Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Greetings from the Odinson,

The Rogues Gallery is the group of villains who repeatedly plague our hero, the city and citizens of the city under his protection, and in some cases the world. Over the next few weeks I will talk about some of my favorite Rogues Galleries. This week I will take a look at the ghosts and goblins that haunt the citizens of Sunnydale.

Part 7: Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Rogues Gallery

Spike and Dru – The vampires William the Bloody and Drusilla are star-crossed lovers who’ve perfected the art of chaos and carnage over the course of centuries. Their reputations precede them and their names strike fear in even the bravest of heroes. Spike has actually killed two slayers, and Dru herself murdered Kendra, the slayer that was called forth after Buffy drowned in Season 1. Spike is a brutal fighter whose animal ferocity makes him a formidable foe. Dru is a ghostly beauty with a seer’s gift of sight and mesmerizing eyes that can entice a victim right up to the moment of their death. The fact that these two are so feared is a testament to the two vampires that sired and trained them – Angelus and Darla. Must Read: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru (1999) and Spike and Dru: Queen of Hearts (1999).

Adam – This seven-foot walking monstrosity is the product of mad scientist extraordinaire and head of the Initiative Professor Maggie Walsh. Adam is a Frankenstein-like monster comprised of parts from dead super-soldiers, demons, robotics, and the best weapons money can buy. Physically, Adam is nigh unstoppable and far stronger than Buffy. It took a dangerous spell with repercussions for the future to defeat him. The Scoobies cast a spell that literally combined the strengths of Willow, Giles, and Xander with Buffy to awaken the true power and potential of the Slayer.

Dark Willow – For years Willow practiced the mystic arts. This, along with her computer skills and good heart, has made her an indispensable member of Buffy’s team. But when her lover Tara is murdered by Warren, Willow’s control over the dark aspects of her power is shattered. She goes Dark Phoenix on everyone. Her powers increase exponentially. She wants revenge and no one, not even Buffy, will stand in her way. Her pain is so all-consuming that she even threatens to end all existence to make it stop. This was one foe that even Buffy couldn’t defeat. It took Xander’s good heart to stop the end of the world. Must Read: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 #16-19.

The Mayor and Faith – The Mayor of Sunnydale is a century-old demon cast in human form. He has bided his time and waited patiently for the Day of Ascension, the day he will cast off his mortal garb and transform into his true form, a giant demon-snake. He would then proceed to devourer the students of Sunnydale High and burn the town to the ground. Helping him accomplish his goal is Faith, the dark slayer. Faith is the slayer that was called forth after Kendra’s death. She was originally just a bad girl, but circumstances lead her down a dark path and into the waiting arms of the Mayor. The Mayor becomes the father figure Faith never had and sets the misguided slayer against Buffy and her friends. In order to defeat this powerful duo, the Scoobies had to unite the students of Sunnydale and blow up the school. The biggest sacrifice came when Angel was forced to leave town because of the danger his presence posed for everybody. Must Read: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Haunted TPB and Buffy the Vampire Slayer TPB Vol. 2 "No Future for You!"

Glory – Glorificus was a demon lord that was so cruel and vicious that the other demon lords united and banished her from hell. Now stuck in the guise of a mortal named Ben, Glory seeks The Key and will stop at nothing to get home to her fiery domain. The problem is The Key is Dawn, Buffy’s little sister. Monks, the protectors of The Key, transformed it into Dawn and cast a massive spell, making everyone believe her to have always been there. Glory is easily one of the most powerful foes Buffy has ever fought. She is stronger, faster, and even sassier than the slayer. It takes the combined efforts of the Scoobies with crackerjack timing and the hammer of a troll god to take Glory down. However, the damage had already been done. Gateways to hell had opened and threatened to engulf Sunnydale forever. It takes the ultimate sacrifice by Buffy to close these rifts and save the day. Must Read: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Death of Buffy GN.

Angelus – Angel is the vampire with a soul and a hero. But this wasn’t always so. Once upon a time he was Angelus, one of the most vile and feared creatures of the night to ever stalk the earth. He even made the Master nervous. Angelus was cursed by gypsies with a soul, thus feeling the pain and guilt for all the atrocities he ever committed, but he would lose that soul if he ever felt a moment of true happiness. This happens when he and Buffy consummate their love on her seventeenth birthday. This begins one of the darkest chapters in Buffy’s life. Angelus is a creature of such cruelty that it isn’t enough for him to kill the slayer. No, he must utterly destroy her and everything she loves. In true Shakespearian (or Whedon) fashion, Buffy, in order to stop the total destruction of the world, is forced to kill her one true love and banish him to hell. Must Read: Buffy/Angel Past Lives TPB.

The Master – The first and arguably scariest “Big Bad” Buffy ever faced. The Master is a 1,000-year-old vampire who is trapped by a powerful invisible barrier and resides in the catacombs beneath Sunnydale. His visage is that of a true monster and his strength is enormous. His only means of escape is to drink the blood of a slayer and add her power to his own. He has a small army of vampires at his disposal, loyal soldiers that would walk into daylight for him. He sired the devilish Darla who in turn sired Angelus. The Master has actually accomplished what no other villain on this list has...he killed Buffy Summers. So intense was her experience with the Master that it haunted Buffy for months even after she defeated him.

The First – The First is the thing that the darkness fears. It is an idea, a concept, the ultimate embodiment of evil. No one really knows for sure what it is. Maybe it’s the devil. What is for certain is that the First was the first evil, the first sin. With no corporeal form of its own, the First is forced to assume the identities of the dead. Though it can’t physically affect the material world the First has immense influence over others. Whether subtle, like almost convincing Angel to off himself for past sins, or grandiose, like gathering an army of cult members and ancient vampires to invade the mortal realm, the First has been, is, and always will be a force to be reckoned with.

Must Read Buffy Tales: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Omnibus TPB Vol. 1-5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer TPB Season 8 Vol. 1 "The Long Way Home!", and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin TPB, The Dust Waltz TPB, Remaining Sunlight TPB, Uninvited Guests TPB, Bad Blood TPB, Crash Test Demons TPB, Pale Reflections TPB, Blood of Carthage TPB, Food Chain TPB, Autumnal TPB, Out of the Woodwork TPB, False Memories TPB, Note from the Underground TPB, Ugly Little Monsters TPB, Slayer Interrupted TPB, A Stake to the Heart TPB, Willow and Tara TPB, Ring of Fire GN, Tales of the Slayers TPB; and Fray TPB.

Honorable Mentions: Ethan Rayne, The Gentlemen, The Judge, Darla, Dracula, Mr. Trick, the Anointed One, Luke, the Initiative, Amy the Witch, Machida (Reptile Boy), Ted the Robot, the Three, Moloch the Corruptor, Eychon the Sleepwalker, the Kindestod, The Order of Taraka, the Knights of Byzantium, D’Hoffrin, Caleb, Harmony, and the Troika (Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew).

The life of a slayer is never easy, especially when you live on top of a Hellmouth. Whether it be vampires, body-snatchers, or demon hell gods, Buffy and the Scoobies have to be prepared for anything. Next week I’ll take a look at the aliens and mutants that challenge the heroes of the Wildstorm Universe.

This is Odinson bidding thee farewell