with mostly new characters. But if they did go for a remake, I'd hope the writing and directing teams would be respectful of the original.

As for "the people on this board", let's be honest Spanky, there's not many people actively posting like there used to be. So the variety of opinions has lessened by quite a bit. I'm sure if we had a sudden surge of new members of all ages, these "views" you speak of would be a lot more diversified. At least that's my opinion.
 
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Tome said:
that'd be my generation, and most of us watched BtVS during its heyday.
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That is so not the case with me. I didn't know anyone that watched it IRL until a year or so after the show ended, then it was just one other person. The vast majority of people that I personally know that have watched it, watched it streaming years after the initial run ended.
 
Oh, ScreenRant you remain consistent font of basement tier clickbait. Let's check out these harsh realities:

Buffy Summers Often Acts Rashly
Eh, define often.
Sure, she can act rashly, but there are plenty of times where she doesn't. For every 'I have to save Angel from Spike right the hell now' there are times where she stops and goes 'um, Faith, there's like 6 vampires in that sewer so let's not blindly run in after.' I'd hardly call this a consistent 'harsh truth' more something that would indicate Buffy's state of mind or emotional investment in a situation.

Buffy Puts Her Friends In Harm's Way
Not really, they put themselves in harm's way because it's their choice. Buffy gives them the straight talk and then they say 'well, we wanna help anyway'. It's more Giles job to gate-keep the slaying stuff really.
I can only think of a handful of times where Buffy withholding information has exposed her friends to unnecessary danger. But then the flaw should be 'Buffy can be secretive and withholding' and that's not on this list.

Buffy Is Self-Pitying
Okay, Martyr-Buffy is a thing, that's 1.

Buffy Is Self Righteous
Sure, that's 2.

Buffy Often Displays Ingratitude
Not really. Unless it's S7 Buffy, which is where they draw their 1 example from, but in other seasons she voices her appreciation for her friends often.

Buffy's Romantic Choices Were Awful
Self-evident really, especially in particular seasons. That's 3.

Buffy Is Less Interesting Than Most Characters
Buffy Summers Is Hard To Relate Too

Entirely subjective bum-talk. and the examples they use are highly questionable. Is Willow more interesting than Buffy? Seriously? Nope, and the inclusion of Anya is just hilarious. The only one I would accept as an equivalence is Angel because the spin-off show is a self-evident 'plenty of stories to tell' example.
The 'hard to relate too' is even weaker since there are plenty of examples of fans specifically stating that they can relate to Buffy going through a thing on the show; high school, heartbreak, depression, etc.
Even something as simple as struggling with school work but slowly getting better by working at it, or finding out you enjoy History as a subject, or really liking cheese. These are/can be relatable details.

Buffy's Power Level Is Inconsistent
The thing they point to is Olaf's hammer, which Buffy won in combat, so that's often considered a factor. Besides Buffy, being a slayer, is much stronger that most vamps (even Spike *gasp*) depicted but fighting isn't all about strength, it's about speed, stamina, skill & technique.
The show is fairly consistent in showing Buffy getting better at fighting/slaying, with a couple of fallow periods (4 and 6) because of loss of focus, and also what he strengths and weaknesses are in relation to other people she fights.

Buffy Isn't Special, She's Lucky
Chosen. One. Chosen for a reason, not at random. Buffy even gets a destiny and stuff. Not random. That's so stupid to say being chosen is like some kind of lottery.
But yes, she is also lucky because of the people she brought into her life or the idiocy of the opponents she faces or whatever failure of writing gifts her an out. But that's not what this article is saying. So half a point. Special and lucky.


3 and a half out of 10. Pretty pathetic. Get better writers ScreenRant.
 
Is it any wonder Buffy's character was a bit flawed, her superiors accused her of burning down the gym.
Yet does any of you remember a fire in the gym?

The dress code for young girls in her previous town must have been way different than most other places, plus her choice to wear such a short skirt for her first day at a new school was supported by her mother.

In a show where even the good guys (the P.T.B.) shoved a vampire onto their Chosen One.

To say Buffy is flawed is one thing but if she is then it most probably is because the leadership from the shows makers seemed to take great delight in making her be that way.
 
Faded90 said:
To be honest most post TV show comics have largely been Spike fanfic. Especially the supposed ‘canon’ ones once Joss had ditched them onto Gage (who had never watched the Buffyverse before) . Joss has said himself that when Gage gave him his (I think S10) plan for the season he literally had to ask him ‘but where’s Buffy in this?’. Willow to a lesser extent then got some ridiculous Marvel style upgrade where she flies and shoots out lightening bolts but they didn’t really give her much of a character arc as a person. She’s made even more awful and narcissistic than she’s ever been. Gage was pretty terrible with character work and largely just had everyone fawning over Spike and being his bestest friend.

Then there was that ghastly ‘last slayer’ comic which again largely gave Buffy no autonomy and had her swooning over Spike because still fancied her even though she was older. Which is just, sad, but still had the Spuffy’s squeeing with delight

Then the audible series shows exactly why cast members should never be in charge of writing their own characters because it’s just a self indulgent mess

Sorry for the negativity rant 😂 this article is terrible though. Screenrant is largely rage click bait though .
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Total character assassination of Angel in that dreadful ‘last slayer’ book too. Just reduced to ‘he left again, like he always does’ and heavily implied he left because she aged. Seriously?! How did they let them one get put out. Worse than fanfic.
 
How many years have passed since Buffy was first the chosen one? Bearing in mind she was 15 year old in the beginning, how old was she when she first appeared at Sunnydale High. How old was she at the end of the TV series, how many comics have there been, which that makes Buffy how old for the latest comic? Does she still behave like a teenager?
yawn, excuse me while I go for a sleep.
 
Skanky Vamp said:
But see, if these articles, and there are other like it from other sites, are how "real" people view the series and people on this message board are the outliers then I really doubt that new writers would be more versed or write it in a way the 'hardcore' fans like. Just look at the new comics. They were fans of the show and they had/have no idea how to write it. Maybe the people on this board, and their views, are in the minority and not a representation of how most people see the characters and series.
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I absolutely hate your conclusion, but, I can't come up with a decent argument against it.

Must ponder more deeply..... 🤔
 
These articles crack me up because all they do is point out the obvious: Buffy is human.

Admittedly, Buffy is not my favorite character in the series, but the series would literally not exist without her. I feel the same way about Harry Potter. There are times when Harry is my least favorite character, but again, the series would not exist without the main character.

Just about everything in this article applies to every single person on the planet. We've all made rash decisions. We've all had bad relationships. We've all done dumb stuff with our friends. Most of us have also had moments where we pity ourselves - literally the term pity party exists for a reason - or where we felt self-righteous. We've all been lucky at times, not special, ungracious, and definitely unrelatable to other people.

Thanks ScreenRant for clarifying what makes a person a human being in this world. lol
 
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