WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Angel #1 by Christopher Cantwell, Daniel Bayliss, Roman Titov, Maria Agustina Vallejo, and Becca Carey, on sale now from Boom Comics
The multiversal spectrum of recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories have opened up the door to some surprising additions to the franchise. This includes giving the Slayer capabilities to some unexpected figures, including a hero who wasn't even a major player in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel #1 reveals that a newly introduced realities Fred Burkle is actually a Slayer. Given the multiversal stakes of the current Buffyverse, this could be a major addition to a Slayer army -- or result into a fearsome new threat.
Angel #1 takes place in another reality located across the multiverse. In this world, Angel and Coredila are actors on top of their regular demon-hunting duties. Seemingly working with Lindsey from Wolfram & Hart, Angel Investigations is now a major television hit. These commitments have increasingly drawn them away from field work, with the rest of the team still based out of the Hyperion. Spike, Wesley, and Fred are left to pick up the slack, fighting supernatural threats that appear in Los Angeles. But a surprising twist is that Fred isn't just a clever crafter in this world. Instead, Fred was this world's Slayer -- taking on threats across the city with an impressive amount of skill.
With Wes as her Watcher, Fred is suggested to be one of the most successful Slayers in her world's history. It's a major step-up for Fred, who spent most of her appearances being primarily an inventor for the group instead of a front-line fighter. She holds her own against mystical threats while never losing her chipper and fast-paced talkative nature. It's a good look for the character, and a potential gamechanger for the Slayerverse going forward. The heroes of the current Buffy the Vampire Slayer series have been trying to rally an army of Slayers from across the multiverse to contend with Silas, a deadly force who feeds on memories. With each kill, he becomes stronger and wants to wipe out all life -- and he recently gained a victory over the Slayers, bringing down the primary Buffy of the series.
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Considering the bloody covered arrival of a multiversal visitor throughout the issue, it's likely that this incarnation of Angel Investigations is about to get involved in the multiversal conflict. If Fred is as brilliant as she is in her past incarnations, then she'd naturally be a great asset for the fight against Silas. That's on top of her Slayer abilities, which would make her a genuine threat to any enemy going forward. A Slayer Fred could be a crucial ally to the Slayers in their fight against Silas. However, there's also the possibility that she could be on the same general path as her original incarnation -- which wouldn't end well for anyone involved. In the original Angel, a major Season 5 storyline centered around Fred's infection with an ancient god during their tenure controlling the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart.
The heroes ultimately failed to save her, and Fred's mind, personality, and soul were erased. She was overwritten by Illyria, a powerful demon god who imbued her body with amazing power. However, with her powers diminished and her armies reduced to dust, the heroes took in a lost Illyria and provided her a chance to become something better. With the mention of Lindsey, it's likely Wolfram & Hart are involved with Angel Investigations in this reality as well. If they get their own version of Illyria to infect this version of Fred, it could introduce an even more powerful and destructive version of Illyria. Coupled with the version of Fred turned into the multiversal figure Mura in the previous Angel series, it seems Fred Burkle is quietly one of the multiverse's most important -- and potentially dangerous -- people.
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