What if Willow were the slayer?

[This Year's Girl]

What if it was Willow that was the slayer? Do you think the show would have taken different turns? And would you still love the show as much?

I think Willow would've made a awesome slayer, and I would've been very intrigued to see a geeky superhero girl! 😀

 

[david4wt]

I don't really see Willow being a slayer 😀 I don't think she has the right personality or attitude. Yes, Vi wasn't really assertive either and yet she was a potential but Vi was "unsure" in a different way... 😀 I really don't know how to explain myself, it's just a vibe that I get 😀

 

[white avenger]

Are we assuming that Willow and Buffy have their roles reversed, meaning that Buffy would then be the witch who discovered that she was gay in Season 4? I can't see a great amount of change in that case, other than, of course, the title of the series.

 

[Ripper666]

I think Willow hasn't the strength to be the slayer. I am talking about the psychical-side of the job. Remember she failed in magic too!

 

[Goby]

So when I think of "Willow the Slayer," I think of the time when she was Willow impersonating Vamp Willow. Not very convincing.

But remember Buffy in Episode 1. Or think of her before she was the Slayer. I'm sure she was just a silly teenager thinking about boys and Justin Bieber and nail polish.

Willow could have done it. She can do anything. 😉

 

[ashleigh]

Maybe if Willow was the slayer, she would have become a bit Faith like. I mean, having her powers as a witch made her go of the rails!

Saying that, I think Willow would make an awesome Watcher!

 

[EvilWillow]

I think Willow hasn't the strength to be the slayer. I am talking about the psychical-side of the job. Remember she failed in magic too!

Psychical? Since when was Buffy ever susceptible to psychic forces? When was she ever capable of mental processes like extrasensory perception or telepathy? Because that's what Psychical means. I don't think that word fits in this scenario.

And the magic was addictive. I highly doubt being slayer is the same thing. Just because she got addicted to magic, doesn't mean she has a weak mind or anything. It means she made a mistake. Buffy has made colossal mistakes as well, it doesn't make her a bad person, just human.

 

[FlowerPower]

If Willow had been called at 15 like Buffy, she would have made a very interesting slayer. I love Willow even more than Buffy and I think Willow could have been a great slayer but I think may be a good thing that Buffy was called instead.

IMO, Willow would have felt more pressure to constantly be on her game and all of Giles's lectures about duty and responsibility would have made a deeper impression on her than Buffy who certainly felt a calling in a huge way but struggled much more to retain as much normalcy in her life as possible. I could really see Willow running at breakneck speed to All Slayer, All the Time because normal life really wasn't working out for her pre-S1. Still, I think it's fair to say that Willow would have been a more disciplined and organized slayer than Buffy, particularly in S1-5 but even comparing S6 Willow to S6 Buffy in part of the season.

Willow is also more sensitive and emotional than Buffy. I think that being directly on the front-lines and seeing every bit of carnage would have made a deeper impression on Willow but I think she'd be strong enough to get through it.

Buffy is also a consummate leader and part of her strength there is that she knows what she's good at which is the physical part of slaying and coming up with strategies and she chiefly delegates magic, research, any technology and some home maintenance stuff to others who work because they're inspired by her. Willow, on the other hand, is fascinated by everything- research, computer stuff, magic, weapons and I'm sure if she was a slayer, her own strength and prophetic dreams and impulses. I could see Willow not delegating as much as Buffy and instead trying to control everything to perfection to the point that Willow could become burnt out or alienate the people around her.

However, that's a worst case scenario. I do think, on balance, Willow did delegate when she served as the leader. There are some small things that someone could extrapolate that Willow would have a harder time delegating if she was the Slayer instead of the Sidekick- she rips off Xander's cookie and just heads to the lab to investigate it leading Xander to try figuring out what she's doing, she micromanages the questions that the Scoobies will ask in Earshot right down to individualized worksheets, she passes out after leading the autopsy mission in Beauty and the Beasts she's so burnt out and emotional, she shouldered all guilt, blame and danger in Buffy's resurrection, she ends up having to yell at people to get them in shape in a higher proportion to her leadership than Buffy's leadership through the series- Reptile Boy, The Dark Age, Weight of the World, Earshot . Still, Willow *is* an effective leader and maybe she would have learned to delegate more and inspire more without yelling if she served longer periods as leader instead having to gather that credibility desperately in the middle of the crisis that already took out Buffy and possibly Giles. And there were plenty of times where Buffy failed to inspire, kept secrets, refused to delegate, bit off more than she could chew, etc.

