Kennedy

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Kennedy is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Portrayed by Iyari Limon, the character was introduced in the final season of the series and goes on to appear in the comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, which continues the story of the television series.

Kennedy is introduced as a "potential Slayer" - one of many girls who might become endowed with supernatural abilities, destined to battle evil creatures such as vampires and demons, like protagonist Buffy Summers. Distinctly, Kennedy is also a love interest for the character of Willow; Kennedy is an out lesbian with an assertive personality, which is intended to contrast with the timid character of Willow's deceased girlfriend Tara. In the series finale of Buffy, Willow magically activates the potential in all girls like Kennedy to become full-fledged Slayers like Buffy.

Character history

Kennedy is one of the first three Potential Slayers to arrive in Sunnydale. She comes from a wealthy New York City family with a summer home in the Hamptons and has at least one sibling; a half-sister. An out-of-the-closet lesbian, Kennedy has known about her sexuality since the age of five (commenting that she found out watching Gone with the Wind), and aggressively pursues a relationship with Willow, whose longtime lover, Tara, was murdered at the end of season six.

Kennedy witnessed her Watcher's death; he was murdered by Bringers, who are lackeys of The First Evil. That she knew about Watchers (as well as having some comprehension of how the Slayer line works) before being chosen indicates that she was approached by them at some point during her youth, like Kendra Young.

Kennedy's attraction to Willow produces unexpected consequences in the episode "The Killer in Me." Eventually, Kennedy and Willow become lovers and remain so through the end of the series, acting as an anchor to keep Willow sane when doing powerful magic. Kennedy later becomes one of the more prominent Potentials, overseeing their training in "Get It Done", and giving orders to them in "End of Days" while Buffy is absent and Faith is incapacitated. She supports Willow in her attempt to activate all Potential Slayers. Afterwards Kennedy joins Buffy and the other Potentials in the final battle against the First Evil's army of Turok-Han as a fully-activated Slayer.

In Season Five of Angel, a year after the end of Buffy, mention is made that Kennedy and Willow continued to be a couple and were then living in Brazil together. Later in the show, though, it's known that Willow went to Himalayas and was apparently unavailable due to using astral projection to leave this plane. It's unknown whether Kennedy followed her in Asia or remained in South America.

Kennedy, Willow, Buffy and Vi in the variant cover of Time of Your Life part 1

Later, in the in-canon comic book series, in the story titled "The Long Way Home, Part III", Buffy catches up with Willow in Scotland, after the latter's year long absence. During this conversation, Buffy asks how Kennedy's doing and Willow reveals that she died, though it was only a short-lived mystical death. However, it did freak Kennedy out, causing her to slow things down in her and Willow's relationship.

She is next seen in "Anywhere but Here" in flashback. She worries that Willow is keeping her away from Buffy's inner circle because she is ashamed of her, which prompts Willow to reveal that she blames herself for Tara's death by keeping her close to Buffy and therefore danger. Willow then states that she refuses to let that happen to Kennedy.

In Season Eight, Kennedy is directing an army of slayers in New York, along with Vi. She and Willow finally reunite in the fourth arc of the series, Time of Your Life, in which Buffy is accidentally sent to the future and Kennedy is helping Willow in an attempt to bring her back.

In another part of Time of Your Life, approximately two centuries in the future, Buffy asks Willow (now evil) how Kennedy is doing. Willow replies "It's been two hundred years, Buffy. how do you think she's doing," implying that Kennedy has died.

Appearances in Buffyverse

Kennedy has appeared in 21 canonical Buffyverse appearances

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Kennedy appeared as a supporting character in 13 episodes:

• Season 7 (2002-2003)- "Bring on the Night"; "Showtime"; "Potential"; "The Killer in Me"; "First Date"; "Get It Done"; "Storyteller"; "Lies My Parents Told Me"; "Dirty Girls"; "Empty Places"; "Touched" ; "End of Days"; "Chosen"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight

Kennedy has appeared in 8 issues thus far:

• "Anywhere but Here" (in a flashback)
• "Time of Your Life, Parts I-IV".
• "Predators and Prey, Part II" ("Swell")"
• "Retreat, Part I & III"

See also

• List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture

References

External links

• Kennedy at the Internet Movie Database
• Buffy Wikia Kennedy entry
• Vyra.net
• Buffyquotes.co.uk Kennedy