Mary Sue

A Mary Sue is an original character in fanfiction, usually but not always female, who for one reason or another is deemed undesirable by fan critics.
Fanfiction
A character may be judged a Mary Sue if she is competent in too many areas, is physically attractive, and/or is viewed as admirable by other sympathetic characters. Mary Sues are generally presumed to be idealized self-inserts rather than fully realized characters, although they may actually be intended as point-of-view characters for the reader. Many fans feel that in true Mary Sue stories, the Sue will warp canon characters, established story lines, and the very consistency of the canon's reality until they are wildly out of bounds.
In some fanfiction circles, it is considered extremely gauche, or at least very immature, for an author to create characters based on themselves (a practice that is seen as invariably resulting in the creation of a Mary Sue). In this mindset, creating a Mary Sue story is considered almost a rite of passage and/or something a fan needs to get out of their system before moving on to more "mature" creations.
The escalating backlash towards Mary Sues in the internet age (accompanied by the development of tools like the Mary Sue Litmus Test) may have had a detrimental effect on authors' creativity, with some authors even avoiding female characters altogether for fear they would be labelled a Mary Sue. Mary Sue has been analysed, scrutinised and debated, with fans offering rebuttals and defences of the character and even coming to embrace her.
In addition to fanfiction, the designation of Mary Sue has been applied to canon characters as well.
The male version of a Mary Sue may be called a Gary Stu or a Marty Stu. In Australian fandom, the term Marcus SampsonMedtrek 6 convention fanzine (2017) or simply Mark-SamBlake's Seven: The Other Side #4 (1987) is used.
See Timeline of Mary Sue Meta.
==History==
===Original Work: "A Trekkie's Tale"===
The very first published Trek fan fiction, Spockanalia, T-Negative, Tricorder Readings, Eridani Triad, Pastaklan Vesla or Babel, did not include any such characters or stories. Some zines printed lighthearted first-person narratives about accidentally getting beamed up, or meeting the characters through time travel. These were meant as non-serious farces or just playful imaginary stories.Margie Jones' "Anne-Marie Meets Mr. Spock", Allan Lappin's "You Won't Believe Me, But..." and Nancy West's stories, all published in Tricorder Readings, for instance. However, more serious stories of Kirk, Spock, McCoy etc. befriending/assisting orphans and other Original Female Characters were likewise accepted without comment.See "The Skyborn", by Dorothy Jones, Spockanalia 5. This was in the days before fanfic criticism was a common practice in the pages of fanzines (although often took place behind the scenes).Connie Faddis said, "[In] what I'd call our 'era of innocence.' (maybe 1969-74 or so).... Then, there weren't so many zines, and fen were into a broader spectrum of themes, and editors and readers were delighted to read any but the most inept or simple-minded stories. Criticism, when it was given, was minimal, and praise was given a little more freely, I think." In Implosion #6 (1977).
The term Mary Sue was coined in 1973 by Paula Smith who wrote a parody entitled "A Trekkie's Tale" in her zine Menagerie.A Trekkie's Tale accessed 2013-05-02. 
A Trekkie’s Tale at archive.org
A Trekkie’s Tale; WebCiteA Trekkie's Tale, originally published in Menagerie #2, reprinted in Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan & Zine History, 1967-1987(pdf) by Joan Marie Verba (accessed 15 Aug. 2008).
This character did not have a last name, despite some fans who attribute it as Whipple. Paula Smith called her "Lieutenant Mary Sue" or "Lt. Mary Sue" in both the original story and in many subsequent reviews and comments to other fans' stories. One example is Smith's 1974 review of a story called "The Tollian Affair" in which Smith lambasts the story and refers to Mary Sue stories as a "worthless genre."
Smith described the origins of A Trekkie's Tale in a 2011 interview:
In 2017, Paula M. Block explained Mary Sue's origin:
===Mary Sue as a Detriment to Good Writing, But Also to Fans Being Taken Seriously in Science Fiction Writing===
Paula Smith's story stirred up considerable sentiment pro and con. Subsequent to the story's appearance, Smith and her partner Sharon Ferraro wrote letters of comment to various fan publications to point out that this or that story "contained a Mary Sue". When the authors and other readers objected, Smith and Ferraro began to explain in detail what they saw as Mary Sue and why it was detrimental to fiction.
Smith claimed that her purpose was to help amateur writers improve enough to be taken seriously by professional science fiction magazine editors and possibly earn more nominations for Hugo Awards in the fan fiction category. Jacqueline Lichtenberg's Kraith series had received a nomination for a Hugo in this category. See more on this topic at Science Fiction Fandom vs. Media Fandom. Smith objected strongly to Connie Faddis' proposed independent awards program for Star Trek fan writers: 
===A New Kind of Fan===
"... I was unaware of the ever-increasing number of Star Trek fans who had no experience with science fiction, and no interest in science fiction whatsoever." - Joan Marie Verba from Boldly Writing
Much of the very earliest TOS fan fiction, while often deeply emotional, did not involve extensive descriptions of sexual activity or romantic involvement. Since there was hope the original show would return within a few years, many fans wrote stories or scripts that could presumably be adapted into viable Star Trek episodes. There were few if any relationship stories in the sense of K&S or other characters musing at length about how they felt toward each other. Fans of that era had never even heard the word "pairing". When characters did become romantically involved, it was always heterosexual, as in the Star Trek television series.
Along with depicting canon female characters (Elaan, Chapel, etc.), authors routinely created original female characters. Original female characters with unusual gifts or attributes were taken for granted as were the female guest stars on the show, nor were all such characters deemed self-insertions of their respective authors. They might have had a particular actress in mind, and so on.The Star Trek producers indeed considered unsolicited scripts submitted by fans. Several were actually produced, including "The Trouble with Tribbles" (David Gerrold), "The Empath" (Joyce Muskat), "Is There In Truth No Beauty" and "All Our Yesterdays" (both by Jean Aroeste), and "The Tholian Web" (Judy Burns and Chet Richards).
