Spike's Journey: From Nietzschean Übermensch to Kantian Moral Agent

Abstract

This paper reexamines Spike's character development in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, challenging previous interpretations that position him as initially embodying Nietzschean Übermensch characteristics. Through close analysis of key episodes including "School Hard" (2x03), "Fool for Love" (5x07), and "Beneath You" (7x02), I argue that Spike's apparent self-creation of values masks a deeper foundation of empathetic connection and recognition-seeking that ultimately enables authentic moral development. Rather than representing a simple progression from Nietzschean to Kantian frameworks, Spike's journey reveals the complex relationship between external moral constraints and internal moral capacity. His transformation from the chip's behavioral modification to voluntary soul acquisition demonstrates that genuine moral agency emerges not from the transcendence of moral frameworks, but from the willing acceptance of moral responsibility grounded in empathetic understanding of others.