Mary Sue vs. The Internet | No One Knows What a Mary Sue Is

Video Description

Mary Sues are the example of bad character writing. No writer wants to make a Mary Sue, yet, according to the internet, people keep making Mary Sues left and right, from Star Wars to Marvel to video games, right? The problem is that no one seems to actually know what a Mary Sue is. You keep hearing critics online throw the accusation around, yet very few seem to understand what they're talking about. What's the history of the Mary Sue? Who was the first one? And what defines a Sue in pop culture? Thanks to @jazzyolivervo for reading, and thanks to @SaiScribbles for the thumbnail and Mari Suzuma art. https://ongoingworlds.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/the-origins-of-the-mary-sue-character/ https://www.merrycoz.org/papers/MARYSU E.xhtml Chapters: 0:00 What is a Mary Sue? 1:47 The First Mary Sue (Star Trek, Victorian Literature) 4:31 Why is it Hard to Define a Mary Sue? 6:18 Struggle (Superman, Doctor Who) 9:39 Likability (Fruits Basket) 13:10 Plot Derailment 15:02 It Needs To Be Everything At Once (Sailor Moon, Steven Universe) 18:10 But What About The Other Mary Sue Traits? (Rey in Star Wars) 28:25 Any Competent Woman is Now a Mary Sue? (She-Hulk, Just a Robot) 35:46 Why Do We Keep Calling These Characters Mary Sues? 37:41 Unearned Power (Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter) 42:38 Are Mary Sues Sexist? 52:23 How All of This Impacts Young Writers