From bad to... bad. (Spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer ahead)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has long been one of my favourite shows. It's really got everything: strong women, nineties music, plenty of vampires and other monsters, and a healthy dose of puns and one liners. The show has given us some great villains, from Juliet Landau's iconic performance as Drusilla to the one-episode-wonder of the Gentlemen – but it hasn't always been perfect. Here's a ranking of the "big bads" from every season of Buffy.
7. Season Four - The Initiative/Adam
I'm sure it's nothing radical to say that the fourth season of Buffy was one of the show's weaker efforts. Following the main characters' graduation from high school, season four saw Buffy and friends struggle with losing the sense of identity, romantic relationships, and close friendships that were present throughout the first few seasons. Key characters like Angel, Cordelia, and Oz were written out of the show, and Buffy found a new love interest in the form of Riley – a safe, bland TA from Iowa with whom she has a loving relationship, but none of the passion or chemistry she shared with Angel.
Of course, season four has its redeeming qualities – namely the addition of Tara and Anya to the main cast, the beginning of Spike's redemption arc, and a string of excellent monster-of-the-week episodes like Hush and Something Blue. Not among those redeeming qualities is the season's big bad, a government group called The Initiative, and their Frankenstein's-monster-esque creation called Adam. Like Riley, The Initiative is just boring and hard to get invested in, especially following the death of scientist and teacher Maggie Walsh. While the respective villains of seasons two and three were closely tied to Buffy's emotional arc, Adam just feels like an aside to what's really important in this (and every) season: the relationships between the main cast as they change and grow.
6. Season Seven - The First Evil/Caleb
When the First Evil made its initial appearance in season three, it was a very effective villain, one that almost drove Angel to suicide. However, it was also a monster-of-the-week, defeated by a surprise snowfall, a heartfelt conversation, and a Christmas miracle. In season seven, the once-easily-defeated Big Bad has suddenly become insurmountable. I actually think the First had the potential (no pun intended) to be a great villain, but I moved it down the list because the season as a whole suffers from a pretty major problem.
The issue with season seven of Buffy is that, much like the Summers household, it's way too crowded. A ton of new – and largely disposable – characters are introduced, which takes focus away from our main characters and the more grounded, real-life issues that were explored in the previous season. Between Faith reconnecting with a group of Scoobies who now understand her much better, Giles returning from England to see how much has gone awry in his absence, Willow reckoning with her actions at the end of season six and the death of her girlfriend, Spike getting his soul back and trying to make amends with Buffy following his actions in season six, and Anya and Xander navigating their breakup, the season already had a lot of major ground to cover. Add in the potentials, Robin Wood, Andrew, Caleb, and the First, and there's just too much going on for anything to be given the time it requires.
5. Season Six - The Trio/Dark Willow
I think season six is underrated – Buffy's parallels to Faith, the retooling of the show's "what if your high school demons were literal demons" thesis for the now twenty-something characters, and the way the main cast essentially (and eventually literally) act as their own villains are some of my favourite parts of later-seasons Buffy. As you may have gathered from my complaints about Adam and The First, I love character-driven seasons, especially when Buffy has to fight someone she cares about – or at least someone the audience cares about.
Season six has two distinct Big Bads – the Trio, comprised of Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan; and Dark Willow. The Trio is fun to watch, and Warren is definitely a bad person who deserves comeuppance, but they're somewhat underwhelming as a season-long threat – they feel like, and in the cases of Jonathan and Warren literally are, villains from standalone episodes who pale in comparison to Buffy in terms of power. Far from the "archnemeses" they claim to be, the Trio feel like more of a nuisance that Buffy of season four or five would easily shrug off. The season six Scoobies, however, are busy facing something much more perilous: themselves. Buffy is broke, suffering from depression, and in a toxic and abusive relationship with Spike; Willow is struggling to recover from an addiction which has cost her her girlfriend; Xander leaves Anya at the altar; and Giles just straight up leaves. The real Big Bad of season six isn't the Trio, but the Scoobies themselves, which comes to a head when Willow relapses and goes on a murderous rampage following the death of Tara.
