10 Best Buffy The Vampire Slayer Villains

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the ultimate in good vs evil TV series. Buffy, destined to slay the demons and vampires that plague the world, has killed off a lot of evil in her time.

Though a lot of her adversaries stand as one-episode, Monster of the Week-type villains, each season of the show features a major adversary whose evil ways drives that season's main plot. The main villains, known as the Big Bad, are often vanquished in the final episode; the secondary villains, called Little Bads, serve as Buffy's big threat until the true Big Bad reveals themselves.

There have been plenty of great one-time bad guys on the show, all there, causing havoc, until they're finally cut down, but none of them will be seen on this list. Rather, the following villains are Buffy's best recurring monsters, ghouls and opponents - the Little and Big Bads who stuck around and made a solid effort of taking the Slayer and her friends down.

Whether a vengeful witch, a vicious vampire, a politician with a devastating secret or a god mad with power, here are the 10 best recurring villains Buffy ever faced.

Caleb (Nathan Fillion) was introduced in season seven as an agent of that season's Big Bad, the unseen, manipulative First Evil. For a long time, the First Evil had been working its magic by way of manipulation, brainwashing and a group of sinister foot soldiers called the Bringers. But with Caleb, the First Evil finally had a powerful vessel - a committed follower and brutal warrior.

A priest who constantly quotes the Bible and makes obscure references to its teachings, Caleb is nothing short of awful. Though seemingly righteous and good-hearted, he quickly reveals himself to be a rampant misogynist and a murderer hoping to be filled with the First Evil's power.

He spends his tenure on the show hidden in a vineyard, protecting an ancient scythe and plotting with his master. When Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Spike (James Marsters), Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and the Potential Slayers attack the vineyard, Caleb is able to best them all in combat, killing Slayers left and right, knocking Buffy and Spike around like ragdolls, and taking Xander's eye in an act guaranteed to make you squirm.

Watching Buffy finally cut him in half was a welcome demise.