2022 was a major step forward for Buffy the Vampire Slayer in terms of not only progression but also reinvention for the franchise. The original television series began in 1997, going off the airwaves in 2004. The franchise's run on television officially ended a year later, though, once its spinoff series, Angel, ran its final season as well. Rather than let consecutive series finales of both shows mark the official closing of the Buffyverse, the story continued in comic book form through Dark Horse Comics. The comic book continuation ran from 2007 all the way up until 2018 when Season Twelve finally gave all of its characters a proper, happy ending, one where Buffy embarks on a surprising new career path.

The following year, BOOM! Studios picked up where Dark Horse left off with a reboot placing the popular series in modern times. However, 2021 turned out to be a major turning point for the series, starting in Jeremy Lambert and Ramon Bachs' 24th issue. When Faith stakes a vampiric Xander, an enraged Dark Willow literally rips the universe in half desperately searching for what's left of her former best friend. This sucks the gang into another universe, which just so happens to be in the main canon of the original show during Season 3's "Band Candy" episode. This moment officially marks the beginning of the Slayerverse.

Related: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Officially Names Its Multiverse

Within just a couple of issues, the multiverse became a staple for the remainder of the series, largely thanks to the introduction of the Big Bad, Silas the Multiverse Man. Buffy recruiting alternate versions of herself from different universes would prove enough to stop Silas once and for all. The series would end there in 2022, but this would not conclude BOOM! Studios' interest in expanding the lore of Buffy. BOOM! would take full advantage of their new Slayerverse as future titles would focus on alternate versions of the Scooby Gang. Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer takes a look at a much older Buffy watching over Willow's daughter during a post-apocalyptic vision, while The Vampire Slayer currently examines a world where Willow herself is The Slayer. Even Angel got his own rebooted self-titled series where he's a television star and his friend, Fred, is the Slayer taking on a multiverse-hopping Angelus.

BOOM! Studios' Buffy Comics Revitalized The Slayerverse.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer visits the Slayerverse multiverse

All three Buffy titles were met with immense praise and success in 2022. BOOM! Studios firmly establishing the Slayerverse in the lore of Buffy does a lot to both reinvent it and progress it. The franchise feels like it's progressing because these reboots no longer feel like simple remakes of old material, but rather a part of the canon, without sacrificing the main continuity that came before it. This especially feels like apropos timing as Disney tries to reboot the Buffy franchise in television form, assuming the Slayerverse plays a part there.

Speaking of, in terms of reinvention, what was once old feels new again. The Slayerverse has effectively taken old material and modernized it to pull in new audiences, especially as the multiverse is quickly becoming a pop culture craze. With each newly acclaimed comic book series that follows the Slayerverse, BOOM! Studios showcase how Buffy the Vampire Slayer is malleable enough to be updated for today but houses timeless themes and archetypes that remain recognizable and lovable in new situations.

Next: Disney Is Laying The Perfect Groundwork For Its Buffy Reboot