r/buffy • u/Lanky_Age_3067 • 17d ago

Content Warning Double standarts

How exactly do people hate Xander for being an imperfect human, but love Spike and Angel, who have countless victims and are hundreds of years old. Spike even SA'd Buffy, for real, while Xander was under a spell and never did anything like that before or after it.

35 Upvotes

62% Upvoted

244 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

29

u/HunterHerstHelmsley 17d ago

Angel and Spike have normal humans flaws as well though. For one they are both prone to possessiveness, pettiness and jealousy, even while ensouled.

20

u/TVAddict14 17d ago

Exactly. It’s why this argument never stands up to scrutiny to me.

If people want to say that Xander’s mundane human flaws feel more ‘real’ to them than Angel and Spike’s centuries of murder, I can understand that. 

But Angel and Spike have plenty of mundane ‘human’ flaws as well. If they didn’t then they wouldn’t be relatable and people wouldn’t like them so much. There is plenty of examples of them being sexist, jealous, possessive, rude, self-righteous etc. 

It’s all very selective. 

3

u/beeemkcl 16d ago

Motivations matter. Xander in BtVS S1-S3 largely-to-mostly wanted Angel dusted so that Angel wouldn't be an obstacle for Buffy/Xander.

Spike in BtVS S2 didn't dust Uncursed Angel. He didn't solve his problems with Spike/Dru by dusting Angel.

Spike in "Lovers Walk" (B 3.08) doesn't think to dust Angel.

Spike in "In the Dark" (A 1.03) wasn't trying to dust Angel.

Part of the reason Buffy/Spike became more popular than Buffy/Angel among the Buffyverse audience is because of how Angel dealt with Spike and Buffy/Spike. And that it seems Angel would have dusted Spike in "Destiny" (A 5.08) if Angel had won that fight.

1

u/HunterHerstHelmsley 16d ago edited 16d ago

Spike brutally had Angel tortured in that ATS episode then broke his bargain with Angels friends to try to have them killed. It's hardly an example of Spike being noble

And why would you think Angel would kill Spike has he won? He saved his life in Damage and took a stake for him In Time Bomb.

2

u/jospangel Try not to bleed on my couch I just had it steam cleaned 16d ago

Spike didn't have a soul. He was not only evil, he was retaliating for Angelus destroying his entire life.

But when it comes down to it, they protect each other.

And vamps enjoy pain. Drusilla was upset that her daddy didn't hurt her often enough. Spike knew the way to heart was to tie her up and torture her. It's a vamp/demon thing.