“In every generation, there is a Chosen One…” — and none have slayed quite like Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy Summers.

Premiering on the WB on March 10, 1997 (marking its 28th anniversary this year), Joss Whedon’s seven-season supernatural drama follows the titular teen as she juggles life as an ordinary high school student while keeping the creature-infested Hellmouth in check.

While the 1992 film that inspired the show went up in smoke, the TV series cast an undying spell — forging one of pop culture’s fiercest, most devoted cult followings.

Over the years, cast reunions and even a 2023 Audible spinoff have kept the Scooby Gang spirit alive and kicking, but talks of a revival were once just rumors. That was until February 2025, when Hulu officially greenlit a new chapter in the Buffyverse — with none other than Gellar returning in a recurring capacity and Oscar winner (and Buffy superfan!) Chloé Zhao at the helm.

So, while we ready our stakes for the next chapter, let’s check in with the OG cast.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers

Since Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, ’90s fave Sarah Michelle Gellar has stayed busy with a slew of movie roles, including The Grudge (2004), The Grudge 2 (2006), The Air I Breathe (2007) and Possession (2009). She returned to All My Children for a guest appearance (having been a series regular on the show from 1993 to 1995, pre-Buffy) and starred on Ringer and The Crazy Ones (the latter with the late Robin Williams). She released the cookbook Stirring Up Fun with Food in 2017.

In 2023, Gellar brought her monster-slaying skills back to the small screen on the Paramount+ original series Wolf Pack, which was canceled after one season. She then stepped into the crime world with a special guest role as CSI chief Tanya Martin on the streamer’s Dexter prequel, Dexter: Original Sin.

By February 2025, the actress set her stakes on an even bigger return — joining an untitled Buffy sequel project on Hulu. Speaking to PEOPLE about the news, she described her mix of emotions. “I wish there was a better word than overwhelming. It’s heartwarming and exciting and also incredibly nerve-wracking at the same time,” she said. “And I think we have this team in place that is legendary, from Chloé Zhao to the Zucks [Nora and Lilla Zuckerman], to Gail Berman. And I think people are going to be pretty impressed.”

Gellar married actor Freddie Prinze Jr. in 2002, a few years after meeting on the set of the 1997 teen horror flick I Know What You Did Last Summer. The couple has two children together, Charlotte and Rocky.

Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris

Nicholas Brendon starred on several TV series following his run as Buffy’s BFF Xander. His credits include Kitchen Confidential, Private Practice and Criminal Minds.

After Buffy the Vampire Slayer wrapped, the actor was in the news several times for legal and personal issues with his mental health. He went to rehab in 2004 and again in 2010 following an incident with the police. Brendon was then arrested in 2014 and multiple times in 2015. He eventually checked himself into a 90-day treatment program in late October 2015.

In May 2019, Brendon was charged with domestic violence for his October 2017 arrest, where he allegedly attacked his girlfriend in a California hotel room. He was also arrested in August 2021 for allegedly using false information to obtain prescription drugs. Brendon made headlines again one month later when he canceled promotional events surrounding his film Wanton Want (2021). His manager, Theresa Fortier, told The Daily Mail that the actor reportedly suffered “deep-seated medical problems and immense pain” as a result of Cauda equina syndrome, which affects the lumbar spine and limits movement. His condition was reportedly exacerbated after his jail stint in August 2021 at Vigo County Jail in Indiana.

Brendon and his estranged wife, Moonda Tee, split in February 2015, less than five months after tying the knot.

Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

Along with her successful run as Buffy’s other BFF, Willow, Alyson Hannigan garnered fans with her role in the American Pie movie series, then moved right on to How I Met Your Mother after Buffy wrapped. “I feel so lucky to have success twice,” she told PEOPLE in December 2007.

In 2019, Hannigan landed the role of Kim Possible’s mother in the Disney live-action movie of the 2002 animated series, and in 2023, she competed on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars (placing fifth).

Hannigan married former Buffy costar Alexis Denisof in 2003, and they have two daughters, Satyana and Keeva.

