Editing Buffy Summers (section)

===Television===
Buffy returned in Joss Whedon's television series ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', this time played by [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] for all of the show's [[List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes|144 episodes]]. In season 1 (1997), Buffy begins to accept the responsibilities and dangers of her calling as the Slayer after moving to the small California town of [[Sunnydale]]. She becomes best friends with [[Xander Harris]] ([[Nicholas Brendon]]) and [[Willow Rosenberg]] ([[Alyson Hannigan]]), and meets her new [[Watcher (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Watcher]], the school librarian, [[Rupert Giles]] ([[Anthony Head|Anthony Stewart Head]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vampires.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-rupert-giles/ |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Rupert Giles |publisher=Vampires |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> Together they form the Scooby Gang, and work together to battle [[villain of the week|various supernatural occurrences]] which plague [[Sunnydale High]]. In the season finale, Buffy battles the vampiric villain known as the [[Master (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Master]] ([[Mark Metcalf]]), and is drowned in the process. She is [[CPR|resuscitated]] by Xander and rises to defeat the vampire lord.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/prophecy-girl/episode/12/summary.html |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Prophecy Girl Episode Summary on |publisher=Tv.com |access-date=June 29, 2010 |archive-date=November 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121095627/http://www.tv.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/prophecy-girl/episode/12/summary.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the show's second season (1997–1998), Buffy continues to come to terms with her destiny, finds forbidden love with benevolent vampire [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]] ([[David Boreanaz]]), and clashes with new villains [[Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Spike]] ([[James Marsters]]) and [[Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Drusilla]] ([[Juliet Landau]]). She also meets her Slayer replacement, [[Kendra Young|Kendra]] ([[Bianca Lawson]]), who was called when Buffy was killed by the Master. Kendra is later killed by Drusilla, and the next replacement is seen in season 3. In the episode "[[Surprise (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Surprise]]", Buffy loses her virginity to Angel, an event which triggers the loss of his soul and unleashes his sadistic alter-ego, Angelus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvacres.com/horror_vampires_angelus.htm |title=Horror > Vampires > David Boreanaz as Angelus/Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) |publisher=Tv Acres |access-date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914145538/http://www.tvacres.com/horror_vampires_angelus.htm |archive-date=September 14, 2012 }}</ref> Angelus proceeds to subject the characters to mental and physical torture for the remainder of the season. In the final episode of season 2, Buffy is forced to reveal her identity as the Slayer to her [[Joyce Summers|mother]] ([[Kristine Sutherland]]), and send the newly good Angel to [[hell]] to save the world. She then leaves Sunnydale for Los Angeles in the hopes of escaping her life as the Slayer.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Watcher's Guide, Volume 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|author=Nancy Holder|page=[https://archive.org/details/buffyvampireslay01gold/page/8 8]|isbn=978-0-671-02433-8|date=October 1, 1998|publisher=Gallery Books |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/buffyvampireslay01gold/page/8}}</ref>

Season 3 (1998–1999) sees Buffy reconnect to her calling, her friends, and her family after her departure, as well as make difficult life decisions regarding her relationship with the resurrected Angel. She must also deal with the introduction of rebellious new Slayer [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith]] ([[Eliza Dushku]]), who becomes increasingly destructive and disloyal over the course of the season. In the season finale, Buffy stabs Faith in an attempt to save Angel's life, and leads her classmates into a climactic battle against the demonic [[Mayor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Mayor of Sunnydale]] ([[Harry Groener]]). Angel then leaves Sunnydale in hopes that Buffy can have a more normal life without him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turnto23.com/entertainment/23967453/detail.html |title=Hottest Hollywood Vampire No. 2 – Entertainment News Story – KERO Bakersfield |publisher=Turnto23.com |date=June 28, 2007 |access-date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705035143/http://www.turnto23.com/entertainment/23967453/detail.html |archive-date=July 5, 2010 }}</ref>

