The Scooby Gang[1] was the core group formed after the arrival of Buffy Summers to Sunnydale in order to battle the supernatural forces of evil, and assist Buffy in her duties as the Slayer.[2]
The Scoobies, as its members were known, were originally teenage friends attending Sunnydale High School in a town built on top of a Hellmouth.[2] With time, the group gradually expanded with new members and allies in worldwide activity against the forces of darkness.[3]
The group was also sometimes referred to as the "Slayerettes," as both Willow[2] and Spike[4][5] used the term on different occasions. In fact, this name served as the semi-official name for the group, until Xander coined their true name in their first year together[1] and it was referred by its members multiple times.[6][4][7][8][9][10]
History[]
The Scooby Gang was formed in 1996 when Buffy moved to Sunnydale and allied herself with her Watcher Giles and her classmates Willow and Xander.[11] While the Slayer traditionally worked alone and in secret,[12] Willow and Xander decided to continue helping Buffy against the forces of darkness[11] after she saved them from vampires.[12]
Scoobies[]
- “You're the Slayer, and we're, like, the Slayerettes!”
- ―Willow Rosenberg[src]
The members of the Scooby Gang, in chronological order of inclusion:
- Buffy Summers — As the Slayer, Buffy possessed enhanced abilities which enabled her to battle the forces of darkness.[12] She was the focal point of the Scooby Gang, as the team initially formed around her responsibilities as the Chosen One,[2] and she was very close to most of its members.[13] Buffy was initially reluctant to accept her destiny and leadership position, but, counting with her friends, she ultimately choose to dedicate herself to the fight against evil.[14]
- Rupert Giles — Originally Buffy's Watcher, Giles acted as a father figure and mentor to most of the Scoobies. Prior to Willow, Giles would take charge in the more mystical duties that came with defending Sunnydale and used the Watcher's Council as a resource of information. Giles was a founding member of the team,[11] before returning to England so that Buffy would take responsibility for her own life, sensing she had essentially outgrown him.[15] He returned to the Scoobies on several occasions in times of need, and later took control of his own squad of Slayers.[3] Since his death, Angel, his unwitting murderer,[16] took to finding ways to resurrect him with the reluctant assistance of Giles' former partner, Slayer Faith.[17] Successfully resurrected, he immediately decided to return to the Scooby Gang, explaining the point in his life when he was at his best was with Buffy.[18]
- Alexander "Xander" Harris — The most consistent, long-term, and reliable member of the Scoobies, the wise-cracking Xander was notable for being one of the few in the group with no "superpowers." Instead, his insight, compassion, and support was how he helped his friends in the battle against evil; most notably when he brought Willow back from the brink of darkness with his unconditional love.[19] Xander also possessed some knowledge of military combat and weapons, after being turned into a real soldier during a spell on Halloween;[20] also his carpentry abilities often proved useful. Xander was notable for being the only Scooby that remained consistently on the team; as Giles returned to England for a time,[15] Buffy was in Los Angeles for a summer[21] and was dead for a time,[22] and Willow went to England for rehabilitation.[23]
- Willow Rosenberg — Willow acted in a similar capacity as Giles, helping with demonic research and intricate rituals, but also acted as the team's technology and computer expert. Throughout her involvement in the group, Willow grew in power and confidence, becoming an incredibly talented witch, enough to turn her into the most powerful member of the Scooby Gang. Willow took the lead of the Gang twice: during the summer when Buffy ran away to Los Angeles,[21] and then again when the Slayer died.[22] Willow struggled to control her own immense power and find balance. She was responsible for magically activating all of the Potential Slayer, ending the former legacy of "one girl in all the world,"[13] as well as creating a brand new Seed of Wonder, restoring the magic of her dimension.[24]
- Angel — Angel was an outside aide to the group, acting in an extremely limited capacity until he became romantically involved with Buffy. Through this relationship, the ancient curse that granted him his soul was undone, resulting in the death of Jenny.[25] After his defeat, he eventually returned to Sunnydale, before he made the move to Los Angeles, where he and Cordelia formed their own group, Angel Investigations.[26]
- Cordelia Chase — A snobby cheerleader at Sunnydale High, Cordelia looked down on the Scoobies, who were unpopular at the school. However, she often found herself in perilous situations and relied on Buffy to save her[27] until she became an official member of the Scooby Gang.[14] After graduation, Cordelia left for Los Angeles and joined Angel Investigations.[28]
