So I was having this conversation today about the role of the slayer in vampire mythology (don’t ask – many of my daily conversations end up supernaturally related) and the conversation took a turn when I started to speculate on what would happen if Buffy came out of nowhere and slayed our sparkly, romantic Edward. It was very entertaining as a visualization, let me tell you!
Anyway, during this conversation we were discussing the role of the hero and whether or not it pays to put the effort into being one. It takes a lot of work to become the hero, not only is there physical training but you must also learn the information (folklore usually) you need to defeat the villain, as well, it usually involves some kind of emotional gutting – losing one’s family or friends, physical pain and injury, etc. We were also talking about whether or not the hero is truly good – is it black and white any more or are we okay with a villain who can sometimes be good and a hero who can sometimes be evil? I mean, the hero has to have an element of evil in them to be able to murder/destroy another creature even if that creature is inherently evil.
So back to my fantasy. If, for all intents and purposes, Buffy is considered the hero as the slayer, you know, using her powers to kill those nasty, evil vampires – then what would happen if she slayed someone in the vampire race whom we consider a hero also? What if she killed him purely because she sensed a vampire and, as it is her duty to slay them, does so without asking any questions or getting any background information first? What about Blade for that matter? He wouldn’t give a crap about Edward's motives or lifestyle – vampire = dead in his world. So does the slayer then turn into the villain?
Personally I would say no – but I’m partial to the fantasy of beheading Edward - what do you all think? If Buffy or Blade beheaded a beloved vampire character because they were acting on their own slayer instinct, would you demonize them for it?
