Buffy the Vampire Slayerstar James Marsters reveals that he almost had a cameo onFirefly, paving the way for him to potentially join the series. Both dramas were created by Joss Whedon, withFireflytaking place in the year 2517. The sci-fi series zeroes in on a group of humans as they arrive on a new star system called The Verse. Despite positive reviews fortheFireflycastand a devoted audience, Fox cancelled the Nathan Fillion-led space saga after one season due to low ratings.
James Marsters, who played the antagonist-turned-hero Spike onBuffyand its spinoffAngel, revealed during a recent convention appearance that he almost joinedFirefly. As the actor explains, he was introduced to the cast by Whedon and reveals thatSpike would have seen at a bar. Considering that Spike is a vampire, Marsters notes, he wouldn’t have aged even in the futuristic space setting. Read his quote below (viathe_electric_crow/TikTok):
The plan was to put Spike in Firefly, which was another one of Joss’ shows about space. So he took me over and introduced me to the cast of Serenity, Firefly. I wish they would have just called it the same thing. Crazy. Um, uh… and I looked at all the space stuff and thought it was cool. He introduced me to the cast — they were all really friendly and wonderful. I didn’t know why I was being introduced to them, but apparently, the idea was that they were gonna go into a bar, and this vampire would be sitting there going: “Nothing ever changes. It never changes.” And so Spike is immortal, so he would be in the future — and he was gonna join the cast. But… they got cancelled.
What Marsters' Comments Would Have Meant For Buffy & Firefly
It Is A Shared Universe, If You Squint
Marsters does not detail what his potential Spike appearance would have meant in the long run. In a past interview withTotal Film, Whedon had mentioned that he hadan idea about bringing in his frequent collaborators Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, and Marsters to play a travelling trio onFirefly. Denisof and Acker both played Buffyverse characters, Wesley and Fred, respectively, so it could be the case that the Spike cameo was just one idea of several. Whedon’s quote about Acker and Denisof cameos is below:
“I had planned to do an episode with Amy, Alexis and James Marsters as part of a travelling Shakespeare troupe. Because it’s sort of a staple of John Ford Westerns, there’s always that over the top theater guy. And I thought it would be terrific to have them to try and put on a play in the cargo bay.”
Fireflyhad enough support to return in the form of a sequel film,Serenity, which was released in 2005 and contained no major Buffyverse references. But there are smaller Easter eggs that hint that some of Whedon’s works all exist in the same universe.The evil Weyland-Yutani Corporation is referenced inAngelandFirefly. It is also a part of theAlienfranchise, with Whedon having writtenAlien Resurrection. This does bolsterthe shared Buffyverse theory.
Our Take On Spike’s Scrapped Firefly Cameo
It’s Another What If?
Perhaps more than most shows,Buffy the Vampire Slayeris a show that could have continued in any number of ways. There wereBuffyspinoff ideasfor Faith, for the potential slayers, for Spike, and even a Giles-focused prequel that could have aired on the BBC. Only one spinoff,Angel, ever came into fruition. The cameo onFireflyis another idea that sounds cool but went unexplored.
