12 Most Epic Character Introductions In TV History

3. Darla €“- Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Darla's introduction was revolutionary for two ways. A young, softly-spoken blond girl, lured into a dark corridor by an imposing man in black leather jacket; audiences would expect her to be his victim or of something more sinister lurking in the shadows. But not so in this case. Within the first couple of minutes of the opening episode the tables are turned and Darla, the young blond innocent girl transforms into the vampire and kills him.

In Darla we were introduced to someone who is very dangerous; she can play the victim, luring would-be prey from their places of safety. Her innocence is her charm and suggests that vampires are indistinguishable for humans. No one is safe from them and it sets a precedent for the dangers within our daily lives that the show does so well.

For the show, it gave audiences a taste of what was to come, particularly the lead heroine herself. The show wasn't afraid to turn convention on its head, making the young blond girl the hero or villain and traditional, strong archetypal characters such as the high school jock the victim. Joss Whedon makes Darla's reveal the blueprint for everything the show will become and his genius was sold to us from those very first minutes.