In her history of Trek fan fiction, Boldly Writing, Joan Verba attributes both slash stories and the modern type of Mary Sue to the fact that by the mid-1970s numerous amateur authors with little or no background in science fiction were becoming attracted to the series. They saw Star Trek primarily as a "buddy" show about three guys exploring the galaxy together. These, not the very earliest fan writers, were the ones whose writing focused on emotions and relationships between the characters rather than on plot. This change in who the fans were and what they wanted to write was discussed at length] in early issues of Interstat (1977), with observations about a seeming preponderance of badly written relationship and Mary Sue stories.
Even after the appearance of "A Trekkie's Tale", some fans merely noted in passing the appearance of "adolescent wish-fantasies" or "alter ego" in stories, with the attitude that these were amateurs practicing and beginning their craft:
However, since fan writers began publishing on the Internet, the focus on Mary Sue and the perceived need to avoid writing such characters has increased exponentially.Laura M. Hale, Historical Perspective on Mary Sue, covers some of this history.
=== Changes in Mary Sues Over Time ===
"To make the transition from child to woman, the active agent within her had to die." - Camille Bacon-Smith, from Enterprising Women
"In the straight magazines, they almost always destroy the woman who turns to Mr. Spock."- Gene Roddenberry, quoted in Shatner: Where No Man
Initially, a Mary Sue was a teenaged, brilliant, good-looking girl, who is also modest, self-effacing, self-sacrificing and gets the guy as her reward. In other words, the smart young girl gives up her independence and intelligence to fulfill the traditional subservient role of women in society. In stories where she did not end up with one of the canon male characters, she invariably died.This character pattern has been a standard in children's and young adults' literature for centuries. Jo in Little Women or the title character of Carol Brink's Caddie Woodlawn are among numerous well-known examples of strong, independent wild girls who decide to become proper young ladies -- or have it decided for them. Jonathan Cott in his analysis of Pippi Longstocking in Pipers at the Gates of Dawn cites a 1974 essay by the Feminists on Children's Media, "Sexism in Children's Literature" which refers to such books as "cop-out books." "The actual cop-out may be only a crucial line, a paragraph, the last chapter. But somewhere a sexist compromise is made, somewhere the book adjusts to the stereotyped role of woman, often for the sake of social pressure and conformity. The compromise brings with it a change, and this change is not only disturbing, but often distorts the logical development of the character herself. Suddenly her development is redirected... or rather, stunted... Young readers of such grievous cop-outs are forced to believe that the spunk, individuality, and physical capability so refreshingly portrayed in tomboy heroines must be surrendered when girls grow up -- in order to fit the passive, supposedly more mature image of a young woman." Of course, Cott points out, this message can also carry the "seeds of rebellion" and can be subverted, inspiring girls to not change and to stay "wild". O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins, Jean George's Julie of the Wolves, and Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy are cited along with Pippi as examples of "more recent, independent heroines".
Bacon-Smith wrote: 
Paula Smith says Mary Sue embodies "the teenage girl suddenly finding ... the power of her sexual attraction... It's a stage of development in young girls."
Modern Mary Sues show more variety—maybe because possible fictional hero roles for women have expanded. However, many fan critics may have a Mary Sue reaction today based on elements that wouldn't have caused this reaction in past decades:
* Unusual hair or eye color; general attractiveness
* Exceptional abilities, even in a "verse" such as Star Trek where exceptional people are the norm
* An exotic pet
* Being a confidante of one or more main characters
* A detailed description of the characterDetailed description in literature has been discouraged since the beginning of the realist and modernist movements in the 1920s which engendered the "show, don't tell" technique. "Show, don't tell" has been gospel in creative writing classes for decades. Editor Caro Clarke lists descriptive writing for the purpose of scene setting/atmosphere among what she terms a beginner's four faults in novel writing. Certain types of genre literature such as cozy mysteries allow for more description. See On Writing As A Fantasist by Dave Wolverton for more on the background and origins of the realist movement and how it affects SF and fantasy.
Some fan critics have a tendency to label any original female character, or any original character, a "Mary Sue". (For more, refer to Are all characters based on the author "Mary Sues"?)
In her article "The Importance of Mary Sue" on Tumblr, unwinona describes the evolving role of the Mary Sue and her importance, especially to young, marginalised readers:
The comment thread on this post is especially illuminating of the conflicted responses the Mary Sue concept receives, both in canon and in fandom. Some see her as the literary kiss of death, others as a useful learning tool and part of a writer's development.
==Definitions==
The definition of Mary Sue has changed over time, which seems only right, as our definition of a "real woman" has changed drastically in the last thirty years. Interestingly, the concept of "Mary Sue" has trickled down from media fandom into general SF fandom and even the mainstream—a rare example of fannish drift flowing the other way.
===Common Fannish Definitions===
"We want our heroes to be better than us, but not to the point of being absurd." - Anonymous fan reviewer at Wikipedia
The term is more broadly associated with characters who are exceptionally and improbably lucky. The good luck may involve romance ("Mary Sue" always gets her man); adventure ("Mary Sue" always wins a fight or knows how to solve the puzzle); and popularity (the "right people" seem to gravitate towards the character). These characters confront very few significant problems while attempting to achieve their goals. "Everything goes her way" is a common criticism regarding "Mary Sues", the implication being that the character is not sufficiently humanized or challenged to be genuinely interesting and sympathetic.
* Idealized self-insert: In the strictest sense, Mary Sue is an Original Female Character (OFC) in fan fiction who is perfect in every sense of the word, and is usually considered to be a self-insertion of the author. Some fans have observed that she's just as likely to be intended as a proxy, someone for the reader to identify with. This narrative technique is often used in classic fantasy and science fiction to introduce the reader to the story's environment. Mary Sue may also have been created as a "perfect mate" for one of the canon characters. She is unique in numerous ways (by having an unusual hair color, eye color, special abilities, etc) and the author may devote a lot of space to descriptions of the character. At some point in the tale she "saves everyone" in some way. Nearly everyone in the story instantly loves her; and those who don't are eventually brought around. Some Mary Sues may have emotional difficulties, and may have suffered a difficult or tragic past, inspiring sympathy from canon characters. If she has flaws, they are "perfect" flaws, such as wanting to serve others to the detriment of her own well-being. This is more or less the definition in Recreating the Adolescent Self: Mary Sue in Camille Bacon-Smith, Enterprising Women, Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth (Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1994), p. 94. A fan in 1987 explained to others that a Mary Sue was one "with a female character who is obviously the writer, or the writer's friend." from the editorial in Gambit #1
* The Attention Hog: Original "guest star" character in fan fiction who overshadows the canonical cast. The focus of reader and character attention is unduly placed on the guest star rather than on the leads.If original characters become that interesting to the author, he or she might consider creating a gen series, in the old-fashioned sense of the word; stories which take place in a particular universe but involving none of the canonical characters. Fanfics in which the focus is on the original character and the canonical cast makes a "guest star" appearance in a story about this character are treated more like a spinoff series in television and do not usually set off Mary Sue alarms in readers.
