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Kelly Maxwell was a ValueStop checker whose life took a drastic turn after the forces of evil killed her father and manipulated her into believing her deceased mother had returned. Angered by the loss and deception, Kelly joined forces with Ash Williams and Pablo Simon Bolivar to combat the supernatural terrors unleashed by the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.

Kelly first appeared in the first episode of the Ash vs Evil Dead television series, El Jefe. She was portrayed by Dana DeLorenzo.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Not much is known about Kelly Maxwell's early life, save for she was born on August 16th, 1993, and was the only child of middle-class Jewish couple Suzy Maxwell and her husband.

One noteworthy event in young Kelly's life occurred when she was in junior high school, where she broke a stain-glass window of a church. Upon getting caught for her act of vandalism, Maxwell proceeded to hit a nun in the face (though she claimed the nun hit her first).[1]

Early Adulthood[]

At some point in her early to mid 20s, Kelly moved out of her family's ranch house and into an apartment complex somewhere in eastern Michigan. Upon moving into the apartment, she met and befriended her downstairs neighbor, a Honduran immigrant named Pablo Simon Bolivar, who quickly developed a romantic infatuation with her (though Maxwell was ignorant to this). At another unknown point, either before or after moving out of the Maxwell homestead, Kelly's mother died in a car crash.[2]

Meeting Ash Williams[]

Six months after the death of her mother, Kelly would be hired on at the ValueStop retail store after Pablo suggest she apply. It would be during one of her first days on the job that Maxwell's life would forever be changed when another ValueStop employee, Ash Williams, came over to introduce himself to her. Kelly was quick to deter any of Ash's attempts at flirting with her, even physically pinning him to the check-out counter after he touched her cheek with his wooden hand. Unbeknownst to Kelly, it was this brief encounter with Ash and his clear infatuation with her that marked Maxwell as a new target for evil to torment Williams with.[2]

Kelly's first brush with the supernatural would come shortly after this iteration, starting with a video call from her father which seemed to imply her mother had returned to the family's homestead. Upon leaving ValueStop, Maxwell and Boilvar were nearly attacked by a shapeless demonic force rolling across the store's parking lot. Believing that Suzy Maxwell's "return" to be a trick by evil forces, Pablo took Kelly to the trailer home of Ash Williams, who was in the midst of getting ready to go on the run once more. Inside Ash's trailer, the trio would be attacked by Deadites, prompting Ash to come out of hiding and embrace his destiny as "El Jefe".[2]

Even after saving her from the Deadites, Williams refused to go to the Maxwell residence, which prompted Kelly to steal Pablo's motorcycle and go alone. Desperate to follow her to make sure she was safe, Pablo then lied to Ash, telling him that Kelly had taken the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. With no other option, Williams and Bolivar barged into the Maxwell family home, disrupting their seemingly peaceful reunion night. Kelly explained to them that her mother's accident had simply left her with a case of amnesia, and she had been living in a homeless shelter in Ohio for the past six months. Knowing that if something seemed to good to be true when evil was at play, Ash was now convinced that Suzy Maxwell was a Deadite in disguise, a theory which was proven to be true during dinner a few minutes later. Kelly watched in horror as her mother killed her father by sticking a fork in his head before fleeing to the safety of her childhood bedroom upstairs, where the Deadite Suzy was already waiting. Moments before Suzy could attack, Kelly was rescued by Ash, who proceeded to decapitate her mother with his chainsaw. Upon cleaning themselves up and burying the remains of the Maxwells, Kelly began to develop an intense hatred for the evil forces which had taken her family from her. Now with no direction in life, Kelly accepted Pablo's offer to join them in stopping evil once and for all.[3]

The Host of Eligos[]

In the hours following her family's demise, Kelly would find herself becoming the host of Eligos, a minor demon summoned by Ash in the hopes he would learn how to re-contain the evil spirits which he had unleashed.[4] The demon's possession slowly affected Kelly, resulting in nausea and headaches (which she believed was a concussion suffered during the fight with him inside Books From Beyond) before finally overwhelming her completely. Under the control of Eligos, Kelly attacked Ash in the midst of his ayahuasca-induced "spiritual journey", though Ash's subconscious allowed him to fight back in the physical world.[5] Eventually, Ash, Pablo, and El Brujo managed to subdue Kelly in order to perform an exorcism, though El Brujo feared a demon as powerful as Eligos would not leave without the host dying. Not wanting Kelly to die, Pablo offered himself to be the demon's next host, which tricked Eligos into leaving Kelly's body and allowed Ash the opportunity to destroy the monster while leaving Kelly unscathed.[6]

