While Virginia Madsen's Helen Lyle doesn't make a physical appearance, the presence of the original film's protagonist is felt throughout Candyman. When Anthony, who is the same baby Helen saves at the end of the first film, finds out about Candyman, it's through the urban legend of Helen. Instead of learning how Candyman claimed her as a victim, he's led to believe she merely snapped and that's what caused the events in 1992. At the time, he doesn't even know he's the baby Helen allegedly stole.
While Anthony tries to uncover more information about the legend, Madsen's voice can be heard as she explains her research. It's not until Anthony meets with his mother, Anne-Marie, once again portrayed by Vanessa Williams, that he finds out his true ties to Candyman. However, learning about his past isn't enough to save Anthony from his fate as one of Candyman's victims. Once Anthony's Candyman takes his revenge on the cops who killed him, he transforms into the original Candyman as played by a digitally aged-down Tony Todd.
Including Madsen, Todd, and Williams was a great way to show admiration for what the first film did while building upon the already iconic story. It was a stroke of genius to make a grown-up baby Anthony the lead in order to show that just because you survived one horror film, it doesn't mean you'll survive the next. It's also a great example of fan service done right as it utilises the characters in a way that makes sense and isn't out of character, which is often the downfall of years-later sequels.