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Mary Sue (or simply Sue) is a usually derogatory expression for a fictional character who is an idealized stand-in for the author and/or reader, or for a story with such a character. A Mary Sue goes beyond a conventional author surrogate. The term originates in fan fiction but is spreading into general use.
Authors of such characters are sometimes referred to as 'Suethors'. Male 'Sues' may be called 'Marty Stus', 'Murray Stus', 'Harry Stus', and/or 'Gary Stus', although the original term is often considered unisex.
Mary Sues are usually original to the author, but some (canon Sues) are created by adapting pre-existing characters. Conversely, original characters, or even self-insertion characters, are not necessarily Mary Sues. Peter Jairus Frigate, for instance, is deliberately based on his author but rarely the focus of the story.
Typical Sues
The Mary Sue character is either tougher, smarter, and cooler than the established characters but wins their admiration, or nicer, sweeter, and more charming than the established characters and wins their love. She also sometimes appears tortured with a tragic past, winning first pity then love. Either way, the setting's protagonists are upstaged by a perfect character. If the new character dies in the story, there is extensive grieving.
Although unintentional Sues remain common, some authors now write Mary Sues deliberately as a form of parody.
Common traits of Mary Sues:
- Has only sympathetic flaws; Mary Sues may be paraplegic, or dangerously naïve, but are very rarely selfish or petty-minded
- Can do no wrong. Or, if she does do anything wrong, has strong justification for it.
- Unique abilities
- Distinctive physical features (odd-coloured eyes, birthmarks, scars etc)
- Unusual pet (especially, 'one only she could tame')
- Deliberately exotic name
- Name based on that of her author
- Cultural/racial background very different from her peers (often adopted out of her culture)
- 21st-century attitudes in a setting where these are unheard-of
- Close relationship with a major canonical character (long-lost brother, etc)
- Centrally involved in every part of the story
- Invokes powers impossible in the canon
None of these traits in themselves make a Mary Sue; rather, Sue-dom can be thought of as an author's reliance on such gimmicks to make a character unique and appealing.
Examples of Mary Sues in Videogames
The Mary Sue archetype is not limited to fanfiction. It has existed in slightly different form in many videogames. Many of these Mary Sues are RPG heroines who tend to be loved all too greatly by in-game characters, praised for their beauty, and acknowledged for their "strength" in character, when often they are the embodiment of the weak and submissive female who must depend entirely on male characters, especially their love interest. Often this type of character is kidnapped by the villain or a subordinate, usually multiple times, especially in the case of Colette Brunel. These characters are often willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of others, and are very naïve. Sometimes these Mary Sues are held as the only ones able to defeat the greatest evil, and are thus worshipped nearly as goddesses. Often times, these characters are highly lacking in any physical strength or skill, often employing the use of "feminine" weapons such as bows, whips, blunt maces, or staffs. In addition, videogame Mary Sues are usually frail and weak in composition, resulting in frequent fainting or sudden illness. They also tend to be associated with healing magic, the earth, water, night, the moon, and other "feminine" elements. Below is a list of many such characters.
Notable Sue facts
Pat Pflieger's essay "Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue" trace the Mary Sue archetype to the idealized young heroines of stories written by the female subscribers to mid-19th century magazines.
Television shows that have generated large bodies of fan fiction have included episodes that draw on the Mary Sue clichés, including the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Hollow Pursuits" and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Superstar".
Some fans have suggested that Wesley Crusher was Eugene Wesley Roddenberry's Mary Sue character, although author surrogate would be a better term. Other canon characters that have Mary Sue-like traits include Willow Rosenberg of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Kitty Pryde of the X-Men.
Diane Carey's "Piper" Star Trek novels (Dreadnought! and Battlestations!) meet most of the criteria defining Mary Sue fiction, and are arguably among the very few Mary Sues good enough to avoid general condemnation.
The term Mary Sue is often said to have originated from a Star Trek fanfiction bearing the first original Mary Sue (with that same name). The story, however, while the first to use the name, was actually a parody lampooning previous Mary Sues: "A Trekkie's Tale," written by Paula Smith and published in the fanzine Menagerie #2 in 1974.
Gary Stu
A Gary Stu is somewhat different from a Mary Sue in that his perfections are less oriented on personality and more on physical traits, skill, or expertise. For example, some Gary Stus are very strong, skilled swordfighters, expert wizards, or legendary heroes with scars that often attract female characters within the story.
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