Jonathan Levinson: Difference between revisions

Jonathan Levinson
Jonathan Levinson
Buffy the Vampire Slayer character
	Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson
First appearance	"Inca Mummy Girl" (1997)
Last appearance	"Storyteller" (2003)
Created by	Joss Whedon; Matt Kiene; Joe Reinkemeyer
Portrayed by	Danny Strong
In-universe information
Affiliation	The Trio
Classification	Sorcerer
Notable powers	Powerful magical abilities

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 16:20, 10 December 2024

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 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

Jonathan made 34 canonical Buffyverse appearances.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Jonathan appeared as a guest in 28 episodes:

Season 2 (1997–98): "Inca Mummy Girl", "Reptile Boy", "What's My Line, Part 2", "Bad Eggs", "Passion", "Go Fish"
Season 3 (1998–99): "Dead Man's Party", "Homecoming", "The Wish", "Earshot", "The Prom", "Graduation Day, Part 2"
Season 4 (2000): "Superstar"
Season 6 (2001–02): "Flooded", "Life Serial", "Smashed", "Gone", "Dead Things", "Normal Again", "Entropy", "Seeing Red", "Villains", "Two to Go", "Grave"
Season 7 (2002–03): "Conversations with Dead People", "Never Leave Me", "First Date", "Storyteller"

