Buffy the Vampire Slayer kept almost turning Xander into a major villain, but the comic reboot actually went through with the idea. Introduced in the two-part opening storyline for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander was a constant in the show. As one of the only purely human characters in the growing ensemble, Xander provided an important human perspective on the characters and plotlines, even as his own flaws pushed him to make poor decisions. This also made him a natural target for potential corruption.

Repeatedly in some of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s most controversial episodes and even in some fan favorite instances, Xander was reimagined as a potential threat. One storyline even almost transformed the character into the avatar for the show’s final big bad. While these plot turns were ultimately either short-lived or never came to be, the comic reboot from Boom! Studios actually followed through and turned Xander into a major villain. It’s an interesting idea and one that could easily inform the character’s potential involvement in the upcoming Buffy revival.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Briefly Turned Xander Evil More Than Once

Seasons 1, 3, And 6 Revealed How Scary A Villainous Xander Could Be

Buffy the Vampire Slayer kept turning Xander into a minor villain for one-off episodes, but also came close to transforming the character into one of the story’s big bads. Buffy the Vampire Slayer started toying with the idea of turning Xander bad all the way in season 1, with the villainous hyena spirit at the heart of “The Pack” turning him and several other Sunnydale High students into aggressive and dangerous killers.

Although Xander was kept from doing anything too horrible thanks to Buffy, he still attempted to ᴀssault her while under the mystical influence. Season 3 and season 6 would both return to this well, albeit by introducing dark possible variants of Xander. In season 3’s “The Wish,” an alternate reality created by Anya reveals what would have happened to Sunnydale if Buffy never came to town. In this timeline, Xander was among the citizens killed and turned into a vampire, transforming him into a brutal monster who later died at Buffy’s hands.

“Hell’s Bells” saw a victim of Anya target the former vengeance demon ahead of her wedding to Xander. Seeking to ruin her happiness, the demon showed Xander dark visions of a potential future where he became a physically abusive husband. Although this was just an illusion, the mere possibility of it coming to pᴀss was enough for Xander to call off the wedding entirely. In all these cases, Xander was eventually restored to the regular status quo — but he came a lot closer to becoming a full-blown villain than some audiences may suspect.

Xander Was Almost Killed And Became The First In Season 7

Rumors were persistent during the run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that the writers were unsure what to do with Xander after season 3, leading to potential concepts that took the character down a dark path. Some speculated that Xander could be indoctrinated into the Initiative in season 4. There are also conflicting accounts about whether or not the writers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer considered revealing that Xander was the human half of Glory.

Glory was the big bad of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5 and would have a thematic connection to the sudden introduction of Dawn into the universe by revealing Xander was a similar construct. This concept would have made Xander retrospectively the ultimate big bad of the show, especially if the series ended in season 5 as initially intended. Instead, that turn actually almost happened again during season 7. That season focused on Buffy’s struggles against the First, an ancient and endless source of malice that’s been hiding in the Hellmouth all along.

The First notably has no physical form, requiring servants like Caleb to carry out his will. Otherwise, the First can only appear in non-corporeal form as anyone deceased. As revealed in the DVD audio commentary for “Dirty Girls” in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Season 7, the First almost gained a permanent form as Xander. Writer Drew Goddard revealed during the commentary that the writing staff considered killing Xander during the Scoobie’s confrontation with Caleb. Afterwards, the First would appear for the rest of the season in the form of Xander.

It was a bold idea, but one the writers decided against. Reasoning that Xander was too important to the series to be killed so suddenly towards the end of the show, the writers noted that there wouldn’t be enough room in the overarching plot to properly deal with the emotional fallout of his demise. As a result, Xander lost an eye when confronted by Caleb in “Dirty Girls,” but survived their encounter (and even went on to make it out of the show’s finale).

The Buffy Comic Reboot Turned Xander Into The Master

How Xander Became The Master In The Boom! Studios Buffy Reboot

The Boom! Studios’ comic book reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an interesting modernization of the original show. Featuring modern remixes on many of the established characters and concepts, the comic increasingly proved willing to diverge from the plot of the show in regards to supporting characters like Xander. This resulted in the reboot comic doing what the show could never do and fully turning Xander into a villain.

After being targeted by Drusilla early in the comic run, Xander was transformed into a half-human/half-vampire state thanks to some desperate witchcraft by Willow. Bonding their souls together for a time, Xander was able to fight alongside the Scoobies for a while, but the battle against the comics-original villain the Hellmother required Xander to relinquish the spell to restore Willow to her full power and potential. In the aftermath, Xander became a true vampire and embraced his new demonic edge.

This version of Xander actually became this continuity’s take on the Master, the first big bad Buffy ever faced in the TV show. With Angel already off in his own storyline and largely disconnected from Buffy in this timeline, Xander filled the role Angelus did in the original show as the former ally turned vampiric villain, becoming a major villain for much of the rest of the comic. In the end, his schemes pitted him against the Slayers until he was unceremoniously staked by Faith.

Xander being turned into a villain in Buffy the Vampire Slayer makes perfect sense, especially in a world where magic and vampires can turn lifelong friends into desperate enemies. Xander, being one of Buffy’s most consistent allies, only underscores that prospect, something the TV show flirted with but the comics fully committed to. It could even be an interesting way to insert Xander into the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival, pitting him against Buffy in the time between the original show and the continuation.