In the fourth season (1999–2000), Buffy balances her Slayer duties with her new life as a college student at [[University of California|UC]] Sunnydale. She experiences some difficulty adjusting to college life, and becomes increasingly disconnected from her friends, who all seem to be moving in different directions. Buffy eventually finds a new love interest in the form of [[Riley Finn]] ([[Marc Blucas]]), a soldier in the demon-hunting [[U.S. government|government]] [[task force]] known as The Initiative. She briefly joins forces with Riley's team, until they discover one of the Initiative's experiments, [[Adam (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Adam]] ([[George Hertzberg]]), is creating an army of demon-human hybrids.<ref name="buffyworld1">{{cite web|url=http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/summaries/078_summ.html |title=Buffy : Season 4 : Episode 78 Summary |publisher=BuffyWorld |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> Buffy unites with her friends to defeat Adam in a spell which invokes the power of the [[First Slayer]].<ref name="buffyworld1"/> During ''Buffy'' season 4, Buffy also appears in the first season of spin-off series ''Angel'' (1999–2000), guest starring in the episodes "[[I Will Remember You (Angel)|I Will Remember You]]" and "[[Sanctuary (Angel episode)|Sanctuary]]".

In season 5 (2000–2001), Buffy battles the hell-goddess [[Glorificus|Glory]] ([[Clare Kramer]]), and fully embraces her destiny for the first time. A younger sister named [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] ([[Michelle Trachtenberg]]) mysteriously appears in Buffy's household, her existence having been seamlessly integrated with memories of the other characters. Buffy suffers emotional turmoil throughout this season, including the realization Dawn is not actually her sister,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBX/is_3_7/ai_67718265/?tag=content;col1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711092725/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBX/is_3_7/ai_67718265/?tag=content;col1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |title=Under Michelle's spell – TV actress Michelle Trachtenberg – Interview &#124; Girls' Life &#124; Find Articles at BNET |publisher=Findarticles.com |access-date=June 29, 2010 |first=Kelly |last=White |year=2000 }}</ref> the deterioration of her relationship with Riley,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whedon.info/Marc-Blucas-On-leaving-Buffy.html |title=Marc Blucas – On leaving Buffy – Backstage.com Interview |publisher=Whedon.info |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> the discovery that Spike has fallen obsessively in love with her,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/b17300_buffy_vampire_slayer_hell_yeah.html |title='Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? Hell Yeah! |publisher=FEARnet |date=November 12, 2009 |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> and her mother's death from a [[cerebral aneurysm|brain aneurysm]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buffyguide.com/players/joyce.php |title=Joyce / Kristine Sutherland |publisher=BuffyGuide.com |date=April 17, 1955 |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> She takes control of her destiny and duties, informing the [[Watchers' Council]] that ''they'' work for ''her'', not the other way around; that their job is to supply her with whatever information she requires, immediately and fully.<ref>Episode 5/12, "Checkpoint." First aired January 23, 2001.</ref> While on a quest to learn more about her nature as the Slayer, Buffy is told "death is her gift",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.arts.unimelb.edu.au/refractory/2003/03/06/you-cannot-run-from-your-darkness-who-says-im-running-buffy-and-the-ownership-of-evil-erma-petrova/ |title=Refractory » "'You cannot run from your darkness.' / 'Who says I'm running?': Buffy and the Ownership of Evil" – Erma Petrova |publisher=Blogs.arts.unimelb.edu.au |date=2003-03-06 |access-date=2010-06-29 |archive-date=April 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415094331/http://blogs.arts.unimelb.edu.au/refractory/2003/03/06/you-cannot-run-from-your-darkness-who-says-im-running-buffy-and-the-ownership-of-evil-erma-petrova/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> a message she has difficulty understanding until the episode "[[The Gift (Buffy episode)|The Gift]]", in which she sacrifices herself to save Dawn and the world by diving into Glory's interdimensional portal and closing it.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bite Me! The Unofficial Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer |isbn=978-1-55022-807-6 |publisher=Ecw Press|year=2007 }}</ref>