As unpopular as Willow was in school, she and Buffy would have started with the same support system. Willow would have had Xander, Jesse and Giles helping her right off the bat but I'm unsure that Willow could inspire as many people at the top of the group. Willow can charm, ingratiate herself, convince, order- but I don't see her *inspire* as much Buffy.

 

[Ripper666]

Just because you're BB Member of the Month and a fellow Drogyn doesn't mean I'm going to let you say hateful words about Willow. >_<

Haha, hope this was kind of joke...Feel free to critisize me!
Serious, Willow is one of my favorite BTVS characters too. This post shouldn't sound hatefull. I just often don't find the right words. >_< I don't think Willow is weak. If she would be, she couldn't learn and use such a magic. But rememer: Willow was once the shy, nervous girl. Then Buffy came and together with her she rises. I don't think Willow would ever got so powerfull without Buffy. I just don't think that Willow would have got out of her "silent girl" role without Buffy and the things she experienced with her. Buffy had this "common just do it"-mood still from the beginning of the show. Willow hadn't. Still I love her because of other character-skills she has and noother in BTVS. 😀

 

[EvilWillow]

Mhm, then say psychologically?! I meant things like motivation, endurance, resistance things that get created in your head/mind. And such things play of course a role.

Willow had a lot of motivation. She was a flawless student, and a terrific friend and person. Endurance comes with the slaying abilities. Buffy didn't have endurance when she lost her ability.

Don't get me wrong, Buffy is awesome. And I don't think Willow would be necessarily better, but I don't think she would suck. We got a taste of her physical abilities in season 6 when she beat the crap out of Buffy. That is kind of what I picture when I see her as the slayer. Not the evil part, but the strength. 🙂

 

[Mr Giles]

I think Willow would've been one of them slayers that got killed after about 2 weeks. She had'nt the strong personality that Buffy had. Even if she did survive the first year, the Master would have destroyed her.

 

[FlowerPower]

But rememer: Willow was once the shy, nervous girl. Then Buffy came and together with her she rises. I don't think Willow would ever got so powerfull without Buffy. I just don't think that Willow would have got out of her "silent girl" role without Buffy and the things she experienced with her. Buffy had this "common just do it"-mood still from the beginning of the show. Willow hadn't. Still I love her because of other character-skills she has and noother in BTVS. 😀

Still in the first forty eight hours of Buffy approaching Willow, Willow carpe diems with the first guy to hit on her, asserts herself against the vamp that tried to capture her and Darla, shielding Jesse's body as she does so, talks back for the first time to Cordelia and messes her up with "Delete=Deliver", reveals her hacking to a school authority and others to provide the city plans, participates in the fight and throws Holy Water in Darla's face to protect to Giles.

IMO, Willow was desperate to break out of the confining box that her parents and the Cordettes put her in and she wanted to have something in her life other than studying, tutoring, following Xander around like a lovesick puppy and sitting in an empty house. In the story, Buffy was a big part of providing that. However, I don't see why Willow couldn't have had a similar growth-arc for confidence by getting special Slayer skills and having Giles take an interest in training and developing her and experiencing that there are bigger things than her pre-S1 life.

I think Willow would've been one of them slayers that got killed after about 2 weeks. She had'nt the strong personality that Buffy had. Even if she did survive the first year, the Master would have destroyed her.

Having contempt for Willow is your prerogative but I don't see how the circumstances of Prophecy Girl would change much if Willow was the slayer.

It was prophecied that the Anointed One would lead the Slayer to hell. I do see Willow, crushed with responsibility to save the world and scared of disappointing Giles, following that prophecy instead of Buffy's decision to quit slaying to save her own life.

The Anointed One leads Willow into hell like he led Buffy. The Master drowns Willow like he did to Buffy. Xander would still be Willow's friend like he was Buffy's and if Angel was really interested in providing information (even in Prophecy Girl under duress) instead of just flirting with Buffy, Angel would lead Xander into Hell. Xander saves Willow's life as he did Buffy's with CPR.

