With a Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast consisted of a broad, ever-shifting ensemble. Chief and most reliant among them were Alyson Hannigan as Willow, Anthony Stewart Head as Giles, and Nicholas Brendon as Xander.

Since its conclusion, talk of a Xander who finally changed in ways he didn't on Buffy the Vampire Slayer's original run.

Xander Harris Was Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Biggest Issue

Xander Was The Worst Of The Scoobies And Failed To Truly Grow In All Seven Seasons

It's safe to say that Xander Harris, as a character, hasn't aged well. That isn't to say Xander is wholly without merit. He's at the center of several beloved episodes, such as The Zeppo. Equally, Xander contributed to or outright created several of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's inside jokes. However, he's also petulant, self-absorbed, and borderline misogynistic at times. That's never more apparent than him thinking he should be the center of everybody's world and the object of their desire — from Buffy and Willow to Cordelia and even Dawn. Then, when it actually happens, he plays with their feelings and mistreats them.

While some of that can be attributed to the folly of youth, Xander never really grew out of his worst traits. He still viewed Willow and Tara as sex objects for his fantasies well into Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4. Xander did the same with some uncomfortably younger potential slayers in Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 7. He could never just be the stalwart best platonic friend that he was destined to be and that the show frequently insisted he was.

Xander was instead often a terrible friend. Though he could always be relied on for a witty quip in both the best and worst Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes, Xander's words would sometimes turn cruel. He often berated people over things that required sympathy and understanding. Xander also famously lied to Buffy in season 2, leading her to have to kill Angel. He also cajoled her to forgive Riley in the wake of his betrayal in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5. He took no responsibility for any of these things and never atoned.

How The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Revival Can Redeem Xander

Bringing Xander Into Modern Day Could Be A Blessing

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel reboot could be the perfect opportunity to give Xander the same kind of growth that the other Scoobies had. By bringing him to the modern day, the Buffy revival can show him having cast off the toxic masculinity that permeated the late-1990s/early-2000s era of the original run. Even if most of that developed off-screen during the interim, it would still be a hugely rewarding turn for longtime Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans. It can give us the kind of Xander that has been buried deep beneath the whiny insecurity.

He can be the kind of Xander that confidently saved the day in "The Zeppo" and gave Buffy a much-needed hero speech in Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 4.

The rare Buffy the Vampire Slayer moments. He can be the kind of Xander that lovingly saved the day in "Grave" and gave Buffy a much-needed hero speech in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4. In the right hands, Xander could finally be the best version of himself full-time and a true leader in his own right.