“In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer.”
And in every generation, there is also a slew of potential slayers: those born with the potential to become a Slayer.
While Buffy spent her final season rounding up potential slayers from every corner of the globe; today we’re gathering the women from across other film and television that, to us, have Big Potential Energy. There is no specific rhyme or reason to who holds the potential to be a Slayer, but sometimes the vibes are just right.
These are the onscreen women we think possess the je ne sais quoi to be a Potential.
Holly Wheeler
Stranger Things
This little legend just screams “Potential” doesn’t she? Silly, observant, and the younger sister of a badass final girl? What more do you need?
Nancy Wheeler
Stranger Things
[redacted]. Nancy Wheeler is everything a potential slayer needs to be: off the charts smart, resilient, resourceful, and a little emotionally unavailable. Girly was sawing off shotguns this summer, I think she could stake a vampire or two.
Emily Charlton
The Devil Wears Prada
Girly would defend Sunnydale with her life and look damn good while doing it. And don’t worry, Em, there are vampires in Paris too!
Daphne Blake
Scooby Doo
We literally refuse to elaborate. Look at the material.
Every Woman in…
Glee
Mercedes, Quinn, Tina, Brittany, Kitty, Becky, Lauren Zizes, Sugar, Unique, Marley, even Emma. Sue too? Santana… sweet lord. The only woman on this show who certifiably is NOT a potential slayer is one Miss Rachel Berry, because there is no world in which a slayer goes on patrol wearing those fluorescent pantsuits (embarrassing for her). Mostly, we need an AU where the New Directions are all potentials brought to Sunnydale for the final battle at the Hellmouth just to see Quinn stood next to Faith, although that might send us into cardiac arrest so maybe it’s for the best that this doesn’t happen. By the way, Terri Schuester is The First Evil. And we respect her for it – YOU try being on your feet for four hours a day three days a week at Bestie Sheets ‘n’ Things!! That’s what we thought.
Juno MacGuff
Juno
Oh, think of the trash talk she could deliver. Buffy would be quaking in her stylish yet affordable boots.
Penny Pingleton
Hairspray
If you can’t see her roundhouse kicking a vampire while unwrapping a fresh lollipop, then we don’t know what to tell you. We’re right.
Becca Mitchell
Pitch Perfect
Staking vampires while being edgy and never removing her headphones? We’re there to see it. We personally can’t wait for her mash up of I’ve Got a Theory and Bulletproof.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
In anything
If there is one woman on this earth who screams potential slayer energy, it’s Miss M.E.W.
Every Woman in…
Chicago
Oh yes, oh yes they both oh yes they both oh yes they both reached for the stake, the stake, the stake.
Tanya
Mamma Mia
Is there a correlation between who we think are potentials and who we think display outrageous amounts of BDE? Quite possibly yes.
Veronica Sawyer
Heathers
“Dear diary. My teen angst bullshit has a body count”: Veronica, you’ve got the job.
Hermione Granger
Harry Potter
Buffy Summers can whack out a good pun when she slays a vampire, but Hermione could knock out a great BOMBARDA.
Angela Weber
Twilight
Just trust us on this one. There’s something to be said about the quiet, polite, unassuming girl twirling a stake like it’s a baton and somersaulting across the room to go kick some vampire ass that just really, really works. Watch out, Cullens!
Sam Montgomery
A Cinderella Story
Gift of prophecy! Manifests rain during a drought, who else is doing it like her? Never let the fear of striking out keep you from slaying the game.
Gigi
Booksmart
Gigi is all knowing. It’s as simple as that.
Karen Smith
Mean Girls
Girly has the power of prophecy wrapped and ready to go.
(We’ll call these three The Prophecy Girls)
Ellie Sattler
Jurassic Park
Who would win in a fight: a T-Rex or the Mayor after his ascension?
Anna
Frozen
Arendelle’s in deep, deep, deep, deep, slay.
Amy Elliott Dunne
Gone Girl
I feel like it seems like we’re trying to avoid doing actual work by saying “We don’t need to explain” but we really don’t with this one. Vamps, you better add boxcutters to the list of things you’re scared of because Miss Amy really knows how to use one. Sexy.
Sidney Prescott
Scream
The final girl, the most resilient, resourceful woman in the world. Sure, Ghostface falls down a lot more than vampires probably would, but Sidney Prescott can literally do anything she put her mind to.
Cher Horowitz
Clueless
Okay but think about it: Cher cycling through her outfit selector trying to pick the right ensemble to go save the world, but she spends so long trying to find the right one that the vampires and demons do just take over the world. But, hey, at least Cher looks good while it happens. (So maybe she’s not the most effective slayer on the list, but gets major style points).
Cleo Sertori
H2O: Just Add Water
Add hydrokinesis to being a potential slayer and you’ve got a sure fire way of never losing a battle with bubbles of holy water to launch at your enemies. While we’re here, has anyone done anything about vampire mermaids? Let me know stat.
Princess Peach
Nintendo
You can’t tell me Princess Peach wouldn’t fire a perfectly aimed crossbow then giggle behind her hand as the vampire turns to dust.