* The Warper: Any poorly-written character appearing in almost any story and in almost any form. They are created by writers who "lack sufficient skill or a sufficient understanding of human nature". The primary defining characteristic of these stories is that the "canon characters and plot warp around her to fit the author's wish fulfillment,"Thoughts About Mary Sue by alias_sqbr, 2010-03-21. allowing the Mary Sue to make the decisions and take the actions normally taken by others. A canon character can be made into a Mary Sue by this definition."The problem is not the OC. It’s not that she’s a girl. It’s not even the purple eyes. The problem is when the story starts warping itself – when everything, and everyone, and every single piece of anything ever is all bound up in the one character. With no room for anyone else." Deird1, What I Mean By Mary Sue and Why I Hate Her, Livejournal entry dated 2010-04-15. References an otherwise well-written Buffy story in which Xander is portrayed as a "warper" character. Warpers may also be characters who are introduced as confidants of the main protagonists. They are set into the story for the purpose of bringing the two lead characters together or reconciling them if they have quarreled.KLangley, comment in Thoughts about Mary Sue, dated March 21, 2010; accessed Feb. 8, 2011; WebCite.
===The score: Mary Sue Litmus Tests===
A 19-point test, The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test was originally created by Melissa Wilson in 1997. Ten years later, Wilson wrote extensively of her disappointment and frustration of with how her test had been used. See Mary and Me. 
Writers of original amateur stories and fan fiction can test original characters to see if they fit the profile.When is a Mary Sue Not A Mary Sue?/WebCite There are other such tests, including for original amateur writing, some tests are reputed to be more useful than others.
Some writers question the usefulness of having a litmus test at all,"If you're just trying to exercise due diligence in making sure that your character is fine, that's one thing. But there is a general sense of "Mary Sue fear". This is caused by people looking at a number of Mary Sue tests and thinking that because their characters ring certain bells, they've written Mary Sues." Avoid Writing A Mary Sue at TvTropes, under "Mary Sue Fear". or think that more adjustments are necessary,"I feel that people have become accustomed to shouting 'Mary Sue!' far to [sic] quickly and I think these kinds of tests are not helping.... The first is that they are all anti-description, the second is the whole ratings thing, and the third is that many of the questions have nothing to do with the character's character but rather are plot points or clichés or are far to [sic] common place to even be considered something that causes Mary Sueism.." -- The Original Anti "Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test" at wiccananime.com. especially after some amateur authors admitted to working from the test when developing a new character simply to ensure she would not be a Mary Sue."I cannot stress strongly enough what a BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD way to write a character this is. You don’t put a character together like an equation. You don’t give her a negative score for positive attributes and a positive score for negative attributes, and then jiggle the figures until the character profile fits within the “not a Mary” category. If you do things like this, you will end up with completely false characters with a string of bizarre personality traits." From "The Fear of Mary Sue on impishidea.com, a fan critic's blog.
In general, the Mary Sue concept seems to have evolved from a simple criticism of bad characterization into a weapon of the realism school of literature. If an unrealistic or unlikely character is undesirable, the author may have little left but depictions of mediocrity, inappropriate for fannish genres where larger-than-life characters are expected. 
However, "Mary Sue" is a highly subjective value judgement. One fan's Mary Sue may be another fan's awesome woman action hero. Someone at TV Tropes observed that "Mary Sue" is actually the reaction that fans may have to a work that "is unduly favoring a character by changing other characters or the environment in inappropriate ways. When the audience calls "Mary Sue" on a character, the author has shattered their Willing Suspension of Disbelief."Avoid Writing A Mary Sue at TvTropes, pages found 2012-11-14. This is an observant and thoughtful article in their "So You Want To" series, going into detail about story elements that might "trigger" a Mary Sue reaction.
==Mary Sues in Fandom==
Fandom, and readers, dislike Mary Sues with varying degrees of passion.For example, see the Sparklypoo comic. There is a Livejournal community, The Mary Sue Report, dedicated to making fun of stories with Mary Sues in them, as well as a similar community for Canon Sues, though some people feel this behavior is a form of character bashing and will inhibit amateur authors, particularly beginners or the very young, from writing at all.
Despite this, it is not uncommon for an author's very first pieces of writing to contain Mary Sues. An author who writes extreme Sues may be called a Suethor in some fandoms. Some more experienced authors also enjoy the wish fulfillment of consciously writing Mary Sues.
A fan in 2006 wrote: 
Numerous parody stories with "Mary Sue" type characters also exist, and may be mistaken for the genuine article. Refer to Satirical Fanworks Involving Mary Sues for some examples of these. 
===Advice to Avoid Mary Sue===
Along with common-sense advice such as attention to plot, theme, setting and mood, guidelines written for amateur writers by amateur writers now include a warning to "avoid Mary Sue". Young authors are sometimes warned not to create original characters who are so much as attractiveOriginal Characters by Silverfox at How To Write Fanfiction. although most seem to stick with the definition of Mary Sue as "too perfect" or an idealized version of oneself.Tips for Fanfiction Writers by Cmar on rangerfiction.net.
thumb|200px|right|On the subscription page on the New Landing Weyr website, prospective new members were advised, "Please, no purple-eyed red-heads! Keep your characters realistic."
These types of guidelines and warnings also appear frequently in RPGs. For example, on the website for the Dragonriders of Pern RPG, New Landing Weyr, the subscription page (archived) advised new members:
:"Want to know what not to make your character? Please meet Righinn, our very own "What Not to Create Your Persona" created especially for the first pass! Thank you Melissa for creating her."
