10 Most Underrated Buffy The Vampire Slayer Characters

Ask anyone to name a villain from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chances are they'll name Angelus, Spike, Mayor Wilkins, Faith and maybe Adam (if only as a reminder of how terrible he was).

But then there's The Master, a big bad who often gets left behind, mainly because he was the show's first villain and wasn't quite as charismatic or well-developed as his successors.

A vampire so ancient he had become deformed in his old age, The Master dwelled under Sunnydale and intended to open the Hellmouth. He managed to kill Buffy in combat, setting in motion the existence of Kendra and Faith, and he also sired Darla, a decision which led to the siring of Angel, Drusilla and Spike.

Many of the series' key characters only existed because of The Master, a big bad who set the blueprint for all the villains to come Buffy's way, and a perfect representation of the evil she would have to face.