Season 6 (2001–2002) depicts Buffy's struggle with depression after her friends, believing she was trapped in a [[Hell]] dimension, performed a spell to bring her back from the dead; however, she was actually in [[Heaven]], and feels great loss after being ripped out. Forced to take a mundane and degrading job slinging burgers at the [[fast food restaurant|Doublemeat Palace]] after realizing her family was in financial ruin, she sinks into a deep depression amid feelings of self-loathing and spends much of the season on a downward spiral alienating her friends and family and embarking on a violent sexual relationship with the vampire Spike which leaves neither satisfied and spawns dire consequences for the both of them. Aside from dealing with her emotional and psychological demons in this season, Buffy is continually targeted by a group calling themselves [[Trio (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Trio]] - [[Warren Mears]] ([[Adam Busch]]), [[Andrew Wells]] ([[Tom Lenk]]), and [[Jonathan Levinson]] ([[Danny Strong]]). Initially satisfied with only wreaking havoc for personal gain in Sunnydale, the Trio soon become bent on becoming powerful nemeses to the Slayer. At first, their activities are merely annoying to Buffy and the Scoobies, but Warren's intentions become darker as the season goes on, and by the end Buffy is forced to deal with the Trio as the Slayer, while Andrew and Jonathan must come to grips with Warren's betrayal against them. As the season draws to a close, Buffy is forced to battle her best friend when Willow becomes psychotic with dark magic after Warren shoots and kills Willow's girlfriend [[Tara Maclay|Tara]] ([[Amber Benson]]) and wounds Buffy in the process. Willow then tries to destroy the world to end all suffering, although Xander gets through to her in the end. Buffy then promises to change her self-destructive behavior to be there for her sister.

In the final season of the show (2002–2003), things start to come around for Buffy when Principal [[Robin Wood (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Robin Wood]] ([[D. B. Woodside]]) hires her as a school counselor for the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School and she has repaired her relationships with Dawn and her friends. However, she is also confronted with the threat of the [[First Evil]] and becomes a reluctant leader to the [[Potential Slayers]], who are initially respectful of her, but become increasingly more alienated by her tactics and decisions throughout the season. She unexpectedly becomes emotionally close with Spike, who has sought out his soul in an effort to prove himself to her. In the show's final episode "[[Chosen (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Chosen]]", Buffy shares her power with her fellow Slayers before leading them into an epic battle against an army of [[Turok-Han]] vampires. She also confesses her love to a disbelieving Spike before he sacrifices himself to save the world; as he dies, Buffy escapes Sunnydale's destruction with the surviving characters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabuffyfinalenews.htm |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer News – Series Finale |publisher=Movies.about.com |access-date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219044509/http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabuffyfinalenews.htm |archive-date=February 19, 2011 }}</ref>

Following the end of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', the character maintains a presence in the fifth season of ''Angel'' (2003–2004), but does not appear onscreen. In the episode "[[The Girl in Question]]", Angel and a resurrected Spike travel to [[Rome]] to find her, where they learn she is apparently now dating the [[The Immortal (Angel character)|Immortal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/angel/the-girl-in-question/episode/276677/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary |title=Angel: The Girl in Question Episode Summary on |publisher=Tv.com |access-date=June 29, 2010 |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203024556/http://www.tv.com/angel/the-girl-in-question/episode/276677/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sarah Michelle Gellar was approached to appear as Buffy in ''Angel''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[You're Welcome (Angel episode)|one hundredth episode]], but declined, so the character of [[Cordelia Chase]] ([[Charisma Carpenter]]) was used instead. She was asked to appear in the second to last episode of the series, "[[Power Play (Angel)|Power Play]]", but had to decline due to outside conflicts.<ref name=DavidFury>Jozic, Mike, "[http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html Week 6; David Fury]" ''Mikejozic.com'' (September 2004)</ref>

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, the series would have focused upon Buffy (voiced by [[Giselle Loren]]) in more high-school adventures. Following a 2008 [[internet leak|leak]] of the pilot to YouTube, Loeb expressed some hope 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=September 5, 2008|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|date=August 26, 2008|work=[[MTV|MTV Movies Blog]]|publisher=MTV.com}}</ref>