Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Vampire Slayer #7The antagonists of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (affectionately referred to as Big Bads) have all provided the title character with some major threats to her life, but fans have only just met the greatest threat of them all. Run-ins with both the Master and Glory were deadly enough to give Buffy a brief (but nonetheless traumatizing) brush with death during the show's original run. Meanwhile, baddies like Angelus and Spike were vicious enough to challenge Buffy on an emotional and mental level more than anything else.
As iconic as villains from the television show are remembered for being, the Big Bads who appear in comic continuations of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have proven just as memorable, as well as challenging for Buffy. For instance, the character of Twilight was powerful enough to manipulate Angel into killing Giles, among hundreds of Slayers. That is just one big example in Buffy's relatively recent history in the comics, but the deadliest Big Bad arguably may have revealed itself in the latest comic.
In The Vampire Slayer #7 by Sarah Gailey and Claudia Balboni (a comic where Buffy's Slayer powers and memories transfer over to Willow), Buffy encounters Hungrus, the Slayer-Eater. She's a giant, spider-like creature who actively hunts and kills Slayers. It's unknown how many she's killed before, but clearly it's enough that her reputation precedes her as an expert. While it's worth noting that Buffy in this issue is both de-powered and under the impression that Willow is the real Slayer, Hungrus does a pretty good job taking down Buffy.
How Many Big Bads Have Killed A Slayer?
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Several Big Bads have come and gone out of Buffy's life, but few have proven strong enough to actually kill a Slayer in the past. The most notable example would be Spike who, before his redemption arc and prior to even meeting Buffy, killed two Slayers back in his heyday. Spike sits in rare company alongside other baddies like Lothos and Caleb as Big Bads who have killed Slayers or Potential Slayers.
Now, Hungrus can be added to that rare company. It's cool to see the lore of the Buffyverse (or as it's known in the comics, the Slayerverse) continues to expand in such a way that not only introduces another character who has killed Slayers before, but a character whose whole thing is that they feed on Vampire Slayers. Even better, it gives readers a glimpse into what led to the demise of previous lines of Slayers, a hint of lore that's rarely ever covered in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.