Der Kindestod

Der Kindestod, his name meaning "the child death," was a demon that preyed on sick children, the only ones capable of seeing him.^[1]

Biography[]

The Kindestod killed children by sucking the life out of them. Afterward, it looked like they had died of fever, therefore he preyed on children who were already ill, leaving little evidence to suspect their deaths were unnatural. One of his victims was a girl named Celia, whose death was witnessed by her cousin, a young Buffy Summers.^[1]

In 1998, Buffy encountered the Kindestod again while being treated for flu at Sunnydale General Hospital. The Kindestod killed Dr. Stanley Backer after he came up with a formula which would treat the children the Kindestod had been feeding off. As all the sick children tried to escape the Kindestod, Buffy, though being quickly cured of her illness, purposely made herself sick in order to confront the Kindestod. They fought, and the Kindestod managed to fed off her for a small time, but Buffy killed him by snapping his neck.^[1]

Appearance[]

B2x18 Killed by Death — Buffy sees the Kindestod.

For those who could see him, the Kindestod had a humanoid form and sported black clothes and a hat. He had a long nose and wispy gray hair. His eyes were white and could extend and open to form fanged stalks, which the Kindestod used to feed on his prey's life force. His lower set of teeth were sharp, with three pairs that grew longer and appeared more tusk-like. His claws were sharp enough to tear through flesh.^[1]

Powers and abilities[]

“The Kindestod gorges by sitting atop his prey, pinning it down, helplessly. Then he slowly draws out the life. It must be horrifying for the victim.”

―Rupert Giles^[src]

Invisibility — The Kindestod was invisible to all adults and could only be seen by the feverishly ill.^[1]
Energy absorption — The Kindestod fed by extending his eyeballs into stalks that latched onto people, leeching off their life force.^[1]
Razor-sharp fingernails — The Kindestod possessed sharp claws, which he used to kill Dr. Backer.^[1]
Strength — Although he mainly targeted children, the Kindestod was powerful enough to fight a Slayer, albeit a feverish one. His main method of overpowering prey was by sitting on top of them before attempting to feed.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

He was portrayed by James Jude Courtney.
According to Joss Whedon, der Kindestod was "based on a 'this thing creeped me out as a kid' thing," as with many of the monsters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In general, the monsters were suggested by the vague bogeyman figures that bedevil many children.^[2]
A 12 Inch Figure was produced based on the Kindestod.
The Kindestod is featured in covers for Angel #1 and The 25th Anniversary.