Summary

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have actually been a mental patient, blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
• Connections to Marvel Comics could suggest Buffy's existence as an X-Man, adding layers to the supernatural slayer story.
• The theory that Faith is the true slayer, not Buffy, due to the unique circumstances of her revival and the activation of other slayers.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer established an incredibly dedicated audience over the show's seven-season run, with many fans debating theories that could redefine the entire series. Despite the show having wrapped more than 20 years ago, Buffy the Vampire Slayer continues to have a thriving fanbase who continue to dig deep into the series in an effort to uncover hidden details within the clever writing. Many of these theories have grown in popularity and have been proven or disproved in the decades since the show began.

Joss Whedon expertly created a sprawling story around the slayer, Buffy Summers, and the town she lived in, Sunnydale. Over the 145 episodes of the series, Whedon added small details that, when examined in closer detail, could add up to significant moments that could change how people perceived the entire show. Some of these elements remain coincidental minor details, while others are much more intentional, but regardless, they all significantly change the experience of the show.

8 Buffy Was Never A Vampire Slayer

Everything Happened In Her Head

In Buffy season 6, episode 17, "Normal Again," Buffy is trapped in a mental hospital after being stung by a demon. Throughout the episode, she fades in and out of reality, but which of the two is real is never explicitly revealed. This episode shook up the entire series for much of the fanbase, as it put a major question mark over what was actually happening in the show, and whether Buffy was really the chosen slayer, fighting the forces of evil and keeping the world safe in Sunnydale, or if she was just imagining things.

Of course, in a fictional show that explores the supernatural, all of these elements being played out as true would make complete sense, but there is a lot of merit to the idea that Buffy is simply unwell. The show features fourth-wall-breaking moments and references to the fact that it's a show, along with episodes that appear to switch up the format, which is unusual and raises doubts regarding the reliability of the show. While the truth is never clearly revealed, there are some clues that feature in other franchises Whedon worked on that could point either way.

7 Buffy Summers Is An X-Man

And The Cousin Of Scott Summers

Whedon has had a colorful career in entertainment, with a period of time when he was the main writer for the Astonishing X-Men comics. Whedon revealed at one point that he had considered adding a line of dialogue where Cyclops, aka Scott Summers, would have mentioned a cousin he has in California who was a patient at an asylum due to her delusions that she is a demon hunter (via Comicbook). This would have added to the previous theory but also shifted how the series was viewed in connection with Marvel Comics and X-Men.

6 The Whedonverse

Everything Was Connected

Following on from that concept, fans of Whedon have also proposed that all of his works bear some connection and potentially take place across a single universe, lovingly referred to as the Whedonverse. This has not been explicitly proven, but Whedon did include an Easter Egg in Avengers: Age of Ultron that suggests it could be true (via Comicbook). However, these connections are loose, and many of Whedon's shows are set in worlds that appear to have drastically different rules, settings, and details from each other.

5 Faith Is The One True Slayer

Not Buffy

The history and rules regarding slayers in Buffy is well-defined. When a slayer dies, a new slayer is activated, as the chosen person to fight the forces of evil. Throughout history, only one slayer has ever been active at a time, but the show appeared to change this. Early in the series, Buffy temporarily dies after facing The Master in season 1. Sure enough, a new slayer is activated with Kendra. However, Buffy is saved by her friends and revived, which means that for the first time in history, there's more than one slayer active.

However, this also means that Buffy is no longer the chosen slayer. This can be seen when Kendra dies, and it activates Faith Lehane to take her place. However, the next time that Buffy temporarily dies, saving her sister Dawn, no new slayer is activated. This means that, from the very beginning of the show, Buffy has not been the chosen slayer, despite her efforts to save the world. Ultimately, that fate lies with Faith, who frequently runs from responsibility, but is equally ignored by those who should her in her role, like Giles.

4 Dawn Indirectly Killed Joyce

Her Existence Was Too Much For Joyce

Despite four full seasons of Buffy showing that Buffy was an only child to her mother Joyce, and the pair lived alone together, Dawn appears out of nowhere at the beginning of season 5. However, when she appears, everyone acts as though she has always been there, which is an unsettling and confusing moment for the audience. However, the characters are shown to get ill as a result of their memories being altered, and the person who was potentially the most vulnerable and had to have most of her memories altered, was Joyce.

She may have died of an aneurysm, but the mental strain brought on by Dawn's appearance could be a major factor in what ultimately killed Joyce. If this is true, it's a tragedy for Buffy and Dawn, who didn't know any better. Dawn was just as clueless as Buffy and the rest of her friends, with implanted memories of a life lived together with Buffy and Joyce. Learning the truth about her being built as the Key was already a hurdle to overcome, knowing she may also be responsible for her mother's death would be far too much to bear.

3 Dracula Created Dawn

Using Buffy's Blood

In the same episode where Dawn shows up, Buffy meets the most infamous vampire of all time, Dracula. Dracula is incredibly seductive and manages to convince Buffy to let him drink some of her blood before he ends up disappearing by the episode's end. While this could appear to be an odd one-off episode, with a character who never returns, all signs point to Dracula being involved in the process of creating Dawn with Buffy's blood and inserting her into life at Sunnydale.

2 Giles Is A Time Lord

Buffy Is Connected To Doctor Who

One fan theory that appears to generate heated debates is whether Giles is a Time Lord. Both Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer appear to have several connections linking the shows (via Giles is close to death, but this could have been him regenerating, albeit in the same form as before, but that isn't impossible for Time Lords. This theory may be more of a stretch, but if true, it could drastically change how the show is viewed.

1 Drusilla Was A Slayer

Or At Least A Potential Slayer

Drusilla is a highly unusual vampire when compared to others of her kind. From her exceptional strength and speed to her ability to see the future, Drusilla shared some striking commonalities that were typical of a slayer. Whether she was active or merely a potential at the time of her death is never explained, but in either case, turning into a vampire could have activated her gifts, and she could have kept them in her afterlife. This would also compound Spike's connection with her, as he had a long-standing obsession with slayers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.