Jonathan Levinson

Jonathan Levinson
Buffy the Vampire Slayer character
"Reptile Boy"
Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson
First appearance"Inca Mummy Girl" (1997)
Last appearance"Storyteller" (2003)
Created byJoss Whedon
Matt Kiene
Joe Reinkemeyer
Portrayed byDanny Strong
In-universe information
AffiliationThe Trio
ClassificationSorcerer
Notable powersPowerful magical abilities

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

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Strong described the early development of his character in an interview with the U.K. Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine. He described his character as the "Kenny of Buffy. Except that he never dies."[1] Strong had initially auditioned for the role of Xander, but lost out to Nicholas Brendon. He first appeared in the unaired Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot in a bit part simply named "Student", and subsequently appeared in a number of episodes. He said that often he appeared in scenes that could have been done by other characters but that "They'll have Jonathan do it, to keep the continuity of the world".

Writer/directors David Greenwalt and Marti Noxon both stated in the DVD commentaries for "Reptile Boy" and "What's My Line", respectively, that Danny Strong was the actor that they would call on whenever they needed a good victim, both citing his good "victim face". Eventually the character grew out of this frequent use.[2]

Explaining the potential appeal of the character, he said, "I think everyone is sort of like Jonathan. Either they're like Jonathan or they're trying to cover up their Jonathan qualities. Either they're awkward and shy, or they're doing everything they can not to appear awkward and shy. I'm not really very shy, but I certainly can be awkward at times."[1]

Appearances

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Jonathan made 34 canonical Buffyverse appearances.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Jonathan appeared as a guest in 28 episodes:

Jonathan appeared in 6 issues:

  • Season 10 (2014, 2016): "Return to Sunnydale, Parts 1 & 2", "In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3", "Own It, Parts 2, 4 & 5"

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b Springer, Matt, "Big Man on Campus", from Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine #13 (UK, September 2000), page 20-21.
  2. ^ Buffy the Vampire Slayer second season DVD set. 20th century Fox (region 1, 2002), disc two and three.