Dawn Summers

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

After years of foreshadowing, Dawn was introduced at the start of the fifth season as part of a large in-story retcon: Characters accepted Dawn's presence as if she had always been there, and as if Buffy always had a sister, with only the audience aware that this was not the case. As the series went on, the significance of Dawn's arrival is revealed to the series's other characters, and they come to understand that she has not always been Buffy's sister, or indeed a sentient being; Dawn had originally been the mystical 'key' to unlocking dimensions and was made into Buffy's sister so the Slayer would protect her. Dawn is, however, a real girl, Buffy's biological sister, and has real memories of her fictional childhood. She struggles in a very human way when she discovers the truth about her origins and later endures problems with self-harm and kleptomania. The show's sixth and seventh seasons, as well as its canonical comic book continuation, follow Dawn's journey toward adulthood.

In Their Own Story

Dawn Marie Summers is first introduced as Buffy's younger sister at the end of Buffy season 5 premiere 'Buffy vs. Dracula', though Buffy had been previously established as an only child. Four episodes later, Buffy discovers Dawn is, in fact, a mystical object known as The Key; a group of monks transformed The Key into human form and sent it to the Slayer for protection from the villainous Glory (Clare Kramer). The memories of Buffy and her associates were altered, along with relevant records, so that they believed her to have always existed as Buffy's sister. When Dawn learns of her origin, she suffers existential crisis that causes her self-harm and runs away from home, until Buffy assures her, they are real sisters no matter what, securing it with a blood oath. Dawn suffers more pain when her mother (Kristine Sutherland) dies unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm, which leads to Dawn resorting to black magic to try to bring her back from the grave, an action she immediately reverses upon realizing the consequences. When Glory successfully uses Dawn's blood to break down the dimensional barriers, Buffy sacrifices her own life (realizing that their blood is now the same) to end the apocalypse and save Dawn; Buffy's sacrifice also neutralizes the power of The Key, giving Dawn the opportunity of a normal life. In the canonical comic book continuation Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007–2011), Dawn is revealed to have been cursed, apparently as a result of sleeping with a 'thricewise demon' named Kenny while a college student, and is a giant. She later shrinks to normal size again, then turns into a centaur, and then undergoes a transformation into a living doll. After her sister, Andrew and Willow track down Kenny, he later appears to undo the curse. Dawn and Xander's growing friendship leads to them kissing, where they are discovered by Buffy, in 'Retreat'. In the series' final arc, Buffy brings about the end of magic, following which Xander and Dawn decide to settle down in San Francisco. Season Nine (2012–13) begins with Dawn and Xander living an ordinary domestic life, with much less contact with Buffy than before since she has moved out. Later in the Buffy arc, Dawn begins to die and the gang recognise it is due to magic leaving her body. Buffy contacts Faith for help, but (as seen in Angel & Faith) neither she nor Angel can remember Dawn. Spike, however, heads straight.

Reader's Guide

Dawn Summers begins as a seemingly ordinary teenager who is actually the mystical Key, made into Buffy's sister so the Slayer would protect her. She has no innate Slayer abilities, but her significance lies in her role as the Key, making her a target for the hell-god Glory. Dawn's defining moments include her existential crisis upon learning her origin, her mother's death from a brain aneurysm, her resorting to black magic to try to bring her mother back, and her first kiss with a vampire named Justin, whom she reluctantly stakes (her first vampire kill) when he tries to turn her. In the final season, Dawn becomes more grown-up and a full-fledged member of the 'Scooby Gang', trained by Buffy in combat. She falls victim to a love spell in the episode 'Him', displaying dangerous behavior such as attacking people and trying to commit suicide to prove her 'love' for classmate RJ Brooks. After wrongly believing herself to be a Potential Slayer, Xander explains to Dawn that being normal is perhaps the hardest burden of all. Dawn then falls into a watcher-esque role offering the group answers from research. When Buffy tricks her into leaving town before the impending apocalypse, Dawn adamantly returns to fight against the First, during which she battles alongside Xander, and once again proves her value as a fighter by killing several Ubervamps and survives. In the comic continuation, she experiences transformations into a giant, a centaur, and a living doll, and eventually settles down in San Francisco with Xander.

Did You Know?

• Dawn was originally the mystical 'key' to unlocking dimensions, made into Buffy's sister by monks so the Slayer would protect her.
• Michelle Trachtenberg was unavailable for the Angel episode 'The Girl in Question', so Andrew Wells (Tom Lenk) replaced her.
• In the comic continuation, Dawn is cursed after sleeping with a 'thricewise demon' named Kenny and transforms into a giant, then a centaur, then a living doll.
• Dawn's first vampire kill was a vampire named Justin, whom she kissed before staking when he tried to turn her.
• Buffy's sacrifice in season 5 neutralized the power of The Key, giving Dawn the opportunity of a normal life.