The Most Rewatchable Big Bads In The 'Buffyverse'

Who he is: The Mayor (Harry Groener) is an immortal man who has remained Mayor of Sunnydale for a century by tapping into evil magic. He masquerades as Richard Wilkins III, though he was also Richard Wilkins I and II. He's the main Big Bad of Buffy Season 3. 

While masquerading as a kind, ordinary man, the Mayor is well aware of all the supernatural happenings in Sunnydale and encourages its evil activities. His goal is to ascend into demon form to be a truly higher being. He targets Buffy once he realizes that the Slayer is a threat to his plans due to her constant meddling.

Why he's terrifying: The Mayor assumes a fatherly demeanor, openly disapproving of poor hygiene or manners. The duality between his otherwise genial behavior and monstrous actions makes the Mayor a very uncomfortable presence in the series. He gives the impression that he truly does care about other people, even while doing undeniable evil. He's also a master manipulator, as seen by how he corrupts Faith.

On the physical level, the Mayor is far more powerful than his appearance and attitude suggest. As a result of a spell, he can instantly heal from seemingly any injury, even being cut in half, and has many other great magical capabilities. At Sunnydale High graduation, he finally pulls off his plan and turns into a massive, terrifying serpent creature. Buffy and her allies are forced to blow up the entire school around the creature in order to stop him.

Who he is: Spike (James Marsters) was a human known as “William the Bloody” in the 19th century, so called because he was a “bloody awful” poet. He was turned into a vampire by Drusilla, then entered into a chaotic romantic relationship with her as they spent centuries traveling the world and killing humans. He's introduced as a main villain in Season 2 of Buffy, swiftly and unceremoniously killing the Anointed One and taking authority among the vampires of Sunnydale as soon as he arrives.

Spike has a reputation far above most other vampires due to having eliminated not one, but two former Slayers. His devotion to Drusilla also leads to his attempts to take Buffy's life, before he eventually develops into an antihero and falls in love with Buffy.

Why he's terrifying: Spike is known for torturing his victim using railroad spikes as his main weapon. His lack of mercy makes him a character no one would want to get on the bad side of. In keeping with his reputation for defeating Slayers, Spike comes closer than any other Big Bad to eliminating Buffy right from the get-go; he's only denied because Buffy's mother, Joyce, distracts him. 

The sheer terror Spike induces in his Season 2 appearances not only makes him a great villain, but also makes it that much more satisfying to watch him slowly develop into a sympathetic character and a loyal ally to the Scoobies in the later seasons of the show. Even as one of the good guys, Spike remains a loose cannon who can turn on any of them if it suits his own needs. 

Who he is: Angelus (David Boreanaz) was born as a man named Liam in the 18th century. After being sired by Darla, he slaughters his own family. He takes the name Angelus to mock his sister's memory, who thought he was like an angel. He serves as the primary Big Bad of the Season 2 of Buffy, though he's always a threat as long as Angel is around, and is released again in Season 4 of Angel. 

Angelus is regarded as one of the most sadistic, violent, and unrepentant vampires. He goes out of his way to harm innocent people solely because he can. His cruelty is so infamous that he was cursed with a soul; Angel's resulting conscience gives him empathy and compassion, unlike other vampires, but leaves him wracked with guilt for the centuries he spent as a monster.

Why he's terrifying: When he is unleashed in Buffy Season 2 after Angel experiences a “moment of perfect happiness” and loses his soul, Angelus immediately steps up the villainy. He's not content to just work towards ending the world with Spike and Drusilla, he also wants to cause as much pain and misery as possible. 

Just like he destroys Drusilla's life before turning her into a vampire, he makes it his mission to torment Buffy and her friends. He kills Jenny Calendar in order to prevent her from casting the spell to restore his soul, and to cause pain for Giles, too. He pushes Buffy so far that she has no choice but to banish him into a hell dimension at the end of Season 2, even though it seems like his soul may have come back at that very moment. Angelus's evil is so great that even when he has his soul, it's hard for anyone to overlook those misdeeds and see Angel as a hero - including Angel himself.

