Mary Sue
/ˈmɛri suː/
CommonAn idealized character who is unrealistically perfect, solves every problem effortlessly, and faces no meaningful consequences.
The term is contested. It is sometimes applied fairly to flat, wish-fulfillment characters. It is also misapplied to competent female characters simply because they succeed. The word carries baggage.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | she speaks five languages, beats everyone in combat, and every character loves her by episode two. she's a Mary Sue | Listing traits that collectively make a character feel unrealistically perfect. | reddit, 2023 |
| 02 | the og fanfic I wrote in 2009 was such a Mary Sue. she had purple eyes and was secretly related to every main character | Fondly or embarrassingly recalling early fan writing as an example of the trope. | tumblr, 2023 |
| 03 | calling her a Mary Sue is just misogyny with extra steps. she's competent and you can't stand it | Pushback against applying the label to a female character simply because she is capable and successful. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | the villain literally stops to tell her how special she is. peak Mary Sue | Pointing to a specific scene where even an antagonist validates the protagonist, which breaks the trope. | tiktok, 2024 |
Use it when
- A character wins every conflict, is loved by every other character, and has no real flaws.
- A character's abilities seem to exist purely to make them look good, not to serve the story.
- Criticizing writing that substitutes wish fulfillment for actual character development.
Do not use it when
- You just dislike a competent female protagonist.
- The character has real flaws and faces real consequences but still wins often.
- You mean the character is overpowered but in an intentional, genre-aware way.
Variations and related forms
Mary Sue vs self-insert
Mary Sue
Mary Sue is a criticism about character quality: too perfect, no real flaws.
self-insert
Self-insert describes the practice of inserting a version of yourself into a story, which may or may not result in a Mary Sue.
Origin and context
Originated in a 1973 Star Trek fan fiction parody by Paula Smith, featuring a character named Lieutenant Mary Sue who was satirically perfect. The term became a widely used critical label in fan communities through the 1990s and 2000s.
- First seen
- 1973
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/mary-sue