David Boreanaz as Angel

David Boreanaz played Buffy’s love interest and ally, Angel, which earned him a spinoff show about the character, the aptly-titled Angel. He has worked steadily after Buffy ended, notably starring on the crime procedural Bones alongside Emily Deschanel. Boreanaz was also a prominent cast member of the military drama SEAL Team from 2017 to 2024.

Aware of the constant clamor for reboots and revivals, Boreanaz hasn’t ruled out a return to the supernatural realm. “You have the cult world that loves Buffy and Angel, they love the fantasy world, they love the portals and the makeup and all the fantasy worlds,” Boreanaz told PEOPLE in August 2024. “It’s definitely something that would be interesting to tap back into, that world, that environment.

Boreanaz is married to actress Jaime Bergman, with whom he has son Jaden and daughter Bella (born Bardot Vita).

James Marsters as William “Spike” Pratt

James Marsters played the sexy vampire Spike on Buffy and its spinoff Angel. He also appeared on several other supernatural shows in the following years, including Smallville, The Super Hero Squad and Witches of East End. Other credits include the 2007 film P.S. I Love You and Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu. The actor has released music throughout his career with his band Ghost of the Robot.

In February 2021, Marsters and his wife, Patricia Rahman, separated after 10 years of marriage. Marsters has one son, Sullivan, with ex-wife Liane Davidson and regards his niece as his daughter.

Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers

Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s little sister, went on to enjoy a successful career on TV — namely Mercy, Weeds, Robot Chicken and, perhaps most famously, Gossip Girl and the HBO Max reboot. Trachtenberg also executive-produced a few projects, including the Tubi series Meet, Marry, Murder.

On Feb. 26, 2025, the actress was found dead at age 39 due to “undetermined” circumstances. In the wake of the news, sources told PEOPLE that she had recently undergone a liver transplant and may have had “complications” (per ABC News).

Many of her former Buffy castmates paid tribute to Trachtenberg — with Marsters calling her “fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny and a very talented person,” while Gellar shared a nostalgic carousel of photos from their time on the show. “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you,” Gellar wrote to Trachtenberg, quoting the season 5 finale where Buffy sacrifices herself for Dawn. “The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you.”

Anthony Head as Rupert Giles

After Buffy, Anthony Head appeared on Little Britain, Merlin, Dominion and Guilt. He can also be seen on the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, Netflix’s Bridgerton and the BBC sitcom Motherland. His film credits include Imagine Me & You (2005), The Iron Lady (2011), Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013), Let the Right One In (2021) and Upgraded (2024).

Head lives in Somerset, England, with his partner, Sarah Fisher. They share two daughters, Emily and Daisy.

Seth Green as Daniel “Oz” Osbourne

Seth Green has stayed busy since his days as werewolf Daniel on both Buffy and on one episode of spinoff Angel, notably with voice work on the Emmy-winning Robot Chicken, Family Guy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 2019, Green released Changeland, marking his debut as a screenwriter.

He has been married to fellow actor and frequent collaborator Clare Grant since May 2010.

Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins

Since her run as a Scooby Gang member and former demon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Emma Caulfield has continued to appear on TV, including Gigantic, Life Unexpected, Once Upon a Time and Fantasy Hospital. Caulfield also appeared on the hit Disney+ series WandaVision and in an episode of its spinoff, Agatha All Along.

The actress has also been candid about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis — first diagnosed in 2010 but kept private until 2022 — and plans to keep sharing her journey. “It’s one of the reasons I decided to go public,” she told PEOPLE in 2024, “because if someone can recognize themselves or gain some inspiration from my experience, that’s wonderful.”

In 2016, Caulfield welcomed daughter Knightley with actor Mark Leslie Ford, whom she married a year later.

Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase

Charisma Carpenter reprised her role as Buffy’s ally, Cordelia, on Angel — and she went on to find more small-screen success on Charmed, Veronica Mars, Greek and The Lying Game. Carpenter also appeared in The Expendables (2010) and The Expendables 2 (2012) as Lacy, the on-again, off-again girlfriend of Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas in the action films.

In 2021, the actress opened up about Joss Whedon’s alleged abuse of power on the Buffy and Angel sets. Off-screen, Carpenter is mom to son Donovan, whom she shares with ex-husband Damian Hardy.