In Pixar's Toy Story franchise, Woody is often seen as the leader of Andy's group of toys, but Buzz Lightyear has proved himself to be better suited for the role plenty of times over the course of the series' four movies. In the first Toy Story movie, Buzz and Woody start off as enemies, as Buzz's arrival in Andy's life upsets the balance of things for his toys, but the pair soon develop a dear friendship. Part of this friendship seems based on Buzz's willingness to let Woody maintain his leadership role, but that doesn't mean that Woody's the best toy for the job.
At times, the Toy Story movies got surprisingly dark, as shown through Woody's treatment of some of his fellow toys. When Buzz is first introduced, for example, Woody becomes jealous, and schemes to get the astronaut out of the way, so he can be the toy to accompany Andy to Pizza Planet. His plan goes awry, and Buzz gets knocked out of the window. This leads the other toys to suspect Woody was deliberately trying to kill Buzz, suggesting that such a move would not be out of character for Sheriff Woody.
Buzz Is A Better Leader Than Woody In Toy Story
Although Woody grows as a character after the first Toy Story movie, the sequels aren't absent of his bad behavior. When Woody is captured by toy collector Al in Pixar's original dark Toy Story plan for Woody, where he was the villain. Meanwhile, Buzz takes on the leader role with Andy's toys, and shows initiative in the position, leading them on a rescue mission with bravery and wit, as proven when he helps the toys cross the road by using traffic cones.
Buzz is also shown to be more adaptable than Woody in Bonnie's Toy Story toys, and warns Woody about striking out on his own. In both cases, Buzz has the interests of the group at heart when the toys find themselves in unfamiliar situations, whereas Woody's storylines see him pursuing goals alone, for his own sake.
Buzz's Leadership Skills Make Toy Story 4's Ending Better
The end of Toy Story 4 sees Woody leave his group of friends behind to become a Lost Toy with Bo Peep, after Buzz has assured him that Bonnie will be alright without him. This decision, while sad, is ultimately best for all the characters involved. Though Woody cares about his friends and Bonnie, he needs to feel fulfilled as an individual, and as one of many in Bonnie's large collection of toys, he no longer receives the kind of attention he had from Andy.
Buzz's Toy Story arc has proven time and again that the character is a capable leader in Woody's absence, and his approach to leadership is far more community-focused than Woody's ever was. The ending of Toy Story 4 reinforces this idea, showing that the beloved cast of Toy Story is—and has been—in good hands under Buzz's watchful eye as a leader.
