Kennedy

“All I’m saying is now that Buffy’s not here, we finally have some say in how and when we lose our necks..”

Played by Iyari Limon

First Appearance: Bring on the Night

A spoilt brat from New York, Kennedy came from a wealthy family, though what became of them remains unknown. She first appeared in Sunnydale under the tutelage of Rupert Giles, who had gathered her as a Potential Slayer. Kennedy was almost immediately the most impetuous member of the group, butting heads with Buffy and disagreeing with nearly every tactical decision made in the fight against the First. Assertive to the point of audacity, she set out to seduce Willow and succeeded — only for their first kiss to send Willow spiralling into despair when she transformed into the body of Warren Mears, the man she had killed the year before. Kennedy ultimately proved her love by kissing Willow again and restoring her to herself. Their relationship deepened over the following months and was finally consummated before the last stand at the Hellmouth. During that battle, Kennedy was activated as a Slayer and fought at Buffy’s side, apologising for her earlier attitude and emerging as a strong ally. Following the restructuring of the Watchers’ Council, she moved to Rio with Willow to help train the next generation of Slayers.

In the months after the First’s defeat, Andrew Wells reported that Kennedy and Willow were still together and living in Brazil. At some point, Kennedy suffered a month‑long mystical death, prompting the pair to slow their relationship. Kennedy confessed her fear that Willow was keeping her at a distance out of shame, which led Willow to reveal that she blamed herself for Tara’s death — believing she had kept Tara too close to Buffy and therefore too close to danger. Willow vowed not to let the same fate befall Kennedy. The two later reunited in New York, where Kennedy expressed protectiveness over Willow after hearing of Buffy’s encounter with Satsu. Though she knew Willow was training under the demon Aluwyn, she remained unaware of the sexual dimension of that mentorship.

Kennedy travelled to Tokyo to evaluate Satsu, newly appointed leader of the Japanese Slayer squad. Knowing Satsu had shared a one‑night stand with Buffy, Kennedy offered support and guidance, encouraging her to move forward. When the Seed of Wonder was destroyed and magic ended, Kennedy comforted Willow during the crisis. After the battle, Willow broke up with her, believing Kennedy had only loved her because of her magic. Kennedy, furious, blamed Buffy for intervening in the fight, convinced Willow had been close to defeating the demons unaided. Despite the breakup, Kennedy remained one of the few Slayers Buffy kept in contact with, even as resentment lingered between them.

Eventually, Kennedy found new purpose. She founded Deepscan, a bodyguard agency designed to give Slayers work that didn’t involve constant combat. When Buffy sought employment there, Kennedy scolded her for failing to switch off her Slayer instincts during a test, concluding that Buffy simply didn’t know how to be anything else. Even so, she assigned Buffy her first client, Theo Daniels, who was being hunted by Wolfram & Hart, and assisted her in protecting him. When Theo was kidnapped by Eldre Koh, Kennedy and Buffy were forced to work together. Kennedy accused Buffy of risking Theo’s life by being too focused on saving the world — the same mistake she believed Buffy had made with Giles. Stung, Buffy punched her, insisting no one would die. Together they infiltrated the underground facility, rescued Theo, and destroyed TinCan. Instead of criticising Buffy, Kennedy praised her and offered her a promotion, which Buffy declined.

Months later, Kennedy recruited Faith Lehane to Deepscan as Faith searched for a new role after helping restore magic and aiding Angel in resurrecting Giles. Kennedy, Faith, Leah, Holly and the now‑teenaged Giles later staged a surprise rescue to assist the Scooby Gang against the evolved vampires in Santa Rosita, with Kennedy and Willow fighting together on good terms. Kennedy also employed Faith and Mai as bodyguards for rock star Billy Rage, though Faith attacked him upon discovering he was a demon seducing teenage fans. Kennedy initially intervened, admitting she knew of his demon heritage, but withdrew her support when she learned of his predatory behaviour. When Faith attempted to quit Deepscan, Kennedy offered her a new mission she believed would suit her: finding Riley Finn, who had vanished during a mission in the South American jungle.

By this time, Deepscan had grown into a global military contractor, and Kennedy found herself fighting on the front lines once more as the Mistress and the Soul Glutton unleashed demon invasions through the Restless Door. From spoiled Potential to seasoned commander, Kennedy carved out a place for herself in the new world the Slayers had built — fierce, flawed, and unshakeably determined.

APPEARANCES

Buffy SEASON 7