Even though Cordelia Chase and a number of other beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters died, Sarah Michelle Gellar recently revealed that they aren't out of the running for a comeback in the in-the-works reboot series on Hulu. That's put a whole new spin on what to expect from the prospective return to the Hellmouth, and everyone wants in!
Cordelia especially deserves a comeback after what happened to her in the Buffy spinoff series Angel. For those who don't remember, Cordelia fell into a coma in the fourth season of Angel before ultimately being killed off upon her one-episode return in the fifth and final season. The character, who was a beloved fan-favorite, received an objectively horrible ending.
Charisma Carpenter 'hopeful' about appearing in Buffy reboot
In a new interview with IGN promoting her new Buffy "first watch" podcast The B-tch is Back, Cordelia actress Charisma Carpenter spoke warmly about the developing reboot series. She's excited that fans will have a chance to get the series they love back in a new way and knows "it will be fantastic because of who’s involved." She's still keeping her fingers crossed she could be involved, too.
"To see this actually happen for the fans makes me thrilled. I am so hopeful to be included, for Cordelia to be a part of this new iteration," Carpenter told IGN. When considering what Gellar said about wanting to revive dead characters, Carpenter admitted, "I don't know what that means for Cordelia specifically — but I'm hopeful that it includes Cordelia obviously, it would be a dream to be included, and it would just be so poetic for that to occur, and for it to occur with this group."
It certainly would be poetic for not only Cordelia but for Carpenter, who was one of the many voices who spoke out against Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel creator Joss Whedon in 2021 and alleged that the showrunner killed Cordelia off of Angel due to the actress' pregnancy in 2003. Even before Carpenter shared her experience with Whedon on both series, Cordelia's exit from Angel never sat right with fans. There's definitely a way to rectify that terrible mistake in the reboot.
Carpenter correctly commented that "for [Cordelia] to go out the way that she did just felt so unjust." She's long been a fan-favorite character in the franchise and is frequently name-checked as a character that deserved better. There are a lot of those in the Buffy-verse, but seeing Cordelia back would be so, so cathartic. Carpenter notes that the "writers are wildly creative" and could figure out a way to bring her back "if there was a thirst or craving or need for Cordelia to be there."
Well, consider this the thirst or craving from fans for Cordelia to be there! When news of the reboot series first arrived earlier this year, Charisma Carpenter was one of the two Buffy stars I listed by name for who I wanted to see return. Even before anything was revealed about the series, I was campaigning for Cordelia to come back from the dead. (Maybe I have also chosen to forget that she was killed off and remains alive in my mind. Yeah, let's go with that!)
The reboot series remains in active development but hasn't received an official green light from Hulu. Ryan Kiera Armstrong was cast as the new Chosen One, and Gellar has been confirmed to reprise her role as Buffy, though the series won't solely center on our favorite slayer. No additional casting announcements have been made, though we're still hopeful to see the likes of Alyson Hannigan back as Willow among other series staples. Let's keep our fingers crossed for some updates soon!
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