Rating the Prime Buffy Villains: One Per Season

Buffy the Vampire Slayer would not be half as iconic with out its memorable antagonists, and every season options an particularly nice villain, whether or not they’re considered one of Buffy‘s best monsters-of-the-week, a giant unhealthy, or one thing in between. Because the Slayer, Buffy Summers has her work lower out for her, as she by no means will get a break from defending Sunnydale — and the world — from vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness.

There are a number of explanation why these baddies are Buffy‘s best villains, whether or not they’re ridiculously {powerful}, the stuff of pure nightmares, or a rough-and-tumble, charming unhealthy boy who turned one of the vital beloved characters in tv historical past. And whereas we’re not precisely rooting for these villains, we cheer each time they pop up on display screen.

The Grasp

Season 1

Buffy season 1 may have hinted at the masterpiece series that was to return, however by and huge, it was thought of a fairly weak begin to the present, with the Grasp one of many worst massive bads. Nonetheless, he deserves plenty of credit score for being the primary main villain that established Buffy‘s iconic formulation.

Whereas most of season 1’s monster-of-the-week villains are fairly tacky, and there is by no means any doubt Buffy will vanquish them, the Grasp poses a respectable menace. Regardless of being trapped underground, he has a seemingly limitless provide of minions wanting to do his soiled work. He is additionally a serious participant in Buffy‘s lore, as he sired Darla. With out the Grasp, there’d be no Angelus, Drusilla, or Spike.

The Grasp is Buffy’s polar reverse in each means: he is an evil vampire who believes in custom, whereas she’s a teenage heroine insistent on defining her personal path. Their last battle is not simply good man vs. unhealthy man, however sees these ideologies come to a head with Buffy rising the victor — regardless of fulfilling the prophecy during which the Grasp kills her. As she tells him, “I could also be lifeless, however I am nonetheless fairly.“

Spike

Season 2

No villain within the historical past of tv has a extra iconic introduction than Spike. The punk rock vampire boldly runs over the Welcome to Sunnydale signal, and, over prime some badass electrical guitar music, pronounces himself because the antithesis of the Grasp. As Spike says on the finish of his first episode, “Faculty Laborious,” Buffy is about to turn out to be “rather less ritual, somewhat extra enjoyable.”

And boy, does he ship. Spike is each bit as decided because the Grasp to place Buffy in her grave, however he has a blast doing it, and makes positive that his plans by no means get in the way in which of doting on his beloved paramour, Drusilla. Then, when Angel loses his soul halfway by way of the season, the script will get flipped. Angelus takes over as massive unhealthy, and Spike turns into the underdog.

Whether or not as a ruthless villain or a weak, threatened boyfriend, Spike is extra charming than an antagonist has any proper to be. Spike was initially presupposed to die very early into season 2, however, due to his recognition with audiences and James Marsters’s {powerful} efficiency, he remained on the present and have become considered one of Buffy‘s greatest fan-favorite characters.

Religion

Season 3

A rogue Slayer is an enchanting idea, which Religion introduced into “livin’ massive” actuality in Buffy season 3. Religion is an instance of a villain who just isn’t born, however made, as, regardless of her rebellious nature, there is a massive a part of her that wishes to do good and save the day, similar to Buffy.

Sadly, regardless of her powerful exterior, Religion is only a weak lady who by no means bought the love she deserved. When she meets Buffy, together with her caring mom and devoted assist system within the Scoobies, the unfairness is an excessive amount of for Religion. It is uncommon that Buffy paves the way in which for a personality to embrace their darkish facet, however, by way of no fault of her personal, that is what occurs together with her fellow Slayer.

Issues get much more fascinating when Faith goes full baddie and joins forces with the Mayor as a result of, regardless of their unthinkable villainy, they discover the very human connection they’ve each been lacking, and kind a pseudo-father-daughter relationship that is as candy as it’s twisted. It is this complexity that makes Religion such a “five-by-five” villain.

