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Note: This article is about the Willow from the 2019 comic series. For other uses, see Willow.
Btvs The subject of this article is of alternative canonicity.
While created as part of licensed material, it is not part of the original Buffyverse, but its own developed story.
Angelwings

Willow Rosenberg was a Sunnydale High School student,[1] a powerful witch,[2] and member of the Scooby Gang[3] in the universe without shrimp.[4]

Biography[]

Scooby Gang[]

Willow grew up in Sunnydaleand had Alexander Harris as her best friend since childhood. By 2019, she had been open about her identity as a lesbian[1] and was in a relationship with Rose Martinez, another student at Sunnydale High.[5]

One night, after eating at Tunaverse with Xander, they were attacked by a vampire, but classmate Buffy Summers dusted him. Grateful for having saved their lives, Willow invited her to hang out, where they talked about the reality of the supernatural and Buffy's identity as the Slayer.[1]

Buffy's Watcher and school librarian Rupert Giles soon requested Willow's help to bring him a magic charm to return the Camazotz to his dormant state. As she and Xander arrived at the scene, the two were able to assist Buffy in her fight against the vampires Drusilla and Spike.[6] Since then, the four of them formed a vampire hunting team dubbed the Scooby Gang, training and patrolling together but maintaining this a secret even from Rose.[3]

Half soul[]

In the morning after going to the movies with a group of friends, Willow was called again by Giles, who requested her to go with Buffy to his home. There, he gave them the news that Xander had been lured into a trap by Drusilla and Spike and was turning into a vampire. The only way to suppress his demon would be with the artifact Anima Colligationem,[7] that Buffy and Willow went after on the same day.[8]

A translated map brought them deep into a forest to the Siphon, who demanded a sacrifice from Willow in exchange for the soul stone: half of her own. Willow promptly accepted, and she soon coughed the soul tie.[8] This allowed Xander to become "half human" and resume his daily routine, but the event was not without consequences, as Willow had difficulty dealing with the trauma of her own. While a lock of her red hair grew dark, Willow had nightmares of her dark side talking to her about being the part she sacrificed, ending with herself killing it. She kept this a secret from Giles, but she had support from Xander, who was nonetheless grateful for his second chance.[9]

While Drusilla activated Sunnydale's Hellmouth, Willow skipped the Halloween school dance to stay home, where she floated above a pentagram and candles with objects flying around her.[10] Willow had been studying witchcraft in secret, and the apocalyptic event made Willow grow indifferent to the mundane world. Her behavior changed as well, as she rebelled against the pressure to continue being her past self, acting distant and even rude to those around her. Rose confronted her about her actions and mentioned having heard about her secret involvement with weird things, about the fight with the Camazotz. When Rose asked what she did feel then, Willow decided she needed some space.[11]

As the Hellmother's power over the men of Sunnydale grew, the army attempted to break into the Tunaverse, where Rose and Cordelia became stuck. Anyanka guided Willow, Xander, and Kendra inside the restaurant, where a battle to contain the oncoming men began. However, only Willow's magic powers would be able to stop them. While Willow's power consumed her, Anya explained that it was due to the soul tie having left her struggling between two worlds. Only Xander could reverse it, so he sacrificed his soul back to her. As the army of men fell, Willow and the remaining Scoobies flew off on the Camazotz away from the Tunaverse, but Xander was not among them.[12]

The Camazotz flew Willow, Rose, Cordelia, Kendra, and Anya into the Hellmouth, where Buffy was facing the Hellmother and an army of demons. While a battle ensued, Willow worked her magick powers into exorcising the Hellmother from Angel. As she was successful, the Hellmother attempted to attack Willow, Buffy went to protect her friend and finally defeated the creature.[13]

Finding herself[]

Grieving for Xander's absence, Willow decided to accept a study abroad program that would take a few months. She told Buffy she loved her but needed to do this on her own to look after herself.[13] Willow went to England, where she expected to meet "some cool British witches," but she became disappointed when they were disinterested in what she had to contribute when they talked about the Hellmouth.[2]

Willow soon returned to Sunnydale, but decided not to tell anyone; instead, she emptied her bank account to buy a bus ticket to any town she could. After losing her bus at a gas station stop, Willow found the town of Abhainn.[2] Willow felt strangely belonging and welcomed in Abhainn, in special by the older woman Aelara, and discovered that the place was only composed of witches like her.[14]

Willow spent her time in town working with the other witches and studying witchcraft with Aelara. However, Willow met a girl trying to escape the town, and Aelara told Willow she couldn't leave either:[15] the witches were strong by sharing their strength and surviving together. A vision of Xander appeared to Willow and sent birds to fight Aelara, but Willow went to help her from the attack. Willow told Aelara that she would come back whenever she was needed, but then she had to return to her friends. They hugged, and Willow took a bus back to Sunnydale.[16]

Back to Sunnydale[]

