| The First Evil | |
|---|---|
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer character | |
| First appearance | "Amends" |
| Created by | Joss Whedon |
| Portrayed by | Robia LaMorte Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy Edward Edwards Shane Barach Adam Busch Clare Kramer George Hertzberg Harry Groener Juliet Landau Mark Metcalf Sarah Michelle Gellar Azura Skye Kristine Sutherland James Marsters Danny Strong Amanda Fuller K.D. Aubert Lalaine Carrie Southworth Nathan Fillion |
| Information | |
| Notable powers | Assumes form of anyone that has died. |
The First Evil (also called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the 7th and final season.
A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an incorporeal entity that can assume the form of any person who has died, including vampires and dead persons who have been resurrected. Because of this it appears in various forms over the course of the series depending on who it is appearing to as a method of manipulation. For this reason, the First usually appears as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to the Slayer and her allies, but it also assumes the forms of Warren Mears, Spike, Drusilla and Jonathan Levinson on multiple occasions, among a variety of other forms taken less frequently.
Its only real weakness is that it is non-corporeal, and can therefore not do real physical damage. It is, however, expert at psychological manipulation, and can act through its servants, such as the Bringers, Turok-Han, Caleb or whatever person it can manage to trick.
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The First Evil claims to be the source and embodiment of all that is evil. For technical purposes, the First Evil is neither male, female, demon, nor god; it is a "power". The First is older than demons, even the Old Ones, who themselves existed long before the first humans; it is older than the written word, the Big Bang and transcends all realities and dimensions; it is older than any other evil being and may even be the very first entity ever to have existed. It is said that the First lurked in the darkness long before the universe was even created and shall remain long after the universe ends. Few have heard of it and even fewer believe in its existence.
The entity cannot affect the world on a physical level. Its power lies in its ability to deceive, torment and manipulate others. It can take the form of anyone who has died, (or as an enormous, phantasmic demon with large horns and long, talon-shaped fingers), and it can choose to be seen and heard by just one person or by multiple people. The First has a deep understanding of human nature and it uses this knowledge to drive others to madness, murder and/or suicide.
The First makes its initial appearance in the series as a "monster of the week" that Angel must face in the episode "Amends". It tries to drive the vampire to kill Buffy by reminding him of his "true" nature (Angelus) and it sets about accomplishing this by appearing to him as some of his victims: Daniel, Margaret, Travis and Jenny Calendar. It tells Angel that it is responsible for his return from Hell, a claim that remains unconfirmed, and that Angel can end his sufferings by turning evil again. Angel chooses to kill himself using the sunrise instead. Even though Angel's dusting is not a part of the ideal plan (elimination of the Slayer), the First does not mind because a powerful blow to the forces of Good would still be dealt (elimination of the Shanshu Prophecy candidate).
Buffy's death at the end of season 5 and subsequent resurrection in season 6 caused an irregularity, or glitch, in the Slayer line that the First realizes and uses to eliminate the Slayer line forever. This glitch could have been corrected had Buffy remained dead and not been resurrected at the beginning of season 6. The First planned to use this glitch and kill the Slayer and all the Potential Slayers thus tipping the balance of good and evil completely off tilt. The purpose of this effort is to set up a situation where the First's army outnumbers the humans on Earth and overruns it so that it can gain a corporeal form.
The First appears in the video game Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds as the main antagonist, having helped Ethan Rayne escape from his imprisonment at the hands of the Initiative, and also participating in a battle between the two (or rather, each of their five champions). Buffy, Willow, Xander, Faith, Spike, and Ethan are all transported to the First's dimension (which appears as a version of Sunnydale similar to "Wishverse" created by Anya) against their will.
The First Evil has appeared in 16 canonical Buffyverse episodes:
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