The bio for Righinn McGregor (archived) presented a deliberately overwritten, exaggeratedly virtuous, Mary Sue-type character as a mock candidate for membership in the game.
Apparently some people have had a Mary Sue reaction to the original Dragonflight, in which Lessa first Impresses the queen dragon Ramoth. This in turn prompted an exasperated reaction (and a bit of history) from a long-time fan:
[[File:Ms_dragon.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Photoshop culture jam by fan artist mightygodking depicting the cover of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight as Mary Sue Gets A Dragon. From MGK Vs. His Adolescent Reading Habits, October 20, 2008.]]
==="Not My Character"===
Many fans, if aware of the term and the trope, have made statements that their original female characters were NOT Mary Sues because their fanworks did not fit the definition of the term.
A fan in 1995 wrote: 
====Case Study: Sadie Faulwell from Landing Party 6====
One example was Paula M. Block who distanced herself from this trope. In 1980, Block said of her popular series The Landing Party 6 and its main character Sadie Faulwell (written in the mid-1970s): 
In 2017, Block restated how some stories, including her own, "transcended" the Mary Sue trope: 
For much discussion about Sadie Faulwell and Mary Sues, see Fans Talk About Sadie.
====Case Study: Lt. Chantal Caberfae from Diamonds and Rust====
Diamonds and Rust was a highly controversial Star Trek: TOS story (1977–78) by Mary L. Schultz & Cheryl Rice.
Schultz said this about the series: 
For much discussion about Diamonds and Rust and Mary Sues, see Reactions and Reviews.
===Other Examples in Fanworks===
* The Displaced by Lois Welling (Star Trek:TOS) 1978
* A New Life by Geoff Allshorn (UFO) 1980
* Seek and Destroy by Geoff Allshorn (UFO) 1980
* The Other Side of the Galaxy by Betsi Ashton (Star Trek:TOS) 1982
* To Boldly Go by Geoff Allshorn (Star Trek:TOS) 1983
*Dream It Truth by Krys Britton (Beauty and the Beast (TV)) 1990
* For There is Much To Dare by Susan Crites (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) 1993
*Five O'Clock Shadow by Rachelle S. (Jim/OFC) (Sentinel) 1998
*Legolas by laura (Lord of the Rings) Early 2000s
*My Immortal (Harry Potter) by Tara Gilesbie, 2006. It is hotly debated whether or not this fic was genuine or a parody, meaning that the main character of Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way could either be a genuine Mary Sue or a parody of one.
* by shaenie (Clint Barton/Phil Coulson) (MCU) -- some readers have described Clint in this fic as a Mary Sue. 2017
* by daixuki (Draco Malfoy/OFC) (Harry Potter) 2020
====Satirical Fanworks Involving Mary Sues====
* Jackie's Mary Sue by Jackie Bielowicz (Star Trek:TOS) 1977
* Nine Men and a Little Lady by Kielle (Lord of the Rings) Once upon a time a mysterious girl joined the Fellowship...damn her! Sick of annoying Mary Sues? Actually READ Tolkien? This may cheer you up. 2002
* The Sparklypoo Comic by GMonkey (Harry Potter with elements of LOTR crossover) 2003
* The Story of Maridah Sumaya by Calluna. A parody of "Mozenrath Mary Sues" and bad Aladdin: The Series fanfiction. 2003
* JUST THE BEST MARY SUE, EVER! by Bamfwriter. (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) The Mary Sue Litmus Test taken to the extreme. F words. Mild slash. 2004
* Never Leave Fanfiction Lying Around by crazyroninchic. (Fourth wall-breaking LOTR fic) Several members of the Fellowship come across a Marysue Legomance. Chaos ensues…A bit of light humor and MS satire. If for nothing else, read to imagine the looks on Leggie’s face… 2005
* With 6 You Get Unicorns by Cupidsbow, a crackfic featuring a Mary-Sue named Dr Shaylindra who dramatically sacrifices herself for the slash pairing. (NC-17) 2008
* Don't Let a Mary Sue Into Titans Tower by Hinn-Raven (Teen Titans) A mysterious girl shows up and starts following the Titans around- much to their annoyance! Watch as she begins to drive the Titans to varying levels of insanity- particularly Robin. Chapter Five: Mary Sues die painfully. 2010
* The Vampoife Dood Who Lifed by Riddell Lee. (Harry Potter/Twilight) A Mary Sue has infiltrated the world of Harry Potter and decided to combine it with Twilight. Four unwilling and snarky readers of the story are drawn into the brave new world of magic, sparkles, and interactive narrators. 2010-11
* by hallowgirl (Supernatural) Castiel tries to win Dean's love becoming a Mary Sue. 2014
* by mystyrust (BNHA) Tagged "there's a very literal Mary Sue". 2022
===Sue-ification in Fan Works===
Another definition of Canon Sue is when fanfics idealize a canon character to insane degrees. Reasons for this range from the writer feeling their favorite character was underappreciated in canon and wanting to correct it via fanfiction, that their favorite character deserved a better outcome than what they got, using their favorite character as wish fulfillment, or the author projecting onto the character as a psuedo self-insert. Usually this results in the character being given Godlike powers and weapons, a glamorous makeover, a tragic (or at least more intriguing) backstory, a ton of angst (guilt, anxiety, conflicted emotions), super intelligence, a multitude of outstanding talents, and anything else the author can think of to make them look as amazing as possible. Their flaws are either erased entirely or excused (especially if the character had a bad childhood or was abused in some way), and their good qualities are amped up to be the highest of virtues with more added on to make them look even better (whether or not they canonically had any inclination towards such qualities).
A lot of the time they'll be placed in peril to make them as helpless as possible so they can be rescued and the story can focus on how fragile the character is. The villain will invariably become obsessed with them for a variety of reasons, even if that character was barely a blip on the villain's radar in canon. This is is meant to make the rest of the cast, as well as the reader, want to protect and take care of the favorite character as much as the author does.