Early Adventures With The Ghost Beaters[]

The immediate aftermath of the Eligos incident marked another pivotal moment in Maxwell's life, as she soon learned to channel her growing hatred for all things evil into form of strength which she gleefully used to retaliate against the Deadites during her travels with Williams and Bolivar.[7][8]

It was during Ash's semi-reluctant return to the old Knowby cabin that Maxwell first met Ruby, a woman who claimed to be of the Knowby family and had been tracking Ash for 30 years. Shortly thereafter, Ruby revealed herself to be a Dark One, a centuries-old demon that had written the Necronomicon centuries ago.[1] Upon reclaiming the book for her own, Ruby took Pablo into the cabin's fruit cellar and turned him into the "Ore Magnus Necronomicon", a living vessel to birth her Demon Spawn into the world of the living. Though Maxwell had intended to head down into the cellar with Ash to rescue Bolivar, the cabin itself had other plans, and forcibly removed Kelly from the building, locking her out to prevent her from helping Ash. It was only after setting part of the cabin on fire that the doors opened back up for Kelly, allowing her to charge into the cellar in the midst of a battle between Ash and the possessed Pablo. Bolivar turned his attention towards Kelly, allowing Ash to attack Ruby with the Kandarian Dagger. Realizing that Williams had the upper-hand in the battle, Ruby offered Ash the chance to live the remainder of his life demon-free and to spare his friends in exchange for her life and the Necronomicon. Ash agreed to Ruby's deal, and the trio left the cabin unharmed.[9]

Jacksonville[]

For the next six months, Williams, Maxwell, and Bolivar lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where Kelly and Pablo found employment at The Crabby Abbey bar. The trio's new lifestyle (which Kelly had come to resent) was eventually disrupted by the sudden presence of a Deadite, who was sent on behalf of Ruby. Through a clue in the form of a twisted poem, Ash realized The Dark One had taken residence in his old hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan. Eager to get back to fighting evil and stay away from "the water trash", Kelly and Pablo accompanied Ash on the long journey back north.[10]

Elk Grove[]

Upon arriving in Elk Grove, The Ghost Beaters learned that Ruby's Demon Spawn had betrayed her, and that she had summoned Ash back with the hope that he and his cohorts would help her fight her offspring.[10] The trio agreed to an uneasy alliance with The Dark One, with their first matter of business being the recovery of the Necronomicon from the morgue of a local hospital. During this trip, Kelly fought Sheriff Thomas Emery while guarding the door of the morgue as Ash searched for the Ex-Mortis.[11] Immediately after retrieving the book, Ash's Oldsmobile was stolen by local teenagers, which prompted Ash to reunite with his friend Chet Kaminski to throw a party at the local bar (hoping the thieves would show up). After a few hours, Ruby and Kelly had grown tired of waiting for the thieves to appear, and decided to team-up to kill the remaining Demon Spawn inside the old crematorium.[12] It was during this time that Ruby began to develop an admiration for Maxwell's fearlessness and "guns blazing" attitude. This admiration led to Ruby admitting a closely guarded secret to Maxwell, that the "birth" of the Demon Spawn in the world of the living had come with a price: she had been stripped of her immortality since the events at the cabin six months ago.[13]

After the Ex-Mortis had been banished to Hell, the emotion-manipulating demon known as Baal emerged from the underworld, seeking to seduce his former lover Ruby and destroy Ash Williams.[14] Eventually, Ash was captured by Baal and placed within an elaborate scenario crafted by the demon inside the Kenward County Asylum. Ruby, Pablo, and Kelly teamed-up to rescue him, leading all of them to a showdown with Baal that ultimately resulted in Bolivar's death.[15] Though Pablo's demise upset Ruby and Kelly, none of them were as upset as Ash, who devised a plot to travel back in time to prevent his younger-self from finding the Ex-Mortis (which would then bring Pablo back to life). Forcing Ruby to recite the incantation to open the rift in time, Ash, Kelly, and Ruby arrived in 1982 and headed to the old cabin once more. It was during the hike through the woods that Ruby suggested to Maxwell that she should forge her own path instead of following Ash for the rest of her life, a statement which Maxwell would remember.[16]

