Unpopular Opinion : Xander of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the Absolute Worst

Don't @ me.

Do you hate the "nice guy" trope in pop culture? I'm talking about the characters like Hal in Dreamworks' Megamind or Simon Lewis in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I'm talking about Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"But, wait. Isn't Xander one of the good guys? Part of the Scooby Gang?"

Xander is a good guy. No doubt about it. But he's far from a "nice guy." He's the type of guy who asks Buffy out and lashes out when her answer isn't up to his expectations. Granted, this happens when he's a hormonal teenager, but let's look at other examples, shall we?

In the season six episode, "Hell's Bells," Xander leaves Anya at the altar on their wedding day. While the action is condemned by his friends, Buffy and Willow still welcome him back and forgive him almost immediately. On top of this, he polices how Anya rebounds. Having sex with Anya almost gets Spike killed all because Xander can't see Anya with anyone else. News flash: You shouldn't have left her at the altar if you didn't want her rebounding!

Meanwhile, the whole Xander/Angel dynamic is on a constant loop of "Angel's evil. Buffy can't date him." Although Xander doesn't say this, his intent is clear in the earlier seasons of Buffy.

But time after time, Xander gets a pass by every character in the series (except, maybe, for Anya) because he's Xander-the nerdy, loveable, funny guy.

Buffy is far from a flawless show, but it would've been incredible to have an episode (or one measly scene) where Xander is called out for his bull****. Have Buffy scold him for telling her to "kick [Angel's] ass" when he should've warned her that Willow was close to restoring Angel's soul. Let someone be on Anya's side for once after the whole "Hell's Bells" debacle.

Good guys aren't always "nice guys," and I wish the show embraced the issue rather than ignoring it altogether.