Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike’s New Stepdad Duties Brings His Redemption Arc Full Circle
In the future Buffyverse, as depicted in Boom! Studios “The Last Vampire Slayer,” Willow & Tara’s daughter Thessaly considers Spike her stepdad.
SUMMARY
- Spike’s redemption arc, as it began on the Buffy TV series, now feels complete, as he transitions from villain to stepfather in the Last Vampire Slayer comic series, solidifying his status as fully redeemed hero.
- Spike’s journey from slayer-killer to slayer-stepdad is contextualized by a small moment where the slayer he’s training, Willow and Tara’s daughter Thessaly, refers to him as her stepdad.
- Spike’s arc comes full circle as he settles into domestic life, retiring from fighting and focusing on preserving Slayerhood, an institution he used to revile.
Warning: Spoilers for Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer (2023) #5!’
Spike’s redemption arc, originating on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, is now complete, with the vampire earning “stepfather” status. As early as Buffy Season Four, Spike was on course to redeem himself for his villain era. He saved the world in Season Seven, them moved on to Angel, helping the title character protect Los Angeles, but there was still more of his story to be told for the complex antihero.
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer (2023) #5 – by Casey Gilly, Oriol Roig, Nicola Izzo, Gloria Martinelli, and Ed Dukeshire – officially solidifies Spike as a fully redeemed hero. Taking place years after the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in a post-apocalyptic future, Spike has been raising the future of Slayerhood as a Giles-esque Watcher.
Spike’s role gets a whole new layer when the Slayer that he’s training refers to Spike as her stepdad. This a small moment contextualizes Spike’s journey since the start of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially as a former villain who used to take pride in killing two Slayers.
Spike Completes His Journey From Slayer-Killer To Slayer-Stepdad
Last year’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer miniseries focused on a post-apocalypse world where Buffy’s powers are waning as she ages, with her as the only Slayer remaining on the planet. At least, so she thinks, until the daughter of Willow and Tara, Thessaly, emerges as the new Slayer. As such, Buffy eases into a new role as a teacher and mentor, rebuilding the Watcher’s Council alongside Spike, who she rekindles a relationship with during the series. With Buffy and Spike getting their happy ending, the two transition into a quieter, domestic background life with Thessaly being the new Slayer in charge.
At the same time, with Willow dead and Tara elsewhere, Buffy and Spike effectively adopt Thessaly. In The Last Vampire Slayer #5, if it wasn’t immediately evident that Spike’s life of fighting was behind him, it becomes clear as he settles on staying in the car listening to podcasts while Buffy and Thessaly make a rare team-up to take down the latest monster of the week. Once everything is said and done, Thessaly asks her girlfriend if she wants to meet her stepdad, referring to Spike. She could have easily caller him her Watcher instead, or even a trainer, but she opted for the role that resonated most with her.
The Last Vampire Slayer Brings Spike’s Arc Full Circle
Spike’s biggest claim to fame as a Big Bad was being one of the few vampires to kill not one, but two Slayers. A lot has changed since his bad boy days, so much so that he’s fully settled in domestic life with no ambitions to throw a punch at a monster like the good ole days. He’s officially retired as both a bringer of chaos and a s a fighter in favor of fathering (both literally and figuratively) the next generation of Slayer. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike was all about causing chaos, but now he’s all about preserving the Slayerhood.
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer (2023) #5 is on sale now from BOOM! Studios.
Original article at Screen Rant.
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