Kennedy (Buffyverse)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Kennedy |
| Occupation: | Potential Slayer, Vampire Slayer |
| Relationships: | Willow (lover) |
| Fandom: | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Kennedy, played by Iyari Limon, was introduced as a Potential Slayer in Buffy season 7 and becomes a Slayer during the final battle of the TV series.
Canon
Kennedy appears to come from a wealthy background and mentions that her family home had wings. She was trained in martial arts prior to her arrival in Sunnydale, and trains other Potential Slayers, acting as a harsh drill instructor. She is a lesbian and quickly became Willow Rosenberg's lover, with the relationship continuing into the Season 8 comics. Eventually they separate, largely because of Willow's over-protective attitude. Later she leads a team of Slayers with Vi in New York. In the season 9 and 10 comics she has become a millionaire running a high-tech security firm that employs Buffy Summers and later Faith.
Fannish Opinion
After Warren Mears, Kennedy is probably the most unpopular human character of this series. She is seen as an interloper taking the place of Willow's previous lover Tara Maclay, and widely viewed as a bully and sexual predator who takes advantage of Willow's psychological vulnerability.[1] This may be somewhat unfair; in the episode The Killer in Me she risks her life to protect Willow from a curse, in comics she appears to be more committed to their relationship than Willow herself. In fanfic character bashing is very common, and possibly outnumbers stories that portray her more sympathetically. She is almost always shown in lesbian relationships, usually with Willow but also with Faith, Buffy, and Dawn.
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- Dawnie Does Detection by punch_kicker15; "In an AU post-Chosen, ATS Season 5, Dawn and Kennedy investigate a haunted porn movie." (Kennedy/Dawn)
- Adventures In Baked Goods by Barb Cummings (Rahirah); "Willow-sized levels of guilt require a lot of baking." (Kennedy/Willow)
- Caramel Sutra by CNWinters; "Having a house full of potentials can lead to ice cream rationing for a red-haired Wiccan and a raven-haired Potential." (Kennedy/Willow)
- Kennedy and the Inconvenience by Diane Castle; PWP chapter of a longer story, the only part of it in which these characters appear (Kennedy/Willow)
- Reactions (the Meet the Family Remix) by deird1 "Getting to know Willow means getting to know her friends." (Kennedy/Willow)
- Training Your Slayer by Calle Dybedahl; Dawn is Kennedy's watcher (Kennedy/Dawn)
Meta
Archives and Communities
Links and Resources
- ^ Why do people hate Kennedy? - Discussion on Twisting the Hellmouth forums, 2006.