What Is A Mary Sue? Definition, Examples & Origin

Effortlessly skilled in everything , & loved by all characters without having to work for it. Never really struggles or faces setbacks.

Solves problems without breaking a sweat, Mary Sues are characters so perfect they make the whole story feel flat and predictable, by making it impossible for there to be any real stakes or tension around them.

What is a Mary Sue and why does this type of character get under audiences' skin? Let's dig into the tricky archetype that shows where storytelling weaknesses lie.

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What is a Mary Sue?

A Mary Sue is a fictional character - usually a female - who's just way too perfect for her own good , possessing incredible abilities without ever putting in the effort to develop them, universally admired without ever earning any real respect, & overcoming obstacles without ever having to put in any real struggle.

These characters lack any real flaws, never face any consequences for their mistakes, & the story somehow always works out in their favor just because .

Mary Sues matter because they expose story telling flaws. Characters without flaws or struggles just don't create any dramatic tension. When protagonists succeed too easily, the victories don't feel earned.

Audiences lose interest when perfection replaces character growth & development.

The term itself carries some baggage- "Mary Sue" is often used to criticize female characters while similar male characters get a free pass. This double standard makes it hard to separate legitimate criticism from broader representation debates.

Mary Sue Meaning

The Mary Sue term describes characters that are basically just idealized versions of the author or audience, rather than believable, fleshed-out people.

These characters are essentially wish fulfillment - they're what we'd like to be , rather than who we actually are with all our complexities & limitations.

Understanding what a Mary Sue is gives you a better idea of what to look for beyond just exceptional skill. It's not just being amazing at everything, it's having skills that just magically appear without training or practice.

It's having other characters inexplicably fall in love with them or admire them without real reason. It's being able to make mistakes without ever facing any real consequences. The story somehow always bends to accommodate them rather than challenging them in meaningful ways.

The definition of a Mary Sue helps you tell the difference between unrealistic perfection and genuine excellence. A character who puts in the effort to train, to fail, to learn & to grow isn't a Mary Sue. A character who just has abilities because the story needs them to, is a Mary Sue.

Mary Sue Origin

The Mary Sue term started in Paula Smith's 1973 Star Trek spoof "A Trekkie's Tale". The story poked fun at fan fiction patterns where young female characters would join the Enterprise crew, instantly charm Kirk & Spock & solve problems that the real crew couldn't.

Smith was satirizing common fan fiction moves - characters being inserted into established universes, possessing implausible abilities, and of course, getting the romantic attention of all the canon characters.

The parody gave a name to a phenomenon that readers recognized across the board in amateur storytelling.

The term has since evolved to be used in mainstream criticism. When writers create characters that are just too perfect , they get accused of being a Mary Sue. The criticism has expanded to examining how wish fulfillment can compromise the integrity of the story .

Male equivalent terms exist - "Gary Stu" or "Marty Stu" - but they just don't have the same cultural weight. This highlights the double standard we have when it comes to criticizing male characters versus female ones.

Mary Sue Examples

There are plenty of examples that show both legitimate character flaws & unfair criticism.

Rey in the Star Wars sequels sparked a huge debate over whether she was a Mary Sue. Some said she just too easily mastered force abilities without ever putting in the training, while others pointed out that Luke Skywalker did the same thing back in the day, & that was totally fine.

Then there are the people who just think it's a double standard.

Bella Swan from Twilight is another example of a character with some Mary Sue traits. Multiple supernatural guys fall in love with her, & while she's not doing much to earn their attention, she's also pretty passive, which is a different issue.

Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation is a classic example of a male Mary Sue equivalent.

Every week he'd come up with some brilliant solution that all the experienced crew members couldn't figure out, & that got on the audience's nerves. It was one of the few times Mary Sue criticism was aimed at a male character.

Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way from the infamous "My Immortal" fan fiction is a parody of the extreme end of the Mary Sue spectrum. This character is just ridiculously perfect, and it became internet legend for all the wrong reasons.

Superman gets criticized for being a Mary Sue sometimes, especially when he's got to face really tough challenges that somehow only Kryptonite or moral dilemmas can take care of. He's been around for a long time, so it's a pretty common criticism.

Captain Marvel faced some Mary Sue accusations when she first came into the MCU. Some said she was too powerful and had no real development. Others said that similar male superheroes like Thor got similar powers without ever getting criticized like that.

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Mary Sue vs Well-Written Characters

Figuring out the difference between Mary Sues & good characters is key to knowing when your criticism is legitimate & when it's just a double standard.

A well-written character has earned their abilities through hard work, practice, or some sort of logical explanation. They don't just suddenly become amazing at everything just because the story needs them to be.

Strong characters face meaningful challenges that test them in real ways. They fail, learn & grow through their struggles. A Mary Sue just sails through every obstacle without ever facing any real risk or development.

Well-written characters also have real flaws that impact how they relate to other people, & how they make decisions. Mary Sues don't have any real weaknesses, or if they do, they never face any real consequences for their mistakes.

Creating Believable Characters with LTX Studio

LTX Studio can help you develop characters with real depth without falling into Mary Sue territory. You can generate consistent character designs that balance competence with vulnerability, & strength with weakness, creating believable people.

The AI script generator can also help you develop character arcs that show growth through struggle, instead of just having them succeed effortlessly all the time. Try writing scenes where your protagonist fails, makes mistakes and faces consequences.

And then ask yourself if they earn their victories through hard work & determination, or if the story accommodates them.

Storyboard sequences where characters get tested, and their vulnerabilities exposed . Envision key moments that put them in tough spots, revealing not just their flaws but also the strengths they turn to in order to cope.

Take a look and decide if plots are really pushing the characters to grow, or if they're just too perfect from the start.

Generate all round supporting character perspectives so the main character's not dominating the whole story. Give other characters their own moments where they disagree with, challenge or assert their own agency, independent of the main folks.

This will help you keep a handle on the ensemble dynamics and make sure one character doesn't steal the whole show.

Go back through the work you've generated and take a close look at how the characters develop & get challenged - are they facing real obstacles that make them grow, or are they just coasting along because the story's been made easy for them.

If you need to tweak things, use your editing tools to make sure the characters earn their successes rather than just getting handed them.

Conclusion

When you create a Mary Sue - a character thats basically the perfect version of what you want them to be - you end up ruining the story with unrealistic perfection.

But having an understanding of what that is lets creators build characters that are realistically flawed but still really good at what they do. And that's what gets people into the story in the first place - seeing characters who are genuinely facing challenges & learning from them.

With LTX Studio though, writers can make characters that have real depth & avoid the trap of perfection - they can test whether the protagonists are really earning their victories through hard work, or if they're just getting lucky.