One of many many themes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is development, and the best way the most recent spinoff depicts Xander Harris actually displays that.
Warning: Spoilers for The Vampire Slayer #11At any time when followers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer categorical criticisms of the present, commonest criticisms lean in the direction of the characterization of Xander Harris, however new Buffy comics are fixing lots of his unique flaws. Xander’s depiction in early seasons particularly leans arduous towards him being the “good man” of the group who dreads and complains about being good friend zoned by the item of his affection, which in early seasons was Buffy herself. This was a reasonably widespread trope in media again within the ’90s, however audiences mirror on it with fashionable eyes with a kind of ire. In Xander’s case, his character is commonly pegged as being sexist, poisonous, or at finest, paints him because the equal of a modern-day incel.
In acknowledging these criticisms, newer interpretations of Buffy’s materials have tried to both make tweaks to the Xander character or to re-contextualize him fully for the trendy age. As an example, BOOM! Studios’ run of Buffy rebrands Xander as a vampire. He begins off as the same old Xander most followers have come to know, the most effective good friend who’s not sure of his place on the planet. Nevertheless, complexities to his character emerge when he is was a vampire by Drusilla. From there, he turns into the sequence’ new Large Dangerous and that universe’s equal to The Grasp.
Xander On The Unique Buffy Present Was The Worst
BOOM! Studios’ present ongoing sequence The Vampire Slayer takes an alternate strategy. Fairly than utterly reboot Xander’s character, the sequence embraces it in a method by contextualizing his worst character traits as somebody who he was once. In The Vampire Slayer #11 by Sarah Gailey and Hannah Templer, Willow explains that Xander used to all the time attempt to show himself to everybody round him, principally describing his characterization from the present. Most apparently, Willow mentions simply how “repulsed” Xander is by the recollections of who he was once and the way he handled folks to cover his personal insecurities.
That is an attention-grabbing flip, because it paints Xander rather more like an actual particular person. Sure, for this world a minimum of, it nonetheless canonizes the cringey elements of his character from the present, however everybody appears to be like again at their previous with slightly little bit of cringe. It is arduous for the common particular person to take a look at their actions – particularly their errors – from adolescence and never be repulsed. It modernizes the identical intentions that seemingly have been afoot when Xander was characterised the best way he was on the present: to be relatable.
A lot of that younger male teen viewers most likely associated to Xander through the ’90s model of Buffy, however characterizing him now as somebody who cringes arduous each time he even remembers one thing he did or mentioned 5 or 10 years in the past is one thing that every one readers at the moment can relate to. Even perhaps these younger males within the ’90s who grew up idolizing Xander have since grown up and may acknowledge his character flaws. On prime of its many themes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was all the time about development and depicting Xander in a method that builds upon who he was once moderately than erasing it speaks to the core of the unique present.
The Vampire Slayer #11 is on sale now from BOOM! Studios.
