WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27 by Jeremy Lambert, Carmelo Zagaria, Raul Angulo & Ed Dukeshire, on sale now.
The modern reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has proven willing to deviate from the original show's storyline in unexpected and exciting ways. It's also found ways to introduce new threats, such as the fearsome Hellmother and the vampiric Xander Harris.
Now, the most powerful threat yet has finally gotten a good look at the Scooby Gang, and is likely coming after them. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has formally introduced Silas, the next Big Bad, and his schemes for the multiverse place him on a level beyond any other threat in the history of the franchise.
The multiverse has become a major element of the current Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, with the Scoobies of the 2019 reboot dealing with threats from outside their own reality as fractures in their personal lives drive the gang apart. The Scoobies, along with Anya, have been investigating a mysterious figure known as Silas, who controls the multiversal hounds known as the Lurkers. According to Anya, the "Multiverse Man" is on a path towards wiping out and destroying every reality that exists in the Slayer-verse.
As the group prepares, Ethan Rayne becomes a magical mentor to Willow. Originally just a spirit in this continuity, the group's brief visit to another timeline resulted in Ethan possessing the body of his more villainous, older self from another reality. Now capable of teaching Willow more about magic with a hands-on approach, the pair are training when a portal to the Astral Plane is ripped open around them and drags them into the space between realities. Ethan is teleported back to Sunnydale before Willow can react, and she realizes there's another figure within the space with her. The figure is a man with black eyes and a torn jacket. With a grim smile, he notes how Willow is still meddling and allows her to escape through another portal.
With his final mocking words, he points out that he'll easily be able to follow Willow down the line -- and with the Lurkers by his side, it's clear Anya's arguments about him being behind their attacks on the Scoobies had some validity to them. Willow is able to destroy the portal behind her, but it's clear the experience has shaken her -- and given the severity of things Willow has been exposed to since becoming friends with Buffy, it's a major sign of just how dangerous Silas might really be. Given his unique appearance, it's unlikely that Silas is truly connected to characters from the previous Slayerverse. Instead, he could be a uniquely multiversal figure, willing and able to bring destruction to all the worlds around him. Operating on this level makes him possibly the most dangerous Big Bad in franchise history.
As far as introductions go, this is a memorable one for Silas. Showcasing his casual control over the creatures that just last issue were chasing Buffy and Willow with lethal intent, Silas comes across as a man with the utmost confidence in his schemes, whatever they may be, and he now knows exactly where to find the Scoobies who are trying to uncover his plans. It puts a large target on the back of the Scooby Gang, just as their own internal conflicts have been growing in recent storylines. Silas striking soon might give him an advantage over a divided batch of Sunnydale protectors -- or it might be just the threat needed to bring everyone back together against a single, incredibly powerful enemy.