There is no end to the Easter eggs, foreshadowing, and secret theories found inside Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Whedon has said that he planned the series out years in advance. However, he has also mentioned that he would go back and rewatch old episodes to find things that he could call back to, creating foreshadowing after the fact.
With so much complexity, it’s no wonder that a whole host of interesting fan theories have cropped up around the beloved show.
The intricate writing style behind the show left many Buffy fans to pour over every line, scene transition, and facial expression in order to find secret meanings inside the show.
Is it possible that Drusilla’s premonitions are cut from the same cloth as Buffy’s? Could the Mayor have actually saved Sunnydale from other Big Bads on multiple occasions? Believe it or not, there’s good reasoning behind many of the fandom’s favorite theories.
Some fans attempt to use logic to cover all of the bases to create detailed theories that are hard to ignore. They may not be perfectly foolproof, but they certainly fit within the established lore of the show.
With that said, here are the 15 Crazy Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Theories Make Too Much Sense.
Dawn Might Be Why Joyce Lost Her Life
This particular theory is incredibly divisive in the Buffy fandom. Some despise the thought, preferring Joyce’s aneurysm to be exactly what Joss Whedon intended: a non-magical threat that Buffy simply couldn’t do anything about.
Meanwhile, others think it’s just too logical to ignore– and they kind of have a point.
This theory assumes that the health of Joyce’s brain was affected by the monks rewriting her memories to believe that Dawn had always been her daughter.
Some have pointed out that the same happened to Buffy and the Scooby Gang. However, most of their memories of Dawn didn’t date back as far as Joyce’s would have.
Add the trauma of childbirth, and the intensities of Joyce’s memories very well could have broken her brain.
Drusilla Was A Slayer
Drusilla was one-of-a-kind, as both a human and a vampire. As a vampire, she displayed incredible strength– she was even stronger than Spike.
Along with her great charm, she had the ability to capture the interest of men. She also had cryptic visions of the future. This theory finds an uncanny explanation for these abilities.
Slayers obviously possess a crazy amount of strength and they have the ability to see the future. Dru’s psychic abilities were present before Angelus turned her into a vampire, as was a virtuous personality that was lost after the turn.
These clues suggest that Dru may have been a Slayer, or at least a Potential, before Angel sunk his teeth into her.
Surely, the Watchers’ Council would not have the resources to hunt down new Slayers nearly as efficiently at this time. Plus it helps to explain why Spike was so obssessed with her. A vampire and a Slayer? That’s the dream.
Forrest Had A Crush On Riley
Forrest and Riley were good friends, college buddies, and squadmates. Initially, Forrest sort of pushed Riley to consider going out with the weird girl on campus, but he very quickly changed his tune.
He showed nothing but disdain toward Buffy and chastised Riley for spending too much time with her. Perhaps this was due to the fact that he was loyal to the mission of the Initiative, right? Well, maybe not.
This theory supposes that maybe, just maybe, Forrest was jealous of Buffy for a more personal reason.
Perhaps he had an unrequited crush on his best friend.
This all boils down to personal opinion and how you view the show, but it’s certainly possible– especially with all of the LGBTQ subtext sprinkled throughout the series.
For example, Xander and Larry, and, obviously, the subtle hints of Willow being a lesbian throughout the early seasons.
Buffy And Giles Were Time Lords
Some fans believe that Giles is a Time Lord, as evidenced by his belief that he was going to lose his life in season 6. However, he retained his appearance.
Others believe that Buffy herself, and the entire Slayer line, are Time Lords. The existence of multiple Slayers at the same time may put a damper on this theory, though.
Despite the issues that this theory may have, there are actually a lot of little in-universe facts that help support it.
Like, for example, the fact that Giles actor Anthony Stewart Head put in a guest appearance on Doctor Who, or the fact that Rose and the Doctor showed up in one of the Buffy comics.
Jessica Jones Is A Slayer
For starters, Jessica Jones certainly dresses like a Slayer. That black leather jacket could be proof enough of this theory.
