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Xander Harris
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==Appearances== ===Television=== [[File:Xander Harris (season one).jpg|thumb|left|187px|Xander, as he appeared during the first season.]] Xander Harris is introduced in season 1's (1997) two-part premiere "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]"/"[[The Harvest (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Harvest]]". Xander meets Buffy Summers (Gellar), the Slayer, on her first day at [[Sunnydale High]], as well as her Watcher [[Rupert Giles]] ([[Anthony Head]]). While in the library, he secretly listens in on a and conversation between Buffy and Giles in which she identifies herself as the Slayer. After his friend Jesse ([[Eric Balfour]]) is made a [[vampire (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|vampire]], Xander accidentally kills him, resulting in him resenting vampires. Xander and his best friend Willow (Hannigan) become Buffy's reliable sidekicks. He pines for Buffy's romantic affection, oblivious to Willow's affections for him, and distrusts Buffy's boyfriend, the ensouled vampire [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]] ([[David Boreanaz]]). In the season finale, "[[Prophecy Girl]]", Xander saves Buffy's life by administering [[CPR]] after she is drowned by [[Master (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|the Master]] ([[Mark Metcalf]]). In season 2 (1997β1998), Xander begins a turbulent and ambiguous relationship with popular girl Cordelia Chase (Carpenter) after they are thrown together in several life-or-death situations. He tells Willow that she is his best friend but that he has no romantic feelings for her, to Willow's dismay. Xander is briefly turned into a soldier in the episode "[[Halloween (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Halloween]]", and retains extensive military knowledge and training thereafter; in "[[Innocence (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Innocence]]", this knowledge proves essential to helping Buffy defeat a demon known as The Judge who had been believed practically invincible. In times, Xander gradually honed his fighting capabilities after a chain of events against supernatural and human threats. When Cordelia decides she needs to break up to preserve her social status, Xander coerces witch [[Amy Madison]] ([[Elizabeth Anne Allen]]) to cast a love spell, which misfires; Cordelia is unaffected but, seeing how much Xander loves her, reunites with him in defiance of her former friends, in "[[Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered]]". The episode "[[Go Fish (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Go Fish]]" focuses on Xander, after he joins the swim team to investigate the disappearances of Sunnydale High swimmers. In the season finale "[[Becoming (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Becoming, Part Two]]", Xander decides not to tell Buffy about Willow's plan to re-ensoul Angel—who has lost his soul, reverted to his vampire persona Angelus, and is going to bring about the [[apocalypse]]— so that she will not hesitate to kill him in order to save the world. Buffy is surprised and grief-stricken when Angel regains his soul moments before she must kill him. Season 3 (1998β1999) begins with Xander and his friends slaying demons since Buffy ran away to Los Angeles. Some time after Buffy's return, Xander sees Angel and Buffy together and rushes to tell Giles of Angel's return in [[Revelations (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|"Revelations"]]. Xander and the others confront Buffy, angry that she concealed Angel's return. While still angry, Xander tells Faith that Angel is alive. When Faith decides to slay Angel, Xander is eager to join her. When Cordelia catches Xander kissing Willow in "[[Lovers Walk]]", she dumps him. They ultimately part as friends, although only after an extended period of mutual antagonism. "[[The Zeppo]]" is a comedic episode focusing on Xander: the episode begins with Cordelia mocking him as a "loser", which upsets him. A solo adventure begins when the rest of the Scoobies insist he stay away from the dangerous fight with the Sisterhood of Jhe; he borrows his uncle's [[classic car]], loses his virginity to mentally unstable rogue Slayer [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith]] ([[Eliza Dushku]]), and single-handedly stops a band of zombies from destroying Sunnydale High School. His calm handling of the incident significantly enhances his self-confidence and, when again mocked by Cordelia, is unperturbed. Xander takes Anya (Caulfield), formerly vengeance demon Anyanka, to his [[prom]] in "The Prom", and his retained military training proves useful in defeating the evil [[Mayor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Mayor]] ([[Harry Groener]]) in season finale "[[Graduation Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Graduation Day]]". In season 4 (1999β2000), Xander's feelings of inferiority and isolation increase, as he has not enrolled in college with his friends. Outside the core group, Xander strengthens his relationship with Anya and the two eventually fall in love. In the season 4 climax "[[Primeval (Buffy episode)|Primeval]]", Xander becomes the "Heart" in the spell, which conjoins him with Buffy, Willow and Giles to defeat [[Adam (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Adam]] ([[George Hertzberg]]), a part-demon, part-human [[cyborg]] monster. Finale episode "[[Restless (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Restless]]" delves into the characters' psyches through [[dream sequence]]s; Xander's dream involves his erotic attraction to [[Joyce Summers|Buffy's mom]] ([[Kristine Sutherland]]), Willow