Slayer Willow, like Buffy, feels determined to destroy the vampire that killed her and to save the world. I know that would be the case because even by I Robot, You Jane entirely mortal Willow felt the need to fight Mollock armed with nothing but a fire extinguisher for kidnapping her and his evil acts. Willow kills the Master, like Buffy did, with her slayer skills and her ability to not get hypnotized learned by her near drowning in hell. The end.

 

[EvilWillow]

I think Willow would've been one of them slayers that got killed after about 2 weeks. She had'nt the strong personality that Buffy had. Even if she did survive the first year, the Master would have destroyed her.

You're forgetting that Buffy was killed by the master. The only reason she survived is because Xander revived her. The same could have been done for Willow.

 

[ashleigh]

InsaneMystic agrees: hewl yeah to the last sentence! back in S2, I could see Will become a watcher-in-training... and I did semi-ship Gillow, back then, too.

[MENTION=11641]EvilWillow[/MENTION] I've never thought about Gillow, but I remember someone pointing out that in this scene:

FAITH: I see him. If I'd've known they came *that* young and cute, I would've requested a transfer.

BUFFY: Raise your hand if 'ew'.

Willow never raises her hand 😉

I certainly never thought about a Buffy/Giles ship either, but a few weeks ago I had a dream that they got married on a tropical island. I had difficulty figuring out if that was a dream or if it really happened when I woke up.

 

[Anya2012]

I don't see Willow as a slayer...more of a Watcher. Now, she would have made a great Watcher!

 

[FlowerPower]

Mr Giles agrees: Did i say the master would've killed Willow? Sorry, I meant Luke would've killed Willow.

This is what you said:

I think Willow would've been one of them slayers that got killed after about 2 weeks. She had'nt the strong personality that Buffy had. Even if she did survive the first year, the Master would have destroyed her.

Anyway, I can't say with complete surety that Luke couldn't have killed Willow like I did say that the Master killed Buffy or even that I think a Slayer Willow could have killed the Master when she got up like Buffy did. However, Willow *has* used cunning to get herself out of tight spots. She staked a vamp that had her in his clutches by using her "floaty pencil trick". On her first night of slaying (as opposed to Buffy who had been doing this for a year by The Harvest), she used her Holy Water in a surprise ambush on Darla (a pretty damn seasoned and powerful vamp) to save Giles.

I agree that I see Willow as a Watcher more than a Slayer. However, that wasn't the question. The question is how you would see Willow as a slayer and I do think that everything we've seen indicates that she's smart, strong, committed enough to fighting evil to be a decent one. I don't get the argument that Willow couldn't last two weeks as a slayer when she's lasted for nine years and counting actively involved in the fight and for the first two, she had no powers and for the first 4+, she didn't have powers that were all that useful in a fight. Yes, a Slayer fights more often and is on the final combat line but by the end of S1, Willow had accumulated enough combat time without powers or slayer intuition to be *way* over two weeks. And in that first year, Buffy only saved Willow's life completely once in Welcome to the Hellmouth before Willow even knew from vampires and with tons of indispensable help in I Robot, You Jane and Prophecy Girl.

 

[Mr Giles]

Glory, Gwen or Sunday would have made good slayers. They'dve kicked ass. Willow would be about as useful as Fred as a slayer.

 

[EvilWillow]

Glory, Gwen or Sunday would have made good slayers. They'dve kicked ass. Willow would be about as useful as Fred as a slayer.

Yeah, we get it. You don't like Willow. Kind of sick of hearing about it over and over again, tbh.

Glory was a hell god. That point is moot. I could see Gwen as a slayer, but not with her powers. I don't recall who Sunday is. The name is familiar though.

I'd like to point out that Willow would make a hell of a better slayer than most of the potentials in season 7. 😉

 

[sk]

To me Willow seems to be the kind of person that becomes great at whatever they do.
She should make sure to learn every little bit there is to learn about being a slayer.

Combine that natural talent to learn and the strength, both physical and mental, that I believe would come to her as a part of being the slayer and you would get a brilliant slayer imho.

/SK

 

[SlayerFest]

Haha could you imagine her reaction when finding out about her destiny? She seemed like she was going to faint when she saw Buffy dust that vampire in front of her in Welcome to the Hellmouth. I don't think that Willow would have been able to remain sweet and naive if she had been the slayer. She would have had to be tougher and less afraid of frogs 😉