TV

Terrible Manbabies Think Arya Stark Doesn’t Deserve To Be The Hero

They're calling her a "Mary Sue" and it's ridiculous.

by Patrick Lenton  30 April 2019
Arya Stark in Game Of Thrones season 8 episode 3 Mary Sue

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Seems like barely a pop-cultural moment can go by without internet pissbabies absolutely shitting themselves in their unfashionable pants. The latest issue that has raised their sweaty, frustrated ire? Why, Arya Stark in the latest episode of Game of Thrones of course.

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If you’ve watched the episode, you’ll know that The Battle of Winterfell was filled with a whole bunch of undead horror, some extremely traumatic deaths, a whole bunch of friends trying their best, and one, heroic final climactic moment.

After Arya spends a bunch of time killing wights and being chased around Winterfell, she runs into Melisandre, who gives her a nice idea and a morale boost. “What do we say to the god of death?” she says, echoing the words of Arya’s original sword teacher, Syrio Forel.

“Not today” answers Arya, and then she goes to the Godswood and stabs the Night King and he explodes to death.

This has lead to the accusation by the worst people in the world that she is a ‘Mary Sue’. If you’re not familiar, a Mary Sue is defined as “a type of female character who is depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses.”

Why does this guy look like he’d dob on you to Filch?

It’s basically a way for dudes to attack female characters in a way that is less overt than simply “I am threatened by women on screen because I don’t like to see them as people, simply objects for my unwholesome lust.” In the last little while, it’s been levelled at Rey from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and at Captain Marvel. Notice a theme?

And honestly, how dare they.

Arya is the most martially competent character in the entire show. Her entire journey has been defined as travelling the world and learning to be an instrument of death. For fucks sake, not only did she grow up learning the blade, but she studied at the feet of MAGICAL ASSASSINS. She spent seven seasons learning to be a good and efficient stabber, and then she stabbed the Night King. How is that unrealistic? HOW?

Magical assassins! Did Jon Snow train with magical assassins? No.

Anyway, people are annoyed: