Name: Kendra McPhereson

AGE: 19

DOB: 6 August 1979

Origin:

Kendra is the younger of twin daughters born to Ricardo and Miriam Monacar in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica in 1979, her older sister being named Shazira. Shortly after her birth, Kendra’s parents noticed the strange birthmark their younger daughter bore. Firm believers in the "old ways," the new parents sought advice on the birthmark. A houngan (voodoo priest) divined that the mark was that carried by girls who were destined to become the champion of humanity known as the Slayer. Once that realization set in, Ricardo did what he felt duty demanded.

Two weeks later, a man named Samuel Zabuto came to the Monacar residence. After a brief examination by the Watcher, he made arrangements to take the child into his care. Kendra’s parents, who took the duty of the Slayer quite seriously, freely surrendered their daughter so that she could receive the proper training to embrace her destiny (What’s My Line, Part 2).

Sam Zabuto raised Kendra at his family plantation, as far as was feasible from Kingston and Kendra’s parents (Book of Fours). He steeped her in the traditions and histories of the Chosen Ones. The Watcher was quite strict in his training, teaching his charge that emotions always had to be kept in check, because they were a weakness. He also insisted that she study and memorize the Slayer Handbook, which among other things, insisted that the Slayer spend her time training and studying. The young girl was not allowed any contact with her parents or sister, nor was she given her last name (or any, for that matter [What’s My Line, Part 2]), but she was shown pictures of her mother and father. Zabuto also kept his own emotions in check, caring for Kendra as a future Slayer, but not as a surrogate daughter.

Kendra did well in all phases of her training, with her Watcher noting that while her skills "always" needed improvement, her form itself was flawless (Destiny Unfolding/ What’s My Line, Part 2 (where Buffy also called Kendra’s style "flawless")). In the late spring of 1997, Kendra’s time had come.

In the late evening hours of June 2nd, Kendra was training with her Watcher when she was suddenly victimized by a wave of dizziness. Although neither Kendra nor Zabuto thought much about it at the time, they would determine what had happened mere hours later.

Kendra had a dream involving two Greek women and upon waking, reported the strange dream to her Watcher. Zabuto realized what had happened and reported to the Council, informing them that Kendra had been Chosen (Destiny Unfolding). Upon some confusion over the fact that the previous Slayer, Buffy Summers, was not only alive but had just defeated the Master and Tiamat, the Council decided to keep the Slayers separated in order to have both Chosen Ones available for emergencies (and to keep Kendra from being exposed to Buffy’s unorthodox methods).

Only a few months later, events forced the Watchers to bring the Slayers together. Omens that indicated the rise of a dark power in Sunnydale prompted Sam Zabuto to send Kendra to the Hellmouth. Kendra was stashed in the cargo hold of an airplane and fought her way out upon arriving in Sunnydale. The Slayer performed surveillance that led to her observing a fight between a large human and two vampires (What’s My Line, Part 1). She tracked the vampires until they split up, choosing to continue following the male. She tracked him to a bar, where she engaged him in battle, eventually knocking him into a cage with a good view of the coming sunrise. Leaving the demon to his fate, the Slayer left to finish off his girlfriend.

The female proved to be more of a challenge, fighting the Slayer to a stalemate. When her opponent demanded to know who Kendra was, she proudly declared herself to be the Vampire Slayer. It was then that her foe retorted that SHE was the Slayer. After some additional exchanges, the blonde Slayer suggested that they go to her Watcher for advice. Kendra agreed, despite her suspicions. Upon meeting Rupert Giles, the confusion was quickly sorted out; Buffy Summers, Kendra’s predecessor and the girl she had mistaken for a vampire, had died but been revived via CPR (or so it was thought at the time [New Beginnings/Dating Blues]). The temporary state of death was enough time for Kendra to be activated. For the first time in history, there were now *two* Slayers. The Slayers and their allies were relieved at sorting out the situation, although nothing was said about how the Watchers in general (or Zabuto in particular) had failed to inform Kendra that a Watcher and his Slayer were active *in* the very town she’d been sent to, or to inform Giles that some help was being sent their way, so that the confusion could have been avoided in the first place (Destiny Unfolding, What’s My Line, Part 2).

After discovering that the "dark power rising" was a ritual to restore Drusilla to full health, Buffy and Kendra launched a joint rescue operation to free Angel and foil the ritual. Kendra defeated an assassin from the Order of Taraka after she ripped Kendra’s favorite (and only) shirt, while Buffy fought the vampire, Spike. In the end, the Slayers saved Angel and believed Spike and Dru to be dead (a belief that was somewhat premature). Kendra then left for home, having formed a bond of friendship with Buffy (although hugs were a bit much).

