With iconic projects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and the Avengers films under his belt, it's safe to say that Joss Whedon is a creative mastermind. He's inspired fans for nearly 20 years, writing countless characters who are tough [1] (yet vulnerable), quirky, and relatable . . . so when a fan at his San Diego Comic-Con panel asked who Whedon's favorite character creation is, he was understandably a bit stumped.

"It would change daily," the director said but quickly changed his tune. "I kinda feel . . . how can I not say Buffy? She is the very distilled essence of everything I'm not and want desperately to be or be around." Then Whedon took it to a whole new level of feels by adding that Buffy is "sort of the nexus, the beating heart, of everything that I have done — or will." Cue the tears!