and her girlfriend [[Tara Maclay|Tara]] ([[Amber Benson]]), his fear of his abusive father, and features a re-enactment of 1979 film ''[[Apocalypse Now]]''. In season 5 (2000β2001), Xander matures. He becomes a carpenter and construction worker, and moves into his own apartment with Anya. He comes under the thrall of [[Count Dracula|Dracula]] in premiere episode "[[Buffy vs. Dracula]]", becoming his [[Renfield]]. The episode "[[The Replacement (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Replacement]]" focuses on the two aspects of Xander: the emotionally sensible, driven man, and the comedic buffoon. Xander-centric episode "[[Triangle (Buffy episode)|Triangle]]" sees him defend Willow and Anya equally from Anya's ex-boyfriend [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters|Olaf the Troll]] ([[Abraham Benrubi]]) when ordered to choose between them. In the season finale, he asks Anya to marry him, and in the final battle he uses a [[wrecking ball]] to assist Buffy in defeating the season's villain, hell-goddess [[Glorificus|Glory]] ([[Clare Kramer]]). In season 6 (2001β2002), Xander and his friends resurrect Buffy, who had sacrificed herself to close the portal between dimensions opened by Glory. This has consequences; Buffy sinks into [[Depression (mood)|depression]]. Xander's doubts about his future with Anya are expressed when he summons the all-singing demon [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Sweet|Sweet]] ([[Hinton Battle]]), in the musical episode "[[Once More, with Feeling (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Once More, with Feeling]]". A demon exploits these fears in "[[Hell's Bells (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Hell's Bells]]"; Xander leaves Anya heartbroken at the altar, and she resumes working as a vengeance demon. In [[Grave (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|the season finale]], when a grief-stricken Willow tries to end the world, only Xander's compassion and love for her is able to stop that apocalypse. In season 7 (2002β2003), when Buffy's little sister [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] ([[Michelle Trachtenberg]]) mistakenly believes herself to be a Potential Slayer, Xander empathizes with her disappointment over not being the one in the spotlight, in "[[Potential (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Potential]]". Season 7 episode "[[Conversations with Dead People]]" is the only ''Buffy'' episode in which Xander does not appear. In the episode "[[Dirty Girls (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Dirty Girls]]", Xander's left eye is gouged out by the evil preacher [[Caleb (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Caleb]] ([[Nathan Fillion]]), and he begins wearing an eyepatch. Though he and Anya get back together, in the series finale, "[[Chosen (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Chosen]]", Anya is killed by a [[Bringers of the First Evil|Bringer]]'s sword. [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]] ([[Tom Lenk]]), the only witness to her death, tells him Anya died saving his life. Xander responds, "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing." Though Brendon does not portray Xander again subsequent to "Chosen", the ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' episode "[[Damage (Angel)|Damage]]" (2004) mentions that Xander is in [[Africa]], recruiting newly activated Slayers for Buffy's team. Between 2001 and 2004, Joss Whedon and [[Jeph Loeb]] developed a 4-minute pilot episode for ''[[Buffy the Animated Series]]'', which was set during the show's first season. Had the series been picked up by a network, it would have featured Xander (voiced by Nicholas Brendon) in more adventures set during ''Buffy'''s first season. Following a 2008 [[internet leak|leak]] of the pilot to [[YouTube]], Loeb expressed some hope that the series may be resurrected in some form.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/08/26/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-animated-series-to-be-resurrected/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828141315/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/08/26/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-animated-series-to-be-resurrected/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 28, 2008|title='Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Animated Series To Be Resurrected?|access-date=2008-09-05|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|date=2008-08-26|work=[[MTV|MTV Movies Blog]]|publisher=MTV.com}}</ref> ===Literature=== [[Image:longwaycover03.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Xander along with Buffy in the comic book continuation ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight''.]]Concurrent with the television series, Xander appears in [[canon (fiction)|canonical]] tie-ins to the television series. Xander appears in most ''Buffy'' comics and novels (those set within Buffy's Sunnydale years), and is the featured character of several. ''The Xander Years, Vol 1.'' and ''Vol. 2'' for instance are each novelization of three key Xander episodes from the show's first three seasons, spanning "[[Teacher's Pet (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Teacher's Pet]]" to "The Zeppo". The 2004 comic "Antique" depicts Xander resuming his position as Dracula's loyal manservant at the vampire's Translyvanian castle for several months, before Buffy and two new Slayers rescue Xander.