The Intriguing World of Buffy's Vengeance Demons

Buffy's Vengeance Demons: A Closer Look

Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured many villains and supernatural creatures over its seven-season run, and although Vengeance Demons never became a Big Bad on the show, they were mentioned many times after Anya became one of the series' main characters.

Emma Caulfield smiling as Anya in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Throughout Buffy the Vampire's seven seasons, Buffy dealt with many monster-of-the-week storylines, which meant facing vampires and other evil creatures, including Vengeance Demons. Some monsters were more dangerous than others, while others became allies.

Emma Caulfield as Anya Holding a Sword in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7

Vengeance Demons were important in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer world, because of Anya, a former Vengeance Demon who was part of Buffy's Scooby Gang, and became a main character on the show. Anya helped Buffy with many of her missions, and her origin story as a Vengeance Demon was one of the most interesting plots.

Andy Umberger and Emma Caulfield as D'Hoffryn and Anya in "Selfless" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The coming-of-age TV series reached cult icon status, growing into a franchise, with the spinoff series Angel, novels, video games, and comics known as the Buffyverse.

Halfrek burning after D'Hoffryn set het on fire in

The Origin Of Vengeance Demons

The first time Buffy the Vampire Slayer mentioned Vengeance Demons was in season 3, episode 9, 'The Wish,' with Anya's first appearance. However, their origin precedes the events of the show.

Emma Caulfield as Anya in Buffy the Vampire Slayer next to an image of her Vengeance Demon form

Vengeance Demons grant humans in need their deepest wishes. They are not part of the regular world, and instead, they come from a hell dimension called Arashmaharr. This alternate world is ruled by the Lower Being D'Hoffryn, the creator of the Vengeance demons, who is one himself.

Andy Umberger as D'Hoffryn in Selfless in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

D'Hoffryn had the power to create more Vengeance Demons by appearing before desperate humans who wished to get revenge on the people who scorned them, turning them into demons.

Andy Umberger as D'Hoffryn talking with Anya (Emma Caulfield) next to him in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Anya spent over a millennium granting dark wishes to scorned women, as Vengeance demons have a unique form of immortality. They can live forever, and they age very slowly, if they age at all. However, they can be killed. All Vengeance Demons centered their power on an object, usually a necklace.

How A Vengeance Demon Works

There were many huge reveals in the Buffy sequel, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson, which said a Vengeance Demon cannot have a body until it has bonded with a human being. The Audible novel is considered the direct sequel to season 7, reuniting several Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast members and following the story of the vampire Spike.

Emma Caulfield and Nicholas Brendan as Anya and Xander at their wedding in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It was when it was bonded that a Vengeance Demon became evil and immortal. This installment confirmed that Vengeance Demons maintain the human appearances of the people they were before D'Hoffryn turned them into demons. The same episode revealed that they do retain a soul, unlike vampires.

However, once the transformation is done, Vengeance Demons' true faces are heavily wrinkled or decayed, and their appearances vary.

Emma Caulfield as Anya crying in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

How Anya Became Human Again

Anya Jenkins, previously known as Anyanka in her Vengeance Demon form, became a human again through a series of events. In 'The Wish,' an alternate version of Giles stripped her of her demonhood and forced her to become a human after destroying her power center: her amulet called the Symbol of Anyanka.

Andy Umberger as D'Hoffryn talking to Willow (Alyson Hannigan) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Since then, Anya tried her hardest to return to being a Vengeance Demon, to no avail. Although she enjoyed her work for over a millennium, the key elements that led to Anya's humanization had to do with her interactions with the Scooby Gang — particularly Xander Harris.

Nicholas Brendan as Xander proposing to Emma Caulfield as Anya in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Anya and Xander's relationship made her question the morality of her actions, and she started to have doubts about the consequences of her job. She slowly became more human throughout their relationship. Over the course of the series, Anya struggled to understand humans and their emotions, and she almost always said the wrong thing.

Anya (Emma Caulfield) looking at Halfrek burning with D'Hoffryn (Andy Umberger) next to her in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

However, after her breakup with Xander at the altar, Anya briefly returned to her old ways. She became so caught up with humans, and her human side had flourished, making the demon weaker. Because of this, she could no longer do the job without having any feelings. She offered to sacrifice herself in 'Selfless' after killing a bunch of frat boys but failed, with D'Hoffyrin killing Hafrek to teach her a lesson. However, Anya ended up dying in the finale, sacrificing herself for humankind.

How Powerful Is A Vengeance Demon?

The Buffyverse's Vengeance Demons were very powerful and immortal, but they didn't have unlimited powers. They never became a Big Bad on the show, but some appeared throughout the seasons, like D'Hoffryn and Halfrek.

Vengeance Demons possessed supernatural abilities, and most of them had skills related to their chosen area of expertise. Their main power lied in wish granting. However, that power came with a hidden twist, as the wishes were often very literal, causing chaos and harm — and they didn't always give the wish-maker what they wanted. Vengeance Demons also couldn't grant wishes for themselves.

Although they weren't the most powerful villains that appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vengeance Demons boasted superhuman strength. They were able to knock out opponents and lift impressive weight, holding their own against powerful beings, including the Slayer. They were able to shapeshift to hide their true face, as well as use teleportation and telekinesis. And one of their most powerful features was their ability to show true empathy. They were able to get people to trust them before manipulating them into making a wish, proving that Vengeance Demons were not to be overlooked in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.