The Gents

Season 4

The Gents undoubtedly have a bonus being in season 4, which options the weakest Buffy massive unhealthy in Adam, a bland Frankstein’s monster-type. Nonetheless, this monster-of-the-week occurs to be the star of considered one of Buffy‘s note-perfect episodes, the virtually dialogue-free “Hush.”

Nearly each single particular person has had the nightmare of being attacked however unable to scream or cry for assist, and the Gents deliver this to vivid waking life. Their swish, serene actions as they float in direction of their victims is an eerie distinction with how the brutal means during which they kill them — slicing out their hearts whereas they “cannot name to Mother, cannot say a phrase.”

In contrast to earlier glorious Buffy villains like Spike or Religion, treasured little is thought concerning the Gents, however that solely provides to the horror surrounding them. A whole lot of hardcore followers dismiss the present’s one-off villains, however the Gents make a compelling case that Buffy‘s monster-of-the-week villains can be scarier than the big bads.

Glory

Season 5

It took 5 seasons, however Buffy lastly gave us a feminine massive unhealthy, and Glory doesn’t disappoint. Whereas Buffy had been bested in battle earlier than, nearly each encounter with the hell goddess sees the Slayer get her butt completely kicked, which serves to make Buffy‘s fifth installment the season with by far the very best stakes.

After all, being omnipotent is not sufficient to make a terrific villain — the most effective ones should possess a compelling persona, which Glory has in spades. Buffy misplaced a variety of attraction with the departure of Cordelia, and Glory injects loads of welcome mean-girl snark. Buffy even feedback that Glory is “a bit like Cordelia.”

All through season 5, Glory does more damage to the Scoobies than any villain earlier than her. She beats Spike to inside an inch of his life, she drains Tara’s thoughts, and he or she kidnaps Daybreak and efficiently begins the ritual to go house. Although Glory is finally defeated, the ultimate battle together with her is the primary one which Buffy loses, as she’s compelled to sacrifice herself to avoid wasting the world.

Darkish Willow

Season 6

Although the Scoobies have their share of battle all through the present, none of them had ever gone full unhealthy man, and the truth that Buffy’s stalwart finest good friend Willow is the one to go to flip is all of the extra stunning. Her villain flip can also be completely in line with season 6’s polarizing themes that discover the darkest sides of humanity.

The very best TV twists aren’t those we did not see coming; they’re those we ought to have seen coming and did not, and Dark Willow was hiding in plain sight all through season 6. The season noticed Willow’s magic habit getting worse and worse, and Tara’s leaving her was a significant component in Willow getting higher. Thus, when Tara is brutally ripped away from Willow, there’s nothing holding her again.

In a twisted means, it is also extremely satisfying that Darkish Willow stole season 6’s massive unhealthy title away from Warren, a misogynist determined to depart his mark as a supervillain on Sunnydale. Alas, he failed miserably as he was no match for the previously meek wallflower — and he paid for it along with his pores and skin and his life.

Caleb

Season 7

Technically, Caleb is a vessel of the First, which is well the largest foe Buffy has ever confronted. However, seeing because the First is noncorporeal, we have to put a face to season 7’s finest villain, and that is Caleb by a landslide.

Buffy is likely one of the most feminist tv exhibits of all time, so it is sensible that one of many last massive boss villains could be a raging misogynist. Caleb is by far the Buffy villain you like to hate essentially the most, and the sequence made the appropriate name introducing him so late within the sport, as he is so loathsome that audiences would not be capable of abdomen Caleb for a whole season.

Caleb is unapologetically evil, however he by no means appears like a cartoon character, and that is because of Nathan Fillion’s masterful efficiency. Fillion is usually identified for enjoying charismatic everymen, and he instills simply the slightest little bit of his attraction into Caleb.

You are all the time completely happy to see him flip up since you’re so anticipating Buffy to complete him off as soon as and for all. Certainly, his loss of life is essentially the most satisfying in Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the very cause that he is such a spectacular villain.

Launch Date

1997 – 2003

Community

The WB