With aBuffy The Vampire Slayerrevival confirmed to be on the way, it’s the perfect opportunity to redeem the show’s worst character in Xander Harris. Led by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the titular role, the original series ran for seven seasons between 1997 and 2003. In the battle against countless supernatural entities, theBuffy the Vampire Slayercastconsisted of a broad, ever-shifting ensemble. Chief and most reliant among them were Alyson Hannigan as Willow, Anthony Stewart Head as Giles, and Nicholas Brendon as Xander.
Since its conclusion, talk of aBuffy The Vampire Slayerreboot or revivalhas been rife almost constantly. Now that it’s finally confirmed, with Gellar back on board, it wouldn’t be the same without the rest of The Scooby Gang. After all, Willow is a powerful witch that can assist with threats. Giles is a knowledgeable mentor who still has wisdom to offer. What it would do with Nicholas Brendon’s character, on the other hand is unclear, but the show could bring in aXander who finally changed in ways he didn’t onBuffy the Vampire Slayer’s original run.
Xander Harris Was Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Biggest Issue
Xander Was The Worst Of The Scoobies And Failed To Truly Grow In All Seven Seasons
It’s safe to say that Xander Harris, as a character, hasn’t aged well. That isn’t to say Xander is wholly without merit. He’s at the center of several beloved episodes, such as The Zeppo. Equally, Xander contributed to or outright created several ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer’s inside jokes. However, he’s also petulant, self-absorbed, and borderline misogynistic at times.That’s never more apparent than him thinking he should be the center of everybody’s worldand the object of their desire — from Buffy and Willow to Cordelia and even Dawn. Then, when it actually happens, he plays with their feelings and mistreats them.
This Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episode Betrayed The Show’s Original Premise And Still Feels Weird 27 Years Later
In a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode that’s rapidly approaching three decades old, the beloved show completely abandoned its strongest trope.
While some of that can be attributed to the folly of youth, Xander never really grew out of his worst traits. He still viewed Willow and Tara as sex objects for his fantasies well intoBuffy the Vampire Slayerseason 4. Xander did the same with some uncomfortably younger potential slayers inBuffy The Vampire Slayerseason 7.He could never just be the stalwart best platonic friendthat he was destined to be and that the show frequently insisted he was.
Xander was instead often a terrible friend. Though he could always be relied on for a witty quip in boththe best and worstBuffy the Vampire Slayerepisodes, Xander’s words would sometimes turn cruel. He often berated people over things that required sympathy and understanding. Xander also famously lied to Buffy in season 2, leading her to have to kill Angel.He also cajoled her to forgive Riley in the wake ofhisbetrayalinBuffy the Vampire Slayerseason 5. He took no responsibility for any of these things and never atoned.
How The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Revival Can Redeem Xander
Bringing Xander Into Modern Day Could Be A Blessing
TheBuffy the Vampire Slayersequel rebootcould be the perfect opportunity to give Xander the same kind of growth that the other Scoobies had. By bringing him to the modern day,the Buffy revival can show him having cast off the toxic masculinity that permeated the late-1990s/early-2000s era of the original run. Even if most of that developed off-screen during the interim, it would still be a hugely rewarding turn for longtimeBuffy the Vampire Slayerfans. It can give us the kind of Xander that has been buried deep beneath the whiny insecurity.
He can be the kind of Xander that confidently saved the day in “The Zeppo” and gave Buffy a much-needed hero speech in Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 4.
TheBuffy the Vampire Slayerrebootcan finally strip away Xander’s neediness. It can toss aside him lusting after his friends and being casually cruel. Instead, Xander can be the big brother figure he was always meant to be, quippy but mature. He can be the kind of Xander that we get occasional glimpses of inrareBuffy the Vampire Slayermoments. He can be the kind of Xander that lovingly saved the day in “Grave” and gave Buffy a much-needed hero speech inBuffy the Vampire Slayerseason 4. In the right hands, Xander could finally be the best version of himself full-time and a true leader in his own right.