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

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

[springer-1] 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.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}
-{{Infobox Buffyverse Character|
+{{notability|date=January 2024}}
- Image=[[Image:Jonathan_Levinson.jpg|260px]]<br>[[Danny Strong]] as '''Jonathan Levinson'''|
+{{Infobox character
- Title=Jonathan Levinson|
+| name        = Jonathan Levinson
- First=''Inca Mummy Girl''|
+| series      = [[Buffyverse|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]
- Last=''Storyteller''|
+| image       = Jonathan Levinson.jpg
- Creator=Joss Whedon|
+| alt         = "[[Reptile Boy]]"
- Name=Jonathan Levinson|
+| caption     = [[Danny Strong]] as Jonathan Levinson
- Status=Deceased|
+| first       = "[[Inca Mummy Girl]]" (1997)
- Kind=Human|
+| last        = "[[Storyteller (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Storyteller]]" (2003)
- Powers=<br>
+| creator     = [[Joss Whedon]]<br>Matt Kiene<br>Joe Reinkemeyer
-* Skilled sorcerer capable of performing reality alterations, time loops and glamours.
+| portrayer   = [[Danny Strong]]
-* Vaguely fluent in Latin.|
+| affiliation = [[Trio (Buffyverse)|The Trio]]
- Actor=[[Danny Strong]]|
+| lbl21       = Classification
+| data21      = [[Magician (fantasy)|Sorcerer]]
+| lbl22       = Notable powers
+| data22      = [[Magic (paranormal)|Powerful magical abilities]]
 }}
-'''Jonathan Levinson''' (born in 1981 in Sunnydale, California) is a [[fictional character]] created by Joss Whedon for the cult [[television]] program ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. The character is portrayed by [[Danny Strong]].
+'''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==
-==Biography==
+Strong described the early development of his character in an interview with the U.K. ''[[Buffyverse Magazines (UK)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine]]''. He described his character as the "[[Kenny McCormick|Kenny]] of ''Buffy''. Except that he never dies."<ref name="springer">Springer, Matt, "Big Man on Campus", from ''[[Buffyverse Magazines (UK)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine]]'' #13 (UK, September 2000), page 20-21.</ref> 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 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|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.<ref>''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' second season DVD set. 20th century Fox (region 1, 2002), disc two and three.</ref>
-===Character History===
+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."<ref name="springer"/>
-Jonathan Levinson was born in 1981 and raised in Sunnydale, California. He attended Sunnydale High School where he was often bullied, ridiculed and ignored by his more popular peers resulting in him developing low self-esteem.
+==Appearances==
-In 1997, while attending the World Culture Dance, Jonathan was singled out by Ampata Gutierrez, who was in fact a resurrected Incan princess, who wanted to kiss him and transfer his life-force to her own. Not knowing her true nature, Jonathan did not resist either; believing his luck in love had changed and he was only saved when Xander Harris came to the rescue. A week later, Jonathan was later picked by Cordelia Chase to accompany her to the Bronze after she had a bad dating experience with Crestwood College student Richard Anderson who tried to sacrifice her to Machida. The relationship did not last though and she soon moved on to Alexander.
+Jonathan made 34 canonical Buffyverse appearances.
+; ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
-The following year, in 1998, like so many others in the school, Jonathan too became possessed by a Bezoar that had been given to the class by Mr. Whitmore.  As soon as Buffy Summers killed the mother Bezoar, Jonathan was freed from the Bezoar's control, believing himself to have been caught in a gas leak. Jonathan's self-esteem was dealt another crushing blow later that year when he tried out for the school's swim team and did not make it only to be picked on by Dodd McAlvy, who repeatedly dunked his head in a bucket of ice cold water to see how long he would be able to hold his breath. Buffy saved him, further bashing his esteem and he went on to urinate in the swimming pool, which he later confessed to Willow Rosenberg under duress.
+Jonathan appeared as a guest in 28 episodes:
+* '''Season 2''' (1997–98): "[[Inca Mummy Girl]]", "[[Reptile Boy]]", "[[What's My Line (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)#Part two|What's My Line, Part 2]]", "[[Bad Eggs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Bad Eggs]]", "[[Passion (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Passion]]", "[[Go Fish (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Go Fish]]"
+* '''Season 3''' (1998–99): "[[Dead Man's Party (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Dead Man's Party]]", "[[Homecoming (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Homecoming]]", "[[The Wish (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|The Wish]]", "[[Earshot (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Earshot]]", "The Prom", "[[Graduation Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)#Part 2|Graduation Day, Part 2]]"
+* '''Season 4''' (2000): "[[Superstar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Superstar]]"
