Buffy is my hero. For most of you here, no further explanation is needed. It is simply a given. She is your hero, too. But every now and then a little validation doesn’t hurt either. So imagine my pride when last week Buffy the Vampire Slayer was crowned the best superhero of all time. Fuck yeah! Buffy won the RedEye “Best Superhero Tourney.” The free daily publication by the Chicago Tribune regularly runs online tournaments pitting real and fictional characters against each other for virtual bragging rights.
As we loyal followers of the Buffyverse take a moment to gloat, let me tell you exactly how spectacularly gloat-worthy this win actually was. The Buffster not only survived but dominated five rounds of online voting and took on the biggest superheroes in – and I am in no way exaggerating – the universe. She beat out:
Round One – Thor (easy peasy, dude just has a hammer)
Sweet Sixteen – Batman (her first big test, and she kicked bat boy’s butt)
Elite Eight – Silver Surfer (might as well have been Matthew McConaughey, dude surfs for a living)
Final Four – Superman (Man of Steel meet Mr. Pointy)
Title Match – Spider-Man (his claim to fame: stickiness…you do the math)
She beat Spidey 85 percent to 15 percent. Hundreds of thousands of fans voted, and along the way to the title Buffy knocked off three No. 1 seeds (Batman, Superman, Spider-Man). Can anyone say mandate?
What makes her win all the more impressive is that she beat an array of super-MEN along the way. Out of a field of 32 superheroes, she was one of only six women. Make no mistake, that Buffy is a female is a big part of her hero status. She is the subversive choice among the temples to testosterone. Buffy is a small, young, blonde woman. And, dude, she just kicked all the boys’ asses, not to mention assorted women, vampires, demons, sorcerers, ghosts, trolls, robots, reptile boys…you get the picture.
Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to fight the male-dominated superhero genre, to stop the spread of their sexism and the swell of their misogynistic imagery. She is the Slayer. And she is the best.
10 comments:
Hell yeah!
Amanda
Viva La Buffy!
OMFG YEAH!!! First Gillian's a weekend crush then Buffy wins a big competition....somebody pass me a fan...
xxx
This is how I already knew Buffy transcends all...my 80-something aunt is a huge Buffy fan and got my mom (her baby sis) into Buffy. How cool is that?
I think Xena travels in the same circles. A couple of weeks ago my mom told me she missed having Xena as a regular show to watch on a Saturday.
I figure that if someone doesn't like Buffy it's either because they just don't understand, or they feel threatened. Best character ever, best show ever, and now the best comic ever.
Fantastic! When it comes right down too it Buffy really is the best choice. (and that's not just the fangirl in me talking) She is a very good role model for anyone of any age. I tend to think that matters most in a hero.
Buffy is the best!!! bravo for your article dorothy,loved it!
I feel like the only comment I ever leave here is holy hell she's hot, but it's always true.
I love Buffy! I hate that the show was cancelled. I try to catch it in reruns, but they dont play reruns enough to suit me!
Congrats Buffy!!!
Connie
Man, how cool would it have been to watch those fights! Buffy V Batman would have been soooooo amazing to watch!
By the way, the last picture of Buffy is a good one, yes, but her wooden stake has blood on it... but vampires do not bleed!
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