Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Everett Collection

17. WILLOW ROSENBERG
Sidekick to: Buffy Summers
The once-mousy No. 2 behind Buffy's hottie superhero, Willow (a nerd-cool pioneer) tempered the vampire slayer's quip-spouting, melodramatic ways with patience, reason, and a readiness to roam the nether regions of the demon world. Eventually, Willow developed her own superidentity — without ever upstaging her stake-wielding pal — by dating a werewolf, becoming a scary-good witch, and gracefully outing herself. —Nisha Gopalan