A Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off has seemingly confirmed a long-running fan theory about a character’s sexuality.
According to PinkNews, the latest issue of Sarah Gailey and Hannah Templer’s series The Vampire Slayer, which is a tie-in for the TV series, includes a scene which suggests that fellow vampire slayer Faith Lehane is bisexual or pansexual.
The comic book series has so far seen Willow Rosenberg sink further into practicing the dark arts, with issue #11 seeing Faith struggle in her attempts to talk sense into her friend – mainly due to her realisation that dark Willow is “wicked hot”.
“Tact. Finesse. Ignore the fact that this dark, scary version of Willow is wicked hot. Stay focused, Faith,” Faith’s inner monologue reads during the scene.
While Faith’s sexuality was never explicitly addressed in the TV series, the comics have seemingly confirmed that the character is attracted to women in some capacity.
Fans of the show have long speculated about the nature of Faith and Buffy’s relationship, with many theorising there was a queer subtext to their interactions throughout the series.
Buffy gained a cult following during its original TV run in the late ’90s, particularly for its portrayal of an LGBTQ+ relationship between Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson).
The show has since faced accusations of queerbaiting in recent years, with fan upset focusing particularly on the brutal nature of Tara’s death in season six, moments after her romantic reunion with Willow.
Showrunner Marti Noxon has since shared her regrets over the character’s demise following accusations that the storyline leans into the ‘bury your gays’ trope, revealing in 2018 that she thought Tara’s death felt almost sadistic.
“There were parts of season six where I feel we went too far,” she told Vulture. “And I think that killing Tara was – in retrospect, of all the people, did she have to die?”
Source: digitalspy.com