+* '''Season 6''' (2001–02): "[[Flooded (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Flooded]]", "[[Life Serial]]", "[[Smashed (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Smashed]]", "[[Gone (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Gone]]", "[[Dead Things]]", "[[Normal Again]]", "[[Entropy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Entropy]]", "[[Seeing Red (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Seeing Red]]", "[[Villains (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Villains]]", "[[Two to Go]]", "[[Grave (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Grave]]"
+* '''Season 7''' (2002–03): "[[Conversations with Dead People]]", "[[Never Leave Me]]", "[[First Date (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|First Date]]", "[[Storyteller (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Storyteller]]"
+Jonathan appeared in 6 issues:
-The following academic year, Jonathan became a senior and he was invited to a welcome back party for Buffy at her home in Revello Drive. Zombies raised by Ovu Moboni crashed the party and Jonathan was one of the few guests who made it out alive. Prior to the Homecoming Dance both Cordelia and Buffy were campaigning to become Homecoming Queen, allowing Jonathan to show his mercenary side by trying to get as much out of both of them as he could in exchange for his vote. Towards the end of that year, while minding his own business, Jonathan was later singled out by socialite Harmony Kendall and the Cordettes as a possible boyfriend for Cordelia, who had just been cheated on by Alexander.  The incident was humiliating for Jonathan and was yet another incident that contributed to his ever-decreasing confidence.
+* '''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==
-Having had enough, Jonathan took steps the following year, in 1999, to commit suicide atop a bell tower at the high school after having left Freddy Iverson, a columnist for The Sunnydale High Sentinel, a suicide note for him to publish. Buffy soon tracked Jonathan down though; under the false belief he was going to kill other students with his rifle. After assuring her he was only going to kill himself she talked him out of it informing him that everyone in the school was dealing with just as much pain as he was. As a result of bringing a gun into the school Jonathan was later suspended for a couple of weeks. Upon returning to the school, Jonathan's confidence had marginally increased and at the Sunnydale High Senior Prom he had a date with a girl much taller than he was.  At the prom, he also found the confidence to present Buffy with a Class Protector award. Come Graduation Day, Jonathan joined the rest of the Class of 1999 in fighting against Mayor Richard Wilkins III who had completed his Ascension to become the demon Olvikan.  During the battle, Jonathan aggressively pounced on many Vampires and survived to see the school be blown up and catch a jumpy Cordelia in his arms.
+{{reflist}}
-After trying to kill himself, Jonathan entered into counseling where he met another suicidal person who introduced him to an Augmentation Spell, which Jonathan cast in 2000.  The spell created a monster though to contrast to the ideal that Jonathan had created in himself.  As a result of the spell Jonathan became everyone’s ideal and had several pieces of merchandising created in his honor such as Jonathan and his autobiography ''Oh, Jonathan'' where he claimed to have created the Internet.  Jonathan was also believed to have starred in The Matrix despite never having left Sunnydale, which was one of a few things that tipped Buffy, who he had supposedly led in fighting Vampires, off to the spell he had cast.  The two went about killing the monster, despite Jonathan being unwilling to and after he killed it, with Buffy’s help, everyone’s perception of Jonathan returned to normal, with him apologizing to Buffy the following day after the Swedish twins Ilsa and Inga left him at his mansion and he lost his job as tactical consultant at the Initiative.
-Over a year later, in 2001, Jonathan, in a moment of boredom, joined Warren Meers and Andrew Wells, and they agreed to take over Sunnydale, with Jonathan using his expertise in magic to help them. A month later, Andrew summoned a M’Fashnik Demon to cause a distraction in the Sunnydale Securities Bank while they robbed it.  Buffy interfered and almost ruined the plan, however when Warren came up with the plan to have the annoyed M’Fashnik kill her, Jonathan was the first to object, even though Warren went ahead and set the two up anyway, ending in the M’Fashnik being killed by her. When the Trio later decided to compete with each other on how effectively each member could use their expertise to annoy and assess Buffy’s weaknesses, Jonathan used his experience with magic to make Buffy have to please a customer who required an Ancient Mummy Hand from the Magic Box.  Buffy eventually completed the task and when she began suspecting that she was being tested Jonathan was forced to use his Magic Bone to pretend to be a horned demon, which she kicked and punched a few times before Jonathan managed to retreat. A few weeks later, Jonathan aided the other two in stealing the Illuminati from a museum in Sunnydale, freezing the guard, Rusty, with their Freeze Ray in the process.  The three were later confronted by Spike who wanted Warren to examine his Behavior-Modification Circuitry, to which Warren agreed to do after the three negotiated the safety of their Boba Fett action figure.
