Marty Stu: Difference between revisions

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{{tropeUseful Notes}}
{{quote|"...he’s not a human so much as he is a Ken Doll, except instead of plastic, he’s molded from untempered [[Wish Fulfillment]]."|Review of ''[[Romance Novel|Virgin Slave, Barbarian King]]'' at [http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/virgin_slave_barbarian_king_by_louise_allen/ Smart Bitches, Trashy Books]}}
|Review of ''[[Romance Novel|Virgin Slave, Barbarian King]]'' at [http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/virgin_slave_barbarian_king_by_louise_allen/ Smart Bitches, Trashy Books]}}
 
A common misconception about the [[Mary Sue]] label is that [[Double Standard|male characters are exempt from it]]. This kind of thinking is what allows the '''Marty Stu''' to run rampant, in both fan and professional fiction. The Marty Stu has persisted in fiction for at least as long as the Mary Sue, despite the latter being identified and troped about first.
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While once upon a time the Mary Sue would never be an active element, as [[Stay in the Kitchen|that was considered too masculine for a "paragon of female perfection"]], she has since been freed to actively participate in the plot. In contrast, the Marty Stu is almost never seen taking on his sister's old [[Purity Sue]] role; rarely is he depicted as a passive motivator of others through his purity, beauty and helplessness. When he is, it is almost exclusively as a [[Wimpification|weakened]] [[Possession Sue]] in a [[Yaoi]] fanfic.
 
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Marty Stu is devastatingly handsome (or if not, possessed of a strange, saturnine magnetism) and desired by all significant women, yes, but romance is not likely to be the main dish. He's an unstoppable fighter, a rogue agent, a fearless freedom fighter, a master of disguise. However, as times have changed, just as Mary's acquired a [[Jerk Sue|bratty temper]], Marty's had the occasional opportunity to show his [[Wangst|softer side]].
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See also [[The Ace]], which is usually made as a nod to the less realistic male characters of old and plays it as a supporting character for comedic purposes.
 
{{noexamples|[[Mary Sue Tropes]] are by their nature [[:Category:YMMV Trope|YMMV Tropes]], and we don't need the flamewars.}}
'''No examples, please. This only defines the term.'''
 
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'''''Common Marty Stu Traits'''''
 
As far as their traits go, Marty Stu incorporates most of the [[Common Mary Sue Traits]] while having quite a few general trends to differentiate him. While the textbook Mary Sue is generally made as a [[Purity Sue|pseudo-realistic ideal of feminine perfection]], Marty Stu tends towards taking the [[Rule of Cool]] '''<small>[[Up to Eleven|TO THE EXTREME!!]]</small>''' Due in part to the [[Double Standard]], Marty tends to be less of an emotional cornerstone and more just an embodiment of pure physical and mental awesome (ala [[God Mode Sue]]). He's the type that tends to be stronger than ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk]]'', faster than ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', and have more MP than [[God]].
 
Marty also generally [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|doesn't have the sort of purity]] common in Mary (although it's not unheard of). Instead, he tends more towards the [[Darker and Edgier]] path, with a tragic and very personal backstory being the order of the day. Whereas Mary would use this to emphasize just how special she truly is, Marty uses it for the sake of [[Mangst|brooding]]. No doubt much of the recent popularity of this character trait owes credit to ''[[Batman]]'' and ''[[X-Men|Wolverine]]'' (debatably also good examples of Marty Stu themselves, [[Depending on the Writer|in the wrong hands]]), but there's no indication that it only started with those characters.
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** Similarly, give him an [[Bigger Is Better in Bed|exaggeratedly large penis]]. No, not a [[Gag Penis]]. The author will expect people to actually accept that his member can double as a baseball bat. The more [[Hollywood Sex|blatantly inaccurate ones]] tend to be written by women, though.
* Conversely, make him lean and streamlined, as is common with more romantic heroes; the female audience prefers the dancer's build with swimmer's torso. Overly conspicuous muscles are avoided for pretty much the same reason as they are with the [[Distaff Counterpart]]: because they detract from physical grace.
* [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|Lots of sex]] [[The Casanova|with lots of women]] ([[Slash Fic|or men]], or [[Bi the Way|both]], or [[Extreme Omnisexual|even more than that]]). Sometimes up to the point of a [[TenchiMarry Them SolutionAll]], completely out of place with the setting. Girls can do this too, but thanks to the [[Double Standard]] it's usually considered a more Stuish trait.
 
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Always Male]]
[[Category:Wish Fulfillment]]
 
[[Category:YMMV Trope]]
[[Category:Fanfic Tropes]]
[[Category:Marty Stu]]
[[Category:Pages with comment tags]]