I liked Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayerbut he could have used more character development, as he changed surprisingly little throughout the show. Xander was played by Nicholas Brendon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the first episode to the last, so he had a lot of time to get to know the other characters. Xander was in on almost every inside joke in the series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and made it one of the funniest fantasy shows on TV, carving out a new niche for fantasy. But despite all this, I think he could have gone further.
Joss Whedon's critically acclaimed show defined the '90s for teens growing up at the time and served as a perfect metaphor for high school – hell. With vampires and demons pouring out of the Hellmouth portal, Sunnydale High School was the perfect setting to explore the strange number of parallels between teenage life and history's scariest myths. I always saw Xander as a central tenet of this metaphor throughout the entire book. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his many Angel crossovers, representing the lovestruck boy who just couldn't stop. However, his character needed work.
Xander has barely changed or evolved despite only missing one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Xander's flaws remained prominent throughout the show
Xander appeared in 143 episodes of the 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer seven seasons, but I strongly believe he hasn't changed much. Xander loved Buffy from the beginningand their not-so-secret crush was the driving force of the drama in the first season. Xander sympathized with the multitudes of teenagers who suffered from being in love with their best friend, no matter their gender or nationality. That was a big part of the show, and it was nice to see him with Anya, but he never seemed to get over Buffy, and that would have helped his character.
Even after an affair with his best friend Willow and long-term relationships with the revenge demon Anya and Cordelia Xander always seemed possessive of Buffy. It made me question his character, making it seem like he was superficial in his pursuit of other relationships and perhaps not as loyal to Cordelia or Anya as he could have been. Xander also never grew up beyond being something of a spare part in the Scoobies. He was valuable as comic relief, but I was surprised he never acquired more supernatural abilities or power-ups.
Xander had more potential as Buffy's main character
Xander could have used more character development
At times it felt to me like Buffy and Xander weren't really friends, which undermined some of the show's power, proving that more could have been done with Xander's character. If Xander had grown beyond comic relief, he could have been a much more powerful catalyst in the narrative. All the characters had moments of humor, but I saw Xander as a human clown alongside serious vampires like Spike and Angel. Xander played a key role Buffy the Vampire Slayerbut more depth would have made me care much more about his misfortunes.
Xander needed more moments of heroism to balance out his worst acts.
If Xander had managed to surpass Buffy and demonstrate that he was one of the best boyfriends on the show, I would have been more behind on the attention the show gave to his romances. Xander needed more moments of heroism to balance out his worst acts. Even though he was possessed by a hyena spirit, Trying to attack Buffy in Season 1 wasn't a good look for Xanderand neither does the love spell arc with Cordelia. Xander was likable in many ways, but for all his humor, he was also insufferable and should have become less insufferable.
Buffy Comics did a better job with Xander than the show
Buffy Comics brought Xander to life
Xander wasn't my favorite part Buffy the Vampire Slayerbut it improved significantly in the comics. Despite everything that happened after Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, many fans could be forgiven for thinking that Xander remained slightly powerless forever. Not everyone knows the comic book series that established intriguing arcs that take place after the events of the series. Published by Dark Horse, the comics finally let Xander move on with Buffy. I thought this was reflected well in the way Xander ended up with Dawn, going so far as to have a child with her.
I finally saw some progress for Xander in the comics.
The comics covered stories they called seasons, with season 8 constituting a collection of comics that directly followed the final season of the TV show. This loudly proclaimed the canonicity of the comics. Buffy showrunner Joss Whedon oversaw the comics and wrote some himself. I finally saw some progress for Xander in the comics, as it seemed like Whedon finally saw his potential and gave him strong material. Fans may have missed some of the best Buffy moments if they didn't read the comics, some of which centered on Xander.
I'm not sure if Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be restarted, with many rumors and plans circulating around the internet. However, if the series returns, even if it has completely different cast members, it should address Xander's vampire arc in the comics. Xander became a vampire in the comics and gave in to cowardly actions, finally embodying the true scoundrel he always seemed to be and growing beyond a weakling. This was a huge change for Xander, showing the potential he always had in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.