Half a year later, Kendra returned to California, this time to foil a vampire Queen’s attempt to raise a First Circle demon in Los Angeles. She arrived on the morning of the very day the ritual was to take place, leaving her little time to do her job. While exploring the City of Angels for vampire nests, she came across a young girl being chased by two men of Indian descent armed with swords. Kendra fought off the men and took the girl to find a safe place. The two men followed in their car and cut off the two females. As Kendra prepared to defend her charge, help arrived in the form of two old acquaintances.

Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase took to the side of the Jamaican, but before the two child hunters could strike, yet another man joined the party; a platinum blonde giant calling himself Stalker. Kendra now discovered the existence of humans calling themselves "Immortals," and witnessed firsthand how such men and women fought as well as the massive lightning storms referred to as "Quickenings." Once the shock of the phenomenon wore off, Xander and Cordy drove Kendra, Stalker, and Ali (the "child" Kendra had rescued) to Sunnydale, explaining that they too, were planning on taking the fight to the vampires (Calling Out The Clan).

Once she arrived at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge, Kendra talked with Buffy, who helped the Caribbean native catch up with events of the last six months. Besides the shock of so many people who were willing to risk their lives fighting vampires, Kendra also had to go through the shock of the revelations that Buffy and her new boyfriend carried two of the Swords of Destiny, in addition to the fact that joining the fight would be none other than the legendary King Arthur, himself.

When the nascent Section Seven began their assault on the Los Angeles Forum, Kendra was assigned to a guard position in the company of an American Special Forces Unit. Despite her desire to perform her duties as the Slayer, Kendra listened to the radio reports as the battle progressed, wondering if perhaps Buffy had been right all along about having allies in the fight. Once the battle ended, Buffy asked Kendra to assist the police in searching for remnants of the demonic army. Glad to finally be doing some "real" work, the Slayer began her sweep.

Kendra’s group had the bad luck to run across a demon hiding from the deadly warriors. The demon, from the Sixth Circle of Hell, batted the L. A. police officers aside like leaves before turning his attention to Kendra, who he knew to be the greater threat. Kendra did a great deal of damage to the demon until he finally began to gain the upper hand. The police officers tried to help, but to no avail; they only distracted him. Kendra launched a second assault, but was once again beaten down. It was enough, however; the arrival of the Zombies SWAT team ended the demon’s life in a hail of silver bullets. The Zombies swiftly called for paramedics and Kendra was rushed to a local hospital, clinging to life by her proverbial fingernails.

When Steve and Buffy arrived at the hospital, their friend Quinn told them not to worry, that he had "made sure" that Kendra and two police officers that had also been injured would survive. What he didn’t mention (perhaps to keep Buffy from worrying, or perhaps because he didn’t know the ramifications of it) was that Kendra had flatlined while on the operating table, prior to his intervention. This would have the effect of yet another Slayer being activated (Calling Out The Clan, Faith’s Story).

After the surgery, Buffy, Steve, and Giles visited Kendra in the hospital and were joined by the now present Sam Zabuto. Giles told Zabuto that the doctors’ prognosis would be that Kendra would be out of action for up to six months, but with a Slayer’s accelerated healing process, she would be on her feet again in half the time. Zabuto, with some tangible regret, decided that he would have to kill the injured Slayer because the Slayer was needed (never mind the fact that a healthy Slayer was standing five feet from him). When he tried to perform what he believed was his duty, Giles and Buffy interfered, Giles and Zabuto fighting it out until local officers arrived to take the Jamaican Watcher into custody for attempted murder. Zabuto was sent packing to Jamaica, although he promptly boarded yet another plane for London to report the incident to the Council of Watchers.

Kendra recovered even faster than Giles’ optimistic estimations, walking out of her hospital bed two months after the fight in Los Angeles (Witch Hunt, Faith’s Story). She began physical therapy designed to return her mobility and strength, as well as training in fighting methods foreign to the Council and the Slayers. Among the people working with her was her primary therapist, Joseph N’Gato, a Knight of the Grail who hailed from the African nation of Liberia. Kendra and Joe’s personalities clashed quite often, leading to an attraction between the two although both were (and still are) completely oblivious to that fact, much to the amusement of the Slayerettes (particularly Xander and Cordelia). After leaving the hospital, Kendra moved in with Jenny and Giles for a very short time until Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mother offered the Slayer a place in her home. Having raised a daughter who fought vampires, she felt that she could provide a family environment for Kendra as well. Among the things that Kendra did for the first time was to enroll in college at the University of California at Sunnydale, attending with a fellow Slayerette, Randi Jessup.