- Daniel "Oz" Osbourne — Oz was Willow's romantic interest.[29] Oz was a werewolf, the guitarist of Dingoes Ate My Baby, and a student both at Sunnydale High and UC Sunnydale. Intelligent yet stoic, he was a valuable member of the team, but he eventually left to learn to control his werewolf attributes,[30] after which his relationship with Willow ended.[31] Years later, he was able to help the Gang again, giving shelter to the Slayer Organization in his own home in a Tibetan monastery.[32]
- Faith Lehane — A troubled Slayer activated after the death of Kendra Young, and often referred to as "the rogue Slayer," Faith was considered to be the anti-Buffy. She arrived in Sunnydale after her Watcher was killed and worked as an ally for the Scooby Gang,[33]. However, she turned to the dark side when she murdered an innocent man, resulting in a rift when she was reported for the crime and aligned herself with Mayor Richard Wilkins. After waking up from a coma that Buffy put her in, and causing trouble for Buffy again,[34] she fled to Los Angeles, where Angel forced her to face her demons, convincing her to turn herself into the police for her crimes.[35] Years later, Faith broke out of jail to save Angel, and decided to work towards an "active" redemption. She returned to Sunnydale with Willow to help Buffy and the other Potential Slayers in their fight against the First Evil, leading to the activation of thousands of Slayers around the world, making her the last Slayer in the original line. Faith partnered with Giles to rehabilitate those going down the wrong path.[36] After his death, Faith moved to his home in London and partnered with Angel,[37] returning to the Scooby Gang whenever she was needed,[38][39] until she eventually stayed with the group for good.[40]
- Anya Jenkins — A 1,120 plus year old ex-vengeance demon, Anya came into town to grant a vengeful wish, only to lose her powers and become a mortal. Eventually however, she became an ally of the Scoobies and Xander's girlfriend. [41] Anya struggled to understand human conventions and often offended people, usually because of her frank honesty and literal approach to speech. Initially very selfish, she comes to respect humans and becoming more human in the process. She was highly intelligent, providing detailed information on various demons and spells and proved her loyalty until the fight against the First Evil.[13]
- Riley Finn — Buffy's college boyfriend, Riley was a soldier for the government demon-hunting operation the Initiative. When he learned that the institute he was working for was corrupt, Riley joined the Scoobies instead.[31] While on good terms with Buffy's friends, his relationship with Buffy disintegrated and he left her and Sunnydale to join another army unit.[42] Eventually, he and his wife, Samantha Finn, became trusted allies to the team, acting as a helpful bridge between the Scooby Gang and the government.[43][44][45]
- Tara Maclay — Tara was initially Willow's college friend and later her lover, who was also a witch. Initially very shy and feeling like an outsider from the group, Tara came to open up to the Scoobies and eventually became a member herself.[46] She formed a special confidante-like relationship with Buffy,[47][48] and found a kindred spirit at times with Anya, who was also dating a member of the four core Scoobies.[5] She was part of the group until her untimely death.[49]
- Spike — Formerly an enemy of the Scoobies,[50] this vampire switched sides after the Initiative implanted a microchip in his brain to prevent him from harming humans.[51] This left him fighting non-humans as the only other alternative left, and ultimately proved himself as a strong asset for the team in their quest for protecting humanity.[52] Spike eventually fell in love with Buffy[53] and began a path to be a true hero, seeking out his soul in order to prove his worth.[54] Although, the Scoobies' opinions of him varied; Buffy, Dawn, and Willow were more friendly towards him and treat him civilly; Xander and Giles were openly hostile towards him outside of combat situations (and vice versa); but all remained somewhat wary of him. After his heroic death at the battle at the Hellmouth,[13] Spike was resurrected months later and joined Angel's team in Los Angeles,[55] and later going his own way.[56] During the Twilight crisis, he returned to help the Buffy and the Slayer Organization,[57] eventually staying with the Scoobies permanently in the mission to save the world, and established a close and positive relationship with them.[40]
