This Buffy The Vampire Slayer Character Needs Their Own Spinoff
From the moment he rolled into Sunnydale (and over the welcome sign), James Marsters’ blondie vampire Spike was a constant thorn in the Scooby Gang’s side. But, as each season passed, Spike gained more traction as a character, with his arc shifting him from bad guy to the vampire with a soul who helped save the world in the show’s finale. While David Boreanaz’s Angel got the series he deserved, we never got to hear more of Spike’s story, a tale that is absolutely worthy of its own Buffy spin-off.
When it comes to the Buffyverse, Spike is one of the most beloved characters thanks to his Billy Idol looks, British accent, and devil-may-care attitude. For these reasons alone, the vampire would be the perfect jumping-off point for his own Buffy-based spin-off, but seeing as how he’s been alive for over a century, there are a lot of places the production team could’ve delved into.
If there were to be a Buffy spin-off centered around Spike, a de-aging technology like we’ve seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny could be used to return Marsters to his 30s.
From his origin story, which was somewhat covered during Buffy the Vampire Slayer to his life after selflessly saving the world, which got a bit of screentime in Season 5 of Angel, there’s just so much of Spike’s story worth covering.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that fans will never see this type of Buffy spin-off see the light of day (pun intended). Whereas Spike is a vampire who never ages, the show ended 20 years ago with James Marsters now 61 years old. While he still looks great, he’s since ditched the bleach-blonde hair for his natural color, and it would be likely that if production tried to turn the clock back, he’d look a little silly with that same hairdo.
Even though David Boreanaz’s character received his own spin-off, the years continued to roll on the actor’s life with a very clear difference in his looks between his first appearance in Buffy and his final in Angel. However, technology has come a long way in the last two decades so if there were to be a Buffy spin-off centered around Spike, a de-aging technology like we’ve seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny could be used to return Marsters to his 30s.
Spike will actually be getting part of a separate story told courtesy of an Audible series.
Another idea is casting an entirely new actor for a Spike-centered Buffy spin-off. As Peacock will soon be doing for its John Wick offshoot, The Continental, in which Colin Woodell will appear as a younger version of Ian McShane’s Winston Scott, the same could be done for Spike’s story. The main problem here is that Marsters has become synonymous with the character, and the Buffy fandom has an undying devotion to the original actors across the board.
While it isn’t a live-action television Buffy spin-off, EW reveals that Spike will actually be getting part of a separate story told courtesy of an Audible series. Reprising his role from Buffy and Angel, James Marsters will star as the vampire with a soul alongside a slew of familiar names, including Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield Ford, Juliet Landau, Amber Benson, Anthony Head, Danny Strong, James Charles Leary, and newcomer Laya DeLeon Hayes.
When it comes to the Buffyverse, Spike is one of the most beloved characters thanks to his Billy Idol looks, British accent, and devil-may-care attitude.
In the Buffy spin-off podcast titled Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, listeners will reunite with Spike, who’s been undercover as a baddie in the Los Angeles scene until a young slayer (Laya DeLeon Hayes) sees through the vamp’s ruse, putting him back on sidekick duty.
Along the way, the pair meet a version of Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) from another universe where she’s the slayer, as Buffy never existed. Asking Spike and the young slayer for their help, the trio goes on an adventure to take down Spike’s long-time partner, Drusilla (Juliet Landau).
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is set to release on October 12, and, who knows, if the Audible series becomes a hit, perhaps those behind Buffy will give us the Spike spin-off that we deserve.
