Master (Buffy)
The Master is a male television vampire who features in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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Biography
One of the oldest vampires on record, the Master led the Order of Aurelius, and lurked below paying tribute to the Old Ones. His name in life was Heinrich Joseph Nest.
At this time, the Master posing as a priest came to the Virginia Colony where he visited the deathbed of a prostitute suffering from syphilis. He tested her faith and discovered that she had lost all hope of having her soul saved. Alone with her, the Master revealed himself and that he had been the one that 'sang' to her from her window the previous night. She first believed he was Death, but the Master claimed he was actually her savior. Assuring her that while God had never done anything for her, he would, he sunk his fangs into her neck and made her into a vampire. (Episode: Darla) Darla become one of the Master's disciples and grew into one of his favorites. (Episode: Angel) In a sewer in London, England in 1760, the Master was introduced to Angelus, Darla's progeny after they had returned from Yorkshire, England. Angelus, mocking the Master's appearance and the Order's harsh dogmas, including enforced underground dwelling, was pummeled into the ground after the Master lost his temper during their confrontation. Darla, despite the Master having made her the vampire who she was, preferred Angelus' offer of pleasure and adventure to remaining with the Master, leaving to Naples with the 'stallion' after he offended and was beaten by the Master. Despite Darla choosing to abandon the Master and the Order to pursue her love affair with Angelus, the Master allowed the two to leave and ordered his henchmen to let them pass, but estimated that the couple would last no more than a century before breaking up. (Episode: Darla) Around 1880, the Master welcomed Darla back to the Order after she and Angelus had a fight. (Episode: Destiny) However, she soon returned to the arms of her lover. (Episode: Darla) Angelus, who in turn sired Drusilla, whom sired Spike.
By 1936, he had moved to the New World with the hopes of opening the Hellmouth located in a church at Sunnydale and bringing about the end of the world by releasing the Old Ones. While in Sunnydale, he caused a notable ruckus by murdering a large number of people. However, months later an earthquake hit town in the middle of the ritual to open the Hellmouth, swallowing half the town, including the church in which the Master was performing the ritual. As the ritual had already commenced, the Master was imprisoned within a mystical barrier. The Master himself became trapped between Earth and Hell like a cork in a bottle. (Episode: The Harvest)
In 1997, the Master awoke after a long slumber at the time of the Harvest and sent a group of vampires, led by Luke, to feed off the partygoers at the Bronze to give him the strength to free himself. They were defeated by a young Slayer named Buffy Summers. The Master enacted many schemes to free himself and rid himself of the Slayer, including sending the Three after her and sending Darla to deal with them personally.
Around the time of Sunnydale High's Spring Fling, Buffy learned of a prophecy that the Master would rise and she would die. While hesitant to fight him, she voluntarily allowed the Anointed One to lead her to the Master in the hopes of slaying him and preventing his ascension. The Master easily overpowered Buffy and fed off of her before killing her. Her blood was what freed him and began to open the Hellmouth. Buffy was revived by Xander Harris, who administered CPR to her. She made her way to the roof of Sunnydale High to confront and finally slay the Master, thus closing the Hellmouth.
His bones were buried on consecrated ground, but were stolen by vampires that served the Anointed One in an attempt to resurrect him. Buffy defeated the vampires and shattered the Master's bones. The Master is seemingly permanently gone.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, the Master was a male vampire with much more ghoulish traits compared to the regular members of his kind. In fact, his near demonic facial features were seemingly permanent, preventing him from assuming a human visage. (Episode: Darla) He had white pale skin, a bald head with pointed ears and yellowish, talon-like nails. His face had the basic vampire brow ridge, wrinkles and fangs, except with red eyes instead of yellow ones; and a snub, bat-like nose. The Master also had a distinctive bloody red stain on his nose down to his mouth. (Episode: Prophecy Girl)
The Master was a ruthless overlord who expected total devotion from his followers and expected them to risk their very own lives for his cause. (Episode: The Harvest)
Powers and abilities
As an advanced age as the oldest vampire of his era, the Master possessed superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and endurance far beyond those of any other vampires. He demonstrated this by initially defeating Buffy Summers. (Episode: Prophecy Girl)
He was the leader of the Order of Aurelius that were a vampire cult that worshiped the Old Ones and sought to bring about their return to the world.
Notes
- The Master was created by Joss Whedon where he was portrayed by actor Mark Metcalf and featured in the Buffy-Angel universe.
Alternate Version
- In an alternate universe created by Cordelia Chase's wish (granted by Anya) that Buffy never came to Sunnydale, the Master was freed, and ruled Sunnydale by night while keeping the populace in fear by day. Vampiric versions of Willow Rosenberg and Xander were among his favorites. Buffy was called in to defeat him several years too late, and she was killed by the Master, just before Rupert Giles could undo Cordelia's wish and restore reality to normal.
In other media
Video games
- In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Master appeared in the setting of the 2002 action beat 'em up video game. He was resurrected by a necromancer as a spirit to act as the leader for the Old One Lybach's plot to build a bridge between his Hell dimension and Earth and lead an army of demons to Earth. The Master possesses Angel and uses the remnants of the Order of Aurelias and demons loyal to him to try to build the bridge. He is eventually exorcised from Angel by Buffy and Willow but survives in spirit form to continue on. After Buffy kills the Dreamers, the demons he's using to build the bridge, her friends perform a spell to make him corporeal and she is able to kill him once again.
Comic Books
Appearances
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