- Dawn Summers — Buffy's younger sister, Dawn was actually the Key, the mystical energy with the power to open the doors to the multiple dimensions in the universe. She was given human form by the Order of Dagon, magically made from Buffy herself, and embedded into the Slayer's life within a new reality and false memories fabricated to hide her original identity, with the intention that the Slayer would protect her.[58] The youngest Scooby, her traumatic life led her to have abandonment issues. However, she was able to have the Scooby Gang as her surrogate family, and was very close to them.[48] Initially only protected by the group,[59] with time Buffy allowed Dawn to participate and began training her.[23] During the battle with the First Evil, and temporary absence of both Willow and Giles, a matured Dawn, being referred to as "junior Watcher gal," took to being the research expert as well as the multi-linguist. Similarly to Xander, Dawn's help and initiative with mundane tasks proved to be most useful.[60] This was combined with her unique temporary experience as a giant.[3][61] Eventually, Dawn's status as the Key granted her actual magical abilities that she was able to use offensively, becoming a powerful figure in the group and eventually, Xander's lover.[62][63]
- Andrew Wells — A former villain through the Trio,[64] Andrew was an immature, whiny nerd with demonic knowledge, who the Scoobies held hostage in Buffy's house during the battle with the First Evil.[65] He soon showed remorse for his past crimes and tried to join the team, but the other Scoobies found him unreliable and irritating, often mocking his ways. After surviving the Hellmouth battle, Andrew trained to be a Watcher and lead a group of Slayers in Italy, and, during a mission, Buffy finally confirmed his status as one of the Scoobies.[66] After the disbandment of the Slayer Organization, Andrew also relocated to San Francisco along with the other Scoobies.[67]
Relationship/comparison with Angel Investigations[]
As some members of Angel Investigations first met in the Scooby Gang,[68][69] Team Angel shared numerous similarities and conflicts with their Sunnydale counterparts.
They had similar goals and morals, though the members of Angel Investigations would intentionally seek the death of humans if they considered the situation required it.[70][71][72] The Scoobies preferred to leave their human enemies alive to face human justice for their crimes (such as the members of the Trio),[73] regarding killing humans as a reprehensible and corrupted action.[69][74][75] Notably, the Scoobies' enemies were primarily demons and vampires,[13] while Angel Investigations dealt with a lot of evil human enemies, mostly Wolfram & Hart.[76] Additionally, the human members of the Scooby Gang always outnumbered the non-humans (with at most one vampire at a time),[12][13] in contrast to the proportion in Team Angel in both its first[28] and its final years.[76]
Their combat skills also differed. Team Angel regularly employed the usage of firearms,[77][78][76] while the Scoobies had a strong distaste for them.[79][80][81] The Scooby Gang was somewhat mystically superior, thanks to Willow's magical talent,[82] while Angel Investigations tended to have superior fighters[83] and focus on physical training.[84]
Angel Investigations' enemies were traditionally more long-term planners who had a particular interest on Angel,[85][86][87] while the Scoobies tended to handle more urgent enemies who intended to act on a large scale, acting as protectors of the Hellmouth and fighting numerous apocalypses throughout the years.[74][13] Angel Investigations also counted with guidance from the Powers That Be[28] and people who hired them to help with supernatural problems,[88] while the Scooby Gang acted with no financial compensation[79] and became aware of their latest threats through patrolling[58][89][90] and questioning institutions.[91][4][92]
The Scoobies and the Angel Investigations team met each other on occasion. Fred called Willow for help against Angelus, and Willow was aware of Connor's existence and relation to Angel before meeting him.[82] Additionally, Oz and Buffy knew the location of the original Angel Investigations offices when they visited Angel,[93][94] whereas Willow visited the Hyperion Hotel to inform Angel of Buffy's death;[95] Cordelia also called Willow's dorm room for advice and tips when attempting to hack encrypted computer files.[71] Finally, Angel visited Buffy three times since his departure from Sunnydale.[51][96][97]
Headquarters[]
Along with variations in the team roster, the place which serves as a sort of headquarters for the Scooby Gang changed a few times over the years. The most notable of these headquarters was the Sunnydale High School library,[12] before its explosion.[98] Other locales included Rupert Giles's apartment,[6][99] the Magic Box,[99][19] and the Summers' residence.[100][13] With Sunnydale's destruction[13] and the formation of the Slayer Organization, the Scoobies spread across the world,[3] with Buffy and Xander maintaining a command center in Scotland.[101][102] After moving to San Francisco, their main venues became Buffy's apartment, Andrew's apartment, Xander and Dawn's, and the later Scoobies' shared building apartments.
