In Defense of Mary Sue: Part I

Lovers of comics, sci-fi, and fantasy are all familiar with Mary Sue. Well, at least they're familiar with her name...

But if you're not, here's a quick recap:

Mary Sue is the central character in Paula Smith's comedic ultra-short story "A Trekkie's Tale" originally published in 1973 in Menagerie #2. It focuses on fifteen-year-old Mary Sue, the youngest lieutenant in Starfleet history. After being assigned to the Enterprise, Mary Sue is immediately propositioned by Kirk, and after refusing, earns his respect. After that, she is given command of the ship, beams down to a planet for an away-mission, saves the away-team, beams back on board, runs the ship, wins awards, and eventually dies, surrounded by the Enterprise crew, who mourn her death, and celebrate her birthday as a national holiday for all time.

My recap might makes it sound like this story is longer than it is, but truth be told, I had to be careful not to exceed the original story's word count.

So how did a story this short make such an impact on the comic, sci-fi, and fantasy genres? I'm fairly sure that Paula Smith had no idea Mary Sue would become the poster-girl for bad characterization. The piece was originally written as a comedic look at fan fiction, specifically when the author inserts themselves into a story as the ultimate hero.

And when it comes to fan fiction, that makes sense. If you're a fan of an established fictional world, and you've decided to try writing your own adventure, why not make yourself the hero? Fan fiction isn't meant to be well crafted. It's meant to be fun. A fantasy, where the writer and reader are the unquestioned heroes. Put simply, it's wish fulfillment.  

To this day, fans of so many comic and sci-fi franchises have fun writing these kinds of fan fiction stories. We live in a complex world, where life is rarely easy. What's the harm in taking some time every now and then to escape to a different world where you get to make all the rules?

Okay, enough recap...

If Mary Sue's legacy ended there, I wouldn't be writing about her. Unfortunately, it didn't. And today, comic and sci-fi fans have turned Mary Sue into a weapon. Her name has become a pejorative, used to describe any character considered "too perfect," not in fan fiction, but in original fiction. When a reader doesn't care for any particular character, no matter what the characterization might be, you'll often hear the phrase: "Oh, they're such a Mary Sue!"

And that needs to change!

Fans who use the "Mary Sue" term often do so, because it gives false evidence for their dislike of a character. It's no longer their opinion that a character is poorly written. It's a fact. And "Mary Sue" is the proof. The invoking of "Mary Sue" happens so frequently, that writers working on their own original material are beginning to second guess themselves. If they create a character that is (for the most part) smart, strong, and attractive, the Mary Sue label is easily applied by those who dislike the character. So now, writers are trying to course correct by adding deep flaws to their characters to avoid the "Mary Sue" label. 

What makes a character being called a "Mary Sue" so damaging is that it goes beyond simply saying that a character is poorly written. It implies that only substantial flaws make a character well written, and that simply isn't true. A character could be perfectly well written, and a particular reader just might not care for them. That's storytelling. Not everything appeals to everybody. Smart, strong, and attractive characters are a key element of the comic and sci-fi genres. Superman, the world's oldest superhero, might just be the world's oldest Mary Sue, too. The wish fulfillment fantasies of two boys from Cleveland, now going seventy-plus years strong. 

Ultimately, readers need to be more selective when using the term "Mary Sue" to describe a character, and writers need to stay true to their original visions, not altering characters to avoid the "Mary Sue" label.