Columns 

Buffyversity: A Tribute to Kendra Young

By | March 17th, 2020
Posted in Columns | % Comments

For a character with so few appearance, Kendra Young sure left a big impact. She was the character that broke all the rules. Right in the show’s introduction it’s made clear- “In every generation, there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.” Not a Slayer. The one and only. So when Kendra showed up and there were suddenly two well, that’s a great twist.

The mechanics of Kendra’s calling are a little dubious. Buffy was killed and left floating facedown in a shallow pool by The Master for a minute or so, and that was enough to turn Kendra from a potential into a Slayer. You mean to tell me in the eons of this dangerous calling, no one has ever had a near death experience before? This is the first time? I guess there’s gotta be a first time for everything.
Though Kendra only appeared in three episodes, she left a big impact. Where Buffy struggled with her destiny and wanted to live a carefree life, Kendra was self-serious and driven (even if she did name her favorite stake Mr. Pointy). It was a classic contrast. Buffy saw the Slayer as a burden, Kendra saw it as an honor. But then Kendra was fridged, killed so that Buffy and co could feel sad about something. She was quickly replaced by (white) fan favorite character Faith, who occupied a similar space. But our brief time with Kendra made her mysterious, enticing, and filled with so much potential. Thankfully, “Buffy” #13 (written by Jordie Bellaire and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connel) starts us off on a new journey with the show’s most underserved Slayer.

The Second Slayer

“Buffy” #13 takes us to a place never seen on the show and indeed, rarely seen in genre fiction at all, ever. Jamaica! We’ve know that to be Kendra’s country of origin for a long time, but we’ve never known how she feels about it, or much about her non-Slayer life. This issue corrects that, and even gets a little bit into the connection between English colonialism and the evil plague of vampirism. And if there’s one thing I like from my “Buffy,” it is on the nose allegories using monsters as metaphor so: A+!

But then I tried to think of another Jamaican character in superhero or fantasy fiction, and folks, it was really hard. There’s a fair number of Haitian characters, mostly connected to voodoo. I could recall characters from other Caribbean islands too, a fair number of Puerto Rican heroes and villains. So I called upon Multiversity contributor Carl Waldron, who is also contributes to the Super Black website and podcast. Could he think of a single Jamaican superhero?

His first thought was the Luke Cage villain Bushmaster, a Jamaican crime boss who menaced Harlem with his gang in the second season of the Netflix series. After that we drew a big blank, until his buddy suggested DeeJay from Street Fighter. Beyond that, there’s Kendra. And it’s tough being the only representative of an entire group. It puts a lot of pressure for that character to be three dimensional and well rounded.

Activating Potential

Up until this point I’d argue that Kendra has not been those things. On Buffy the show, she never got any screen time that wasn’t devoted to creating a juxtaposition with Buffy. Kendra had no agency. And the show had a bad habit of killing off its few black characters. Faith is a beloved character for a good reason, but it really sucks that she came at the expense of letting Kendra be anything.
That’s why this issue feels so special. It’s about Kendra in her home, with her people. It shows Jamaica not just as a place you can be from, but a place you can live in. It’s a little big goofy, a little bit scary, and a very exciting story. Most of all it is focused, in a way few issues of this series have ever been. Kendra’s renewed story makes me excited to keep on reading the “Buffy” reboot comics in a way nothing else has. Because the story of the Slayer is a story about Potential and it’s hard to argue that anyone has more potential than Kendra.


//TAGS | Buffyversity

Jaina Hill

Jaina is from New York. She currently lives in Ohio. Ask her, and she'll swear she's one of those people who loves both Star Wars and Star Trek equally. Say hi to her on twitter @Rambling_Moose!

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