I liked Xander Harris in every inside joke on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and made it one of the funniest fantasy shows on TV, carving out a new niche for fantasy. But for all that, 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 a perfect metaphor for high school - hell. With vampires and demons coming out of the Hellmouth portal, Sunnydale High School was the perfect setting to explore the strange number of parallels between teen life and history's scariest myths. I always saw Xander as a central tenet of this metaphor throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its many Angel crossovers, representing the lovestruck boy who just couldn't catch a break. However, his character needed work.

Xander Barely Changed Or Evolved, Despite Missing Only 1 Episode Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Xander's Flaws Remained Prominent Throughout The Show

Xander appeared in 143 episodes of the 144 episodes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's seven seasons, but I strongly believe he didn't change much. Xander adored Buffy from the start, and his not-so-secret crush was a driver of drama in season 1. Xander was sympathetic to the multitudes of teenagers suffering through being in love with their best friend, no matter what their gender or nationality. This was a great part of the show, and it was good to see him with Anya, but he never seemed to get over Buffy, and this would have helped his character.

Even through a fling with his best friend, Willow, and long-term relationships with revenge demon Anya and Cordelia, Xander always seemed possessive of Buffy. This 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 really grew beyond being something of a spare part in the Scoobies. He was valuable as comic relief, but I was surprised that he never acquired more supernatural skills or power-ups.

Xander Had More Potential As A Main Buffy Character

Xander Could Have Used More Character Development

It sometimes seemed to me like Buffy and Xander weren't really friends, which undermined some of the power of the show, proving that more could have been done with Xander's character. If Xander had been allowed to grow beyond comic relief, he could have been a far more powerful catalyst in the narrative. All characters had moments of humor, but I saw Xander as a human clown next to serious vampires like Spike and Angel. Xander had a key role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but 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 been allowed to get over Buffy and demonstrate that he was one of the best boyfriends on the show, I would have been more behind the attention that the show paid 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 assault Buffy in season 1 wasn't a good look for Xander, and neither was the love spell arc with Cordelia. Xander was sympathetic in many ways, but through all his humor, he was also insufferable and should have become less so.

The Buffy Comics Did A Better Job With Xander Than The Show

The Buffy Comics Brought Xander To Life

Xander was not my favorite part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but he 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 is aware of the comic series that established intriguing arcs set after the events of the show. Published by Dark Horse, the comics finally let Xander move on from Buffy. I thought that this was reflected well by how Xander ended up with Dawn, even going so far as to have a baby with her.

I finally saw some progress for Xander in the comics.

The comics tackled storylines that they referred to as seasons, with season 8 constituting a collection of comics that followed directly on from the TV show's final season. This loudly proclaimed the comics' canonicity. Buffy showrunner Joss Whedon supervised the comics and wrote some himself. I finally saw some progress for Xander in the comics, as it seemed like Whedon had finally seen his potential and given him some strong material. Fans may have missed some of the best Buffy moments if they didn't read the comics, with some of these centering on Xander.

A new Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series was announced in 2018 but never materialized.

I'm not sure if Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be rebooted, with many rumors and plans drifting around on the internet. However, if the show does return, even if it has completely different cast , it should tackle Xander's vampire arc from the comics. Xander became a vampire in the comics and gave in to dastardly deeds, finally embodying the true scoundrel he always verged on being and growing beyond a weakling. This was a great change for Xander, showing how much potential he always had in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.