10 Unanswered Questions from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Top 10 Unanswered Buffy the Vampire Slayer Questions

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most important lingering questions from the iconic TV series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

#10: What’s the Deal with the Turok-Han (Ubervamps)?

When Buffy encounters an ancient Turok-Han vampire in the final season, we quickly find out it’s the most unnerving, formidable vampire species she’s come across. The second encounter is even dicier. It almost kills her! But luckily our beloved Buffy survives. And in the next episode’s showdown, the Slayer comes out on top… barely. With the First Evil pulling the strings, a whole horde of these vampires—what the Scooby gang refers to as ubervamps—are released for the show’s final battle. And suddenly, they’re not nearly as difficult to defeat, with even new Slayers besting some of them. But how? Why? Fans have asked. What’s different about them compared to the first ubervamp Buffy fought? Were they simply weaker from not eating for so long?

#9: What Are the Watchers Council’s True Motives & the Full Extent of Their Impact?

Rupert Giles isn’t your typical librarian—he’s also a Watcher, part of a secret organization tasked with researching and combatting supernatural threats, plus training and looking after the Slayer. As the series goes on, the Watchers Council slowly seems to lose its grip on both Buffy and Giles’s work. And honestly, it’s hard to tell how much control or influence they really have in the first place. Some of their decisions are, well, questionable. And they definitely rub Buffy—and us viewers—the wrong way. We’re left wondering what their actual motives are. And by the end of the series, after their headquarters in England has been destroyed, we still don’t really know what went on behind the scenes there.

#8: What Are the Full Origin Stories of the Master & the Anointed One?

The ominous, under-the-radar nature of the Master helps make him a super interesting antagonist. But it also leaves loads of questions about “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” first Big Bad. We don’t get a detailed backstory—like how he became the Master, what his life was like before that, and so on and so forth. Once Buffy bests him in the Season 1 finale, the time for answers is up. And then there’s the Anointed One—the Master’s kid sidekick, who loves a cryptic message. Perhaps we would’ve got more answers about his story had he stuck around for longer in Season 2—which apparently was the plan. But according to Joss Whedon, the young actor’s growth necessitated a change of plans.

#7: What Happened to Drusilla?

Weakened at first, soft-spoken, creepy, unstable, and unpredictable—that’s Drusilla. All of those things make Dru an extremely memorable character who shines throughout Season 2. But once she and Spike skip town, we don’t hear much from her again in “Buffy.” She doesn’t return to Sunnydale when Spike does in Season 3, because they’ve split up. In fact, Dru doesn’t show up again until Season 5—but even then, it’s brief. In total, Drusilla appears in just 17 out of the series’s 144 episodes. And in the end, we’re left wondering what exactly she’s been up to since she left town, and where she stands when Sunnydale comes crumbling down.

#6: Does Willow Gain Control of Her Magic?

It’s pretty cool watching Willow develop her magical powers. But Season 6 opens our eyes to the dangers that come with that. Tara expresses her concern more than once. And once Willow loses her lover, in comes Dark Willow. We already knew she was powerful, but this new persona takes things to a whole different stratosphere. She tries to destroy the world! Later, Giles takes Willow to England for a witch rehab of sorts. When called upon to perform a major spell in the series finale, she’s reluctant. She even tells Kennedy to kill her if she gets out of control. That says a lot! By the end, we’re left wondering if she really has control of her magic again.

#5: How Do Buffy & Her Friends Afford Their Lifestyles?

Look, it’s certainly reasonable to think that Buffy and her friends can afford their unconventional, supernatural-ridden lifestyles. But our question is: how? Does the Watchers Council provide funds for all those weapons and materials? We’d like to think so. They should. And Anya’s right—Buffy should get paid! She’s saved how many people? And she’s saved the world how many times? Like, seriously, come on! Sure, we know that Giles lends Buffy some money after the tragic passing of her mother. Also, we see Buffy get a job at a burger joint and then at the high school. But that still doesn’t explain everything, especially when it comes to the rest of the gang and all the Potential Slayers living at her house.

#4: Where Are the Parents, & Do They Know What’s Going On?

Throughout “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” we see Buffy, Xander, and Willow grow from their mid-to-late teens into their early 20s. They’re certainly young enough for their parents to be closely involved in their lives. We know the deal with Buffy’s dad—he left; and she spends much of the series living with her mom, who actually appears quite a bit. But what about Xander and Willow’s parents? Where the heck are they? Even with various scenes of Xander living in his parents’ basement, it’s kind of strange that his folks are MIA. The same goes for Willow’s parents. How much do they actually know about the danger their kids are in—and, you know, the fact that they live in a town built on the Hellmouth?!

#3: What Happens to All the New Slayers?

Channeling the power of the scythe, Willow executes a game-changing spell in the series finale, turning all Potential Slayers into Slayers. Who knows just how many girls worldwide this affects? And while the young Potentials we see on-screen aren’t the main characters—and only show up in Season 7—they’ve been living with Buffy and fighting to save the world. So of course fans wonder what happens to them. Some of them sadly die in battle, shortly after becoming Slayers. But others survive, leaving us to wonder: Where do they go from here? Home, the Cleveland Hellmouth, or elsewhere? And could activating so many Slayers come with supernatural consequences? As we watch the credits roll, the answers are left to our imaginations.

#2: What’s the Full Truth About Dawn’s Creation, Identity, & Impact on Others’ Memories?

When we’re introduced to Dawn in Season 5, it’s pretty confusing. Buffy suddenly has a sister?! We learn that Dawn was created after Monks turned a mystical Key into human form. Who knows what exactly went into that process? We also learn that Dawn is the “Key” to unlocking dimensions—and that she must be protected from Glory. No wonder she has an identity crisis. But perhaps the biggest question mark of all relates to the memories of Buffy, Xander, Willow, and others. Implanting false memories of a person as if she’d existed all along would seriously mess with their perceptions of the past and their interpretations of their lives. But just how much was altered—and what and who else was affected—is impossible to tell.

#1: Is the Entire Series One Long Delusion in Buffy’s Head, or Is It Reality?

Season 6’s “Normal Again” is one of the show’s most disturbing and mind-blowing episodes, forcing us to question everything we’ve seen in the series—and everything that comes next. In it, Buffy finds herself inside a mental institution. Her parents are there, plus a doctor who discusses her serious mental illness, explaining that the supernatural world of Sunnydale and her life as the Slayer aren’t real. The episode presents this so exceptionally well, it’s hard not to wonder if it could actually be true. Could Buffy really be experiencing one long, elaborate hallucination? Is everything in the series in her head? Or… is Buffy hallucinating that she’s in a mental institution? Or… could both worlds be real? Interpret as you will. Fans will continue to debate.

Do you have a favorite “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” theory? Let us know in the comments!