Introduction

In the iconic series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the character of Anya serves as both a comedic and a powerful figure. Her journey from a human with a Dear John letter to a vengeance demon is filled with challenges and transformations. This article explores the exact power dynamics of Anya as a vengeance demon and compares her to the series' most formidable foes, including Mayor Wilkins and Glory.

Anya as a Vengeance Demon: Full Power vs Limited Abilities

When Anya first transforms into a vengeance demon, she is granted immense power. However, her capabilities are limited by the condition that she must be wished for someone to have her vengeance on them. This poses significant limitations in her ability to act independently and pursue her own goals. Nevertheless, this power allows her to enter a world of reality-warping immortality, which is unlike anything she faced in her human life.

Comparison with Glory

Glory: One of the most powerful beings in the series, Glory is not only a god but also a reality-warping entity. She claims to be 'just some guy named Ben,' which she uses to manipulate events to her advantage. Unlike Glory, Anya cannot be killed directly unless she is wished back to being human ('Ben'). While Glory can reshape the very fabric of reality, Anya's powers are more focused on personal retribution and protection.

Comparing Anya with Conventional Big Bads

Most of the series' antagonists, such as the Mayor and Glory, are either vampires or humans who pose significant challenges but do not compare to the reality-warping power of a vengeance demon. Anya, when at full power, would handily defeat many of these characters. However, there are two figures, Mayor Wilkins and the First, who pose a more significant threat to her:

Mayor Wilkins

Before Transformation: Mayor Wilkins, as a human, was a powerful adversary. He was rich, influential, and uninvincible, as he was not harm by vampires or other demons. His demonic transformation, however, complicates things. He becomes a giant snake-like creature, losing his previously unimaginable power. Despite his new form, Anya, with her reality-warping abilities, could easily make him never exist, as any reality-shifting demon would do.

The First Prime Evil

The First: This entity is so powerful that it even intimidates the vampire D'Hoffryn. An ancient and immensely powerful being, the First Prime Evil would easily overpower Anya should she ever cross paths. This entity is the ultimate Big Bad and represents the pinnacle of evil in the series. Anya, without any further wishes or interventions, would be unable to handle such an entity.

Rewriting Anya's Journey

Consider a situation where Willow successfully summons the necklace without accidentally calling Vamp!Willow, thereby granting Anya her powers back. In this scenario, Anya would retain her reality-warping abilities, significantly increasing her power level. This would make her formidable against most of the big bads in the series. However, even with these enhanced abilities, Anya would still pose limited threats to entities like the First or Glory, as their power transcends anything a vengeance demon can achieve.

Conclusion

While Anya's vengeance demon powers are immensely strong and make her a significant threat compared to the average big bad, she is ultimately constrained by her need to be wished for. This limitation means that she would not pose a significant threat to the most powerful entities like Glory or the First. Her power dynamics in the series largely revolve around retribution for the wrongs done to her. In a hypothetical scenario where she regains her full powers, Anya would be an formidable force but still would not surpass the ultimate villains of the series.