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This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed.
Spike[src]

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 with the alliance between the Slayer Buffy, 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] Cordelia became Xander's girlfriend and an official member of the Scooby Gang. She left for Los Angeles and joined Angel Investigations.[28]
  • 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.[4] 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[]

The Scooby Gang had a conflicted relationship with their Los Angeles counterparts, the Angel Investigations team, in addition to numerous similarities.

They had similar goals and morals, though the members of A.I. were more willing to kill humans if they considered the situation required it,[68][69][70] while the Scoobies preferred to leave their human enemies alive to face human justice for their crimes.[71] Notably, the Scoobies' enemies were primarily demons and vampires,[13] while Angel Investigations dealt with a lot of evil human enemies, mostly Wolfram & Hart.[72] 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 A.I. in both its first[28] and its final years.[72]

Their combat skills also differed. A.I. regularly employed the usage of firearms,[73][74][70][75] while the Scoobies had a strong distaste for them.[76][77][78] The Scooby Gang was somewhat mystically superior to Angel Investigations, thanks to Willow's magical talent,[79] while Angel Investigations tended to have superior fighters[80] and focus on physical training.[81]

Another key difference between the Scoobies and Angel Investigations was the way their groups operated. A.I. was also somewhat more organized than the Scooby Gang, as they were guided by the Powers That Be and people who contacted them directly about supernatural problems; while the Scooby Gang became aware of their latest threats though patrolling, Giles's studies, or Big Bads looking directly for the Slayer. Operating as a private detective agency, A.I. publicly offered their services and thus were granted a semi-legal reason for their actions; meanwhile, the Scoobies largely remained underground as a vigilante force, with few close people even knowing of their existence, and gained a reputation as troublemakers and even terrorists.[citation needed]

The two groups have met each other on occasion, and regularly keep in contact. Winifred Burkle called Willow for help against Angelus, and Willow was aware of Connor's existence and relation to Angel before meeting him.[79] Additionally, Buffy knew where the original Angel Investigations offices were located and went to confront him there,[82] whereas Willow visited the Hyperion Hotel to inform Angel of Buffy's death. Cordelia also called Willow for advice and tips, when attempting to hack encrypted computer files that Angel had stolen from Wolfram & Hart.[69]

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.[83] Other locales included Rupert Giles's apartment,[6][84] the Magic Box,[84][19] and the Summers' residence.[85][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.[86][87] 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.

List of members[]

The core four[]

Other members[]

Allies[]

Gallery[]

Buffyverse The Scooby Gang article has a Photo Gallery.


Behind the scenes[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "What's My Line? Part One"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Witch"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Long Way Home, Part Two
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "The I in Team"
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The Yoko Factor"
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Living Conditions"
  7. "Goodbye Iowa"
  8. "This Year's Girl"
  9. "Fool for Love"
  10. "Entropy"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "The Harvest"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 "Chosen"
  14. "Prophecy Girl"
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Tabula Rasa"
  16. Last Gleaming, Part Four
  17. Live Through This, Part One
  18. What You Want, Not What You Need, Part Five
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Grave"
  20. "Halloween"
  21. 21.0 21.1 "Anne"
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Bargaining, Part One"
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Lessons"
  24. The Core, Part Five
  25. "Passion"
  26. "Lonely Heart"
  27. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"
  28. 28.0 28.1 "City Of"
  29. "Surprise"
  30. "Wild at Heart"
  31. "New Moon Rising"
  32. Retreat, Part Two
  33. "Faith, Hope & Trick"
  34. "Who Are You?"
  35. "Sanctuary"
  36. No Future for You, Part Four
  37. Last Gleaming, Part Five
  38. New Rules, Part One
  39. Ordinary People
  40. 40.0 40.1 Finale
  41. "The Prom"
  42. "Into the Woods"
  43. Freefall, Part Two
  44. Own It, Part Five
  45. One Girl in All the World
  46. "Family"
  47. "Dead Things"
  48. 48.0 48.1 "Older and Far Away"
  49. "Seeing Red"
  50. "School Hard"
  51. "Pangs"
  52. "Doomed"
  53. "Out of My Mind"
  54. "Grave"
  55. "Just Rewards"
  56. Alone Together Now
  57. Twilight, Part Four
  58. "No Place Like Home"
  59. "Real Me"
  60. "Potential"
  61. New Rules, Part Five
  62. In Pieces on the Ground, Part Five
  63. One Year Later
  64. "Life Serial"
  65. "Never Leave Me"
  66. Predators and Prey
  67. Welcome to the Team, Part Four
  68. "I Fall to Pieces"
  69. 69.0 69.1 "Blind Date"
  70. 70.0 70.1 "Shells"
  71. "Villains"
  72. 72.0 72.1 "Not Fade Away"
  73. "Apocalypse, Nowish"
  74. "Release"
  75. "Lineage"
  76. "Flooded"
  77. 77.0 77.1 "As You Were"
  78. Predators and Prey
  79. 79.0 79.1 "Orpheus"
  80. "First Impressions"
  81. "Billy"
  82. "I Will Remember You"
  83. 83.0 83.1 "Graduation Day, Part Two"
  84. 84.0 84.1 "The Replacement"
  85. "Checkpoint"
  86. The Long Way Home, Part One
  87. Retreat, Part One
  88. "I Robot, You Jane"
  89. "What's My Line? Part Two"
  90. "Becoming, Part Two"
  91. "First Date"
  92. Wolves at the Gate, Part Two
  93. On Your Own, Part One
  94. Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part Two
  95. Welcome to the Team, Part Two
  96. In Pieces on the Ground, Part Three
  97. Own It, Part Five
  98. 98.0 98.1 Day Off (or Harmony in My Head)
  99. Future Shock
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