However, to be fair, Jessica doesn’t exactly show the ability to see the future, but perhaps her longterm brainwashing and heavy drinking have had an effect on that. Still, there is actually some relatively solid evidence behind this one.
Many point to Jessica’s origin story as the proof that she is, indeed, a Slayer just like Buffy.
Jessica did not gain her powers through a nuclear accident or animal bite, but from a shady agency that experimented on her. This has led some fans to draw similarities to the first Slayer’s origin, in which a tribe bound a demon in a girl in order to create the Slayer line.
Buffy Is An X-Man
There doesn’t seem to be much of a connection here, other than a shared last name. Buffy Summers, Scott Summers, it’s neat, but it’s not a lot to go on.
However, not only is this a completely justifiable theory, but it was almost canon.
Joss Whedon had seriously planned on giving Scott Summers a quick line referencing his mentally ill cousin who thinks she’s a demon hunter.
Had Whedon gone through with his plans, not only would this have officially connected Buffy to the X-Men, but it would have also proven that season 6’s “Normal Again”, in which Buffy may or may not be in a mental institution, is an actual fact.
Whedon did hide a reference to Wolfram and Hart in Avengers: Age of Ultron, so maybe this could be considered canon after all?
The Eggs From The Praying Mantis In Season 1 Show Up On Angel
Many Buffy fans have one huge complaint from the first season: the eggs laid by the praying mantis substitute teacher, Ms. French, are never seen from again.
Surely they must have hatched, creating bedlam in Sunnydale, right? Some viewers are fine without a follow-up episode, as not everything needs an ending or an explanation, after all.
However, for those holding out, this theory claims the bugs did show up again– in Los Angeles.
Angel fights an infestation of similar-looking bug demons on the Buffy spinoff, Angel.
They don’t look exactly the same as the praying mantis in Buffy Season 1, but, then again, Oz as a werewolf did not look the same between season 3 to season 4 of Buffy, either. It’s all based on the magic of enhanced special effects.
Many fans believe that the eggs did hatch and the demon bugs made it all the way to LA.
Warren May Have Gotten His Knowledge From A Costume
Warren was a hopeless nerd with a woe-is-me attitude who was bad with women (and treated them badly in return). He also just so happened to have insane knowledge that should have been beyond his understanding.
How does a guy like this learn how to build the perfect lovebot? How does a guy like this learn to become an efficient military soldier and operate a rocket launcher?
When Xander chose to dress up as a soldier on Halloween, Ethan Rayne’s chaos spell caused him to retain much of his military memory. This was used to the Scooby Gang’s advantage on more than one occasion.
Some have wondered whether or not Warren might have dressed up as a mad scientist that night, which gave him the ability to build such a robot.
The Ubervamps Were Weak Because They Hadn’t Fed For Centuries
The first Turok-Han– or Ubervamp– that Buffy ever fought was a formidable foe. She had a tough time taking this overly-powered vamp out of the picture.
The rest of the Ubervamps attempting to put an end to Buffy and the Potentials during the opening of the Hellmouth were incredibly weak compared to Turok-Han.
This theory suggests a reason why this was the case.
Turok-Han had very recently fed on blood. It must have, as a large amount was used to open the Hellmouth and feeding is just what vampires do.
This is why the creature had so much strength. The rest of the Ubervamps were rushed out of the portal to stop Buffy, but as it was already open, they had nothing to feed on.
They would have gone centuries without a meal, making them easier for the new recruits to take out.
Xander Might Have Covered For Dawn In Once More With Feeling
Xander Harris isn’t a happy-go-lucky guy. He’s actually quite bitter, despite his sense of humor. However, his jokes are just a defense mechanism for his naturally pessimistic nature.
He also doesn’t tend to have a sense of loyalty toward his romantic partners. He turns on them quickly whenever his ego is bruised.
Xander has so much toxic masculinity that it doesn’t make sense for him to call a musical demon to give him a fairytale wedding.