The morality of the rest of the cast is measured in who likes or dislikes the character or whom the author likes or dislikes, regardless of those characters' canon relationship to the favorite; anyone who ever wronged them or whom the author doesn't like is made the villain of the piece, who will inevitably be defeated or destroyed (usually in a humiliating manner), while anyone the author likes becomes that character's best friend, love interest, chosen family, or personal cheerleader. On rare occasions, a disliked character will be given a redemption arc, offer abject apologies to the Sueified character, and become part of their entourage.
Shipping is frequently a factor in Sue-ification, especially when the Sueified character is half of a popular fanon pairing that doesn't end up together in-series. Authors will declare that their favorite "deserved better" and pull out all the stops to make them so amazing that the fan-preferred partner will instantly fall in love with them. If either the Sueified character or their preferred partner has a canon love interest, those characters will be demonized and humiliated, killed off, or shoved into each other's arms (or the arms of some other character) to make way for the author's OTP. While this is fairly common in works where the Sueified character canonically had feelings for someone and didn't end up with them, it's even more so in works where the fan-preferred pairing was established as platonic throughout the series, or the Sueified character wasn't even interested in whomever the fan ships them with.
This leads to readers of the story referring to the character as "Sueified", because in their eyes this wasn't the canon character anymore but a paper doll with their name on it, meant to act as the author's wish fulfillment or power fantasy.
TVTropes refers to this as a Possession Sue.
====== Characters prone to being Sue-ified in fan works: ======
* Rukia Kuchiki and sometimes Ishida Uryuu from Bleach
* Misty from the Pokémon anime. Cori Falls's fics did this to Jessie and James.
** Cori Falls also did this with Rex Raptor in her Yu-Gi-Oh! stories.
*Luigi from the Super Mario Bros. series
*Katara and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender
*Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Sylvain José Gautier, and Claude von Riegan from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Sothis becomes the Fixer Sue variety.
**Robin (Awakening), Corrin (Fates), Byleth (Three Houses) and Shez (Warriors: Three Hopes) get this to varying degrees due to their very nature as player avatars, especially Byleth who is canonically a blank slate due to their backstory. How much is too much when it comes to author projection is extremely YMMV.
*Keith, Lotor, Allura, and Pidge from Voltron: Legendary Defender. Lance used to get such treatment in the early seasons.
*Usagi Tsukino and sometimes Ami Mizuno from Sailor Moon. The longfic "Wildflowers" did this with Nephrite. https://twylightshadow.tripod.com/opinions_wildflowers.html
*Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Severus Snape from Harry Potter
*Ranma Saotome, Ryouga Hibiki, and Ukyo Kuonji from Ranma 1/2
*Tecna from Winx Club
*Daria Morgendorffer from Daria
*Castiel, Sam Winchester, and Dean Winchester from Supernatural
*Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto
*Kylo Ren from Star Wars
*Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha
*Tomoyo Daidouji from Cardcaptor Sakura
*Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold!
*Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing
*Critics of Jacqueline Lichtenberg's Kraith series objected to the portrayal of Spock, and Vulcans in general, as having much greater physical and psychic ability than we saw in Star Trek: The Original Series.
*Alan and Anne Chan in one author's The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan fics
==Mary Sues in Canon==
Sometimes fans notice when the writing staff steps over the fictional line and moves a character out of believability and into the Mary Sue realm. This is occasionally referred to as a Canon Sue.
Probably the most famous case of a Canon Sue is Wesley Crusher, from Star Trek: The Next Generation, annoying boy hero, written by Gene Wesley Roddenberry. Bacon-Smith points out that James T. Kirk himself could qualify as a Marty Stu; whereas more generically it might be suggested that Kirk is a Marty Stu version of Roddenberry as a younger man and Jean Luc Picard as an older version. Similarly, the recurring Reginald Barclay character was reportedly developed as a Marty Stu to appeal to certain (stereotypical) members of the audience. Star Trek: The Next Generation contains other episodes including Pen Pals and Devil's Due, which might be interpreted as having Mary Sue characters.
A female hero who seems overly competent or appears to exhibit new skills as the plot calls for them (James H. Schmitz's Telzey Amberdon,Robert Wilfred Franson makes a case for Telzey as becoming a demigoddess in this 2002 essay. Anne McCaffrey's Menolly, comic heroine Modesty Blaise) may be viewed as a Canon Sue by readers, while male heroes with the same traits (Batman, McGyver, James Bond) may get a pass. Heinlein's concept of the competent man doesn't seem to extend to include competent women.
Or, as a fan in 2010 said: "My essential problem with the Mary Sue phenomenon: when you have Dr. Dr. Dr. Daniel "I speak 23 languages and married the alien princess" Jackson on your show, and you call Sam Carter an unrealistically talented Mary Sue, you have issues." Actually, I'm just lazy and blogging the short version instead, staranise, May 17, 2010
Rey, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, inspired considerable Mary Sue reactions in several professional and fan reviews. Screenwriter Max Landis has said that the character fits this description,Max Landis, "they finally did it they made a fan fic movie with a Mary Sue as the main character" Twitter post December 19, 2015. claiming that Rey is excessively gifted at a variety of skills.Dan Woburn, Eight Problems Nobody Wants to Admit About Star Wars: The Force Awakens. What Culture, December 25, 2015. Other reviewers accept her as a "competent woman" character. Caroline Framke of Vox and Erik Kain in Forbes contended that Rey did not fit the Mary Sue profile, since the storyline explains and contextualizes her many skills from the beginning.Caroline Framke, "What is a Mary Sue, and does Star Wars: The Force Awakens have one?" Vox, 2015-12-28.Erik Kain, "No, Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is Not a Mary Sue". Forbes Games, 2016-01-04. Tasha Robinson of The Verge defended the idea of Rey being a Mary Sue in a positive, female-empowering sense: "for women who've felt underrepresented through decades where most of the ladies onscreen were victims, tokens, rewards, or shrews, it's natural to feel a sugar rush of fulfillment over characters like Katniss Everdeen and Imperator Furiosa".Tasha Robinson, "With Star Wars' Rey, we've reached Peak Strong Female Character -- And There's Nothing Wrong With That." The Verge, December 19, 2015.
