Summary

• Spike's past behavior and actions on Buffy the Vampire Slayer should make him less revered, as he committed heinous acts and had a history of being a despicable vampire.
• Spike's relationship with Drusilla was disturbing, as it fulfilled his incestuous fantasies and had a twisted dynamic based on inappropriate desires.
• Spike's sacrifice in the series finale meant nothing, as he was resurrected in the Angel season 5 premiere, rendering his act of selflessness and redemption hollow.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave the world some brilliant characters, with Spike being among the most beloved, but the harsh reality is that he was a nasty piece of work. The British vampire went from big bad to champion in his six-season run on the show. However, while Spike made some good decisions on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are many reasons to believe he shouldn't be so revered.

Spike's past behavior made him one of history's most feared and despicable vampires. Even in his time on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the character did things that should be seen as unforgivable. He was certainly an entertaining character, but the general opinion of Spike should be very different from what it is.

10 Spike's Accent Started Terribly

James Marsters received a lot of praise for his British accent. The California native fooled many people, including some Brits, with his performance as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The truth is, it started pretty terribly. In early episodes, such as his first appearance in season 2's "School Hard," Spike's accent is horribly exaggerated and seems like a cheesy parody. It got better, and to the average American even the early accent attempt may have been convincing, but most British viewers know the harsh truth.

9 Spike Did Some Seriously Despicable Things

Spike openly talked about his dark past, including heinous acts like killing children and feeding on disaster victims. It's easy to distance him from that, however, as it was never shown on screen. Still, some of the things he did on the show make it baffling that he's so beloved. Take the Buffybot, for instance. Spike had a robot made for his sexual gratification that looked identical to Buffy. That's vile, but not as horrible as his attempted rape of the real Buffy in the season 6 episode "Seeing Red." Sure, he proceeded to win his soul back as he disgusted himself, but it doesn't change that it happened.

8 Spike's Relationship With Drusilla Was Hideous

Many Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans believe Spike and Drusilla were a better couple than Spike and Buffy. "Sprusilla" had been on-and-off lovers since 1880, when Drusilla sired the aspiring poet. They clearly loved each other in a twisted way, but one thing in particular about their relationship was hideous. When Spike turned his mother into a vampire, she crudely suggested he had always found her sexually attractive. Given that Drusilla told her she was the one who "gave birth to your son," she also sees herself as a mother figure to Spike. Essentially, Spike's relationship with Drusilla appears to fulfill his incestuous fantasies.

7 A Chip Isn't A Soul And Should Never Have Changed Spike's Personality

From the season 4 episode "The Initiative" until season 7's "First Date," Spike lived with a chip in his head containing behavior-modification circuitry. It was implanted by the Initiative and caused him to feel unbearable pain if he attempted to harm a human. Ultimately, it's why Spike began helping Buffy, effectively doubling as a soul. That should never have been the case. Spike is a monster with no soul, and the idea of him being anything other than massively pissed off about the chip is one of the most unbelievable things in a series depicting vampires, ghosts, aliens, werewolves, and demons.

6 Spike Was Proven Considerably Weaker Than Buffy

Throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike and Buffy are depicted as being even as far as their physical attributes are concerned. Their fights often swung in both characters' favor, showing that they're equally capable during physical tussles. That should never have been the case, as one often overlooked yet significant moment proved Buffy's vastly superior strength. In season 5's "The Gift," Anya suggests that Buffy use Olaf's hammer to fight Glory. Spike says the idea won't work, as it's too heavy, but Buffy easily lifts it, and subsequently swings it around effortlessly against Glory. It must be assumed that Spike isn't strong enough to pick the hammer up, unlike Buffy.

5 Spike Allowed Buffy To Treat Him Terribly

Spike is often hyped up as a beacon of masculinity — albeit perhaps of the toxic kind — who won't take any nonsense from anyone. However, the way he allowed Buffy to treat him was pathetic. Since the moment that Spike's obsession with Buffy was revealed in season 4's "Out of My Mind," and especially after they first slept together in season 5's "Smashed," Spike was like Buffy's little lapdog. She used him for sexual gratification, then rejected him several times, and he allowed it. It made him come across as soft and pitiful.

4 Spike's Slayer Kills Were Unimpressive

Spike loves to brag about his infamous killing of two slayers: Xin Rong, whom he killed in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, and Nikki Wood, whom he killed in New York in 1977. However, neither kill was particularly impressive or boast-worthy, with them being opportunistic more than anything. Nikki had Spike pinned down in a subway train, but the train's sudden entry to a dark tunnel allowed Spike to reverse the situation and break her neck. Xin Rong was also besting Spike in a Buddhist temple until an explosion distracted her, allowing Spike to disarm her and bite her neck.

3 Angel Is More Interesting Than Spike

Spike and Angel's rivalry in Buffy the Vampire Slayer canon is over a century old, but it extends into the real world. Fans constantly bicker over who's better, who would win in a fight, and whether Spike or Angel is better suited for Buffy. The harsh reality is Angel is a far more interesting character than Spike — which is probably why he got his own series. Angel is complex, and the difference between him and Angelus is far more contrasted than the difference between Spike with and without a soul. He's deeply afflicted by his past and spent a century making amends for it. Spike just likes hitting things.

2 Buffy Never Loved Spike

There's no easy way to say it, but Buffy did not love Spike. The slayer professed her love for him as he sacrificed himself to save the world in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finale, "Chosen," but Spike's reply of "No you don't, but thanks for saying it" was accurate. Buffy was giving Spike the adulation he'd wished for in his final moments, and she was doing so out of kindness, in recognition of his undeniable selflessness. It was a nice send-off for him and a decent bit of fan service. However, while she did have affection for Spike, Buffy didn't actually love him.

1 Spike's Death Meant Nothing

Spike's sacrifice in "Chosen" was a brilliant ending to the character's story. Having been one of the worst vampires in recorded history, he had gradually improved as an individual. Yes, there were bumps in the road, but from the moment he arrived in Sunnydale, he softened, slowly gravitated toward Buffy and her fight for good, and eventually became a champion. He knew that to fully make amends for his terrible deeds, giving his life for the greater good was required. Yet, in "Conviction," the Angel season 5 premiere episode, Spike was resurrected, canonically just days after his death. It rendered his sacrifice in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's finale utterly hollow.