However, Xander does have a couple of things going for him that would explain his confession as the cause behind the evil, tap-dancing Sweet. Xander notices when his friends are in an emotional state, and he has a caring, brotherly relationship with Dawn.
So, when the young girl was terrified of the ramifications of (possibly) calling Sweet, big brother Xander stepped in and took the fall.
Willow’s Actual Sacrifice For Buffy’s Resurrection Was Tara
The ending of Tara’s life was a tragic accident. She was a bystander in Warren’s grudge against the Slayer. However, some fans believe that something more sinister was going on.
Could it be possible that the deer that Willow sacrificed to bring Buffy back to life was merely symbolic and proof to the powers that be that she was serious in her intent?
What if her real sacrifice was the love of her life?
When Tara lost her life, Willow learned a hard lesson about her magical habits.
She is informed by a mystical figure that she has been meddling with forces that she cannot control and should not be touching. It is clear that the forces of magic hold disdain toward Willow for daring to resurrect Buffy.
Magic lore often states that balance is imperative, and a baby deer definitely doesn’t balance the scales against a Slayer. However, a good witch might.
The Mayor Was The One Who Trapped The Master The First Time
The first time the Master tried to take over Sunnydale, an earthquake trapped him in a mystical shield underground– which doesn’t make very much sense.
Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in Sunnydale, as they basically precede the Hellmouth opening the majority of the time. However, there isn’t a valid reason for a simple earthquake to cause a magical barrier.
Enter the Mayor.
Believe it or not, but Mayor Wilkins actually cares about his town. Yes, he wants to feed off it, but he also wants the sewer pipes to be fixed.
He doesn’t want to destroy Sunnydale, he just wants to rule it, and he wants it in fairly nice condition when he does.
This theory suggests the Mayor trapped the Master in order to prevent him from destroying his future town. The fact that he’s hundreds of years old and once did the same to Balthazar only adds to this theory.
Slayers Are The Result Of A Genetic Mutation
Why are there no male Slayers? The first Slayer was a woman, but this doesn’t mean that they all need to be women, does it?
There are demons and vampires of all genders. Demons certainly aren’t picky about who they bond with. While having a male Slayer may have hurt the Girl Power message of the show, it doesn’t seem to have a legitimate explanation outside of a writing trope… or does it?
This theory suggests that the binding of the demon with the first Slayer caused a change in her DNA. This caused the Potential Slayer gene to be spread through female chromosomes.
Every Potential Slayer has this mutated gene in her DNA, not unlike an X-Man.
All Joss Whedon’s Shows Take Place In The Same Universe
Some fans believe Willow’s spell to unlock the potentials made it possible for Slayers like River Tam to exist. Wolfram and Hart failed to please the senior partners, who then take over Earth. This is seen in Cabin in the Woods.
The futuristic, post-apocalyptic existence of Firefly is therefore the result of humanity’s escape.
To be fair to the fans of this theory, Joss Whedon did consider blatantly making the Firefly universe the same as Buffy’s. There’s also the fact that he was going to announce a connection between Scott and Buffy Summers.
With all of the little Easter eggs referencing his own shows that are hidden in his other projects, it’s hard not to wonder if there is any truth to this idea.
They don’t call it the Whedonverse for nothing.
Buffy Is Mentally Ill
Many fans prefer to believe that season 6’s “Normal Again” was the result of three nerds messing with the Slayer out of revenge– nothing more, nothing less.
However, some fans believe things were a bit different. Buffy wilfully abandoning reality to return to her friends in Sunnydale (aka her imagination) is the truth. Vampire Slayers don’t exist, but mental illness does.
There is actually a fair amount of strong evidence to support the truth of this theory. When Buffy comes to the realization that she is not strong enough to protect Dawn from Glory, she becomes catatonic.
She cannot mentally deal with the events going on around her. Not to mention Joss Whedon’s plan to have Scott Summers of the X-Men reveal his mentally ill cousin who believes she is a demon hunter.
Can you think of any other Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan theories that make too much sense? Sound off in the comments!