While I like season six, and I think Dark Willow is a great villain, I ranked this season slightly lower only because the Big Bad isn't really the focus.
4. Season One - The Master/The Anointed One
Season one is... something unto itself. The show hasn't quite found its footing, with the tone, look, and character dynamics still yet to be solidified. This season gives us plenty of villains: Luke, Amy's mum, Willow's demon-robot-boyfriend, and a pack of hyenas just to name a few. The Big Bad, however, is The Master, an incredibly-old vampire hellbent on opening the Hellmouth. The Master may not be the show's best written or most effective villain, but he is a quintessential part of early Buffy, and I'll always have a soft spot for season one's fun, campy b-horror vibe. Buffy's final fight with The Master is one of her defining moments, complete with multiple iconic one liners, and it feels incredibly cathartic following the incredibly emotional scene where sixteen-year-old Buffy tells Giles that she "[doesn't] wanna die".
3. Season Five - Glory
I love Glory. While many of the demons on Buffy live in crypts, sewers, or spacious underground caverns, Glory leads a glamorous life complete with fancy clothes, bubble baths, and several minions to do her bidding. She's bold, powerful, self-centred, and almost entirely amoral, only experiencing guilt for the first time in the last few episodes of the season. Glory is both a well-written villain who poses a real threat to the Scoobies, and an incredibly fun character to watch, one who might be a great person to have a girl's night with if only she wasn't trying to kill an innocent teenager and steal the souls of several random people along the way. She's also sharing a body with Ben, a fact which none of the Scoobies are able to remember, adding to the tension of the season.
Glory is eventually defeated through the use of a series of Chekhov's guns: Olaf's hammer, the Buffybot, and in a sudden dark twist, Buffy and Dawn's shared blood – and Buffy's death wish. The final fight with Glory culminates in one of the saddest moments of the whole series, Buffy sacrificing herself to save dawn, set to Christophe Beck's harrowing score. While incredibly dark, it's a fitting ending for the season, one that manages to resolve the level of tension and high stakes the characters have been facing without resorting to a deus ex machina or cop out ending.
2. Season Two - Angelus/Spike/Drusilla
Even beyond Buffy, Spike and Drusilla are some of my favourite villains ever written. Their chemistry and clear love for each other – and for being evil – makes them immediately compelling, even as they're setting out to destroy the world.
Plus, it's great to have Big Bads that are actually vampires – I mean, that is what it says in the title of the show, after all. Spike and Drusilla look and act as vampiric as it gets – they're constantly decked out in black and red lace and leather, and usually at least one of them is covered in blood.
Add Angelus – equally leather-clad, evil, and enjoying it – into the mix, with Buffy worrying that Angel's transformation is her fault, and struggling to fight him, eventually having to kill him after he's been re-ensouled, and you've got some of the best Big Bads in horror history. Cap it off with some Sarah McLachlan and the death of Jenny, and everyone watching will need a hug – even the Mutant Enemy zombie.
1. Season Three - The Mayor/Faith
I spent quite a while debating whether the season two or three Big Bad should go at the top of the list – but let's be real, I already wrote an entire post talking about why the Mayor is the best Big Bad, so there's really no contest. Plus, Faith is my favourite character.
Season three has everything I love in a Big Bad (or should I say pair of Big Bads): the Mayor is compelling, fun to watch, and essentially pure evil; Faith is a character that we – and Buffy – care about and were rooting for just a few episodes ago; the Mayor and Faith clearly love each other and have great chemistry. However, instead of Sarah McLachlan playing, Buffy leaving home, and the overalls of sadness making an appearance, season three ends with the students of Sunnyvale High rising up to join the fight against evil, Buffy defeating the Mayor, and the main cast celebrating their graduation.
Do you agree with this ranking? Let me know your favourite Buffy villains in the comments below!