Years afterBuffy the Vampire Slayer, one ofSarah Michelle Gellar’s new roles just made a shared universe theory a lot harder to explain. There are plenty of shared cinematic universes in the modern day. FromQuentin Tarantino’s shared universeto more explicit crossovers like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s incredibly common for new films and shows to be connected to a larger franchise. Back in 2003, whenBuffy the Vampire Slayerended, however, it wasn’t nearly as commonplace. That’s why one shared universe theory for the show was so surprising, and why it’s a big deal that it’s harder to justify now.
Recently, Sarah Michelle Gellar joined thecast ofDexter: Original Sinas Tanya Martin, a forensic analyst at Miami Metro and Dexter’s boss and mentor.Original Sinputs Gellar in a very different role fromBuffy the Vampire Slayer, but both of her characters are “tiny but mighty,” as Tanya put it. They don’t just share some characteristics, though, asDextermay take place in the same universe asBuffy the Vampire Slayer. The fact that Gellar plays major characters in both, however, throws a wrench in the entire crossover theory.
Dexter & Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Shared Universe Theory Explained
Doublemeat Palace Exists In Both Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Dexter
Thanks to a small detail present in both shows, it’s possible thatBuffy the Vampire SlayerandDexterexist in the same universe.Both franchises have a fast food chain called Doublemeat Palace - Buffy began working at a branch inBuffyseason 6, and Angel Batista ate Doublemeat burgers inDexterseason 1. Since Doublemeat Palace doesn’t exist in the real world or any other fictional franchises, it’s a hint that the shows take place in the same universe. Writer Drew Z. Greenberg worked on both shows and likely intended it only as a reference, but it also opened the door to a horror-crossover that never happened.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Dexter Now Have 2 Major Actors Overlapping In Their Main Casts
Sarah Michelle Gellar & Julie Benz Are In Both Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Dexter
The connection betweenBuffy the Vampire SlayerandDexterdoesn’t just extend to Doublemeat Palace. Two actors - Sarah Michelle Gellar and Julie Benz - had major roles in both franchises.Benz played Rita Bennett inDexterand Darla inBuffy, while Gellar obviously played the eponymous Buffy Summers, and she now plays Tanya Martin inDexter: Original Sin. None of Gellar’s and Benz’s characters were minor, either. Darla was a major antagonist inBuffyseason 1 and a major recurring character in the spinoff showAngel, while Tanya is one of the most important new characters inOriginal Sin’s cast.
Two other actors appeared in bothDexterand theBuffy the Vampire SlayerspinoffAngel: Sam Witwer and Aimee Garcia.
As interesting as the overlap inBuffyandDexter’s casts is, it also creates a major problem for their shared universe.Because Gellar and Benz play characters in both franchises, there seems to be a paradox that wouldn’t allowBuffyandDexterto exist at the same time. It shouldn’t be possible for a vampire in Sunnydale and a single mother in Miami to look exactly alike. Gellar’s characters cause an even bigger problem, as the Slayer would supposedly be a younger version of a forensic analyst.Dexter: Original Sin’s timelinealso means that Tanya was a middle-aged woman before Buffy even started high school.
How Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Dexter’s Shared Universe Theory Can Still Work After Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Casting
Dexter Could Take Place In An Alternate Buffy The Vampire Slayer Universe
Though Gellar and Benz’s characters seemingly ruin any chance ofDextertaking place in theBuffy the Vampire Slayeruniverse, they actually don’t.Buffy the Vampire Slayertechnically has a multiverse, which the recent comic books have confirmed. Parallel universes even showed up in theBuffyshow, notably in the season 3 episode “The Wish,” which saw the Scoobies go to Wishland. Those same comics also take place about 20 years after theBuffyshow did, yet Buffy the character is still a teenage girl.Because of those facts,Dextermay take place in one ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer’s alternate realities.
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Essentially, the alternateBuffyuniverse would have played out in much the same way the show did: Buffy ends up destroying the Hellmouth with all the other potential Slayers. The only difference is that it would have taken place about 40 years earlier, in 1963 instead of 2003.Then, thanks to the open-ended finale ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy would be free to live her life without being beholden to the Slayer’s duties, and she could have started a new life under a new name in Miami. Ever the hero, she decides to help the police there as a forensic analyst named Tanya Martin.
An alternate universe is essentially the only way to explain why Sarah Michelle Gellar appears in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dexter: Original Sin while keeping their shared universe intact.
That alternate universe could also easily explain Darla becoming Rita Bennett years later by simply establishing that Darla looked different in the parallel dimension, or by having Darla retain her human soul after giving birth to Connor. Though it may be a bit convoluted, an alternate reality would allowBuffyandDexterto coexist, and it’s not likeBuffyever had a problem with convoluted storylines. Plus, it’s essentially the only way to explain whySarah Michelle Gellarappears in bothBuffy the Vampire SlayerandDexter: Original Sinwhile keeping their shared universe intact.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Cast
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
Dexter: Original Sin
Dexter: Original Sin explores Dexter Morgan’s early years in 1991 Miami as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. Guided by his father, Harry, Dexter crafts a moral code and navigates a forensics internship at Miami Metro Police, all while controlling his darker impulses.
