Years later Buffy the Vampire Slayerone of Sarah Michelle GellarThe new papers have only made the shared universe theory much more difficult to explain. There are many shared cinematic universes in the modern day. From Quentin Tarantino's shared universe to more explicit crossovers like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's incredibly common for new movies and shows to be connected to a larger franchise. In 2003, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, however, was not so common. That's why a shared universe theory for the show was so surprising, and why it's a big deal that's harder to justify now.
Recently, Sarah Michelle Gellar joined the cast of Dexter: Original Sin as Tanya Martin, Miami Metro forensic analyst and Dexter's boss and mentor. Original sin places Gellar in a very different role than Buffy the Vampire Slayerbut both characters are “small but mighty”, as Tanya said. They not only share some characteristics, such as Dexter may occur in the same universe as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The fact that Gellar plays important characters in both, however, undermines the entire crossover theory.
Dexter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Shared Universe Theory Explained
Doublemeat Palace exists in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dexter
Thanks to a small detail present in both shows, it is possible that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dexter exist in the same universe. Both franchises have a fast food chain called Doublemeat Palace - Buffy started working at a branch in Buffy season 6, and Angel Batista ate Doublemeat burgers in Dexter season 1. Since Doublemeat Palace doesn't exist in the real world or any other fictional franchise, it's a hint that the shows take place in the same universe. Writer Drew Z. Greenberg worked on both shows and probably intended them to be just a reference, but he also opened the door for a horror crossover that never happened.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dexter now have two main actors overlapping in their main casts
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Julie Benz are in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dexter
The connection between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dexter it doesn't just extend to Doublemeat Palace. Two actors – Sarah Michelle Gellar and Julie Benz – had important roles in both franchises. Benz played Rita Bennett in Dexter and Darla in Buffywhile Gellar obviously played Buffy Summers, and now she plays Tanya Martin in Dexter: Original Sin. None of Gellar and Benz's characters were minors either. Darla was a major antagonist in Buffy Season 1 and a major recurring character in the spinoff show Angelwhile Tanya is one of the most important new characters in Original sinIt's cast.
As interesting as the overlap in Buffy and Dexteris that this also creates a big problem for their shared universe. Since Gellar and Benz play characters from both franchises, there seems to be a paradox that wouldn't allow Buffy and Dexter exist at the same time. It shouldn't be possible for a vampire in Sunnydale and a single mother in Miami to be exactly the same. Gellar's characters cause an even bigger problem, as the Slayer is supposedly a younger version of a forensic analyst. Dexter: Original SinThe timeline also means that Tanya was a middle-aged woman before Buffy even started high school.
How Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dexter's Shared Universe Theory Could Still Work After Sarah Michelle Gellar's Casting
Dexter could take place in an alternate Buffy The Vampire Slayer universe
Although Gellar and Benz's characters seemingly ruin any chance of Dexter happening in Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe, not really. Buffy the Vampire Slayer technically has a multiverse, which recent comics have confirmed. Parallel universes even appeared in the Buffy show, notably in the season 3 episode "The desire”, which saw the Scoobies head to Wishland. These same comics also take place about 20 years after the Buffy show yes, but Buffy, the character, is still a teenager. Because of these facts, Dexter may occur in one of the Buffy the Vampire Slayeralternative realities.
Essentially, the alternate Buffy universe would have played out the same way as the show: Buffy ends up destroying the Hellmouth with all the other potential Slayers. The only difference is that it would have occurred about 40 years earlier, in 1963, instead of 2003. So thanks to the open ending of Buffy the Vampire SlayerBuffy would have been free to live her life without being beholden to Slayer duties, and she could have started a new life under a new name in Miami.. Always a hero, she decides to help the police as a forensic analyst named Tanya Martin.
An alternate universe is essentially the only way to explain why Sarah Michelle Gellar appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dexter: Original Sin while keeping their shared universe intact.
This alternate universe could also easily explain Darla becoming Rita Bennett years later, simply by establishing that Darla looked different in the parallel dimension, or by having Darla keep her human soul after giving birth to Connor. While it may be a bit complicated, an alternate reality would allow Buffy and Dexter coexist, and it's not like Buffy You've had problems with complicated stories. Furthermore, it's 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.