Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Angel Vs. Spike Debate Has Such An Obvious Solution, I’m Surprised It’s Even A Question
This article contains a brief mention of sexual assault.
One of the main conflicts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the titular character’s love for both Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters). This conflict also extended to the show’s fans, with many reviewers counting themselves as “Team Angel” or “Team Spike,” a passionate response that reflected the popularity of the series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a great 1990s fantasy show and one of the best parts of the series was the way it combined the supernatural with the everyday life of a teenage girl. This includes American rites of passage, like prom, and teenage staples like boy trouble.
Of all the regular characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Spike are two of the most different. Angel is a tortured vampire with a soul, who lives under the weight of a curse that prevents him from feeling true happiness. On the other hand, Spike spends much of the show without a soul or conscience, behaving like a rock star. Both their relationships with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) fall into classic romance tropes, with Angel being Buffy’s lost love and Spike fulfilling the enemies-to-lovers trope. That said, Buffy did not need a love interest at all.
Buffy Was Better Off Without Angel Or Spike
The Controversial Spike Storyline Ruled Out A Future For The Two
Buffy grows the most as a character when she is not in a relationship. This is especially clear in season 7 as she truly becomes a protector of her world and loved ones. Previously, Angel had to be careful not to experience pure joy, and his pain affected Buffy, often to the point of distraction. Buffy and Spike’s relationship also had issues, as Spike did not get along with Angel or the Scooby Gang, and spent most of his time as a villain. This led to the two keeping their relationship a secret, before it fell apart drastically, and controversially.
Spike’s obsession with Buffy leads him to make terrible choices.
Spike might have been a villain for a large part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but as the writers were turning him into an antihero, they made a major error. Spike’s obsession with Buffy leads him to make terrible choices, including stalking the clearly uninterested Buffy. This is bad enough, but their volatile relationship ends dramatically when Spike tries to force himself on Buffy towards the end of season 6. This storyline stopped any chance of the Buffy and Spike timeline ending in a happy future for the two, as the act was unforgivable.
Buffy’s Revival Can Finally Prove She Didn’t Need Either Vampire
Buffy’s Relationships Drastically Shaped Her Character, But She Grew Out Of Them
While it is likely that the Buffy revival will settle the show’s oldest fan debate, it could go in a different (and better) direction. Love triangles and messy romantic relationships might still be a staple of most teen dramas, but many are also turning away from the formula. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot could show Buffy without a romantic partnership at all, but surrounded by the love of her family and friends. This would be a bold new direction for the show, considering how the discourse around Spike or Angel dominated old discussions.
Buffy often teams characters up romantically, and the Buffy comics even feature an Angel and Spike love affair.
Buffy’s main romantic relationships are essential to her growth as both a person and as The Slayer. Angel is her first love, but when he loses his soul after the two sleep together, Buffy learns how love can be painful. This prepares her to make sacrifices as The Slayer, including killing Angel to save the world. Her relationship with Spike highlights her own flaws, which she has to confront. One of Spike’s best decisions in Buffy was to pursue his own soul, and this showed Buffy that people can change, giving her faith in humanity once more.
Angel & Spike Should Still Return In The Buffy Revival (Just Not As Love Interests)
The Buffy Reboot Could Introduce Another Character As A Love Interest
Even though neither Angel nor Spike was the perfect love interest for Buffy, this does not mean that the two should not appear in the upcoming Buffy revival show. Some of the best scenes in Buffy and Angel involve the often hilarious conflict and rivalry between Angel and Spike. At times, the two characters act like an old married couple, and the episode “Smile Time” shows them at their best, with Spike having a fistfight with Angel, who has turned into a puppet. Thus, the two could bring some comedy to the reboot with their prickly dynamic.
Related
The two mortal enemies at the center of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were always implied to have been lovers – but now it is made explicit in canon.
Additionally, one of the strangest and most controversial romances that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books introduced was the complicated arc involving Xander. In the Buffy comics, Xander has a relationship with both Dawn and Buffy, which was not a popular choice. Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) do not become a couple in the Buffy TV show, with their relationship being more like siblings. This would create the opportunity for Xander to form a relationship with Buffy. That said, the pairing is not likely to be popular, and it is more than time to show Buffy as a happily single character.