In early November, the Slayerettes went to San Francisco to retrieve a cache of magical artifacts that had been sent to an auction house (Witch Hunt, Slayer In Black). Kendra and Joe N’Gato were left, along with another new member of the team, to handle the patrols in the team’s absence. Shortly after the Scooby Gang headed north, an alien big game hunter arrived in Sunnydale to hunt for sport. His arrival was soon noted by government agents who handled matters of alien immigrants on Earth (Slayer In Black). Kendra handled herself well, both in team patrols and in single confrontations, including getting the better of the Yautja until he got a lucky shot in with a weapon that injured the young woman. Reinforcements arrived to subdue the alien, and Kendra was healed by her teammate, a pagan priestess with healing magic. In the end, the Predator became an ally of the Slayer’s team, calling others of his race to tell them of the fun of hunting "Vampers."

A month later, another crisis came up when residents of an alternate reality were sent to the Wandererverse by a miscast spell. Kendra and Joe were the first to encounter Xander’s vampire double, who promptly had his ego bruised by Kendra’s fists and feet. When the team went to the so-called Wishverse, Kendra remained with Amy Madison and other teammates to handle patrols. Once again, having more than one Slayer proved to be a great advantage, as the vampire population learned that the rules had changed forever. Things were changing for Kendra as well, in that Steve had discovered that her parents, as well as her twin sister, were still alive and living in Kingston. Steve offered to arrange a meeting if she so desired, but gave her time to consider the matter.

In January, Kendra received her first taste of going into battle with Section Seven when the vampire, Kakistos and his lieutenant, the infamous Angelus were planning on raising a vampire army to invade the southeastern United States. She journeyed to Atlanta with the others and met the newest Slayer, Faith. Despite confusion similar to that of when Kendra had first visited the Hellmouth, Kendra and Buffy talked with their fellow Chosen One and in the end, it was their discussions that helped cement Faith’s decision to move to Sunnydale.

Since the Atlanta battle, things have been (relatively) quiet on the Hellmouth, and Kendra continues to patrol with her teammates while also attending her classes at UC Sunnydale. Her friendship with Buffy deepened to nearly that of being sisters, but her relationship with Faith is unique, as Kendra has found that while she once thought Buffy’s tactics were insane, Faith’s take on Slaying takes "insanity" to a level never before seen. The one break from Kendra’s routine was that she decided to visit her family in Jamaica in an attempt to see if there was any chance of bonding with those who gave her up so long ago. Upon meeting her parents and sister, a houngan priestess, she rapidly determined that she was correct all along; there is no blame in her parents’ actions. They were right to give her to those who could properly prepare her for her destiny, and she accepts it wholeheartedly. The Slayer has also made arrangements to visit and communicate with her natural family, but has decided to stay with her chosen family on the Hellmouth.

Race: Human.

Description: Kendra stands five feet, five inches tall and weighs in at about one hundred and fifty pounds. Unlike her fellow Slayers (Buffy and Faith), who have slim builds that belie the enhanced abilities they have, Kendra has a stocky, muscular build that provides a hint of physical power. Kendra’s build also has the effect of downplaying her speed and agility.

Kendra has the skin tone of those of an African-American descent, although she is actually of Caribbean ancestry, having been born and raised in the West Indies. She has long black hair, which she normally keeps in a tail or braid (for combat purposes), and large, feline-like black eyes that can stare down just about anyone.

Kendra doesn’t have any known physical traits, save for the birthmark on the back of her left shoulder that signifies that she is one of those Chosen by the Powers That Be to be their Champion.

Abilities (uncommon): As a Slayer, Kendra has the same abilities as Buffy and Faith; enhanced strength, agility, reflexes, and endurance. Along with her enhanced physical skills, the Jamaican has advanced gymnastics and hand-to-hand fighting skills that make her a deadly hand-to-hand fighter. Kendra’s recuperative abilities are also enhanced, as her recovering in three months from an injury that should have left her in bed for half a year indicate. Kendra has also displayed the Slayer's natural affinity for weapons, being able to master weapon styles in an amazingly short amount of time. Also, Kendra has the ability to sense vampires within one hundred feet of her person.

Abilities (learned): Kendra’s upbringing limits what "normal" talents she might have, such as computer skills. That is not to say that she is not without her own skills. Far from it, Kendra has displayed that she is nearly as adept at researching ancient texts as Giles or Jenny, and knows the Latin tongue, which comes in handy for translating many of Giles’ books. Kendra also has a razor-sharp memory; she can quote chapter and verse from the Slayer Handbook, the Writings of Dramius, and a seemingly unending list of arcane sources of knowledge (it sometimes leads even Robin Goodfellow to wonder where she stores all of her knowledge). As it is, this knowledge often helps Kendra make up for her lack of "imagination" when it comes to Slaying; whereas Buffy or (especially) Faith are willing to try anything once (or twice) to take out their demonic enemies, Kendra can easily recall or relate the weaknesses of many forms of rare (or not so rare) demons, and dispatch that foe with a minimum of time (and demon mess).

