Buffy the Vampire Slayer gifted us with a number of memorable villains over the years. The impressive collection of evildoers assembled for the series remains one of several reasons why so many of us have such fond memories of the program. Yet, for every Glory (Clare Kramer) or Angelus (David Boreanaz) there are other antagonists that we don’t remember with quite as much fondness or reverence. There are a number of reasons why some of the villains don’t resonate as much as others. Ideas sometimes get lost in translation from the page to screen, not to mention, extenuating circumstances have been known to cause rewrites.
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Whatever the case may be, these villains from Buffy the Vampire Slayer represent seven of the least effective from the program’s storied run.
1) The Anointed One
In Season 1, the Anointed One (played by child actor Andrew J. Ferchland) is foreshadowed as a major adversary for the Slayer, yet he barely succeeds at cramping her style. Prior to his first appearance in the fifth episode, we learn of a prophecy from the Writings of Aurelius foretelling of a major showdown between the Anointed One and the Slayer. After the death of the Master, we see the Anointed One rise to power as the new leader of the Order of Aurelius. But he never gets the chance to live up to his storied reputation.
While the Anointed One was initially planned as the core antagonist for Season 2, actor Ferchland’s unexpected growth spurt cut short the character’s time on the show. Instead of realizing his sinister potential, the Anointed One unceremoniously steps aside in the third episode of the second season when Spike helps him meet the sun. It makes sense that Ferchland outgrew the role and that the writers had to resolve his arc. However, after so much foreshadowing and buildup, the end of his story is extremely anticlimactic.
2) The Master
There’s nothing wrong with Season 1 Big Bad the Master (Mark Metcalf), per se. He brings a certain amount of intrigue as he attempts to open the portal to hell located underneath Sunnydale High. Even still, he isn’t a particularly memorable character in the grand scheme of things. If the show hadn’t pushed forward to deliver even more engaging antagonists in his wake, we might be discussing him in a different context. However, the show really found its footing in the seasons that followed and looking back on Season 1, the Master pales in comparison to some of the adversaries Buffy and company eventually take on.
Some fans will surely argue that the Master is memorable for (briefly) killing Buffy, and he is. Yet, despite that impressive feat, he isn’t a particularly engaging character. The Master is pretty one-dimensional, in fact.
3) The Judge
The Judge (Brian Thompson), an ancient demon capable of separating his victims from their humanity, has plenty of potential as a character, yet he’s largely under-utilized. The Judge is established as this imposing, invincible adversary, yet Buffy bests him not long after Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau) resurrect him. We see the Judge introduced in Season 2, Episode 14 where we learn that he is nearly impossible to defeat. However, in the very next episode, Buffy dispatches him with a rocket launcher.
The Judge has a memorable demise, for sure. But with such an impressive origin story, fans rightfully expected him to put up more of a fight. Thanks to a rushed and anticlimactic exit, the character never got to make the kind of mark he might have otherwise made.
4) The Bezoar
The Bezoar hails from the Season 2 Episode “Bad Eggs.” This largely inanimate villain stages an anticlimactic rein of terror from underneath Sunnydale high school. The Bezoar comes onto our collective radar when one of its offspring manages to attach to health teacher Mr. Whitmore (Rick Zieff). From there, Mr. Whitmore begins handing out Bezoar eggs to Sunnydale students to babysit. As creative as the core idea behind this episode is, the character itself simply isn’t that imposing.
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the Bezoar lacks the agility of some of the show’s more memorable monsters because other than wrapping its tentacles around victims (and ingesting them), this antagonist is pretty stationary. The lack of any particularly active powers makes this monster of the week one we’re glad didn’t outstay its welcome.
5) Moloch the Corruptor
Moloch feels like another wasted opportunity to many fans. He is an impressive-looking character but he lacks the edge that makes some of his contemporaries resonate. He joins the series in Season 1, Episode 8 after he’s released from confinement in an ancient tome when Willow (Alyson Hannigan) scans the book into a computer. From there, he begins to wreak havoc in the digital space, catfishing Willow as a potential suitor.
When we finally see Moloch in the physical space, he is well-rendered, a cool looking adversary for sure. However, that’s about all that he has going for him. Fans understandably find his final battle with Buffy more than a little underwhelming. As they face off, Buffy is unable to best him with fisticuffs and ultimately tricks him into electrocuting himself, yawn. If only the character’s abilities lived up to his exceptional costume design, we might be revisiting him in a different context.
6) Adam
Adam, a mixture of man, machine, and demon, is the chief antagonist in Season 4. He was created by the government to fight dark forces, but ultimately becomes sentient and kills his creator. Despite a somewhat interesting origin story, Adam is widely considered one of the least impressive Big Bads from the series.
Many fans see the character as bland with motivations that aren’t particularly easy to understand. Giving the character a bit more personality and clearer motives would have gone a long way toward making this Season 4 antagonist memorable (for the right reasons). As it stands, most of us simply look back on Adam’s rein of terror and shake our heads.
7) The Trio
The Trio, a group of college students led by Warren Mears (Adam Busch), merge magic and science in an attempt to rein supreme over Sunnydale and take down Buffy. The Trio serve as the primary Big Bad in Season 6. Given their status as human, the member of the Trio are far weaker than we’ve come to expect from a Big Bad on the series. Worse yet, they are toxic incels with no depth or redeeming qualities.
Buffy tangles with the Trio when she’s got a lot going on personally, which may explain why they hang around as long as they do. In a previous season, one almost wonders if Buffy (at her best) could have dispatched them over the course of a couple of episodes. As it stands, they serve as the Big Bad for most of Season 6, with Dark Willow eventually stepping in to generate some excitement. If the writers had scripted the Trio with greater abilities and more nuance, it’s likely we would remember them more fondly than we do.
Now that you’ve seen our picks for the least effective Buffy villains, we’d like to hear from you. Make sure to let us know who you consider the worst antagonist from the series in the comments section below!
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