Werewolves in the Buffyverse

[Lyri]

I'm not sure if this has been raised before, so forgive me if it has.

I read and watch a lot of supernatural stuff, Anita Blake and Supernatural for example, and in most of these, shapeshifters or 'weres' of any kind are usually considered to be immortal.

So, I was just wondering if it was ever mentioned, in either show, if Oz and Nina and other werewolves were considered immortal, and if there's no specific answer, what's your opinion? Do you think Oz could have the potential to live forever?

 

[Carrrrgh]

I never thought Oz was immortal, or any other werewolves for that matter. I just always thought they can get older and eventually die.

I've always been very afraid of werewolves lol so I didn't really think to look into the issue of whether they are immortal or not but in my opinion I guess they're not. I don't see why they wouldn't be able to age...

Now that I am writing this I am kind of changing my mind and thinking that with all the myths about how the only way to kill a were is with a silver bullet then they must be immortal...arrrg this is confusing me lol!

Okay so I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I believe they can age and eventually die of natural old age, however if someone tried to kill them the only successful method would be with the silver bullet.

 

[Mumrik]

The way I see it, werewolves aren't immortal, they're not invulnerable in human form. I presume they can die like anyone else when their time is up or when they get hit by a car or impaled on something. I see lycanthropy mostly as a disease, since werewolves usually retain their humanity and don't change all that much (except for three nights a month). Of course, none of this proven on the show and drawn only from my own head (and may be how I set up werewolves in a story of mine, lol). It always takes me by surprise a little when I read or see werewolves actually being immortal.

 

[white avenger]

It's never been addressed one way or the other as pertains to the Buffyverse, but my feeling would be that, given the fact that they seem to always meet unnatural ends, it's possible but hasn't ever been tested. The same thing might be said for the Slayers. They always meet unnatural ends, quite young, so there's really no actual knowing for sure. With both werewolves' and Slayers' accelerated healing, however, it would be a safe bet that they both have the potential to live very extended lifetimes, barring, someone or something killing them.

 

[Zeppo]

I dunno, Veruka died pretty quickly. 😛 (Unless we're talking human-form here, in which case I think Oz would've done some more death-defying actions to help out the gang than he did if that were true.)

 

[Carrrrgh]

On a little side note it kind of bothered me how they changed the look of the werewolves in Buffy, when we first see them they are alot different than when we see Oz changing throughout the next two seasons.

 

[Lyri]

On a little side note it kind of bothered me how they changed the look of the werewolves in Buffy, when we first see them they are alot different than when we see Oz changing throughout the next two seasons.

That could be seen as growth. The wolf grew and changed as Oz did. And the werewolves on Angel were said to be a different species.

Was it ever specifically said that Veruka was dead? I only ask, because it's stated, almost in every werewolf lore, that only silver can kill a werewolf, but I know of some lore that states that a werewolf's bite to another werewolf can reverse the transformation, or something like that.

If the silver thing, or the bite thing, is true, then it would mean that, though they can get injured, werewolves do have the possibility of living forever. Like a vampire. The only reason we don't know for sure is because we've only ever seen newly turned werewolves.

It would be interesting to see Oz's cousin Jordy now. See how he's dealing with the change and how's he's dealing with that side of him when, presumably, the rest of the supernatural world has been kept from him.

 

[Zeppo]

Was it ever specifically said that Veruka was dead?

If the silver thing, or the bite thing, is true, then it would mean that, though they can get injured, werewolves do have the possibility of living forever. Like a vampire. The only reason we don't know for sure is because we've only ever seen newly turned werewolves.

It would be interesting to see Oz's cousin Jordy now. See how he's dealing with the change and how's he's dealing with that side of him when, presumably, the rest of the supernatural world has been kept from him.

Veruka would have to be dead. There would be no way the Scoobies would let her go if she was still alive.

In Angel, they also wanted to eat werewolves alive. I'm pretty sure it implied they would die from it. Maybe they used silver cutlery lol. I've never heard of werewolves being immortal on or off the show, though I don't doubt the lore of it.

Yeah, agreed on Jordy. How did he become a were-baby at such a young age, anyway?

 

[OhWow]

That hunter guy said he killed like 12..so I guess they are not immortal

 

[Lyri]

That hunter guy said he killed like 12..so I guess they are not immortal

But if he killed them with silver then the theory still stands - only something made of silver can kill a werewolf, therefore it has the possibility of living forever.

Just like a vampire - only a stake to the heart, decapitation or fire can kill a vampire, therefore it has the possibility to live forever.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I do not believe the werewolves to be immortal. Afterall, for 27 days of the month they are human and one would assume could befall normal human deaths.

 

[sisterofmercy]

I never knew werewolves were supposed to be immortal or that you could kill them with silver, but then I don't really read much about them.

I do think there could have been a bit more depth into the whole werewolf thing in Buffy though, seemed so casual for such a big thing (mostly).

 

[OhWow]

But if he killed them with silver then the theory still stands - only something made of silver can kill a werewolf, therefore it has the possibility of living forever.

Just like a vampire - only a stake to the heart, decapitation or fire can kill a vampire, therefore it has the possibility to live forever.

Oh! Never thought about that. Well now knowing that...I guess they are immortal

 

[InsaneMystic]

To put it RPG terms, I think "immunity to normal weapons" is a very different perk to "unaging". I definitely don't think weres are immortal, just that the only way to kill them before they die of old age would have to involve silver.

And to stick with the RPG analogy... in AD&D, there's a rule for sufficiently high-level monsters (e.g., demons, vampires, dragons) to wound and kill creatures with their natural weaponry (fangs, claws and such), even when those opponents cannot be harmed with normal weapons. I basically thought that's what happened to Veruca - Wolf!Oz biting her throat being fatal to her would fit right in with the RPG rules I've known for two decades, lol.

 

[white avenger]

Since Joss has never said one way or the other how he defines his werewolves in the Buffyverse, I imagine it's pretty much like the "fade to black" scene in "Chosen," where each fan can simply firnish his or her own answer.

 

[OhWow]

Since Joss has never said one way or the other how he defines his werewolves in the Buffyverse, I imagine it's pretty much like the "fade to black" scene in "Chosen," where each fan can simply firnish his or her own answer.

What do you mean about the " fade to black " scene? What scene was that?

 

[white avenger]

What do you mean about the " fade to black " scene? What scene was that?

In the basement, when Buffy and Spike move toward each other, then the scene fades to black, and the next time we see them is the next morning when everyone is getting ready to go off to battle. In the commentary, Joss said that he left that scene ambiguous ("Did they make love, did they spend the night talking, it's all left up to the viewer's imagination")

 

[nightshade]

I beleive that in their human form they are able to die. just like any other human, but when in their werewolf form they would be harder to kill (silver, decapitation), definately don't think werewolves are immortal though