Spoilers for Angel #8 ahead!One of the perks of the Slayerverse is that the different universes within it help re-contextualize the more officially canonized versions of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. For those unaware, the Slayerverse is essentially the Buffy the Vampire Slayer version of the multiverse, made up of many universes centering around Buffy and the Scooby Gang. These different realities tweak the official canon to present scenarios such as Willow as the Vampire Slayer, an older Buffy in the middle of a post-apocalyptic future, or even Buffy as a zombie.
Buffy Summers is certainly no stranger to the undead, besides running a stake through their chest on a regular basis, of course. During the show's first season, Buffy dies at the hands of The Master in the season finale, only to be resurrected mere moments later. More fatally, Buffy would die again in Season 5, sacrificing herself to save her sister, only to be resurrected in the opening episodes of the following season. It can be argued that in one way or another, both of these deaths are noble ones as she dies facing off against Big Bads in the line of duty. In BOOM! Studios' alternate reality that its Angel comic series takes place in, Buffy suffers a death that is far more permanent and far less impressive.
Buffy Is The Key to Every World in The Slayerverse
It really speaks to the level of importance that Buffy holds within the wider scope of the Slayer's multiverse for her to still be a connecting guideline that brings her friends together. In this world at least, Buffy's existence is merely a footnote in the Slayer world, let alone the world in general. Buffy isn't a Slayer for long, and she isn't even good enough at her job to last longer than a few weeks.
However, she still manages to be the focal point of the storyline when the fate of the world is at stake. Angel never even heard the name Buffy Summers before this issue, but she's important enough to not only his team, but be a small thread to provide a connection (albeit an insignificant one) between him, Willow, and Tara, among other frequent Scooby allies. Her sister, Dawn, may literally be The Key, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the key at the center of the Slayerverse that brings together friends like Angel under one roof.
