Portrayals of god inBuffy the Vampire Slayer

Or, Die, god, Die!

• If you meet a god in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chances areyou’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)

Die God Die!

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 ofSeason Seven

Die God Die: The Mayor

Glory• Psychotic, self-centered,

relentless, multiple-personality (and body!)

• Big Bad of Season Five• Exiled God (parallel to

Satan?)• God/religion looks

attractive, but is deadly?• Religion/god is two-

faced? (Shares her bodywith Ben)

• Even well-intentioneddevotees (Ben) arecorrupted by religion?

• Religion is insane?

Die God Die: Glory

The First• The first evil, predating

human beings• Takes the form of dead

humans• Origin story of world -

began in evil, only afterlast demon slain, wasroom made for humans

• Evil worshipped as divine- root of religion is evil?

• Fear, doubt, lies - root ofreligion?

• (Ex)Catholic priest, abuser ofwomen

• 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

Caleb: Religion as Anti-Woman?

Caleb: Religion as Demonic?

Die [servant of] God Die: Caleb

Die God Die

• Theological implications of gods in Buffy - evilgods are active in the world - no other kind of godis shown in the Buffy-verse

• Even Buffy’s powers are shown to be evil at root

• Evil and male/patriarchal dominance go hand inhand

• Buffy’s solution to divine evil is a feministanswer to religion. Shared power, sharedresponsibility, this-worldly focus… refusal toaccept patriarchal limitations and priorities…