Richard Wilkins

"I've made certain deals to get where I am today. This demon requires his tribute. You see, that's what separates me from other politicians, Mr. Trick... I keep my campaign promises."

- Richard Wilkins III

Richard Wilkins III was the Mayor of Sunnydale. A sorcerer bent on becoming a pure-breed demon, Wilkins had made a number of pacts with demons to obtain immortality as well as his power-base, though his public persona was that of a charismatic, conservative and pleasant family man.

Background


Wilkins arrived in California in the 1800s. He went on to found the town of Sunnydale, California in 1841 on the location of Boca del Infierno after the last Slayer, Naayéé'neizgháni, died there. Wilkins found the Hellmouth infested with demons, with whom he made a pact to avoid being killed himself.

He agreed to found a town on the Hellmouth where demons could freely feed on the inhabitants of the town. In his deals with demons (including Lurconis), he sold his soul and gained immortality. In 1899, he began planning his Ascension into the form of a pure demon called Olvikan that would take place in one hundred years.

Wilkins married Edna May in 1903. In time, she grew senile and cursed him for his youth, until dying of old age. It was not a happy time for the couple and Wilkins learned from experience what an immortal's relationship with a mortal would become.

Richard Wilkins III also happened to be Richard Wilkins Senior and Junior. He pretended to be his own son in each subsequent generation, in order to conceal his immortality.

Events Leading to the Ascension


Wilkins worked to ensure his transformation into an Old One, the pure-breed demon Olvikan. He had quite a pleasant demeanor. A family man with an aversion to swearing, he almost always wore a smile on his face and was obsessed with cleanliness. Filling the power vacuum left by the absence of Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla, Wilkins quickly assumed control and leadership over Sunnydale's vampire population. After sending his henchmen after Faith and Buffy, Faith left the life of a Slayer and offers him her services. He became a father figure to Faith; he even furnished her room, complete with a PlayStation, because he did not like to see her stay at a place with an "unsavory reputation." When he discovered that Buffy badly injured Faith, he lost his cheery demeanor and attempted to smother Buffy with his bare hands in the hospital, but was stopped by Angel.

After he achieved "Ascension" into the gigantic demon known as Olvikan during Sunnydale High's graduation ceremony (earlier than expected to his annoyance since he had not finished his speech), he ate Principal Snyder and battled the entire graduating class, who had come prepared for battle. The students fought the Mayor and his vampire lackeys to a standstill. The Mayor personally killed many students, including Larry Blaisdell. Buffy exploited his love for Faith by taunting him with the knife he had given to Faith and with which Buffy put Faith in a coma. Buffy lured Wilkins into the empty library, now filled with bags of dynamite, a trap also planned by the class. Rupert Giles pressed the trigger that obliterated the Mayor and the school building. Staying true to his avoidance of foul language, Wilkins' last words are "Well, gosh."

Wilkins left a videotape for Faith in case she ever woke up from her coma. When Buffy, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Spike visited the ruins of the high school to prevent the Hellmouth from opening, Xander steps on his corpse and remarked, "Mayor meat, extra crispy". The First Evil used his likeness on occasion.

Spirit
Wilkins lived on as a ghost for a while, possessing the bodies of dead animals, demons, and vampires. In the process, he was responsible for the creation of Adam, when he possesses the corpse of a powerful demon (his earlier vampire body had been captured by the Initiative) and badly injured the then-human Adam. After a battle with Buffy in the clock tower, where Buffy finally learned of his inhuman nature after she decapitating his current body to no effect. Willow, with the assistance of Xander and Buffy, sent him to the next realm. Faith later told Angel in prison that she recalled the Mayor's ghost visiting her using the body of a dead bird while she was in her coma.

Powers and abilities
"You see, I'm what you might call "impervious." Can't be killed, or harmed, in any way."

- Mayor Wilkins to Angel

Before transforming into a demon, Wilkins was a powerful sorcerer who specialized in the dark arts. He had a cabinet full of shrunken heads, bones and supernatural paraphernalia. He became immortal and gained eternal youth thanks to demonic benefactors. After performing the dedication, he could not be harmed in any way for 100 days until the Ascension, and was able to heal from massive injuries immediately.

As the embodiment of the demon Olvikan, he possessed inhuman strength, endurance, and size, endowed with a thick, bone-armored hide, sharp teeth and mandibles, and a spiked tail-club.

Personality


Wilkins had quite a pleasant demeanor. A polite man with an aversion to swearing and bawdy humor, he nearly always wore a smile on his face. He called himself a "family man", though he claimed that he never had any children and his wife, Edna Mae, died resenting him for his youth. He loved The Family Circus, Tollhouse Cookies, and miniature golf, but he disliked Marmaduke, who seemed unsanitary to him. Despite his status as a demon, he was quite friendly. He had a close father-daughter relationship with Faith, and seemed genuinely distraught when she went into a coma. Wilkins' most notable trait was his obsessive hygiene.

However, it was this same parental love for Faith that allowed his darker side to show. When Buffy managed to critically hurt her, Wilkins, in a fit of grief and rage, almost smothered Buffy to death in the hospital (until Angel stopped him, and he tells Angel that "misery loves company" and then refers to Buffy as Angel's "whore" - which Wilkins had never used when referring to Buffy, and ironically didn't know was an example of foul language he habitually steered away from). Buffy was able to bait Wilkins after Ascension into following her by taunting him with the custom knife he had given to Faith as a present, which Buffy had taken.

Behind the Scenes

 * He was portrayed by Harry Groener.


 * In a deleted scene of the series premiere of Firefly, it is learned that the Alliance troops who advanced on the Independents in Serenity Valley were led by General Richard Wilkins. The characters are not related, as Firefly is not part of Whedon's Buffyverse.


 * Harry Groener later starred with Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Julie Benz (Darla), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), James Marsters (Spike),Jack Plotnick (Allan Finch), Amber Benson (Tara Maclay), Amy Acker (Illyria), John Rubenstein (Linwood Murrow) and Felicia Day (Violet) on Supernatural. Additionally,Chad Lindberg (Dave), Jack Conley (Sahjan), Jeff Kober (Rack), Aldis Hodge (Masked Teen), Rob Benedict (Jape), Todd Stashwick (M'Fashnik Demon), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Sam Ryan) appeared in an episode.

Appearances

 * "I Only Have Eyes for You"
 * "Homecoming"
 * "Band Candy"
 * "Lovers Walk"
 * "Gingerbread"
 * "Bad Girls"
 * "Consequences"
 * "Doppelgangland"
 * "Enemies"
 * "Choices"
 * "Graduation Day, Part 1"
 * "Graduation Day, Part 2"
 * "This Year's Girl" (Only in dreams and on video tape)
 * "Lessons"
 * "Touched"
 * No Future for You
 * Tales of the Slayers: The Glittering World
 * Haunted