-In 2002, after accidentally making Buffy invisible with an Invisibility Ray, Jonathan agreed with Andrew that they should return her to normal before she disintegrated.  Thus a meeting was set up at Noah’s Arcade where not only was Warren planning on going behind his partners’ backs but the Trio’s identity were revealed to an under whelmed Buffy. With the Scooby Gang now knowing whom the Trio were and where they were based, the Trio fled Warren’s basement. When Warren accidentally killed Katrina Silber after using their newly created Cerebral Dampener on her, Jonathan was the first in the Trio to suggest turning themselves in to the Sunnydale Police Department.  Jonathan was subsequently unsure of what to do when they got away with the murder when her death was ruled a suicide as neither Warren nor Andrew were showing much remorse. Jonathan soon began to feel that Warren and Andrew were conspiring behind his back when they planned to rob from a vault without informing him, causing him to be more and more unsure about his place in Warren’s plans.
-Andrew and Warren continued scheming against Jonathan, while they furthered their plans to rob the vault by stealing a mystical disk from a group of Vampires in Sunnydale Cemetery.
-Allowing himself to be bossed around, including wearing the skin of a Nezzla Demon so he could get the Orbs of Nezzla’khan to make Warren stronger, Jonathan informed Buffy while the Trio were robbing an amusement park that the way to defeat Warren was by crushing his orbs.  She did so, but Warren escaped on a Jet Pack and confirming his suspicions Andrew too revealed he had a Jet Pack but hit his head on the ceiling above while he used it causing him and Jonathan to be taken to the Sunnydale Police Station.
-In jail, Jonathan made sure that Andrew knew Warren would not be coming to save them and nor would Andrew’s aunt, insisting they would be forced to spend time in prison. To make matters worse, while the pair had been in jail, Warren had shot Buffy and killed Tara Maclay causing Willow to go on a homicidal rampage and with Warren dead, Jonathan and Andrew were her next targets.  Anyanka Teleported to warn them and Buffy helped them escape, driving them to the Magic Box for protection.  Willow eventually tracked them down and the pair accompanied Alexander and Dawn Summers to safety as Buffy fought Willow.  Andrew became nervous though and threatened Alexander with a sword only to be threatened back by Jonathan who informed Andrew that after Willow was defeated they would be going back to jail. The four made their way to a cemetery to hide but they were attacked by a ball of fire sent by Willow and were only narrowly saved by Buffy, with Alexander knocked unconscious.  With no one to keep them there both Jonathan and Andrew resolved to go to Mexico and promptly ran away.
-While in Mexico, both Jonathan and Andrew began having dreams that led them back to Sunnydale where they knew a great power was rising, which in actual fact was the First Evil. The two returned on November 12th, with Jonathan having the intention of finding the Seal of Danzalthar and alerting Buffy to it so she could stop the coming and allow Jonathan to join the Scooby Gang.  Andrew had other ideas and after they made their way to the Basement of the new Sunnydale High School and uncovered the seal, Jonathan proclaimed how much he missed everyone he went to school with and wanted to know how they were doing only to be stabbed by Andrew who was working with the First Evil. Jonathan did not bleed enough to open the seal though as he was anemic and as such his death was for nothing. Robin Wood subsequently buried Jonathan.
-===Powers & Abilities===
-Though he had no innate powers, Jonathan became an accomplished sorcerer, capable of performing reality alterations ([[Superstar (Buffy episode)|Superstar]]), time loops and glamours.
-===Romantic Interests===
-*'''Ampata'''.
-*'''Cordelia Chase'''. Cordelia favors the awkward and geeky Jonathan with her presence at the conclusion of season two's ''Reptile Boy'' even though he forgets the extra foam on her cappuccino.
-*'''Ilsa and Inga'''. Swedish twin sisters who live with Jonathan during the season four episode ''Superstar'', in which he casts a spell on the town to make everyone believe he is a paragon.
-==Appearances==
-Jonathan has appeared in:<br>
-''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''<br>
+{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}
-Jonathan appeared in 29 episodes overall. He has made guest appearances in the episodes: <br>
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Levinson, Jonathan}}
-Season 1 (1997) - ''Unaired Pilot''. <br>
+[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters]]
-Season 2 (1997, 1998) - ''Inca Mummy Girl'', ''Reptile Boy'', ''What's My Line? Part 2'', ''Bad Eggs'', ''Passion'', ''Go Fish''. <br>
+[[Category:Buffyverse characters who use magic]]
-Season 3 (1998, 1999) - ''Dead Man's Party'', ''Homecoming'', ''The Wish'', ''Earshot'', ''The Prom'', ''Graduation Day Part 2''. <br>
+[[Category:Fictional characters from Los Angeles County, California]]
-Season 4 (1999, 2000) - ''Superstar''. <br>
+[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1997]]
-Season 6 (2001, 2002) - ''Flooded'', ''Life Serial'', ''Smashed'', ''Gone'', ''Dead Things'', ''Normal Again'', ''Entropy'', ''Seeing Red'', ''Villians'', ''Two To Go'', ''Grave''. <br>
+[[Category:Fictional attempted suicides]]
-Season 7 (2002, 2003) - ''Conversations With Dead People'' (murdered), ''Never Leave Me'' (as The First), ''First Date'' (as The First), ''Storyteller'' (flashbacks and dream sequences). <br>
+[[Category:American male characters in television]]
+[[Category:Fictional adolescents]]
+[[Category:Fictional characters from the 20th century]]
-[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters|Levinson, Jonathan]]
+[[sv:Buffy och vampyrerna#Jonathan Levinson]]
-[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer villains|Levinson, Jonathan]]