Current Status: (include here if the person is immortal or not): Active member of the Slayerettes and Section Seven. Freshman at the University of California at Sunnydale, majoring in Mythology. Citizen of Jamaica with no criminal record, granted permanent residence in the United States. Kendra is not an Immortal, nor is she a Pre-Immortal (as revealed by Ali in Calling Out The Clan).

Proficient weapons: With her skills as the Slayer, Kendra has the ability to master nearly any type of weapon or fighting style known to man. Since moving to Sunnydale, both Steve and Joe N’Gato have given her wider range of fighting styles than the average Slayer. Her lack of experience with these styles sometimes frustrates her, since she sees the greater skill displayed by her predecessor, but she patiently trains until the day when her skills rival that of her friend.

One weakness that Kendra has shown is that she tends to stick to what most could call "classic" tactics and maneuvers. While Buffy admits that Kendra’s style is more polished than hers, she has the advantage of being able to improvise (What’s My Line, Part 2). Kendra actively locks her emotions down during a fight, and fights "by the book." Coming up with new moves and tricks on the fly is not in the Jamaican Slayer’s forte. It is this weakness that Kendra needs to overcome more than any other.

Current beliefs:

As 1999 moves into its second month, Kendra is moving along with her life as she usually does it; surely and steadily. She’s adapted well to living in Sunnydale, with a great deal of help coming from Buffy and Joyce. The hard parts for Kendra were adjusting to going to college (which Giles and Jenny helped with, to make the transition as painless as possible) and having to take orders from Steve, who is most definitely NOT a Watcher.

One of the things she wants to kill Steve St. Wolf for is pairing (or in her mind, inflicting) her with N’Gato, who is like Kendra in that he believes that he knows how things should be done, even if other ways (such as Buffy’s unorthodox approach to Slaying) prove to be better. Traditional is a word that fits Kendra to a "t." As she learns how fighting the forces of Darkness is done in the twentieth century, Kendra’s outlook will likely become much more flexible.

Kendra is the type who doesn’t make friends easily. Her friendships usually seem to begin out of mutual respect for another’s skills (as they are in the cases of Faith and Shaw), but occasionally she simply lets others reach out to her, and she will on occasion return the favor (as with Buffy in What’s My Line and Becoming; also notice how she got along famously with Giles from the beginning). Kendra can come across as cold and arrogant, but that’s not the whole picture; she’s aware of her skills and limits, and tends to judge others by those standards. She is more than willing to give respect and credit when it’s due, and when she does, you know that she’s being completely in the open with you.

Kendra’s relationship with Joe continues at its slow (and to some, frustrating) pace. The two still haven’t realized that they’re falling in love, and so they continue to badger each other in blissful ignorance of their feelings for one another, despite the best efforts of others (even Cordelia is fed up at this point) to change that. Until the strong willed lovebirds realize what’s going on, her fellow Slayerettes (and Slayers) will just have to wait out the storm that is Kendra and Joe N’Gato’s "romance."

What is the one most important thing you can say about the character?

I think what can be said about Kendra is that she provides the example by which the other Slayers are measured. Buffy and Faith had no knowledge of their destinies; whereas Kendra was raised from the beginning to become what she was destined to be. It also shows how Kendra can be considered to have been "gypped." Buffy had a life before being Chosen, and continues to live that life, despite what the Watchers might want. Faith is living a true life for the first time, and embraces the duties and even does what the Watchers want (however loosely she interprets their rules).

Kendra, on the other hand, is the "textbook" Slayer; raised in the lifestyle of the vast majority of the prospective Chosen Ones, who are taken from their families at a young age and cut off from the world. Kendra spent her life eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, and urinating the Slayer. As such, she also has what could be considered the Slayer personality; cold, distant, and emotionally subdued (although repressed might be a better term).

Kendra, to use an example that Jack Caynon thought up, is the "Spock" of the Slayer trio. She goes by the book; she uses it to define how she handles every situation, and can recite (and bore others into a coma) chapter and verse verbatim until even someone like Giles calls for the short version. As "our" Kendra has emerged as a person (post-Calling Out The Clan), she has seen that the Watcher way isn’t always the best way, let alone the only way to do things. She’s becoming adaptable, open, and willing to listen to the advice of others. In short, she’s becoming less the "robot" and more the "person."

Favorite quote: "Being the Slayer isn’t what you do. It’s who you are."

Nicknames: The Pink Ranger, She-Giles, K (that moniker given to her by fellow Slayer Faith).

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