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The first thing I ever thought of when I thought of 'Buffy: The Movie' was the little...blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed, in every horror movie. The idea of 'Buffy' was to subvert that idea, that image, and create someone who was a hero where she had always been a victim. That element of surprise...[and] genre-busting is very much at the heart of both the movie and the series.

Joss Whedon#1

CharacterWritingGenreHeroismHorrorMovies

About this quote

What does it mean?
Whedon explains Buffy\u core concept of subverting the horror trope of the blonde victim becoming a hero.
In plain terms
Turning a victim into a hero creates surprise.
What can you take from it?
Subverting expectations can redefine genres.

Where it applies

  • storytelling
  • character design
  • genre analysis

Putting it to work

  • reimagine tropes
  • focus on character agency
  • challenge norms

Questions to consider

  • What tropes feel overused to you?
  • How can victims become heroes?

Another view

Subversion alone doesn't guarantee quality.

More from Joss Whedon

  1. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those peop…

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  2. I believe we are the only sentient beings in the universe, and I believe that 500 years from now, we will still be the only sentient beings around.

    Permalink to quote #3
  3. I'm working on 'Buffy: Deep Space Nine. It will be dark and badly received.

    Permalink to quote #4

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