Xander’s Top 5 (Least Talked About) Best Moments

Buffy the Vampire Slayer sadly lost another member of its alumni, after the untimely death of Michelle Trachtenberg (who played Buffy’s younger sister ‘Dawn’) in February 2025. 

On March 20^th 2026, the death of Nicholas Brendon was reported; he was only 54. After Buffy’s finale, Brendon remained a controversial figure among fans, with his much-publicised problems with substance abuse, alcohol, and alleged domestic abuse. 

Brendon’s most famous character, Xander Harris, is also mired in controversy within the Buffy-verse. What some fans may refer to as ‘Xander-slander,’; Buffy’s male best friend has been called out in recent years for his sexism, jealousy, and general pettiness. But, to mark Brendon’s passing, That’s My Entertainment presents: Xander’s Top 5 (Least Discussed) Best Moments!

5. Standing up to Angelus in the hospital…

In Season 2 Episode 18 ‘Killed By Death’, Buffy is convalescing in the hospital with a particularly powerful strain of flu (powerful enough to knock out a superhero, clearly). At this time, Angel has lost his soul after he and Buffy had sex for the first time. Xander has taken it upon himself to guard Buffy’s hospital room while she is incapacitated. To protect her from the evil Angelus, who wants to psychologically torture her (and probably physically as well). 

This is particularly gallant of Xander, as he has no superpowers (something that is brought up a lot over the course of the series), and Angelus is a newly soulless vampire. Of course, Angelus appears at the hospital one evening. Xander goes toe-to-toe with Angelus as the vampire mocks him about Xander still being in love with Buffy while Angelus “…got there first.” 

Xander doesn’t back down and even challenges Angelus, which is particularly brave (or stupid) as Angelus is a 244-year-old vampire and Xander is a mere human. It’s touching how Xander will put himself (…and the other people in the hospital) in harm’s way in order to protect Buffy.

4. The only one to apologize to Buffy post-resurrection…

Buffy is rather irresponsibly (to say the least) resurrected in the premiere of Season 6. This, as you can imagine, leaves her a bit worse for wear after having to dig herself out of her own grave whilst still waiting for her eyesight to return to normal.

In Episode 2 ‘Bargaining, Part 2’, the Scooby Gang (Xander, Willow, Tara, and Anya) find the visibly shaken and dishevelled Buffy cowering in an alley. Obviously, everyone is upset by seeing their slayer and friend appear so traumatised. This is probably the first time they appreciate the consequences of resurrecting someone. 

Xander, who is often accused of being stupid and thoughtless, is the only one out of the group of two witches and one ex-demon who realises that Buffy had dug her way out of her grave, which they had carelessly left her in. I mean, seriously, did no one think to bring shovels? During the scene, Xander is clearly upset and ashamed of what the group has done. He is also the only one who apologizes to Buffy for the whole resurrection thing, whilst Willow spends the majority of the season drunk on power, and Anya just wants to tell Buffy about her and Xander’s engagement!

3. Xander’s pep talk to Buffy when she is struggling at the start of college…

At the very beginning of Season 4, Buffy (like many young people in this transitional period) is struggling to acclimate to college life. While Willow is enjoying finally being in a place where her intelligence is not only valued but lauded, unlike high school. Buffy is finding it hard to fit in, and not just because she is a vampire slayer for once. Yelled at by a college professor and getting continuously lost on campus, Buffy ends up at The Bronze nightclub, taking comfort in familiar surroundings. There, Xander reveals himself after being noticeably MIA for the entire episode. 

Not having enrolled in college, Xander is a breath of fresh air from the stifling world of academia and can give Buffy a fresh perspective. He sits Buffy down and gives her a light-hearted pep talk in which he calls Buffy his ‘hero’. To give Xander his due, he does bring much-needed levity to dark situations. In this moment, Xander tells Buffy that whenever he is in the dark, on his own, and afraid, he thinks: ‘What would Buffy do?’. But Xander being Xander has to add that sometimes when he’s in the dark, on his own, he thinks: “…what is Buffy wearing?”

2. Letting Spike live with him in Season 7…

Season 6 wasn’t anybody’s best year in the Buffy-verse, but Season 6 gave Xander even more reasons to hate Spike. To draw up a short list, Spike slept with Xander’s ex- fiancé, assaulted his best friend after carrying on a torrid sexual affair with her for most of the year. 

Despite this, Xander begrudgingly allows Spike to live in his spare room, which ‘looks like a closet, but it’s a room now’, apparently. Analysing this decision a bit more, Buffy wants Spike out of the school’s basement for the sake of his sanity. However, it’s probably too soon to have him living under her roof, in the house where she was assaulted. Maybe Xander offered his own place, maybe he was strongarmed, but it’s still a decent thing to do so that his friend can have space to heal and still help Spike.

1.  Agreeing to take Dawn away from apocalypse number 13(ish?) Season 7…

Season 7 really does test the core group’s friendship throughout. In the second last episode, ‘End of Days’, Buffy and Xander have an ambiguous conversation in the Summers’ kitchen (where most big conversations seem to happen). 

We will find out that Buffy is convincing Xander to take Dawn and escape Sunnydale with their lives, so he can protect her little sister. Having lost an eye in an earlier battle, Xander understandably doesn’t want to be “put out to pasture” due to his disability. He wants to be on the frontline of the final battle, by Buffy’s side, like he always imagined. Instead, he is being asked to skip town to protect a teenager and (preferably) not do any more damage to himself. Not exactly heroic.

Yet again, Xander does what is asked of him by Buffy with only a token argument. For the greater good, as Xander usually did.