==Controversy==
 
Perhaps no term or concept in fandom has managed to stir up the amount of emotion evoked by the words "Mary Sue". Amateur editor Edith Cantor once remarked that "in terms of their impact on those whom they affect, those words [Mary Sue] have got to rank right up there with the Selective Service Act." The words to which Cantor refers are Greetings from the President of the United States. You are hereby ordered to report for induction. This is the opening of the U.S. military draft notice received by millions of young men from 1940 to the time the draft was discontinued in 1973. Those who received this letter, especially during the Vietnam era, often reacted with fear and anger, in some cases panic, flight to Canada ("draft dodging") and even suicide. Today, young men and women are still required by law to register for Selective Service, but the draft no longer exists and many reforms have been put in place. For a better understanding of these issues, see Michael Stuart Foley, Confronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance during the Vietnam War (Univ. of North Carolina, 2003). Fan writers report feeling inhibited, even frightened, by the thought of writing original characters who might be seen as Mary Sue by readers.
===Is fear of "Mary Sue" stifling creativity?===
Why is it that in a community that is probably 90% female, we have so few stories about believable, competent, and identifiable-with women? - Johanna Cantor, "Mary Sue, A Short Compendium", quoted in Camille Bacon-Smith's Enterprising Women''''
The "Mary Sue" concept has drawn criticism from amateur and professional authors. Many such criticisms are brushed off as coming from writers who create "Mary Sues" and are thus beneath notice. However, the onus of wishing to avoid being condemned as a "Suethor" ("Mary Sue" author) apparently weighs heavily even on professional authors and sophisticated amateurs, particularly women.
Camille Bacon-Smith includes a subsection on the "Mary Sue" concept in her book, Enterprising Women,Bacon-Smith, Camille, Enterprising Women, Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth. Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1992. The entire Mary Sue subsection is on line at Google Books. tying it together with the Canon Sue issue. While not denying that such characters exist, and going into considerable detail as to just why fans write them, she observes that fear of creating a "Mary Sue" may be restricting and even silencing pro as well as fan authors. She cites "Mary Sue" paranoia as one of the sources for the lack of what Johanna Cantor called "believable, competent, and identifiable-with" female characters in today's fan fiction. Bacon-Smith also quotes Edith Cantor describing a story she received from a neofan in 1978. In the cover letter, the fan said "I don't know if I ought to be sending this to you. I'm afraid it's a Mary Sue. Only I don't know what that is."
Amateur writers respond to the emphasis on avoiding Mary Sue in several ways. Some continue to create original characters, but make them as dull, unattractive and colorless as possible, especially if female. Some do not create original characters at all. Fan critics are liable to judge an original character as Mary Sue (again, especially if female) unless she is plain looking, has many faults or flaws, and never has any traumatic experiences or distinguishing characteristics."Everyone seems so terrified of making their character a Mary Sue that they're going to ridiculous heights to make their characters/plots blandly average... even in genres and settings where everyone having some measure of the fantastic is not only forgivable, but preferred. These often end up producing Anti Sues that still dominate the spotlight unfairly in spite of the total lack of anything noteworthy of them."This is especially prevalent mostly due to the misuse of the Mary Sue accusation — it has evolved from something that was reserved for genuinely annoying characters to simply complaining about characters you don't like, with several "Mary Sue tests" including stuff that really isn't Sueish...just stuff the author of the test dislikes and wants to get rid of by calling it one of the Common Mary Sue Traits." From a comment in the article on Cliche Storms - Other, Tropedia, by an unknown editor. Had to have been written before December 24, 2010. TVTropes page found 2013-02-05. Tropedia as of 2014-04-22.
In 1985, when asked why she hadn't written any fan fiction subsequent to her novella The Mind-Sifter, published in Sharon Emily's Star Trek Showcase in 1975, Shirley Maiewski said that along with the editing hatchet job by Sondra Marshak for Star Trek: The New Voyages, she'd received sniping fan critiques by "experts" who called her work "poorly written, lacking character development" and containing a Mary Sue. "Best reasons in the world for a terminal case of Writer's Block."The Propagator 7 has her statement, in a discussion on harsh fan critiques. "The Mind-Sifter" is respected today as a classic piece of Star Trek fan fiction, and was made into an episode of Star Trek: The New Voyages Phase II, released December 1, 2014 and available on Youtube for free.
At Clippercon 1987 (a Star Trek fan convention), Bacon-Smith interviewed a panel of women authors who say they do not include female characters in their stories at all. She quoted one as saying "Every time I've tried to put a woman in any story I've ever written, everyone immediately says, this is a Mary Sue." Bacon-Smith also pointed out that "Participants in a panel discussion in January 1990 noted with growing dismay that any female character created within the community is damned with the term Mary Sue."Bacon-Smith, p. 110. A footnote states this was reported to her by Judy Chien, who attended the panel at MostEastlyCon 1990 in Newark.
Writing in 2013, fan author/editor Charlotte Frost said: "Fans, and especially slash fans, really did detest female characters. And, God forbid, if a woman had a large, positive role in a story, then the story was sneered at for being a "Mary Sue" story ... even if the female character wasn't the least bit all-powerful, or all-knowledgeable... if she was a "good guy" and female, then the story was automatically labeled a Mary Sue by disgusted fans. So, to not be viewed with disgust, one had to make original, positive characters in a story male. Which meant, if they were going to be any female characters at all, they needed to be bad ones." Charlotte Frost, The Male Or Female Thing, April 19, 2013.
Several other writers quoted by Bacon-Smith point out that James T. Kirk could be seen as a Canon Sue, and that the label seems to be used more indiscriminately on female characters who do not behave in accordance with the dominant culture's images and expectations for females as opposed to males.Smith, p. 97. Professional author Ann Crispin is quoted: "The term 'Mary Sue' constitutes a put-down, implying that the character so summarily dismissed is not a true character, no matter how well drawn, what sex, species, or degree of individuality."Bacon-Smith, p. 98.
The presence of any character identified as Mary Sue began eliciting expressions of murderous rage among fan critics. For example, in a 1979 LoC in an issue of S and H, a Starsky & Hutch letterzine, a fan was already well-aware of the term, and what it represented: "With any luck, Sergeant Mary Sue will be strangled in her cradle as she deserves, and readers will be spared the thoroughly embarrassing spectacle of daydreams made public... The defensiveness and ill-will that has sprung up in Trek over this type of story, and the K/S story, which negates its possibility, should serve as an additional warning."
