Kendra Young
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- "The things you do and have, I was taught distract from my calling. Friends. School. Even family."
- ―Kendra[src]
Kendra Young was a Slayer from Jamaica who was activated in 1997 by Buffy Summers' temporary death. Trained by her Watcher Sam Zabuto, Kendra was completely dedicated to her calling. She was an ally to the Scooby Gang in battling the vampires Spike and Drusilla, but was killed in 1998 by Drusilla after only a year-long tenure as Slayer.
Kendra appeared in season two of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was portrayed by Bianca Lawson. She makes non-canon appearances in Buffy literature.
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Biography
Early life
Kendra Young's parents gave her up for Slayer training at a very early age after she was identified as a Potential Slayer; she did not even know her own surname as she studied under her Watcher, Sam Zabuto. Zabuto was very strict with his charge, forbidding her from enjoying a social or romantic life, which he taught her would distract her from her duties as the Slayer. Kendra became fully versed in the Slayer Handbook and fighting techniques, and owned a trusty stake which she named Mr. Pointy. After a lifetime of preparation, she was called in 1997 when Buffy Summers died at the hands of the Master; though Buffy's friend Xander Harris managed to revive her, her death nevertheless activated a second Slayer, causing two to co-exist for the first time.[1][2][3]
Meeting Buffy
In her first year as the Slayer, Zabuto sent Kendra to Sunnydale when signs indicated that a very dark power was about to rise there. Kendra saw the benevolent vampire Angel kissing Buffy, and assumed that she too was a vampire — the first of many quick conclusions she would draw. After a brief battle, they discovered that they were both Slayers.[1] Buffy's Watcher Rupert Giles told them that two Slayers existing at the same time was unprecedented. Kendra's social isolation and dedication to discipline and technique in pursuing her calling contrasted sharply with Buffy's independence, whereas Buffy believed that her emotions and friendships made her a better Slayer. The two girls initially shared an antagonistic relationship, but eventually began to empathise with each other's lifestyle. Buffy's friends, the "Scooby Gang", learned that the dark power Zabuto detected was the vampire Drusilla, whose boyfriend Spike was planning to sacrifice Angel in order to restore Drusilla's strength. Despite her reservations about saving a vampire, Kendra aided Buffy in the rescue of Angel from Spike and Drusilla, before returning to her home country.[2]
Death
Kendra returned in 1998 when her Watcher informed her that the demon Acathla would open its mouth and suck the world into hell. By that point, Angel had lost his soul and reverted to the infamous Angelus, and was the one who had activated Acathla alongside Spike and Drusilla. Zabuto gave Kendra a special sword, which Kendra passed on to Buffy after surprising her as she patrolled. Kendra helped the Scooby Gang protect Willow Rosenberg as she performed the Ritual of Restoration to return Angel's soul. Drusilla and her vampire lackeys arrived in the library to stop the attempt to bring back Angel and after a brief fight, Drusilla hypnotized Kendra and slit her throat, killing her.[3] At the very moment that Kendra lost her life, her successor Faith Lehane was called as a Slayer in Boston.[4] As Buffy was found next to her body, she became a suspect for murder and expelled from Sunnydale High; as revealed in "Dead Man's Party", Buffy has been cleared of all charges by eyewitness reports, though it takes both physical and professional threats from Giles to get Principal Snyder to readmit Buffy.
Appearances
Canonical appearances
Expanded Universe
This novel reveals that she is from Cane Town Plantation, Jamaica. The novel also shows a closer friendship between Buffy and Kendra and how deeply affected Buffy was by Kendra's death. Also, it reveals Kendra's past and suggests her doom was inevitable.
Graphic novel written by Doug Petrie.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "What's My Line, Part One"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "What's My Line, Part Two"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Becoming, Part One"
- ↑ "Faith, Hope & Trick"