Who she is: Drusilla (Juliet Landau) is a young English woman in the 19th century who was sired by Angelus after he becomes infatuated by her beauty and innocence. He drives her mad by slaying her family, then turns her into a vampire. Drusilla spends the next century driven by bloodlust, siring Spike, who becomes her lover. She and Spike end up in Sunnydale, where they become major villains in Season 2 of Buffy. 

Early in Season 2, Drusilla is ill from a previous incident in Prague, reliant on Spike's care. After a ritual restores her strength, she becomes one of the most dangerous vampires seen on the show for her unpredictability and detachment from reality. 

Why she's terrifying: Apart from being steadfast in her goal to destroy the world, Drusilla's general demeanor can be intimidating. Her tendency to speak in riddles and non-sequiturs comes across as both innocent and terrifying. She is a mixture of frightening and tragic: though she never gets a redemption arc, understanding her backstory and how she was driven mad and turned into a monster by Angelus makes viewers feel for her. 

Although she may seems less dangerous than other vampires like Spike, Darla, or Angelus at first glance, her appearance is deceiving. Drusilla is one of the few vampires who defeats a Slayer, hypnotizing and killing Kendra Young. Unlike many other villains, Drusilla's also smart enough to know when to move on - she leaves Spike after he starts to become fixated on Buffy and roams independently, eventually turning up in Angel Season 2 to re-sire the resurrected Darla. She's one of the few major villains to survive both series and remain at large. 

Who she is: Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) is a main protagonist throughout the entire run of Buffy, and she gradually hones her skills in magic to help support the Scoobies. In Season 6, though, witchcraft starts to take over Willow's personality as she dabbles in high-intensity magic that is dangerous and addictive. Tara cautions Willow to stay away, and after some dark moments between them, Willow apologizes and gets back on the right track.

However, after Tara's demise, grief consumes Willow. Her quest for revenge against Warren leads her to consume an immense amount of magical power which transforms both her appearance and her personality.

Why she's terrifying: Willow's dark turn comes about because of the combination of rage and grief which consumes her. Dark Willow comes across as an entirely different person than the cheerful, brainy friend the viewers know and love, especially because she seems not to recognize or care about her allies, only pursuing her quest for revenge.

Dark Willow is immensely powerful, catching up to Warren and magically flaying him alive with very little effort. As she continues her rampage, Buffy can do little to stop her. In fact, it's implied that she would succeed in destroying the world out of pure grief, if not for Xander making a desperate, pure appeal to his friend that allows the real Willow to surface again. Though her actual stint on the show is brief, Dark Willow stands out as chilling proof of how something - or someone - that seems good can easily become corrupted. 

Who she is: Glorificus, better known as Glory (Clare Kramer) is a goddess from the hell dimension who was banished to Earth by two other gods in fear of her growing power. Although she's already wildly strong and invulnerable, Glory seeks “The Key,” which will allow her to return to her dimension. Once Glory learns the Key has been turned into Dawn Summers, Glory targets her in order to use her blood to open the portal. Glory is the Big Bad of Buffy Season 5. 

When Glory first came to Earth, other deities defeated her and sealed her inside a human child to keep her contained. Thus, she shares a body with an average young man named Ben (Charlie Weber), who acts as her “vessel.” Ben is also her only weakness, since he lacks Glory's invulnerability, and maintains his own free will - to an extent. 

Why she's terrifying: Glory is a being of incredible power, capable of striking fear into gods from hell. While she's limited in a human vessel, she has incredibly powers like brain-sucking, magic, and total invulnerability while in her own form that make it impossible to even attempt to fight her directly. 

The scariest thing about Glory is her total dedication to her goal. Since she can't truly be slain, Glory stops at nothing to complete her intentions. It's also unsettling how she can hide in plain sight - even those who learn of her connection to Ben or witness the transformation between the two immediately forget about it due to a powerful spell around them. Even after Buffy manages to defeat Glory, she turns into Ben. Buffy isn't able to bring herself to kill him, but Giles is, making the cold but necessary decision to smother Ben and prevent Glory from ever coming back.