season 4 of Buffy and the first season of Angel.

This means a continuation of Buffy's story would also finally offer a conclusive answer to what happened after the events of the Angel series finale, "Not Fade Away." Two of the great loves of Buffy's life, Angel and Spike, ended that show fighting an army of demons with little chance of survival. If Angel or Spike appear in the revival, the show needs to address how they survived. Even if Angel and Spike don't appear in the revival, their importance to Buffy's life will raise natural questions about what has become of them — and if they escaped Wolfram & Hart.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Needs To Address Angel's Series Finale

"Not Fade Away" Ended The Buffyverse On A Big Cliffhanger

Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting a revival show means audiences need to learn what happened after the events of Angel's finale, whether or not the show wants to bring back Angel and Spike. After being established as Buffy's tortured love interest (and occasional arch-nemesis) across three seasons, Angel was given his spin-off show. Moving the heroic vampire to Los Angeles and bringing along fellow Sunnydale survivors Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce as part of Angel Investigations. The two shows remained firmly connected, however, with several character crossovers during the cocurrent season 4 of Buffy and the first season of Angel.

This means a continuation of Buffy's story would also finally offer a conclusive answer to what happened after the events of the Angel series finale, "Not Fade Away." Two of the great loves of Buffy's life, Angel and Spike, ended that show fighting an army of demons with little chance of survival. If Angel or Spike appears in the revival, the show needs to address how they survived. Even if Angel and Spike don't appear in the revival, their importance to Buffy's life will raise natural questions about what has become of them — and if they escaped Wolfram & Hart.

What Happened To Angel In The Buffy Sequel Comics

Angel: After The Fall Turned Los Angeles Into A Hellish Battlefield

This connection between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel carried over to the comics, with Angel and Spike both playing roles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 comics. The ending of Angel was addressed more specifically in Angel: After the Fall, which dealt with the fallout of a hellish army arriving in Los Angeles. The suddenly demonic city was briefly divided into warring factions, with a suddenly human Angel and a ghostly Wes struggling to find a way to restore the city while different demonic and human groups struggle for control over the burning remains of the city.

[Angel and Spike's role in the comics] could be similar to the ultimate trajectory of the Buffy revival...

This storyline eventually concluded with the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart reversing time, undoing all the damage the conflict had wrought and restoring the lives of several people. Afterwards, Angel and Spike reentered Buffy's orbit in her sequel comics, with Angel teaming up with Faith while Spike and Buffy eventually gave their romance another go. This could be similar to the ultimate trajectory of the Buffy revival, with Angel and Spike returning without the massive baggage of their own exploits and ing cast from Angel to play a role in the overarching story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's revival.

The Buffy Revival Shouldn't Just Repeat The Comics

The Wild Narratives Of The Buffy And Angel Comics Wouldn't Work On TV

The massive mythos of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel comics would be a hassle to bring to the revival series, making it far likelier that the show will take a fresh approach to Buffy's future. As a result, the Angel: After the Fall comics will likely need to follow suit, as they shared a continuity with those comics and came with similar baggage. It'll be easier for the show to tackle its own plotline without being beholden to the plot of the comics, especially given the somewhat complicated twists and turns of Illyria and Gunn's storyline in the comics.

The scale of Angel: After the Fall would be hard to replicate without a truly massive budget, and the fact that the story ends with a time loop would undercut part of the appeal of the revival picking up with these characters years later. The show also needs to remain focused on Buffy. While this may include fan-favorites like Angel and Spike, it's unlikely to feature too many of their own characters. However, having them return without addressing "Not Fade Away" would be a massive missed opportunity and frustrating for fans who want to know what happened after that episode.

A Successful Buffy Revival Could Set Up An Angel Return

"Not Fade Away" Could Be Fully Resolved After A Successful Buffy Sequel

Given their importance in the story of Buffy Summers, it would be weird for the Buffy revival to not address Angel or Spike. Even their absence, especially in the years that have ed, is going to be noticeable — especially given the amount of ion that fans have invested in her relationships with them. The best option would be to find a way to incorporate those characters back into the story of Buffy but not have it be about them. It would allow Buffy to reflect on her two most important romantic relationships without taking too much away from her story.

Angel and Spike could offer some clues of what happened, or go as far as to even confirm if other characters like Gunn or Illyria made it out or died in the battle. They could tease the larger future of the Buffyverse. If the Buffy revival is a success, this could become a jumping off point for a connected Angel revival that further addresses those characters and the rest of the Buffyverse version of Los Angeles. While the Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival can't just ignore the cliffhanger of "Not Fade Away," it needs to properly balance any Angel revelations.