Joss Whedon Would Have Made Willow Bisexual If Buffy Was Made Today

Willow Rosenberg would be an openly bisexual character if Joss Whedon had the chance to remake Buffy the Vampire Slayer today. Played by Alyson Hannigan, Willow was a lead character for all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the comics, which continued the adventures of Buffy and her friends in print after the series ended production.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons on the now-defunct WB and UPN networks. Viewers watched as the characters grew from awkward teenagers battling the perils of high school on the Hell Mouth to grown adults who had to find their place in the world while shouldering the responsibility of protecting it. It is arguable that one of the characters who went through the most personal development was Willow Rosenberg, starting off as a shy book smart wallflower, who became a powerful, confident witch who at times was stronger than the slayer herself. Another change viewers saw in Willow was her (at the time) shocking romantic relationship with the character of Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) whom she meets in their first year of college in season 4. The move was a surprise for viewers as for the first three seasons of the series, Willow had relationships exclusively with men.

Speaking with Metro UK, series creator Joss Whedon said that some of the ‘confusion’ regarding Willow’s sexuality would be cleared up given the chance for a remake. Willow identified as lesbian for the remainder of the series and Whedon explains this came from the pressure to avoid the relationship with Tara seeming like a phase. “OK, you can’t make Willow bi, you can’t say this is a phase, because that’s what people do to deny their existence,” Whedon says. “So, if I did it now, I’d be like yes she can be bi. Because some people are! But back then it was like, no…we’re not ready for that.”

Willow and Tara were not the first on-screen lesbian couple, or first gay characters on network TV (Will & Grace was in its third season at the time) however the network imposed tight restrictions on the intimacy the couple could express even though there were several intimate scenes between the heterosexual couples of the show. Whedon boldly stood by the relationship despite homophobic backlash from fans and the romance continued until season 6 when Tara was killed by a stray bullet meant for Buffy.

Whedon’s decision to firmly clarify Willow as bisexual is admirable. The term is regularly disregarded or downplayed, even by members of the LGBTQ community. It can often dismiss a person’s identity as a phase, as Whedon said in reference to Willow, or negate genuine relationships. Though some fans were thrilled with the lesbian representation (and the argument that Willow was a lesbian could be made due to the fact she is only in same-sex relationships, even in the comics, after Tara) the firm bisexual identity lets the early relationships of the character remain valid.

Willow experienced her first real relationship with Oz (Seth Green) over seasons two and three and this was important, both as a major story and character arc, as she helped Oz deal with his werewolf side and loved him despite it. It was this that ultimately drove them apart, but it is hard to believe her feelings were not genuine. Despite labels often being harmful, owning your identity is empowering and Whedon’s decision would give Willow that power in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer made today.

Source: Metro UK

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