Robin Wood is a

recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...

on the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

''. The character, present for most of Season Seven, is played by

D. B. Woodside David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in ''The Temptations'', Robin Wood in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Malcolm Franks in '' Single Ladies' ...

Biography

In Season Seven of

, Robin is the first (and only) principal of the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School when Buffy's sister

Dawn Summers Dawn Summers is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Marti Noxon and David Fury on the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. She made her debut in the premiere episode of t ...

begins her

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

year. At first, Buffy wonders if he may be evil, but nevertheless accepts a job offer from him. For much of the season, hints are dropped that Robin is aware of the mystical situation in

Sunnydale Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all ...

— he finds and buries

Jonathan Levinson Jonathan Levinson is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The character is portrayed by Danny Strong. Character development Strong described the early development of his character ...

's body, for example — but the viewer is left without any indication as to which side he fights for. The character is portrayed as having a good sense of humor and communicating well with students. He is a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

and claims to have once been suspended for threatening to attack another student who bullied him during high school. Robin's easygoing attitude and confidence are presented in sharp contrast to the previous high school principal characters depicted as nervous (Principal Flutie) and excessively disciplinarian (

Principal Snyder Principal R. Snyder is a fictional character in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', played by Armin Shimerman. Shimerman originally auditioned for the role of Principal Flutie, but lost that role to Ken Lerner.Sprinder, Matt & St ...

), making him a well-liked educator among the students, alumns, and faculty members. However, in the episode " Him", a troubled student, RJ Brooks, develops a resentment towards Robin, leading to an attempt on Robin's life by Buffy (who was under RJ's family's love spell at the time); she attempts to kill Robin with her rocket launcher, though he is saved by

Xander Xander is an abbreviated form of the name Alexander and pronounced like "Zander". Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek name "Alexandros". The name's meaning is interpreted from "alexein" which means "to defend" plus "andros" which translates to ...

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

and

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

. In the episode "

First Date A first date is the initial meeting during the dating process of two individuals, in which an effort is made to ask about each other, plan a potential relationship, and/or organize some sort of romantic activity. Aims vary between finding a ...

", it is revealed that Robin's mother,

Nikki Wood This article lists the major and recurring fictional characters created by Joss Whedon for the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. For detailed descriptions, see individual character pages. Cast Main cast The following characters ...

(who was first seen in the episode " Fool for Love"), had been a

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and that he is a "freelance" demon fighter. On a date with Buffy, Robin explains that his mother was killed by a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

; he later learns, from the

First Evil The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode " Amends", and became the main antagonist of the ...

, that this vampire is Spike. He was raised and trained by Nikki's Watcher, not in New York but in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

(according to the episode "

Help Help is a word meaning to give aid or signal distress. Help may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film * ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film * '' ...

"). As retribution for his mother's murder, Robin conspires with Giles to distract Buffy and kill Spike. However, the plan fails and Buffy realizes what has gone on, temporarily alienating Robin from the group. After Faith's return, Robin returns to the fold and becomes interested in Faith; the two become physically intimate in the episode " Touched". Prior to the final battle in the episode " Chosen", Robin expresses concern that Faith views men as mere sex objects, and pledges to surprise her if they survive.

Post-Sunnydale

Robin appears in " No Future for You", the second arc of the

canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and follows the events of that ...

''. Like

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

, Robin is in charge of a squad of slayers, and is shown to be working at the Hellmouth in Cleveland. In his one-panel appearance he calls Faith to tell her of a family that was recently attacked by vamps. Faith refers to him as "the ex" implying the couple has ended their relationship since "Chosen".

Powers

Robin did not inherit any powers from his mother. He was, however, trained in the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and various vampire killing tactics by his mother's former Watcher.

Appearances

Canonical appearances

Robin appeared in 14 canon Buffyverse episodes ;''

'' *Season 7: "

Lessons A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...

", "

Beneath You "Beneath You" is the second episode of the seventh and final season of the television show ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Plot In Frankfurt, Germany, a young woman races frantically away from hooded figures similar to the robed men in Istanbul d ...

", "

", " Him", "

Never Leave Me "Never Leave Me" is the ninth episode of the seventh and final season of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', in which the Scooby Gang begins to realize the magnitude of their peril. Plot Xander works to repair the living room wi ...

", "

Bring on the Night ''Bring On the Night'' is the first live album by Sting recorded over the course of several live shows in 1985 and released in 1986. The title is taken from a song by the Police from their 1979 album ''Reggatta de Blanc''. The songs performed ...

", "

", " Get It Done", " Storyteller", "

Lies My Parents Told Me "Lies My Parents Told Me" is the 17th episode in the seventh and final season of the television show '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. It was originally intended to air on March 18, 2003, a day before the ''Angel'' episode "Orpheus", but was postpon ...

", "

Dirty Girls "Dirty Girls" is the 18th episode of the seventh and final season of the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The episode aired on April 15, 2003 on UPN. Plot A young Potential Slayer, Shannon, is chased through the woods by Bringers ...

", "

Empty Places "Empty Places" is the 19th episode of the seventh and final season of the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The episode aired on April 29, 2003 on UPN. Plot The citizens of Sunnydale flee en masse to escape the Hellmouth and Sunny ...

", " Touched", " Chosen" ;''

'' *" No Future for You, Part 1"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Robin Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters Fictional principals and headteachers Fictional vampire hunters Martial artist characters in television Fictional African-American people Fictional characters from Beverly Hills, California Fictional characters from New York City Television characters introduced in 2002 Male characters in television Fictional vegan and vegetarian characters American male characters in television