Initiative (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) - Other Appearances By The US Government

Other Appearances By The US Government

In Buffy, the Government first appears in the season one episode Out of Mind, Out of Sight, where FBI agents arrive and capture the mystically invisible Marcie Ross while Buffy is fighting her. Marcie and other invisible people are then trained to be assassins and spies. The Government's modus operandi here is the same here as it was in the Initiative: seeking to control and exploit supernatural beings, rather than eliminate or rehabilitate them.

Following the Initiative's closure, the Army maintains operations in hunting demons, incorporating many of the trained Initiative soldiers, including Riley Finn. They hunt down demon nests in the United States, as well as foreign countries. The goals of the Army now align closely with those of the Slayer: protecting people from demons and preventing demon threats from spreading. The Government is not seen to engage in any future Initiative-like attempts to control or exploit demons.

The "Twilight Group" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is often compared to the Initiative by the Scooby Gang.