In Sunnydale, Willow finally reunited with her friends. Giles gave her a book on magic that had been Jenny's, who was currently missing. Willow used it to astral project and find Jenny, only to discover that Xander wasn't dead[17] and was keeping the teacher captive. With him able to see Willow's projection, she told him to prove he wasn't evil without a soul and free Jenny.[18] He did so the following night.[19]

Anya gave Willow a necklace with the promise that she would restore Xander if she used it.[19] She wore the amulet from then on, and Anya eventually activated it, dominating Willow's dark powers to prevent Xander from performing a ritual in Sunnydale High. After the darkened witch attacked Xander,[20] Willow retook control of herself and went after him, with time only to witness the newest Slayer Faith stake her childhood friend. In her grief, Willow couldn't believe Xander was gone, and she opened a portal to an alternative universe to find him.[21]

Multiverse crisis[]

Anya saw that Willow opened "the wrong door to the wrong universe," where lurkers would hunt Willow and the Scoobies that followed her for being in the wrong place. Instead, Anya had expected Willow would open a closer one to get the attention of Silas, "the multiverse man." In the parallel universe, Buffy found Willow crying for having seen that universe's Xander alive and well, and the witch apologized for the dangerous way she had acted. Together, they returned home with shrimp taco, tasting the unheard food for the first time.[22]

After the incident, Willow still saw lurkers following her,[23] and she began training her magick abilities with the warlock Ethan Rayne. In one of their sessions, Silas appeared to Willow and threatened to find her again.[24] To deal with Silas and his oncoming lurkers, the Scoobies prepared a plan to assemble an army of Slayers from the multiverse,[25] with Willow opening the portals to call them to the fight.[26]

In the battle against Silas, Willow used her portal abilities to summon the new allies[27] and lure the lurkers into the Hellmouth, damaging Silas with their deaths. With Silas taking the memories of Giles, Anya, Ethan, and Buffy,[28] Willow resorted to her dark powers to break multiple lurkers at once, her previous training allowing her to control her darkness. She then opened various portals around Silas, with Slayers rapidly injuring him from various directions. With Buffy's eventual recovery, the Slayer beheaded Silas, killing him. In their commemoration, Buffy announced that Willow was voted MVP of Operation Slayerverse.[29]

Willow had a date with Tara in a diner, but Willow had to leave when she saw Buffy through the window fighting vampires. After defeating them, Willow watched the sunrise with Buffy, Faith, and Kendra at the cemetery, while her cell phone buzzed with a message from Tara.[30]

Personality and traits[]

Willow was a gentle, intelligent, and caring person. Albeit with some insecurities, she displayed notable confidence. She was openly lesbian and showed an interest in witchcraft as soon as she learned about the existence of the supernatural.[1]

After giving up half of her soul to save Xander, Willow fell into a state of depression and existential crisis. No longer feeling joy in her usual activity, she worried if she could ever feel it again. This culminated in a strange dream where she faced what she perceived was a darker version of herself, eventually violently killing this manifestation of herself.[9] While she began to grow happier, it was clear something dark had awakened in her.

While beginning to grow bored of her normal world, Willow immersed herself in witchcraft and pushed away interaction with her companions.[9] This resulted in her taking a break from her relationship with Rose. While showing more selfish traits,[11] she was still a loyal friend who would put her life on the line for those she loved. This was proven when she put her fears aside and used her magic to fight against the Hellmother's hive.[12]

Powers and abilities[]

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Willow unleashes dark magicks against the hivemind.

In the night she discovered the supernatural, Willow soon asked about the existence of witches.[1] When she offered half of her soul to Xander, the Siphon noted that Willow had "a good spirit... and a soul big enough for two," that she was "capable of many things," but such a rift in her could cause "great darkness."[8]

The event indeed left marks on Willow beyond a black hair lock; she grew unquiet with cryptic dreams,[9] began studying witchcraft in secrecy,[11] and was affected by the activation of the Hellmouth during a spell.[10]

According to Anyanka, the soul tie left both Xander and Willow between two worlds and, just like the half-vampire, Willow struggled with another part of herself. She displayed great power when she successfully protected her friends from an entire army of men controlled by the Hellmother, floating and shooting them with magicks. As such power cost her own well-being, her anguish ended when Xander returned her soul.[12] Willow later proved her talent in witchcraft when she was able to purge the Hellmother from Angel.[13]

After her training with the witches of Abhainn[15] and the warlock Ethan,[24] Willow utilized her innate talents in witchcraft[8] to use magical energy for a variety of effects and purposes, including generating magical energy bolts[12][20] and force fields,[30] astral projection,[17][18][19] telekinesis,[29] telepathy,[citation needed] illusion casting,[citation needed] foresight,[citation needed] portal creation,[21][26][27][28][30] healing,[citation needed] and levitation.[28] She also excelled at spell casting[16] and could access the dark and light arts at will.[29]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

References[]

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