1. Easily the creepiest of all the one-episode monsters. The Gentlemen float above the ground a-la Dark City, they have terrifying grins, they are terribly polite (shudder) and they steal your voice so you can’t scream, then slowly cut out your heart while you’re awake. Best monsters ever in the best episode ever (Hush – see best episodes).

2. Nathan Fillion, with a heart dark as midnight, and nearly indestructible. First villain ever to give a Scooby a permanent physical impairment (unless you count Tara getting killed – but she was never really a Scooby proper). Thumb in the eye socket for poor Xander. Nearly a ‘big bad’, he was so bad – but he was a minion and was dispatched as such.

3. A kitset monster, received via mail order as Spike’s birthday present for Druscilla. A super-powerful demon, the Judge was sent to rid the earth of the scourge of humanity. He was fought and dismembered, but not killed, long ago – and his pieces shipped to different parts of the world. The Judge had this thing that no weapon forged could kill him, but Buffy introduced him to rocket launcher technology.

4. The Turok-Han (aka “uber-vamps”) were bad as all hell, and midway through season 7 were the nearest thing Buffy had come to a Boss Fight since Glory. Sadly, while one rogue uber-vamp could nearly kill the slayer without breaking a sweat, a whole army of them were taken down by some enthusiastic amateurs and a shiny necklace.

5. The three “supervillains” – Andrew, Jonathan and Warren. Like incompetent and under-ambitious mad scientists, they teamed up to take over Sunnydale with their invisible rays, jetpacks, time distortion fields and tame demon summoning. Of course, Andrew and Jonathan were in it for the James Bond geekery of it all – but Warren embraced the evil. These guys provided some of the best light entertainment, though hardly any real threats. Killing Tara was a bit of a service, plot-wise… but otherwise, they were the funny.