You may have noticed Mary Sue was trending on Twitter Monday, and you probably know what that means:
Yep. Sexism.
Unfortunately, the very small but obdurately loud faction of whining man babies are back, this time attacking Game Of Thrones.
[So, Spoiler Alert]
If you’ve chosen to continue past the Spoiler Alert (and this is your last chance), you already know Sunday’s episode ended with the Night King being defeated not in a one-on-one sword fight with Jon Snow, as many expected.
Instead it was his little sister Arya Stark who used her assassin skills to catch the powerful villain by surprise and merc him with her Valyrian steel dagger.
If you were surprised, don’t feel bad; it was exactly what the show’s creators intended. They set up all the pieces — the skills, the weapon, the target — but quietly and over a long time, all the while purposely trying to mislead the audience.
Related: Maisie Williams’ Boyfriend Thought Fans Wouldn’t Like Her Big Moment
Most fans were caught off guard — then immediately rejoiced as one of their heroes saved the day, leading to the triumph of good which on this show never felt like a guarantee.
But there are a few people who have a problem with Arya being the one to get the killing blow, and they’re desperately trying to tell you it was a “Mary Sue” moment.
Just to explain for a moment:
A “Mary Sue” (or its male counterpart “Gary Stu”) is a character in fan fiction created by the author as a stand-in for themselves. The new character, inserted into the already existing material, is perfect and flawless and good at everything and makes all the right decisions and, in certain types of fan fic, has sex with everyone.
The term first went viral when it was applied to Rey after Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Some fans argued the term applied because she was a new character added to a known universe — one who was exceptionally good at fighting, flying, mechanical engineering, etc.
We’d argue she isn’t — we’re talking about a universe with something called The Force which allows you to basically perform magic, and she’s expressly referred to as being strong in it. And it’s in line with other protagonists in the series.
After that there isn’t any discussion.
Because what “Mary Sue” became was shorthand for misogynists to complain when a female character is strong or talented or basically anything other than generic “girlfriend.”
Luckily in the case of Arya, the response of Game Of Thrones fans angry at the terminology has basically drowned out the sexism.
https://twitter.com/BlakeNorthcott/status/1122911256590135299
https://twitter.com/cagygibbon27/status/1122987709608398854
https://twitter.com/slytheriing/status/1122936195225456641
https://twitter.com/ThatShaniaTween/status/1122959539022614528
Arya trained for six whole-ass seasons under the cruel tutelage of a succession of the most cold-blooded killers in the world, nearly losing her literal sense of self in the process, and motherfuckers are calling her a Mary Sue when Jon Snow learned to ride a dragon in 5 minutes.
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) April 29, 2019
Oh yikes. I remember when "Mary Sue" had a very specific meaning in fan fiction and not just "a female character doing literally anything significant in a story, which makes incels angry". pic.twitter.com/CAtmsr4Bav
— Andrew Everett (@aeverett1985) April 29, 2019
That dudes are using “Mary Sue” to describe Arya Stark removes all doubt that it's just a sexist term used to convey the belief that only men should have cool heroic moments in movies.
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) April 29, 2019
Female-skewed geek website TheMarySue.com perhaps said it best, remarking on the occurrence:
“Glad to see that we are trending on Twitter! We here at the Mary Sue are so happy you’re reading us and that this has nothing to do with men diminishing the importance of a female character who trained for something through over 7 seasons of a television show.”
Yes!!!
Arya is an assassin.She’s good at what they needed in that moment: picking a target and killing it.
She isn’t good at everything. She isn’t perfect. Even in the course of the episode she has to be helped out numerous times to survive to the position to make her attack.
You know what? Why are we even defending her? Eff that.
Arya is the GOAT, and anyone reading this knows it. Mic drop. (Er, knife drop.)
[Image via HBO/YouTube.]
Related Posts
