The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine (or "official") and those events, characters, settings, etc. This article is not about Literary canons of influential works of fiction but about the concept of a canon which defines the world of a particular fictional series , that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e The Buffyverse is expanded through other additional materials such as comics, novels, pilots, promos and video games which do not necessarily take place in the exact same fictional continuity as the Buffy episodes and Angel episodes. " Buffyverse " is a term coined by fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to refer to the shared Fictional universe in The following is a list of episodes for the American cult Television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The following is a list of episodes for the American cult Television series, Angel. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and other prolific sci-fi/fantasy franchises have similarly gathered complex fictional continuities through hundreds of stories told in different formats. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded [1]
Contents |
Using the religious analogy of a canon of scripture (see Biblical canon), things that are not canon are considered "apocryphal" . A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious When a body of work is not specifically accepted or rejected by an authority, 'canon' can be a fluid term that is interpreted differently by different people. This is the case with 'Buffyverse canon', which has yet to be publicly defined by an authority to the satisfaction and consensus of all observers (see: links to canon debates). The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine (or "official" and those events characters settings etc The creator of the Buffyverse, Joss Whedon, has implied that additional materials he was not heavily involved in creating were separate from canon. Joseph Hill " Joss " Whedon ( born June 23, 1964 in New York City is an Academy Award -nominated and Hugo Award [2] When asked in an interview about canon, Whedon stated:
| “ | Canon is key, as is continuity. If you are massive nerd. Which I am. I believe there's a demarcation between the creation and ancillary creations by different people. I'm all for that stuff, just like fanfic, but I like to know what's there's an absolutely official story-so-far, especially when something changes mediums, which my stuff seems to do a lot. [3] | ” |
This is an overview of what is considered official canon of the Buffyverse:
The events seen on-screen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are considered canonical. Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e Angel is an American Television series, a Spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a Comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Angel After the Fall is a Comic book published by IDW Publishing. Angel After the Fall is a Comic book published by IDW Publishing. Fray is an eight-issue Comic book Limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tales of the Slayers consists of two items a Graphic novel and a one-shot comic book Tales of the Slayer Broken Bottle of Djinn. Tales of the Vampires is a five issue American comic book Limited series (later collected in a single trade paperback) published by Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e Angel is an American Television series, a Spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [4]
Outside of the TV series, the Buffyverse has been expanded and elaborated on by various authors and artists in the so-called "Buffyverse Expanded Universe". For the Robert A Heinlein short story collection see Expanded Universe (Heinlein. The Buffyverse novels, and Buffyverse comics are licensed by 20th Century Fox, but are generally considered 'less real' within the Buffyverse (apocryphal). Buffyverse novels include Buffy novels, Angel novels, Buffy/Angel novels and Tales of the Slayer Buffy comics|Angel comics Introduction Buffy comics. These were published by Dark Horse, originally [4]
Despite this, they have been licensed as official Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel merchandise. Furthermore, many authors have said that Whedon or his office have had to approve their overall outline for their novel or comic if not the final product. This was to prevent the stories venturing too far from the original intentions of Buffy/Angel stories (see below). These works are commonly considered non-canon. Jeff Mariotte, author of Buffyverse novels and comics has said:
| “ | The rule in licensed fiction is that what's on the screen is canon, and the rest is not. Jeff Mariotte is an Author who currently lives in Arizona with his wife author Maryelizabeth Hart and family [4] | ” |
Work created with Joss Whedon's involvement has been described as canon by commentators,[5] and by Whedon himself. For example he announced in 2005:
| “ | Darkhorse Comics are starting a new Buffy comic, and as I understand it, it will take place after the end of Buffy and Angel and be canon in the Buffy world. And I understand it that way 'cause I'm writing it![6] | ” |
In a separate interview, Whedon spoke of the planning process for the series:
| “ | I basically said, "We could do something and for once we could make it canon. We could make it officially what happened after the end of the show. "[7] | ” |
Whedon has also written the comic mini-series Long Night's Journey, as well as short stories for Tales of the Slayers and Tales of the Vampires. Tales of the Slayers consists of two items a Graphic novel and a one-shot comic book Tales of the Slayer Broken Bottle of Djinn. Tales of the Vampires is a five issue American comic book Limited series (later collected in a single trade paperback) published by
Fray is an eight-part comic series written by Whedon, about a vampire slayer of the future named Melaka Fray. Fray is an eight-issue Comic book Limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the Buffyverse, a powerful scythe used by Buffy is found in centuries to come by Melaka Fray. In 2001, whilst Whedon was still producing Buffy he spoke about his concern of implications of information established by Fray (and Buffy comics generally) affecting the canon Buffyverse:
| “ | When it comes to Buffy, I do the show and that's it. Fray is an eight-issue Comic book Limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anything I do in a comic might interfere with the canon, or interfere with what I'm doing on the show. With Fray, I thought, okay, I'll do something new, that's in the Buffy universe so that I don't have to create a whole new universe for my first foray into comics. It can therefore be of interest to the fans, yet not interfere with anything. [8] | ” |
However, the Buffy series finale did not match continuity set by Fray. In Fray no mention is made of the Slayer's essence being split amongst multiple women. A Slayer, in the fictional Buffyverse established by Buffy and Angel, is a young Female bestowed with [9] When asked about the apparent contradictions between Buffy and Fray, Whedon responded:
| “ | No, that’s actually something I hope to deal with, either in the Spike format or in another series of Fray. The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ''Angel'' has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable There’s a discrepancy there that I plan to explain. I have a vision for it. [2] | ” |
In an interview with TV Guide, Whedon revealed that he considered TV tie-in comics to be "ancillary" unless written by the script-writers:
| “ | "TVGuide. com: Have you seen the Battlestar Galactica comic?
