THE AVENGERS. BtVS Intertext/Allusion.

Avengers is an agnomen Xander uses to describe the Scooby Gang when he perceives the need for “retaliation” against an evil force or deed.

His first reference is in "The Freshman," when after bumping into Buffy at the Bronze Xander discovers that she is hurt, feeling alone, and was sent fleeing from an on-campus vampire, Sunday, and her minions.

Buffy: OK. College is good.

Xander: Ok, uh, once more with even less feeling.

Buffy: No, really! I-I mean, Willow’s in heaven and Oz has this really cool house off campus with the band.

Xander: And you’re sitting here alone at the Bronze looking like you just got diagnosed with cancer of the puppy.

Buffy: It’s just…there was this vampire, and she took me down, and I just…I don’t know how to stop her.

Xander: Then where’s the gang? Avengers assemble! Let’s get going!

Xander uses this reference again in "The Body" following the death of Joyce Summers from an aneurysm. Grief-ridden and frustrated at their inability to fight against “natural death,” he, Willow, Anya, and Tara are in Willow’s dorm room preparing to leave for the hospital to provide Dawn and Buffy moral support while awaiting the results of Joyce’s autopsy.

Tara: (After hunting for a particular blouse Willow was obsessing about wearing.) I couldn’t find it.

Willow: (shrugs) It doesn’t matter. We should get there.

Tara: Yes.

Willow: I, I wanna be there for Buffy.

Xander: (OS) You’re right. The avengers gotta get with the assembly. We’ll go. We’ll deal. We’ll help. That’s what we do. We help Buffy.

Anya: How are we going to help?

To learn more about The Avengers go to Don Markstein's Toonopedia.

--Carol Rogers (with an assist from Peter Huston)