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Nadira Kureishi[1] was a Slayer based in London. While a member of the Slayer Organization, she was based in the Azores, but most of her squad were killed during the conflict against Twilight. Nadira subsequently dedicated herself to avenging her fellow Slayers.[2] After being affected by a magical plague,[3] Nadira became a guardian of the supernatural ghetto known as Magic Town.[4]

Biography[]

Slayer Organization[]

Nadira was a part of the Slayer Organization and a member of a Slayer squad based in the Azores. Many of the other Slayers in Nadira's squad, whom she loved like sisters, were slaughtered by Pearl and Nash, two powerful half-demons and members of the Twilight Group. Nadira received substantial injuries but was healed by the witch Willow Rosenberg.[2]

World without magic[]

Senior Slayer Faith Lehane took Nadira under her wing and guidance while also hiding the fact that she was harboring Angel, leader of the Twilight Group, who Nadira wanted to kill for the death of her sister Slayers. However, unlike most other members of the Slayer Organization, Nadira harbored mixed feelings toward Buffy Summers after the destruction of the Seed of Wonder, believing that Buffy had been punished enough.[2]

Nadira's anger at her past prompted her to assume an self-destructive attitude, pushing others away by focusing on her Slayer side, holding on to the pain of her failure as she believed that she had nothing else.[5] During this time, she met Willow again during her quest to reverse the end of magic; Willow comforted her and managed to alleviate much of Nadira's pain and hostility, but she was unable to talk Nadira out of her vendetta with Angel.[6]

Nadira & Willow

Nadira is comforted by Willow.

When Nadira learned that Faith had been working with Angel, she was disgusted at this apparent betrayal, confronting the two of them about their attempt to resurrect Rupert Giles and demanding that Angel instead resurrect Marianne, one of her Slayers who had recently been killed by Drusilla after she escaped a recent battle with Angel and Faith. Although Angel protested that his method of resurrecting Giles was only possible due to Giles's long contact with magic, Nadira refused to accept this, storming away from Angel and Faith to talk to someone else about the possibility of resurrecting her fellow Slayer, unaware that the person she was meeting was apparently Giles himself.[7]

Though Giles successfully managed to resurrect Marianne by painting mysterious symbols on her body, Nadira soon realized something was wrong when Marianne could not even remember her own last name, and discovered that she had been tricked when she saw that Marianne still retained the neck injuries that had killed her. While her Slayers fought a legion of zombies, Nadira made her way to the basement to discover the ringleader, Eyghon the Sleepwalker.[8]

Nadira and the others were soon overwhelmed by Eyghon's forces, but Angel and Faith arrived in time to help them retreat. Though Nadira was worried about leaving the possessed Slayers behind, Faith scolded her over her reckless actions and endangering the others, and Nadira joined them in their plan to stop Eyghon.[9]

In response, Angel called in Spike for further aid,[9] as their mutual status as vampires with souls allowed them to fight back Eyghon's ability to possess the dead or unconscious. They ultimately emerged victorious, with Angel claiming the final fragment of Giles' soul with his Tooth of Ammut, though the conflict between the two human souls and the demon within drove him into a catatonic state. Though Nadira was ready to take her revenge on Angel right then and there, Faith stopped her and insisted that Angel had earned their forgiveness. Nadira accepted her reasoning but decided to leave alone, still upset with Faith's betrayal.[1]

Nadira vs Nash

Nash zaps Nadira with his eye beams.

When Angel and Faith fought Whistler, Pearl, and Nash on a rooftop in Hackney, London, Nadira joined the fight; though she made it clear that she still did not forgive Angel and probably never would, she nonetheless acknowledged that he was not the "true" bad guy. Blinded by her desire for revenge, Nadira attacked Nash only for him to overpower her and burn her severely with his heat vision.[10]

With half of her body wounded, a few minutes later Nadira found the strength to get up and plunge a dagger into Nash's back. Nash threw Nadira aside, but Faith helped to drive the dagger in the rest of the way. Faith then cradled Nadira in her arms, hoping that Whistler's orb of pure magic could heal her. Giles and Alasdair, however, expressed sincere doubts.[11]

Nadira attacks Nash

A severely injured Nadira finally exacts her revenge.

Against all odds, Nadira survived her severe wounds. Faith was by her side and encouraged her by saying she had her revenge, only for Nadira to reply that none of it was worth it to begin with. After the battle with Whistler, Faith and Giles tended to her. Both of them noted that while Nadira was alive, she began mutating due to the magic plague.[3]

Magic Town[]

Nadira resurfaced months later in the affected district of London then known as Magic Town. She was now the guardian of a refuge for others struggling to survive in the new world.[12][4][13] She helped Angel by locking the fairy criminal Corky Smallwood in a magical bottle, demonstrating the strong connection she had gained to magic itself.[14]

Nadira mutated

A mutated Nadira greets Angel.

Nadira had also made peace with Angel,[4] helping him deal with the renegade Amy Madison using her affinity to the sentient magical essence of Magic Town[15] and assessing Winifred Burkle after her return to life due to the rebirth of magic, then sharing her body with Illyria.[16]

Later, Nadira allowed herself to be kidnapped by Drusilla[17] and be brought before Archaeus in a plan to use the magical essence of Magic Town. Archaeus proposed an alliance to her, but Nadira explained that she didn't control the magic, which was sentient, and she was only able to communicate with and guide it.[18]

Powers and abilities[]

Nadira was a Slayer and possessed superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, durability, healing, and agility. She was highly skilled with a blade, able to hold her own against Faith for a short period of time.[5]

Due to her exposure to Whistler's magic plague, Nadira was able to recover from the severe burns from Nash,[3] although she was left with twisted glowing images on her skin instead. She also gained the ability to communicate with the sentient magical essence of Magic Town, which informed Nadira of useful information[4][13] and she helped perform magical acts.[14] Nadira retained her Slayer powers, and was able to easily kill many of Drusilla's men, with Archaeus having to intervene to subdue her.[18]

Personality and traits[]

The pain of Nadira's failure and survivor guilt over the deaths of her squad caused her to become violent, short-tempered, and self-destructive. While fighting, she charged into battle with no plan and frequently went to deliberately seek a fight out with humans and non-humans alike, putting several normal humans in the hospital and even went so far as to attack her own allies when they attempted to stop her.[5] However, Nadira acknowledged that she had a problem and wondered what was wrong with her.[19]

In the end, however, after being severely injured by Nash and killing him in return, Nadira had an epiphany and declared that getting revenge was never worth it to begin with.[3]

Months later, Nadira became a magic leader[4] and seemed to avoid physical conflicts, preferring to use magic.[20] However, she would use her slaying skills and powers when she had to.[18]

Gallery[]

Cover artworks featuring Nadira Kureishi.

Appearances[]

References[]

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