During the 1990s there were a number of beloved shows on TV. For the WB (and later UPN) one of the biggest hits was Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which famously starred Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role. The show has retained a cult following in the two decades since it ended, and the cast remain beloved parts of pop culture for the fans. That includes James Marsters, who played the vampire Spike in a whopping 97 episodes. But the actor recently says he would’ve killed off Spike, and his logic actually makes a great deal of sense.
Spike first debuted in Season 2 of Buffy (which is available to stream with a Hulu subscription), and served as an occasional antagonist in Season 3. But James Marsters became a series regular in Season 4, and remained with the show until the series finale, before joining the spinoff Angel for its final season on the air. During that time he went from a ruthless villain to a full-fledged member of the Scooby Gang. But in a recent interview with RadioTimes, Marsters revealed that he probably would have killed his character off if he was in charge at the time. In the P.S. I Love You actor’s words:
I mean, the whole thing is, how do we get this guy on without having him ruin the theme? If it had been me producing that show, I would have killed Spike off in a heartbeat. As soon as the audience said, 'Oh, we want him. Oh, have him with Buffy. Oh, we love that character.' Like uh-uh. He's ruining the whole thing. I would have killed me off after probably three episodes. I'm kind of a bastard when I'm producing! I'm heartless! So I'm very lucky that they had more imagination and courage than I would have shown, frankly.
Some points were made. Years before Twilight came into the pop culture landscape, the original vampire love story debate was whether Buffy fans were Team Angel or Team Spike. But this was only made possible thanks to drastic changes made to the latter character, especially the chip in his head that prevented him from hurting living things. Still, Spike’s expanded role created some major challenges for the writers.
Despite being Spike himself, James Marsters’ comments revealed that he actually would have killed off the vampiric character if he was in charge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike ended up growing into a fan favorite, especially once he became sympathetic and regained his soul in Season 7. But he was a series regular for a few seasons prior to this, and Marsters described why this stood in juxtaposition to the messaging of the show’s earlier entries, saying:
They never really knew what to do with Spike. Because the original idea for Buffy was that that vampires were just metaphors for the challenges of high school, or the challenges of life. They were designed to be overcome, they were designed to die. Buffy is not an Anne Rice kind of thing, where you're supposed to feel for the vampires. It's why we're hideously ugly when we bite someone, they did not want that to be a sensual kind of thing. It was supposed to be horrific.
That’s a fair point. Although considering that David Boreanaz’s Angel was the first big love interest in Buffy, there was precedent for us to eventually see the softer side of Spike. And that occurred thanks to his bond with Dawn in Season 5, and his unrequited feelings of love for The Slayer. James Marsters further explained some of the issues that writers had with his signature character, sharing:
So trying to fit Spike long term into that kind of show is a weird fit. And so they were always like, coming to me at the beginning of every season saying, 'We don't know what to do with you! We have a plan for the season, we have a plan for all the other characters, we have all the arcs of all the other characters, we just don't know what to do with you again.'
Of course, hardcore Buffy fans likely couldn’t see the show without Spike’s presence, although not all of his scenes have aged well. After all, he attempted to sexually assault her late in Season 6, and was still given a redemption arc in Season 7. This is just one example of the way that the public’s perception of Buffy has changed, along with the reported behavior by Joss Whedon when the show was in production.
While the 60 year-old actor admitted he’d have killed off Spike in Buffy, James Marsters also previously offered an idea about how his vampiric character might return if the show got a reboot. But it’s unclear if the show will ever actually return to the small screen, especially given the allegations about Whedon’s behavior. In the meantime, fans like myself regularly re-watch the original seven season run. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
