10 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Characters Killed Off At The Perfect Time

10. Tara Maclay

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's polarising sixth Season sees Buffy's best friend Willow on a dark path. Her dependence on magic becomes a metaphor for drug use, and her beloved girlfriend, Tara, breaks up with her. Thankfully, Willow eventually gets over her addiction, and she and Tara reconcile... just in time for Tara to be killed by a stray bullet fired by Warren Mears.

The tragedy sends Willow on a rampage, absorbing huge amounts of dark magic in her quest for revenge against those who took Tara from her.

Nowadays, many dismiss or frown upon Tara's death as just another unfortunate example of the Bury Your Gays trope. However, looking at things from a story perspective, the death makes sense, as sad as it is. Had Tara not died, then Willow probably would have stayed off of the magicks.

Without the power she absorbed during her Dark Willow rampage, Willow would not have had the ability to empower all the potential Slayers in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer finale. Tara's death, though tragic, pushed Willow to where the world needed her to be.