Portrayals of god in
Buffy the Vampire
Slayer
Or, Die, god, Die!
Die God Die!
• If you meet a god in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chances are
you’ll have to kill it…
• Evil gods - gods are real on Buffy, but they are ALWAYS evil
– the “big bad” in Buffy is often divine (or a divine wannabe)
– Other “divine beings” also evil - Olaf the Troll God (Triangle, 2001)
The Mayor
• Nice, polite, psychotic,
divine wannabe
• His “ascension” is focus of
season 3
• Never trust a politician, they
think they are gods?
• Gods/religions devour our
youth?
• Evil dwells beneath calm,
bible-belt exterior?
• High School is Hell?
• Episode foreshadows Buffy’s
solution at end of Season
Seven
Die God Die: The
Mayor
QuickTime™ and a
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Glory
• Psychotic, self-centered,
relentless, multiplepersonality (and body!)
• Big Bad of Season Five
• Exiled God (parallel to
Satan?)
• God/religion looks
attractive, but is deadly?
• Religion/god is twofaced? (Shares her body
with Ben)
• Even well-intentioned
devotees (Ben) are
corrupted by religion?
• Religion is insane?
Die God Die: Glory
QuickTime™ and a
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The First
• The first evil, predating
human beings
• Takes the form of dead
humans
• Origin story of world began in evil, only after
last demon slain, was
room made for humans
• Evil worshipped as divine
- root of religion is evil?
• Fear, doubt, lies - root of
religion?
Caleb
• (Ex)Catholic priest, abuser of
women
• Servant of the First
• “a woman-hating jerk”
• Considers women “dirty,” stained
with “Eve’s sin”
• Religion = anti-woman?
• Religion destroys women?
• Worshipper of evil
• Attempting to become a god religious quest = evil?
• Religion = demonic?
• Power of church, clergy = evil?
Caleb: Religion as AntiWoman?
Caleb: Religion as
Demonic?
QuickTime™ and a
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Die [servant of] God Die:
Caleb
QuickTime™ and a
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Die God Die
• Theological implications of gods in Buffy - evil
gods are active in the world - no other kind of god
is shown in the Buffyverse
• Even Buffy’s powers are shown to be evil at root
• Evil and male/patriarchal dominance go hand in
hand
• Buffy’s solution to divine evil is a feminist
answer to religion? We will discuss this more next
week!