Other LoCs to the same fanzine expressed the opinion that fans wrote S/H slash "because we want to enjoy their sexy bodies making mad, passionate love -- without having to share them with some other broad." Others pointed out that stories with sympathetic heroines were being unfairly classed as Mary Sue, while S/H slash was "safe".In S&H 1-5 and S&H 11-15 . Again, Charlotte Frost: "[R]egarding fandom's tendency in general to make most competing love interests male, I think it has to do with the ladies of K/S wanting to read about men. It seems that whenever a K/S story has a strong female character, it is immediately disliked (even if she isn't a love interest). I know of some fans who automatically label a story a "Mary Sue" if it contains a major female character, no matter how intelligently that character may be written. To be honest, I think it's probably one of those unpleasant little hypocrisies of K/S. Many of us claim we like K/S because it represents a completely equal relationship, but we tend to not want women to have equal status in those same stories. Perhaps we subconsciously see them as competing with us— the female fans of K/S."
In recent years, since the Internet became available to the general public, and particularly the creation of fanfiction.net in 1998, criticism of "Mary Sue" has escalated to the point that amateur authors may hesitate to include any of these elements in their writing for fear of being called out as a Suethor. The amount of obsession and dire warnings associated with "Mary Sue" amount to a moral panic within fandom. The appearance of a character deemed Mary Sue is viewed as a license to ridicule and humiliate the character and the author.Example, Bad-Fic: The Inquisition critique by Livejournal user shinobi_demon: "Shadowmancer1989, who is 18, should really die a slow and painful death for violating the meaning behind fan-fiction, violating the Naruto series, and most definitely pay for the costs of [Naruto creator] Kishimoto's funeral because he most definitely will have a seizure if he'd read that godawful piece of tripe... This girl should be thoroughly ashamed for writing such a godawful drivel at her age. Eighteen, for fuck's sake. That's when I first got my job at the editorial offices." The comments are also typical of online critique style in 2007; one hopes things have changed in the nine years since this was posted. WebCite.
In a 2009 discussion page at TV Tropes, one commenter questioned the practice of flaming young writers who created Mary Sues, suggesting that offering constructive criticism might be better. Her analysis was labeled a "brainfart" and she was told that Mary Sue was "the literary equivalent of publicly soiling yourself."Just Bugs Me, Mary Sue Discussion Page on tvtropes; cached at WebCite. Fan critics have compared writers of Mary Sue characters to pedophiles and rapists and advised them to commit suicide."You should be ashamed for subjecting us to this character. You should be ashamed for creating this character. In fact, you should just be ashamed, full stop." Commentary on .
In 2012, Christine Scodari, a researcher in media studies from gender perspective, noticed a tendency within slash fandom to label major canon female characters (eg. Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek: Alternate Original Series film reboot) as "Mary Sues" because the slash fans "begrudged" how the development of the female character takes away screen time from slashable male characters.Christine Scodari, "Nyota Uhura is Not a White Girl: Gender, intersectionality, and Star Trek 2009's alternate romantic universes." In Feminist Media Studies, September 2012, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 335-351. Taylor and Francis Online reference (article costs $45).
Groups such as Protectors of the Plot Continuum and self-proclaimed "Sueslayers"These people go into considerable detail and can be said to have formed their own fan universes. now appear in online communities. Choosing stories that they judge as containing Mary Sue characters, they proceed to rewrite them, inserting characters based on themselves into the plot for the express purpose of killing the character they have decided is Mary Sue.Try a google search on +"kill the Sue" sometime.
====Criticism of Sue-phobia====
For these and other reasons, the "Mary Sue" concept is facing growing criticism within fandom.on mary sue policing and why i cannot abide it (Accessed April 10, 2010)goldjadeocean. Actually, I'm just lazy and blogging the short version instead (Accessed April 10, 2010); WebCite.
In April 2010, Dreamwidth author boosette wrote a short essay, "Storming the Battlements: or, Why the Culture of Mary Sue Shaming Is Bully Culture". It began as, but was not limited to, a comment on the practices of the PPC. This essay set off a tidal wave of discussion and inspired many other fans to speak up. Boosette subsequently removed the essay citing inability to cope with the massive flood of comments. The core points have been quoted many times online:
From a 1991 LoC by Jacqueline Taero in the letterzine Southern Enclave:
Dreamwidth user majoline, writing in response to boosette's essay, observes that the type of fanfiction criticism culture boosette describes made her ashamed to write or even to think certain things, including about her personal life, and that she's sure she is not alone: "This is probably the story of quite a few people out there. I don't write fic or really participate. I was too ashamed of what I liked and wanted to write. And now I write nothing at all."majoline, The confessions of a woman who's never written any fiction at all". April 12, 2010.
A post to the Livejournal community Fanficrants called out the Mary Sue hunts, feeling that dismissing original characters as Sues or Stus was harmful and not supportive.fanficrants - Stifling Creativity (December 2003)
From about 2019: 
===Are some "Mary Sues" just strong/competent women?===
Any other definition [than the "warper"] really enforces the notion that there is no way a woman would be that awesome/capable/accomplished, and I am so not down with that. Makes me want to make Hatshepsut/Cleopatra/Catherine the Great/Elizabeth I/Joan of Arc/Annie Oakley/Marie Curie/Coco Chanel/Amelia Earhart/etc graphics that say "Hi, I'm a Mary Sue." - Dreamwidth user maharet 2010-04-14 response to thedeadparrot's "My Problem with Mary Sues" 2010-04-11.
Some fans who write original female characters feel that these characters will always be labeled as Mary Sues, no matter how well written or characterized, and see the obsession with the Mary Sue label as evidence of misogyny in fandom.
The expression "competence porn", coined by Leverage creator John Rogers, describes narratives in which a group of people work together using cleverness and hard work to solve difficulties and challenges, or a single person is shown doing this, as in Andy Weir's The Martian. In a discussion on "books in which nothing bad happens," John C. Bunnell brings up competence porn and suggests that Mary Sue "can arise from competence porn done badly."John C. Bunnell, comment in Jo Walton's post Books In Which No Bad Things Happen on tor.com, March 20, 2020.