<ref>"[[Tales of the Vampires]] #3, "Antique" (2004)</ref> Subsequently, the character appears three years later in the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]'' series of comic books. Xander appears from the premiere issue, "[[The Long Way Home (Buffy comic)|The Long Way Home]]" (2007) by Joss Whedon. In ''Season Eight'', Xander leads the Slayers and operates their central command in Scotland; Buffy describes him as her unwilling "[[Watcher (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Watcher]]". Xander invites comparison to [[Marvel Comics]]' character [[Nick Fury]]. Xander's new relationship with Slayer [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#RenΓ©e|RenΓ©e]] is cut short when she is killed in "[[Wolves at the Gate]]" (2008) by Drew Goddard. Goddard's story is also a continuation to "Antique"; Xander ends his friendship with Dracula. In [[Jane Espenson]]'s "[[Retreat (Buffy comic)|Retreat]]" story arc (2009), as Buffy begins to realize she has developed a romantic attraction to Xander, she discovers his newfound romantic relationship with Dawn; Xander had previously been her confidante throughout ''Season Eight''. Buffy tries to explain her feelings to Xander in Joss Whedon's "Turbulence" (2010), though he dismisses these feelings as her need for stability; Xander admits to Buffy, that he truly loves Dawn. In its final arc, "[[Last Gleaming]]" (2011), Xander witnesses a possessed Angel kill Giles in the ruins of Sunnydale, as well as Buffy's destruction of the source of all magic. Subsequently, he and Dawn settle down and move to San Francisco, where they allow Buffy to stay with them while she waitresses and hunts vampires by night. In the follow-up comic book, ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine]]'' (2011β14), Buffy has moved out of Xander and Dawn's home, and they have less contact with her than before. Following the events of ''Season Eight'', Xander struggles to control his anger. In "Welcome to the Team" (2012–13), Dawn falls ill and begins to die as a result of magic's absence. What's more, the world, including Xander and Buffy, is slowly forgetting she ever existed. In "The Watcher" (2013), the season's villains, mystical 'Siphon' [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Severin|Severin]] and rogue Slayer [[List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters#Simone Doffler|Simone]] persuade Xander to assist them in their plot to turn back time and avert Twilight. In the final arc, "The Core," Xander supplies them with information from an ancient tome on vampires Buffy owns. Acting on the same information, Buffy and Willow decide that the Deeper Well in England—a prison for [[Old Ones (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|ancient demons]]—may contain enough magic to save Dawn, and Xander travels with them. While entering the Well, Xander confesses his betrayal to Buffy and informs her of Severin's plan to use the magic in the Well to turn back time, which could destroy the universe. He stands beside Buffy when they discover Simone's ulterior motive for entering the Well; she has allowed herself to be sired by the very demon which created the first vampire, transforming herself into a powerful vampire/Slayer hybrid. During battle in the Well Severin dies as he explodes with power. The energy is absorbed by the new Seed of Wonder Willow had created, restoring magic to the world. Buffy dusts Simone and Willow returns everyone to San Francisco and saves Dawn with magic and Buffy's blood. Xander thinks Dawn feels different and is guiltily convinced she somehow knows about his betrayal, despite Buffy forgiving him and telling him he is being too hard on himself. In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten]]'' (2014β16), Xander has more of a starring role, and the first arc, "New Rules," is co-written by his former portrayer, Nicholas Brendon. Following ''Season Nine'', Xander and Dawn's relationship is strained. Xander, wracked with guilt, is convinced something is odd about her, and has begun talking to possibly hallucinated visions of his ex-girlfriend Anya. He does not know, as Dawn later confesses to Buffy, that she is experiencing intense emotional anguish from reliving her entire life at the moment Willow brought her back. When Dracula rolls in to town to help the Slayer combat the threat of new, more powerful vampires with powers like his, Xander slips back into the manservant role and confesses to Dawn that he knows she does not really love him, which Dawn tearfully admits is true. After Xander is freed from Dracula's influence Dawn admits the truth of her emotional state to him and they agree to end their relationship. However, Xander pledges he will get Dawn to fall in love with him once again. ===Video games=== Xander appears in [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer video games|video games based on ''Buffy'']]. Brendon lent his voice for Xander in the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox)|2002 ''Buffy'' game]] for [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and the multi-console 2003 video game ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds]]'', in which Xander is a playable character. In the 2002 game, Xander is not a playable character, but Buffy can acquire weapons from him over the course of the game. ''Chaos Bleeds'' is set in season 5 of the television series; in Xander's levels, he is sent to an alternate universe. After the level at Sunnydale High, he has to do battle with an alternate universe Anyanka, the level's [[boss (video gaming)|boss]]; a magical tophat that releases rabbits evens their playing field slightly. Following the level at the zoo featured in "[[The Pack (Buffy episode)|The Pack]]", Buffy battles against an evil alternate reality version of Giles, styled "Ripper". ''Chaos Bleeds'' prompted prequel comic books published by Dark Horse and a novelisation, which treats it as a "lost" episode of season 5.
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