Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Every Character Ranked Worst To Best

15. Riley Finn

Though Buffy the Vampire Slayer features a consistently solid collection of characters, there is one all-out dud in secret super soldier Riley Finn.

Introduced as a more "normal" love interest for Buffy following her breakup with Angel, Riley was presented as a charming, virtuous military man working for the shady Initiative organisation before joining Buffy and the gang to bring them down for their inhumane crimes.

There are moments peppered throughout the fourth and fifth seasons where Riley looks like he's going to work. His relationship with Buffy sometimes feels genuine, and his friendship with Xander is a particular standout.

But once the Initiative was destroyed, so too was Riley's potential, and as the fifth season wore on he became more and more of a let-down, abandoning his friends, closing himself off emotionally, and taking zero pride in the fact that Buffy was stronger than him.

His final arc on the show was overlong and tedious, Marc Blucas' performance was painfully wooden, and the fact that season five improved so much once he was gone speaks volumes.