Whedon: No, I don't think I can do it. I love Battlestar too hard. I couldn't look at any ancillary work. TVGuide. com: I love Buffy "hard," so are you saying we fans shouldn't read the [Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight (by Whedon)]? Whedon: No, because if they stopped doing Battlestar Galactica, and then two or three years later Ron Moore and David Eick said, "We ourselves are going to continue the story in comic-book form — as opposed to something ancillary to the show done by other people," then I would be all over it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a Comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. The Battlestar Galactica Science fiction franchise which began as a 1978 TV series, was "reimagined" in 2003 into a TV miniseries Ronald Dowl Moore (born 5 July 1964 in Chowchilla California) is a two-time Emmy Award -nominated American Screenwriter David Eick (born 1968 is a producer best known as the producer of Battlestar Galactica (alongside Ronald D That's not to say the Battlestar comic isn't great, but I love that show the way other people love Buffy. I love it unreasonably. "[10] |
” |
Several of the comics have been written by the scriptwriters of Mutant Enemy Productions. Mutant Enemy Productions is the Production company created in 1997 by Joss Whedon to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Doug Petrie wrote comics, Ring of Fire, Double Cross, and Bad Dog. Ring of Fire is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy television series Food Chain is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy television series Food Chain is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy television series Jane Espenson has written comics, (Haunted, Jonathan, and Reunion), as well as two Tales of the Slayer prose shorts ("Again, Sunnydale" and "Two Teenage Girls at the Mall"). Haunted is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy television series Jonathan is a comic a story based on the Buffy television series Reunion is a comic based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Note This is not to be confused with Tales of the Slayers Graphic Novel Note This is not to be confused with Tales of the Slayers Graphic Novel Note This is not to be confused with Tales of the Slayers Graphic Novel Rebecca Rand Kirshner also wrote a prose short story for Tales of the Slayer, "The War Between the States". Note This is not to be confused with Tales of the Slayers Graphic Novel
Two actors have co-authored comics with Christopher Golden. Christopher Golden is an American author of horror, Fantasy, and suspense novels for adults teens and young readers James Marsters who portrayed Spike, co-authored "Paint the Town Red", whilst Amber Benson co-authored Willow & Tara. James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor and musician best known for playing the popular platinum-blond character Spike Spike (aka William "the Bloody") played by James Marsters, is a Fictional character Spike & Dru is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy television series Amber Nicole Benson, born on January 8 1977 is an American Actress, Writer, Film director, and Film producer. General Description Features the one-shot WannaBlessedBe (drawn by Terry Moore and Eric Powell and the Wilderness story (drawn by AJ as well Benson also wrote the comic short story "The Innocent". Tales of the Slayers consists of two items a Graphic novel and a one-shot comic book Tales of the Slayer Broken Bottle of Djinn.
All other Buffyverse comics and novels were written by authors that were not involved with any level of production of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel. Buffy comics|Angel comics Introduction Buffy comics. These were published by Dark Horse, originally Buffyverse novels include Buffy novels, Angel novels, Buffy/Angel novels and Tales of the Slayer The creators of these works are generally free to tell their own stories set in the Buffyverse, and may or may not keep to established continuity. Similarly, writers for the TV series were under no obligation to use continuity which has been established by the Expanded Universe, and sometimes contradicted it.