- 1996–1999: Sunnydale High School library
- 1999–2000: Rupert Giles's apartment / Stevenson Hall / Harris residence
- 2000–2002: Magic Box
- 2002–2003: 1630 Revello Drive / Alexander Harris' apartment
- 2005–2006: Slayer Organization command center
- 2006–2007: Buffy, Anaheed, and Tumble's apartment / Andrew Wells' apartment / Xander and Dawn's apartment
- 2007–2009: Buffy, Willow, and Dawn's apartment / Xander and Spike's apartment / Giles's apartment
- 2010–: Willow's empowerment center / Dawn and Xander's residence
List of members[]
The core four[]
Other members[]
- Angel (former, ally)
- Cordelia Chase (former, ally, deceased)
- Daniel "Oz" Osbourne (former, ally)
- Faith Lehane
- Anya Jenkins (deceased)
- Riley Finn (former, ally)
- Tara Maclay (deceased)
- Spike
- Dawn Summers
- Andrew Wells
Allies[]
- Jennifer Calendar (helped Giles and the Scoobies defeat the demon Moloch the Corruptor; deceased)[103]
- Kendra Young (assisted them when she was in Sunnydale; deceased)[104]
- Joyce Summers (after she learned the truth about Buffy being a Slayer; deceased)[105]
- Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (officially Buffy's Watcher for a while)
- Class of '99 (during the fight against the Mayor at Graduation)[98]
- Samantha Finn (seeking assistance against Suvolte demons)[80]
- Robin Wood (during the fight against the First Evil)[106]
- The ever-increasing number of Potential Slayers (during the fight against the First Evil), and the later Slayer Organization (during the Twilight crisis):
- Dracula (unreliably, assisting against Toru's sect)[107]
- Robert Dowling (seeking assistance against zompires)[108]
- Billy Lane (since the zompire crisis in Santa Rosita)[109]
- Magic Council
- Harmony Kendall (unreliably, representing reformed vampires)[113]
- Vicki (reluctantly, representing new vampires)[113]
- Melaka Fray, along her sister Erin Fray, the demon Gates, and her boss Gunther (against Harth Fray and the Reckoning)[114]
Gallery[]
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Behind the scenes[]
- The group was first referred to as the "Scooby gang" by Xander in the episode "What's My Line? Part One," as a reference to the Mystery Inc., the group of ghost-hunting teenagers from the cartoon Scooby-Doo. Since then, they were mentioned in-universe as the "Scooby corps" by Willow in "The I in Team"; "Scooby gang" by Xander in "Living Conditions," "The Harsh Light of Day," and "Goodbye Iowa"; "Scooby club" by Spike in "This Year's Girl"; "Scooby gang" by Faith in "Who Are You?"; "Scoobies" by Spike in "Fool for Love" and "Entropy"; among others.
- Before it, in the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight," Willow wore a Scooby Doo t-shirt, Buffy wore a neck scarf like Daphne, and later Xander responds "Can you say 'Gulp'?" like the character Shaggy. Xander appears with a Scooby-Doo t-shirt in the episode "When She Was Bad," Willow also wore one in the episode "School Hard," and she carried a Scooby-Doo lunch box in "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date."
- Sarah Michelle Gellar eventually played the character Daphne, a member of the original Scooby Gang, in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies of 2002 and 2004. The sequel also includes Seth Green as Velma's romantic interest.
- On the Omnibus, Volume 3, a cover homage included Cordelia, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles mimicking a well known pose from the first episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! cartoon series.
- Although the Scooby Gang would often encounter new allies in non-canonical stories, the core four is exceptionally altered in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Little, Brown) graphic novel series, in which Buffy, along with Sarafina, Alvaro, and Winnifred Sparks, designate this same title for their group.