Content warning: This list includes mentions of racism, homophobia, sexism, sexual assault, abuse, and murder.
Spike, also known as William the Bloody, went through a lot of changes during his time in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. First introduced in Season 2, he was expected to be in Sunnydale for only a few episodes before being killed. When it became clear that viewers loved the punk rock vampire, the writers expanded his role. He remained in the series until the Season 7 series finale before moving to Angel.
Spike often acted appallingly and said things that no one else would say. This was an intentional decision by the writers and forms an important part of Spike's story arc. He is a long way from perfect. And although many things about Spike's appeal are timeless — his wit, honesty, and leather duster, to name a few — times have changed. It has been more than 20 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired. Modern viewers may find that some of Spike's actions and storylines haven't stood the test of time quite as well.
When Spike is reunited with Angel in "School Hard" and discovers he is now on the same team as the Slayer, he calls Angel an "Uncle Tom." This term refers to the subservient Black slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. It's an objectionable term, and if the series were written now, this line would probably have been phrased differently.
In "Pangs," Spike defends the slaughter of the Chumash First People: "You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story." It is an insensitive way to address the destruction of an indigenous culture when thousands of Chumash people in the U.S. today are still feeling the repercussions.
Throughout the series, Spike continually calls Angel a "poof' or "poofter," both of which are offensive slurs for being gay. In the 1990s, this was played for laughs, but it doesn't sit well in the 2020s. Spike dislikes Angel. His insults aren't affectionate ribbing. They are coming from a place of genuine loathing.
It is telling that the absolute worst insult Spike can think to bestow on a male character is to say that he is homosexual. The implication here is that Spike thinks a gay man is less of a man than a straight one. If the series were made today, it would likely have found a better way for Spike to ridicule Angel without resorting to homophobic slurs.
Spike's attitude toward women is problematic throughout the series. One of the earliest indications of his misogyny is his casual use of words like "bitch" and "bint" when talking about women. Both terms are extremely derogatory and he uses them only against women.
When Spike is captured by the Initiative, he says, "I always worried what would happen when that bitch got some funding." He calls Harmony a "stupid bint," and when Buffy tells him to explain what he is doing outside her house, he responds, "Out. For. A. Walk. Bitch." His misogynistic language seems to be accepted as part of Spike's personality, but modern audiences might find his choice of words problematic.
Spike has known many strong and powerful women. Drusilla is older and more experienced than he is. She literally sired him. Yet, that doesn't stop him from assuming the role of leader in their relationship. In "Lie To Me," he berates Drusilla for going out hunting without him, as though, because he's male, he should be the one to call the shots.
In "Fool For Love: Spike demonstrates his tendency to mansplain to others. He talks to Buffy as though he knows more about being a slayer than she does, despite the fact that only one of them is actually a slayer. Nobody pulls Spike up on his patriarchal attitudes, something that won't sit well with modern viewers.
Spike is revealed to be in a relationship of sorts with Harmony in Season 4. Spike doesn't like Harmony and is presumably only with her because she is undead, pretty, and has sex with him. Harmony was turned at the end of Season 3, meaning she has been a vampire for only a few months. Spike was sired over a hundred years ago, so there is an obvious power imbalance.
Spike is verbally abusive and even unsuccessfully stakes her in "The Harsh Light of Day." Despite this, they are still a couple in Season 5. This dysfunctional relationship was often played for laughs. Were it made today, it would be clear this is an abusive relationship in which Harmony is, due to her naivety, a victim.
Long before Spike got his soul back, he was an ally of the Scoobie gang. He helped them defeat Glory at the end of Season 5. Despite his (sometimes uneasy) allegiance with Buffy, Spike is still a demon without a soul. He doesn't have the same moral compass as the human characters in the series.
Yet Buffy frequently asks him to take care of Dawn. It is uneasy viewing in 2021 to see a woman entrusting her sister's welfare to a man she knows is a violent sociopath, an abuser, and a murderer. This aspect of Buffy's faith in Spike was not addressed in the series as much as it would be if the series were made today.
At the end of "Once More With Feeling," Buffy and Spike share a kiss to the sounds of romantic music. However, when Buffy and Spike start a physical relationship later in the season, it is anything but romantic.
Buffy is traumatized after being pulled out of heaven by Willow's magic. Spike knows this and yet allows his own desire for Buffy to override any consideration for her. Buffy's friends hold her responsible for her involvement with Spike. If it were broadcast today, it might focus more on Spike's manipulative behavior and less on blaming Buffy for her poor decision-making during a time when her mental health was at an all-time low.
The one-night stand between Spike and Anya in Season 6's "Entropy" is problematic, not because they did it, but because of the way the other characters reacted to it. Both Spike and Anya were single when they slept together. Anya had been dumped by Xander at the altar, and Spike had been rejected by Buffy numerous times. The evening they spent together was entirely consensual.
Yet when the Scoobies, especially Xander and Buffy, learn about it, they react as though they have been wronged. Xander shouts at Anya, "So you go out and bang the first body you can find, dead or alive!" This old-fashioned outlook has aged poorly and wouldn't play well with audiences today.
Fans agree that the worst thing Spike ever did was his sexual assault of Buffy in "Seeing Red.: Buffy does eventually manage to fight him off, and the knowledge of what he has almost done provides the catalyst for Spike to leave town and returns in Season 7 with a soul.
Spike's actions are seen from Spike's point of view as part of his redemptive arc. What is not shown is Buffy's perspective as a survivor of sexual assault from someone she had hitherto trusted. While this scene might remain if the series was made today, it is likely that the way this serious subject was depicted would be handled completely differently.
In "Conversations With Dead People," Buffy learns that Spike has been killing humans and turning them into vampires. Spike has killed before, but these murders all take place after he has got his soul back. Although Spike's behavior is due to the First Evil, the way in which this development was handled wouldn't fly with modern viewers.
Rather than punishing him, Buffy and the gang stage an intervention. He discusses with Buffy how hard life has been since he got his soul back, and she tells him that she believes in him. It is uncomfortable viewing to see Spike presented as a victim here, rather than the real victims of William the Bloody.
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