Usually the authors and editors of these licensed materials try not to contradict information that has been established by canon. However, many of the materials do directly contradict it. Jeff Mariotte has said:
| “ | Sometimes stuff shows up on screen that contradicts what you wrote, and sometimes the timing is such that a book comes out after the episode that contradicts it airs. [4] | ” |
For example, according to Monster Island, Spike and Gunn meet in the Hyperion Hotel in Angel Season 3;[11] however, the canonical Angel TV series later established that Spike and Gunn meet in the Wolfram and Hart L. Monster Island is an original novel based on the television series Buffy and Angel. Charles Gunn (born 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is a Fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult Television series A. offices in Angel Season 5. [12]
Some of the licensed materials successfully avoid contradicting any information given in episodes. For example, How I Survived My Summer Vacation features short stories that take place after Buffy Season 1 but before Season 2. How I Survived My Summer Vacation is an anthology novel consisting of six short stories, based on the U
A number of comments by Buffyverse writers have indicated that although they know they are not writing Buffyverse canon, overviews for their stories may still have been checked over by Whedon.
Referring to Whedon, Christopher Golden said:
| “ | He has to approve everything. I should say, his office has to approve everything, so sometimes he gets more involved than others in doing those approvals. [13] | ” |
In a separate interview, Golden said:
| “ | There are times in both books and comics when I know he has gotten involved because the word, sort of, comes down from him. [14] | ” |
Similarly, Peter David, was asked about his comic, Spike: Old Times, said:
| “ | Ostensibly comments came from Whedon, although for all I know, it was from an associate. For the Grenadian politician see Peter David (politician. Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23 Spike Old Times is a comic based on the Angel television series [15] | ” |
Jeff Mariotte has revealed more detail of the approval process:
| “ | I come up with a proposal that's eight or ten pages long and I submit that to Pocket Books. They read it and if they like it then they submit it to 20th Century Fox and the Buffy office. If everybody approves it then I can get to work . . . if I proposed doing something that was counter to what they wanted the direction of the character to be, they would tell me. [16] | ” |
Mariotte implies that little input is given, only acceptance or rejection of general ideas:
| “ | In the world of licensing there is a difference between 'approval' and 'input', and I'm not sure what the legal relationship between Fox and Mutant Enemy is. My impression is that Fox is doing everything in its power to make sure Joss is happy with what we do, and I know that Joss is looking at everything and making comments or thumbs-up, thumbs-down on stuff. [4] | ” |
When asked how much attention he pays to licensed works, Whedon said:
| “ | Not very much. I just don’t have time. I give them a few guidelines of things they should stay away from, things that we’re going to be dealing with or things that would disrupt the canon or things that are just antithetical to what I believe in. [2] | ” |
Elsewhere, Whedon has pointed out that he has never entirely read a single Buffy novel, and has little time to devote to such material. He therefore knows little of the final product, or of their quality control.
In one instance, Whedon has endorsed a comic neither written nor supervised by him, The Origin by Christopher Golden and Dan Brereton, as canonical. The Origin is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series Dan Brereton is a professional artist and illustrator who has produced notable work in the comic book field An adaptation of the 1992 Buffy film which was reworked to fit the television series' continuity, Whedon said this of the comic:
| “ | The origin comic, though I have issues with it, CAN pretty much be accepted as canonical. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 action - comedy - Horror film about " Valley girl " cheerleader Buffy They did a cool job of combining the movie script (the SCRIPT) with the series, that was nice, and using the series Merrick. [17] | ” |
Writer of Spike: Asylum and Spike: Shadow Puppets, Brian Lynch had no involvement in the production of the Buffy or Angel television series. Spike Asylum is a five-issue Comic book Limited series based on Angel Television series Spike Shadow Puppets is a Limited series Comic book based on the Angel Television series This article is about the American writer For the professional basketball player see Brian Lynch (basketball, for the Jazz trumpeter see Brian Lynch (musician However, charged by Joss Whedon with producing the canonical comic series Angel: After The Fall, Lynch's character Betta George has been chosen to be brought into the official canon. Angel After the Fall is a Comic book published by IDW Publishing. [18]
Excluding the Buffy and Angel television episodes, novels, and comics, there have been a variety of other official productions set within the Buffyverse. They are largely regarded as apocryphal, and some are contridicted by other canonical works.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the 1992 comedy film starring Kristy Swanson as Buffy, was written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 action - comedy - Horror film about " Valley girl " cheerleader Buffy Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Kristen Noel "Kristy" Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American Actress best known as the original Buffy Summers Fran Rubel Kuzui is an American movie director and producer. She received her Masters degree from New York University and was a In 2001, Whedon described his experience watching the film:
| “ | I finally sat down and had written it and somebody had made it into a movie, and I felt like -- well, that's not quite her. It's a start, but it's not quite the girl. [19] | ” |