Upon arriving to the cabin, Ash, Ruby, and Kelly encountered Ruby's 1982 counterpart, who had also come to the cabin seeking the book. This "younger" Ruby proceeded to fatally stab her older mortal counterpart with the Kandarian Dagger. Sitting on the floor and bleeding out, the old Ruby handed the Necronomicon to Kelly, telling her to forge that path before Williams and Maxwell fled the cabin. Returning to the Oldsmobile, Ash and Kelly found that Pablo had been resurrected, only to soon discover that it was actually Baal hiding within Bolivar's corpse. Williams and Maxwell were taken back to the cabin, where Kelly and the young Ruby watched as Ash and Baal decided to fight in a "no-powers" brawl for the fate of the world. While the two men fought, the young Ruby attempted to seduce Kelly with promises of power, though she declined. Ash eventually managed to outwit Baal by using the demon's own powers against him, slicing him in half with his razor-sharp talon-like finger. As a portal to Hell itself opened up, Ash and Kelly fled as the cabin collapsed, and the real Pablo was revived.[17]

Forging A New Path[]

Sometime after returning to the 21st Century from their trip back to 1982, Kelly left Ash and Pablo to forge her own path, wanting to keep chasing the high of fighting evil solo. Though not much is known about Maxwell's activities during this time, she at some point met a man named Dalton, who revealed to her that he was a member of an ancient order known as the Knights of Sumeria. After seeing the Necronomicon on a live television broadcast, Kelly reunited with Ash and Pablo to take on evil once more, recusing the duo (as well as Ash's daughter Brandy) from a possessed school mascot.[18]

"Death"[]

While exploring the remnants of the Knowby cabin, searching for the Kandarian Dagger, Pablo was possessed by a Deadite spirit, killing Dalton and following Kelly back to Ash's home in Elk Grove.[19] Eventually subduing her friend and luring him inside the Airstream trailer, Kelly and Brandy watched as Bolivar was able to fight off his infection and become "El Brujo Especial", and learned that the alternate Ruby was preparing for an apocalyptic-level prophecy coming to pass.[20][21] Angered that she almost lost Pablo again, Kelly sought out Ruby on her own, and though she managed to fight hard against The Dark One, her clouded judgement eventually led to her death by the blade of the Kandarian Dagger.[22]

Having died from supernatural causes, Kelly's spirit was sent to a limbo dimension between life and the afterlife known as "The Deadlands", where she was reunited with Dalton and survived the horrors found within this realm.[23] Meanwhile, Kelly's physical body became host to the spirit of Kaya, a sorceress who had aided Ruby centuries ago in banishing The Dark Ones.[22] Ash and Pablo eventually learned of Kelly's demise, and ventured into the Deadlands themselves to rescue her and Brandy (who had also died from the Kandarian Dagger), though Kelly could not return to the world of the living since Kaya's soul now occupied her body.[24]

Resurrection[]

The Dark Ones eventually managed to escape their otherworldly prison, with their first order of business being to punish those who had imprisoned them in the first place. Ash Williams watched afar as Ruby was incinerated and Kaya's soul was extracted from Kelly's body to be punished in her original form. While the Dark Ones were occupied, Williams retrieved Maxwell's body, allowing Pablo to venture back into the Deadlands and retrieve her spirit.[25] Upon awaking back in her body, Kelly passionately kissed Pablo, unaware that a monster of great size had been summoned to test the mettle of man. Upon learning that a nuclear strike was called in by the United States Military, Ash forced Pablo, Kelly, and Brandy to join the army's civilian evacuation caravan while he stayed behind to fight the monster. Before the convoy moved out, Ash bid his family a heartfelt goodbye, and told Kelly that the people would need a leader to help them fight against the rising evil, and she needed to be that leader.[26]

What happened to Kelly following the destruction of Kandar The Destroyer remains unknown.

Weapons & Equipment[]

  • Colt M4A1 Assault Rifle: Seized during Lem's attack on Crosby's militia camp and used until Ash's return to the cabin.[8][1] She later used it during Cougie's attack at Kenward County High School.[18]
  • Smith & Wesson M&P9 Pistol: Used by Kelly in the days when Ash first returned to Elk Grove.[11]
  • Heckler & Koch MP5K Sub-machine Gun: Kelly's other primary weapon upon arriving in Elk Grove.[10]
  • Mossberg FLEX 590 Tactical Shotgun: Kelly's weapon of choice when she went after Ruby alone in Rebecca Prevett's old mansion.[22]

Other Appearances[]

Live Action[]

Live Events[]

  • Kelly (portrayed by various "scare actors") appeared exclusively at the Universal Studios Orlando theme park during the 2017 Halloween Horror Nights event. Appearing in the Ash vs Evil Dead maze and the Altars of Horror scarezone, both attractions depict Kelly in her Eligos-possessed form seen in the Ash vs Evil Dead Season One episode The Host.