Betty Cooper
Riverdale
I just want to see Lili Reinhart kill some vamps, okay?
Madeleine Lloyd-Jones
The Blueprint
Someone call me about this my spotlight link is spotlight.com/4052-4507-3432
Vivian Ward
Pretty Woman
Big slay. Big. Huge. I have to go patrol now.
Poppy Moore
Wild Child
Now that we think about it, Poppy Moore’s character arc is identical to Buffy Summers’ herself: blonde suburban brat turned compassionate badass? We won’t be taking questions.
Lisbeth Salander
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
“If you touch me, I’ll more than alarm you.” Absolutely made to be a Slayer.
Jo March
Little Women
We’re talking about a young woman who feels alone in the world and consistently unsure of her place in it…yeah, that pretty much screams Slayer.
Grace Le Domas
Ready or Not
The way Miss Slay whipped up her battle outfit in like two seconds…her wedding night slay was not her first.
Rosa Diaz
Brooklyn Nine Nine
Rosa’s covered on the weapons front from A to Z – from ‘axe’ to… ‘zee other axe’. Because what kind of woman doesn’t have an axe?
Dorothy Gale
The Wizard of Oz
There’s no place like…………….. patrol?
Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas
Promising Young Woman
Okay, but if we were accompanied by that sexy instrumental arrangement of Toxic, we’d be slaying too.
Esther
Orphan
If you want to tell me that Miss Esther wouldn’t be right at home in a cemetery with a stake in her hand, I’ll go ahead and say you’re delusional.
Barbie
Barbie
Barbara Millicent Roberts already has ten million careers, so she’d squeeze in some training between a Pilot shift and babysitting Stacy like it was easy.
Spencer Hastings
Pretty Little Liars
Consistently smarter than everyone around her, focused and determined to the point where it adversely affects her physical and mental health…sounds like perfect Slay material.
Sharpay Evans
High School Musical
Gabriella Montez watch your back, girly.
Theo Crain
The Haunting of Hill House
As much as we want Theo to live a life free of trauma after all she’s been through, we do need to see her twirling around a stake in her gloved hands.
Blair Waldorf
Gossip Girl
Blair is so domineering that she would skip the regular vampires and graduate straight to slaying Turok-Hans. Plus, headbands are SO practical for keeping hair out of your face in training and slaying!
Gloria
Madagascar
First ever hippo slayer.
Emily Nelson
A Simple Favor
“Oh you don’t wanna be friends with me, trust me.” Enough said.
All of the Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids
“Oh you’re really doing it. You’re slaying in the street.”
Nadine
The Broken Hearts Gallery
We’ll need about six months to process the sheer power of this concept. Phillipa Soo please call us about this.
Jennifer
Jennifer’s Body
A cheerleader who eats men is potentially the biggest and most on-brand slay.
Charlotte
The Boat That Rocked
Just like Miss Tanya, Charlotte goes into the category of MILFs who would just be far too powerful to consider as the Slayer.
Karen Page
Daredevil/ The Punisher
She’s used to late nights of research and stalking down a dark corridor with a weapon in hand, but in all honesty it’s her ability to tame Frank Castle that seals the deal for us.
Dinah Madani
The Punisher
We could launch into a whole “How do I begin to describe Regina George” esque speech in regards to Agent Dinah Madani and the power she wields, but the above image pretty much sums it up. Also, we’re not saying that an unfortunate taste in sexy but evil men is a requirement of being a potential slayer, but it is… a common theme.
Juliet Capulet
Romeo + Juliet
Did perhaps too good a job slaying herself?
Paris Geller
Gilmore Girls
Would lecture every vampire and explain exactly what injuries they were about to sustain before swiftly disposing of them and ensuring there was no collateral damage. Actually might be the best one on the list in terms of Slayer efficiency. Rory, do not interact you mess.
Alex Russo
Wizards of Waverly Place
Basically every Selena Gomez character has potential. Would watching an entire series of Alex and her laissez-faire approach to life take out some vampires, all while trying to do as little as possible? It’s everything and it’s comedy gold.
Mabel
Only Murders in the Building
Okay, but when Charles and Oliver find out and start making a podcast about all the vampires she slays…I will be a loyal fan and supporter.
Princess Fiona
Shrek
If Fiona decimated Monsieur Hood and his band of merry men in one musical number, think of how quickly she would take out a nest of vamps with those double fly kicks.
Phoebe Buffay
Friends
With all the enigmatic stories she tells about her childhood, Phoebe could easily be an active Slayer – there’s a reason she lives on her own for most of the series away from the main apartment building…we know your secret, Pheebs.
“Well, it is a mixed bag, you know. If she gets to be the Slayer, then her life is short and brutal. And if she doesn’t, then it smells of unfulfilled potential.”
– Anya
We don’t think that anyone on this list has led an unfulfilled life, but just imagine the possibilities if any of these women were to become a vampire slayer.
When you’re nearing the end of your next Buffy rewatch, watch it through the lens of this post. Because if we here at the Blueprint are here for one thing only, it’s to provide you with a visual of Blair Waldorf with a stake in hand, ready to battle.
You’re welcome. Go slay, girl.
the blueprint. 