The film contradicts continuity established by the Buffy television series; for example, the nature of vampires differs in significant ways: in the film, vampires do not have "vamp" faces whilst feeding, and can fly. They also do not turn into dust when killed. As noted above, the canonicity of this film is superseded by The Origin. The Origin is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series
Whedon wrote and partly funded a 25-minute unaired Buffy pilot[20] to help sell the series concept, but he was not happy with the final product (he has been quoted in an interview about the pilot, "It sucks on ass"[21]). The non-broadcast Pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox in 1996 to pitch a series to networks The story is nearly identical to the plot of the first Buffy episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth", which supersedes it in canon; there are minor canonical changes, including the recasting of some roles and slight personality changes for some characters. " Welcome to the Hellmouth " the first in a two-part series opener is episode 1 of season 1 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The unaired Angel pitch tape was produced prior to that series. Angel is an American Television series, a Spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It features Angel speaking toward the camera (possibly breaking the Fourth wall) and narrating action seen in clips. The fourth wall is the imaginary wall at the front of the stage in a Proscenium Theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play
Two Buffyverse screen tests have been widely released, both of which are found on the Angel Season 3 DVD set (disc six): Amy Acker's screen test for the role of Winifred Burkle, and Vincent Kartheiser's test for the role of Connor. For the BBC TV series see Screen Test. A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an Actor or actress for DVDs of the television show Angel were produced by 20th Century Fox and released beginning in 2001 Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a Fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan for the cult Television series Vincent Paul Kartheiser (born May 5, 1979) is an American actor Connor, also known as Connor Angel, Steven Franklin Thomas Holtz and Connor Reilly, is a Fictional character from the Television series These are associated with Angel cast and crew. Acker's test involves a scene with the characters, Fred, Wesley and Gunn. Fred tries and fails to alert Wesley to an imminent danger but Wesley (and later Gunn) are struck by a love spell which causes them to profess their love for her. Kartheiser's test involves the characters Connor and Angel. Connor wishes to leave the Hyperion, but his father, Angel, attempts to stop him.
Some promotional material aired on WB and UPN featured Buffyverse actors portraying their characters in original material. United Paramount Network ( UPN) was a Television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven For example, Sarah Michelle Gellar appeared as Buffy for 1-800-COLLECT adverts. Sarah Michelle Prinze, (born April 14 1977 better known by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar, is an American actress. Similarly Nicholas Brendon played Xander in Barq's commercials. Nicholas Brendon (born April 12, 1971, as Nicholas Brendon Schultz in Los Angeles California) is an Actor best known for his Barq's (ˈbɑrks "Barks" is an American Soft drink company Some Buffy Season 6 UPN promos consisted of the Scooby Gang talking about Buffy. The Scooby Gang, or " Scoobies " are a group of characters in the cult television series and comic book Buffy the Vampire Slayer who battle the Whedon's degree of involvement in the making of such promotional clips is not publicly known.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer video games do not contradict continuity established by the series. Five official Video game adaptations of the Cult television program Buffy the Vampire Slayer have Furthermore, many of the actors from the shows have provided their voices for the games. Joss Whedon was involved in Chaos Bleeds, and appears in the game's special features. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chaos Bleeds is a 2003 Video game and the fourth video game based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise
Mutant Enemy Productions have at various times gone into the early stages of development with potential Buffyverse spinoffs that were ultimately unproduced. Mutant Enemy Productions is the Production company created in 1997 by Joss Whedon to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Faith the Vampire Slayer, Ripper, Slayer School, and the Spike movie would have taken place within the same fictional continuity. The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ''Angel'' has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ''Angel'' has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ''Angel'' has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ''Angel'' has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable Buffy the Animated Series may have followed a slightly alternative continuity since promotional artwork has shown that the Sunnydale High library would have looked dramatically different than it had in the Buffy episodes. Buffy the Animated Series is an undeveloped animated TV show based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [22]
The David Fury-written script, "Corrupt", establishes an alternative continuity after the premiere Angel episode, "City of". " City of " is the series Premiere of the Television show Angel. Events that take place in the story are instead superseded by the continuity of the second Angel episode, "Lonely Hearts", the episode which was written to replace "Corrupt".
Various works are not licensed by 20th Century Fox as Buffy/Angel merchandise, and do not have any involvement from any Buffyverse cast and crew. The fictional universe established by television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer has Buffy and Angel ( Buffyverse) cast and crew were involved in the making of the television series These include adult (pornographic) parodies and fan films.
All links active as of November 2006