How Sarah Michelle Gellar’s beloved character Buffy Summers became the slayer is one of the biggest questions of the popular TV showBuffy The Vampire Slayer. The show aired for six seasons from 1997 to 2003 and told an always exciting and entertaining story about a teenage girl caught between two worlds. On the one hand, Buffy loves the strength that she finds through her responsibilities of fighting demons and saving Sunnydale, California from evil. On the other hand, sometimes she just wants to be normal.
Buffy Summers is one of the most well-developed TV characters, and she has a full and satisfying backstory. There’s a lot to know about her origin story, from how she learned that she was “The Chosen One” to how she meets the various Watchers who take her under their wing and teach her everything that she needs to know about fighting the evil around her.
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Who Was The Slayer Before Buffy?
How Buffy became the slayer is a big question that is explored more explicitly in the novelThe Book of Foursby Nancy Holder, which was published by Pocket Books in April 2001. In this book, Giles finds out that the slayer before Buffy was named India Cohen. When India died, that allowed Buffy to become the next Slayer or “The Chosen One.” India is also a character in Nancy Holder’s anthologyTales of the SlayercalledThe Code of the Samurai, which was published in November 2003 by Simon Pulse.
According to Buffyfandom.com, India was in Japan when she became the slayer in 1993. She saw Druscilla and Spike, who are some of thestrongestBuffy The Vampire Slayervampires, during this time. Since they are so dangerous, this is scary to think about.
India has a much more tragic story than Buffy Summer does. While Buffy experiences a lot of hardship in her young life and there are manysad deaths inBuffy The Vampire Slayer, she still experiences regular teenage life. She dates, hangs out with her friends, and attends high school. In contrast, India and her Watcher, Christopher, had a secret romance, which causes her a lot of pain. India also dies horribly. In 1996, she went to California with her family members. Mummies kidnap her dog Mariposa and her Watcher. India decided that she would offer herself up so her dog could stay alive.
How Did Buffy Find Out She Was The Slayer?
Buffy The Vampire Slayerisn’t the first time that this character is onscreen. Joss Whedon wrote the comedic movieBuffy the Vampire Slayer, which was released in 1992 and stars Kristy Anne Swanson as Buffy Summers. In this film, Buffy is told that she is the slayer in a straightforward manner. She is at school one day when Merrick Jamison-Smythe (Donald Sutherland) approaches her and tells her that she is the slayer. He explains that she will have to fight and kill vampires, which of course she isn’t thrilled about.
While there are manystrong slayers inBuffy The Vampire Slayer, there’s no question that Buffy Summers is the best one. She has the necessary mental and physical strength that is required of this position, and her sassy wit helps, too.
In the pilot episode ofBuffy The Vampire Slayer, “Welcome to the Hellmouth,” Buffy is a new student at Sunnyvale High School. But rather than show Buffy learning that she is the slayer, she arrives in her new town already fully aware of her power and position. In one scene, when Principal Bob Flutie (Ken Lerner) says that Buffy was responsible for her old high school’s gym being light on fire, she says it was vampires and then jokes it was “asbestos.”
Before viewers see Buffy fighting thestrongest villains inBuffy The Vampire Slayer, they learn that she has known about her calling for a long time. While Buffy’s backstory isn’t explicitly shared, it’s clear that at some point in time, another Watcher told her about her destiny and she realized that she had to accept it. When Buffy meets Rupert Giles (Anthony Stuart Head), she realizes he is her new Watcher and that she is still the slayer. She is upset about this, though, since she just wants to have a regular high school life.
How Buffy becomes the slayer is a meaningful part of her character arc since this is how she learns that she is tougher and stronger than she ever thought possible. While there are plenty ofmovie vampires that don’t drink bloodand these creatures are sometimes more innocent than others, the vampires inBuffy The Vampire Slayerare definitely terrifying. Watching Buffy fight evil and learn more about who she is makesBuffy The Vampire Slayera satisfying binge-watch.