People who defend the existence and usage of the term point out that male equivalents exist as well (see Marty/Gary Stu), although even they admit that male characters are less commonly accused of being them.
====Are all characters based on the author "Mary Sues"?====
In mainstream literature, many of the most memorable and successful characters are based on their authors, are the center and focus of the tales, and are portrayed sympathetically. Clearly there is a way to create such characters without eliciting a "Mary Sue" reaction in readers.
Paula Smith herself specifically states that characters based on oneself, even if they have a romantic relationship with a canon hero, are not necessarily Mary Sue in the sense that she meant it: "For example, by 1976, we were seeing Paula Block's Sadie Faulwell in the "Landing Party" series in the Warped Space zine. It was a very loose roman à clef about Paula Block and her friends. They were really self-portrait characters, but for whatever reason, they had more of a sense of proportion about them. She had McCoy fall in love with Sadie, but it did not necessarily change McCoy's characterization, and it didn't change anyone's characterization, and the stories were intriguing on their own. Was this a Mary Sue or not a Mary Sue?"
YA reviewer Courtney "cbollngr" insists that while Mary Sues do exist, not all author-based characters are Mary Sue:
====Are all "Mary Sues" author self-inserts?====
"I think that whenever you create a strong character, there's always that -- some dream-image of yourself." -- Gene Roddenberry
Mary Sue is often denigrated specifically because she's assumed to be a "self-insert", author avatar, or alter ego. Many fans consider it immature for authors to create characters based on themselves and any original female character written by a female author might be assumed to be a self-insert.
From a fan in 1994:
In an online discussion taking place in 2003, Livejournal user Carmarthen said she had talked to women who only write male/male slash "because they are afraid that if they write about female characters, they will use their own female perspective in the writing, which leads to Mary Sues." What I don't understand about the fear of Mary Sue, discussion by Carmarthen, 2003-01-26. There is clearly confusion among amateur authors, and not just the very young, as to just what a self-insertion is: like Carmarthen, they hesitate even to ask themselves "what would I do?" in a character's situation. The advice "write what you know" (itself often misunderstood)For example, Bret Anthony Johnson says that "write what you know" is misunderstood as advice to stick to reality and facts; writing what you know should be the basis for a story, but not the story itself. "Don't Write What You Know", Atlantic, "Fiction 2011" issue. would seem to conflict with fandom's dire warnings against the self-insert character.
Stories of time-space displacement, such as Lois Welling's The Displaced, are often assumed to be self-insertion and therefore Mary Sue.The Displaced by Lois Welling, first published as a zine in 1978. (accessed 25 July 2009) Any story in which an original female character has a romance with one of the leads, whether or not it is portrayed realistically, is often considered Mary Sue, particularly if written by a woman.Responding to a description of the Valjiir stories published in In a Different Reality back in the '80s, in which Spock ultimately marries his female assistant, male fan contributor AntiCitizen wrote: "Was that written by a female, by any chance? That plotline absolutely reeks of Mary Sue-ism." Legality Issues in Amok Time on TrekBBS, 2009-01-10.
====Is "Mary Sue" a problem with a character -- or a storyline?====
====It's Not a Mary Sue If It's Her Story====
==Embracing Mary Sue==
Despite criticism, some fans took Mary Sue into their hearts, though in a guarded way. In 1986, one zine asked for submissions for "The Unabashed Mary Sue." "Seeking submissions for an adult 'zine featuring stories which focus on female characters and strong relationships (not limited to romantic!). Erotic content acceptable but the strength of the story is the criteria for selection. Any fan universe qualifies. Names of authors carefully guarded if requested." from Datazine #42
Between 1999 and 2002, Kielle hosted "The Mary Sue Society" (Wayback) on her Subreality.com domain; the Society was a webring designed to "[r]epay her (or him) with an introduction to the world!The Mary Sue Sociaty - Wayback, captured April 1, 2003". Her introduction further explains:
Kielle also created the Mary Sue Society Livejournal in July 2002.
A fan in 2010 posted: 
Another fan in 2010 published a round-up of links and analysis in support of Mary Sues on LiveJournal, in response to a positive discussion at Metafandom about "what a Mary Sue is and how we can all stop bashing her." They wrote:
In "Embracing the Sue", written in 2015, essayist Mary Leavines explores more recent insights into Mary Sue as a literary tool. Mary Sue as self-insert is a means of expression that allows amateur authors to become part of the environment of the story and thus to control it and gain agency within the standards set by the entertainment industry and the dominant culture it perpetuates. She cites Anupam Chander and Madhavi Sunder's scholarly essay "Everyone's A Superhero",Anupam Chander and Madhavi Sunder, "Everyone's A Superhero: A Cultural Theory of 'Mary Sue' Fan Fiction as Fair Use." Univ. of California - Davis Legal Studies Research Paper Series, May 2007. Free download at Social Science Research Network, also can be found on jstor and other academic archives. which calls Mary Sue "a figure of subaltern critique" allowing readers as well as writers to challenge the dominant culture's stereotypes. She continues:
==Real-Life "Mary Sues"==
Some of the so-called litmus tests for Mary Sue characters include acknowledgements that there are real persons who score as Mary Sues on said tests. The usual example is Bono, the lead singer of the rock group U2, who got 72 points on the Original Mary Sue Litmus Test.
Can someone's real life be so lucky, so perfect, that if they were a fictional character, we'd insist they were a Mary Sue? Maybe.According to her biographers, such glowingly angelic reports were written about the young Helen Keller that staff at the Perkins School for the Blind seem to have regarded her as a Mary Sue. Their antagonism towards her and her governess finally culminated in the scandal of The Frost King. Or at least it's funny to think about:
==Links and Resources==
* Mary Sue on TV Tropes
===Mary Sue Websites===
* Welcome To The Official Mary Sue Society Avatar Appreciation Site! (metafic)
* My Name is Sue. How Do You Do. The Holy Ground Highlander Forum Midweek Challenge (2002)
===Meta/Further Reading===
See Timeline of Mary Sue Meta.
How Fanfiction Made Me Gay
==Notes & References==
===Notes===
===References===
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