One of the biggest questions surrounding the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is which OG characters will return, and many are clamoring to see Willow Rosenberg, Buffy’s best friend turned all-powerful witch. The revival will center on a new Slayer named Nova (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and thus far, Buffy Summers actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is the only original cast member set to reprise their role.
This will likely change, as updates about the new Buffy show have been pouring in. Earlier this November, it was announced that the Buffy revival finally has a release window, with the show set to premiere in 2026. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, who helmed the pilot, confirmed the upcoming Buffy series is “not a reboot. It’s a sequel.”
This is good news, as the universe inhabited by Buffy and her friends has been sorely missed by the fandom. But even more exciting is Zhao’s confirmation that “We will bring back OG characters for sure.” There’s no doubt that Willow is atop many fans’ wish lists, but the circumstances for Alyson Hannigan to return need to be just right.
If Willow Returns In The Revival, She Can’t Be Buffy’s Sidekick
Willow became a fan-favorite character from the moment she was introduced in Buffy‘s pilot episode. Sweet, nerdy, and shy, we longed for Willow the wallflower to bloom. And boy, did she ever.
Though she began as a timid teen petrified at even the thought of Cordelia Chase, Willow honed her craft as a witch and became one of the most formidable members of the Scooby Gang. Her arc even included a descent into villainy as Dark Willow before rejoining the good guys and saving the day in Buffy‘s final episode. It could even be argued that Willow became more powerful than Buffy.
It’s for this reason that, should we be lucky enough to see Willow Rosenberg on our screens again, she has to serve a greater purpose than simply being Buffy’s sidekick. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be best friends, but Willow needs to exist in her own right.
Buffy’s appearance in the new show will be in a supporting capacity, as she serves as Nova’s mentor. It would be exciting for Willow to take on a similar role, perhaps guiding a fledgling witch and helping them avoid the same trappings of the dark arts that she herself succumbed to back in the original show.
While Buffy had her powers bestowed upon her, Willow earned hers, and as she got stronger in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it created a complex dynamic between the best friends that included plenty of conflict. As adult women who have lived with their powers for many years now, they’ve presumably matured past this drama, but it would be fascinating to see how it plays out with their young mentees.
For those of us who grew up watching the original series, Willow was by far more relatable than Buffy. We admired Buffy and wanted to be her, but it was Willow and her finding her own voice and identity that we really connected with, and her character deserves to be done justice in the revival.
What Alyson Hannigan Has Said About Returning As Willow
Like most of the Buffy cast members outside of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan has remained tight-lipped about whether she’ll appear in the revival. In a joint interview with Gellar for Parade, Hannigan said, “I know never to say never, but I’m excited to hear what Sarah says it’s like.” This interview took place in June 2025, two months before filming for the revival took place.
The Willow actress’s statement suggests that she hasn’t been asked to appear yet, but the sheer volume of public appearances Hannigan made with Gellar throughout 2025 can’t be a coincidence. They attended the premiere of the Lifetime movie Pretty Hurts and appeared on The Today Show together.
Besides Parade, Hannigan and Gellar also gave a joint interview to US Weekly. Although most of these interviews were to promote their Ask2BeSure campaign, which aims to raise awareness of meningitis in teenagers, the Buffy revival inevitably came up, with Gellar revealing to US Weekly that several children of Buffy actors auditioned for the upcoming project — Hannigan joked that hers better not have.
Only time will tell whether Hannigan will reprise her role as Willow, but when asked what her Buffy the Vampire Slayer character would be up to now, she said, “I don’t know. I feel like the fans should decide that.” (via Komo News)
Well, this fan thinks Willow should continue to save the world with her incredible witch powers while mentoring a new generation — and that she should definitely be in the revival.
