"The First Evil" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Kayden Poteat

 "The First Evil" within the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer embodies exactly what it is named - it is the very first evil that appeared in the world. 

"You think you can fight me? I'm not a demon, little girl. I am something that you can't even conceive.The First Evil. Beyond sin, beyond death. I am the thing the darkness fears. You'll never see me, but I am everywhere. Every being, every thought, every drop of hate." - The First Evil

It fits many of Cohen's theses, most of all:

Thesis II: The Monster Always Escapes

• A key aspect of The First is that it does not hold a true corporeal form and thus is not able to hurt people physically, which is what leads it to utilizing followers and manipulation to achieve its goals. 
• The First, even after defeat, is implied to always return, even if it is weakened for the time being. 

Thesis III: The Monster is the Harbringer of Category Crisis

• The First, as the very embodiment of evil, is beyond categorization 
• When it does show a “physical” monstrous form, it is an amalgamation of a horrifying spider-like entity
• It brings with it panic and fear, leading people to flee and groups to break apart due to suspicion and manipulation.

Thesis IV: The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference

•  Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show that highlights the strength of women through the Slayers, who are granted super strength and expected to fight the forces of evil. Yet, with these powers comes an expectation of responsibility and willingness to give up their lives simply because they are the “chosen ones”. In the last season, The First explicitly targets young teenage girls who are in the line of succession to be Slayers, highlighting femicide and misogyny against young women. 

Interestingly, its top devotee is a former preacher who became a misogynistic serial killer, acting on behalf of The First to eradicate the girls who were to become Slayers. This religious imagery asserts The First as a godly primordial being, or at the very least that is what Caleb views it as.

 

"You're everywhere. You're in the hearts of little children, in the souls of the rich, you're the fire that makes people kill and hate, the cleansing fire that will cure the world of weakness. They're just sinners. You are Sin."  - Caleb

Another interesting detail of The First is the various forms it takes on, embodying the fears and connections people have. It then utilizes its abilities to manipulate people to harm themselves or others. Some interesting forms it takes on are:

• The victims of a vampire who has turned good and now feels extreme guilt for his actions - This causes a mental breakdown
• The parental figures of various characters, either taking on an innocuous form, a demon, or strikingly, an angel-like character
• A doppelgänger - acting as a parallel to the hero to taunt and torture them

Ultimately, The First embodies evil and the fears humans express through monsters. It doesn’t need to be corporeal or even present to exert power as humans commit evil actions through their own volition. The First is primarily only present in the final season (although briefly in one episode in the 3rd season) and acts as the “final boss”, yet it is implied that it has always been present and watching through the 7 seasons, waiting for its opportunity.