CREATED BY: Joss Whedon
FIRST APPEARANCE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (movie, 1992)
AREAS OF INFLUENCE: When Buffy staked her first vampire in the campy 1992 movie that bears her name, it looked like her influence wouldn’t go far—but all that changed when she was reincarnated in a TV version five years later. The smart and sassy Buffy the Vampire Slayer brought real depth to television for teens (and adults) and, before its heroine dusted her last baddie, did a whole lot more. Buffy provided the mold for a feminist action hero who spoke in snappy one-liners (which some believe helped shape modern slang) and thought certain vampires, ones with souls, were sexy. Mega-fans who have brought an academic eye to Buffy also helped shape the way pop culture and academia can interact.
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