Video Games[]

  • Kelly made her video game debut as a playable character in the short-lived 2018 mobile game Deploy And Destroy.

Gallery[]

Ash vs Evil Dead Season One[]

Episode Stills[]

Promotional Images[]

Ash vs Evil Dead Season Two[]

Episode Stills[]

Promotional Images[]

Ash vs Evil Dead Season Three[]

Episode Stills[]

Promotional Images[]

Trivia[]

KellyMaxwell-OfficialDriversLicenseProp

The official driver's license prop for Kelly Maxwell created for Ash vs Evil Dead.

  • Kelly's birth date of August 16th, 1993 comes from the official driver's license prop created for Ash vs Evil Dead. This means that Kelly would have been 22 years old during the events of Ash vs Evil Dead Season One (while Dana DeLorenzo would have been 33 years old).
  • In an early pilot script for Ash vs Evil Dead, Kelly was "Kelly Johnson", the niece of Ash's trailer park neighbor Vivian Johnson and co-worker at Ted's Club Superstore.
  • As revealed in the Ash vs Evil Dead Season One episode Bait, Kelly's favorite home-cooked meal is roast beef, medium rare.
  • The original finale for Ash vs Evil Dead Season Two would have seen Kelly becoming Ash's biological daughter after Williams had a sexual encounter with a young teacher in a bar (later revealed to have been Suzy Maxwell). This plan was ultimately scrapped during filming following disagreements between showrunner Craig DiGregorio and producer Rob Tapert, though remnants of this plot-point remained in previous episodes (such as Ash's line "You're like the daughter I never had" in Trapped Inside, and Ash and Kelly being partnered together in The Morgue).

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ash vs Evil Dead: Bound In Flesh (Season 1, Episode 9) (2015)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ash vs Evil Dead: El Jefe (Season 1, Episode 1) (2015)
  3. Ash vs Evil Dead: Bait (Season 1, Episode 2) (2015)
  4. Ash vs Evil Dead: Books From Beyond (Season 1, Episode 3) (2015)
  5. Ash vs Evil Dead: Brujo (Season 1, Episode 4) (2015)
  6. Ash vs Evil Dead: The Host (Season 1, Episode 5) (2015)
  7. Ash vs Evil Dead: The Killer of Killers (Season 1, Episode 6) (2015)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Ash vs Evil Dead: Fire In The Hole (Season 1, Episode 7) (2015)
  9. Ash vs Evil Dead: The Dark One (Season 1, Episode 10) (2015)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Ash vs Evil Dead: Home (Season 2, Episode 1) (2016)
  11. 11.0 11.1 Ash vs Evil Dead: The Morgue (Season 2, Episode 2) (2016)
  12. Ash vs Evil Dead: Last Call (Season 2, Episode 3) (2016)
  13. Ash vs Evil Dead: DUI (Season 2, Episode 4) (2016)
  14. Ash vs Evil Dead: Confinement (Season 2, Episode 5) (2016)
  15. Ash vs Evil Dead: Ashy Slashy (Season 2, Episode 8) (2016)
  16. Ash vs Evil Dead: Home Again (Season 2, Episode 9) (2016)
  17. Ash vs Evil Dead: Second Coming (Season 2, Episode 10) (2016)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Ash vs Evil Dead: Family (Season 3, Episode 1) (2018)
  19. Ash vs Evil Dead: Apparently Dead (Season 3, Episode 3) (2018)
  20. Ash vs Evil Dead: Unfinished Business (Season 3, Episode 4) (2018)
  21. Ash vs Evil Dead: Baby Proof (Season 3, Episode 5) (2018)
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 Ash vs Evil Dead: Tales From The Rift (Season 3, Episode 6) (2018)
  23. Ash vs Evil Dead: Twist And Shout (Season 3, Episode 7) (2018)
  24. Ash vs Evil Dead: Rifting Apart (Season 3, Episode 8) (2018)
  25. Ash vs Evil Dead: Judgement Day (Season 3, Episode 9) (2018)
  26. Ash vs Evil Dead: The Mettle of Man (Season 3, Episode 10) (2018)
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