| SPOILER WARNING! This article may contain major plot details for the SPY x FAMILY manga. This article may contain unmarked spoilers. Read at your own risk. |
| “ | Madam... I know you think you have it all figured out. But understanding that you don't is the first step toward growing up. | ” |
— Martha to Becky Blackbell[1]
| ||
Martha Marriott (マーサ・マリオット , Māsa Mariotto?) is one of the supporting characters of the SPY x FAMILY series. She is a longtime servant of the Blackbell Family and typically acts as Becky's caretaker.
Appearance[]
Martha is a fairly tall old lady with blue eyes and straight, gray hair styled in a low bun. She typically wears a black suit with a white undershirt, tied by a red bolo tie with a golden clasp in the shape of a bell with the letters "BB" on it, likely standing for Blackbell and representing her servitude toward the family. For jewelry, she wears two gold ball earrings.[1]
In her youth, Martha had light brown hair. When she transferred to Eden Academy, Martha had a short bob that she grew out long enough over time to make two low braids. In her final year at the school, Martha had shoulder-length hair that she occasionally styled into a low ponytail.
After joining the military during the first East-West war, Martha cut her hair short, though it grew over the months of her service. After the end of the war, she cut it even shorter to disguise herself as a man for her return from Westalis to Ostania.
Decades later, while serving Becky during her preschool years, Martha had longer hair tied in a low ponytail.
Personality[]
Martha carries herself in a very dignified manner, not showing signs of anger when she is disappointed in someone. Despite working for a very wealthy family, she seems to show no care about class herself. In serious moments, Martha can become very strict and even protective over people she cares about, even scolding and reproaching them if they try something inappropriate or unexpected.[3]
Martha's wish to fight the enemy
In her younger years, Martha was more impulsive and presumptuous. She got into fights with bullies and was not afraid to express her own opinion, even if it sounded too straightforward, which led to her quarrel with Henry Henderson, for whom she had unspoken romantic feelings. Martha also had a strong sense of patriotism and a desire to defend her country; however, due to the loss of her dream of becoming a ballerina, she also had a strong rage towards the West and was ready to fight even at the cost of her own life if it would allow her to take at least one enemy with her. But when Martha was faced with the care of an elderly Westalian woman, she slightly changed her mind about Westerners, realizing that there are kindhearted people among them too. Also, having been on the verge of death, she lost her zeal to fight with anyone and just wanted to return home to those she loved.
Abilities and Skills[]
Fighting Skills: Being a former soldier that served in the two East-West wars, Martha has basic combat skills. However, unlike an average solider, Martha has notable high speed, once leaping into the air, shocking Vadim holding a captive Anya with a taser, and catching the little girl before she hit the ground in quick succession. During her youth, Martha was quite agile and was strong enough to fight three older students, taking down two using just her ballet techniques.
Martha's talent as a ballerina
Dance Skills: In her youth, Martha was quite skilled in ballet—so much so that she used it to transfer to Eden Academy through a scholarship. At Eden, she focused on her ballet and entered the high school ballet program, even considering pursuing a ballet career. Martha was also able to use her ballet moves to fight three older students with great effect.
Special Moves[]
As a teenager, Martha used her ballet moves to fight three older boys at once while having the element of surprise.
| Special Move | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fouetté Kick (フェッテキック, Fette Kikku?) |
|
Martha performs a fouetté, a ballet move, quickly whipping her raised leg to kick her opponent. |
| Allongé Chop (アロンジェチョップ, Aronje Choppu?) |
|
Martha extends her arm and chops her opponent in the face. |
Chapter Appearances[]
| Mission 36 | Debut |
| Mission 37 | Appears |
| Mission 38 | Appears |
| Mission 39 | Absent |
| Mission 40 | Absent |
| Mission 41 | Absent |
| Mission 42 | Absent |
| Mission 58 | Absent |
| Mission 59 | Appears |
| Mission 60 | Absent |
| Mission 61 | Absent |
| Mission 62 | Absent |
| Mission 63 | Absent |
| Mission 64 | Appears |
| Mission 65 | Absent |
| Mission 66 | Absent |
| Mission 67 | Absent |
| Mission 68 | Absent |
| Mission 69 | Absent |
| Mission 70 | Absent |
| Mission 71 | Appears |
| Mission 72 | Appears |
| Mission 73 | Absent |
| Mission 74 | Appears |
| Mission 75 | Appears |
| Mission 76 | Absent |
| Mission 77 | Absent |
| Mission 78 | Absent |
| Mission 79 | Absent |
| Mission 80 | Appears |
| Mission 81 | Absent |
| Mission 82 | Absent |
| Mission 83 | Absent |
| Mission 84 | Absent |
| Mission 85 | Absent |
| Mission 86 | Absent |
| Mission 87 | Absent |
| Mission 88 | Absent |
| Mission 89 | Absent |
| Mission 90 | Absent |
| Mission 91 | Absent |
| Mission 92 | Absent |
| Mission 93 | Absent |
| Mission 94 | Absent |
| Mission 95 | Appears |
| Mission 96 | Appears |
| Mission 97 | Appears |
| Mission 98 | Appears |
| Mission 99 | Appears |
| Mission 100 | Appears |
| Mission 101 | Appears |
| Mission 102 | Appears |
| Mission 103 | Appears |
| Mission 104 | Absent |
| Mission 105 | Absent |
| Mission 106 | Absent |
| Mission 107 | Appears |
| Mission 108 | Appears |
| Mission 109 | Absent |
| Mission 110 | Absent |
| Mission 111 | Absent |
| Mission 112 | Absent |
| Mission 113 | Appears |
| Short Mission 1 | Absent |
| Short Mission 2 | Absent |
| Short Mission 3 | Absent |
| Short Mission 4 | Absent |
| Short Mission 5 | Absent |
| Short Mission 6 | Absent |
| Short Mission 7 | Absent |
| Short Mission 8 | Absent |
| Short Mission 9 | Absent |
| Short Mission 10 | Absent |
| Short Mission 11 | Absent |
| Short Mission 12 | Appears |
| Short Mission 13 | Absent |
| Short Mission 14 | Appears |
| Short Mission 15 | Absent |
| Short Mission 16 | Absent |
Anime Appearances[]
| 26. FOLLOW PAPA AND MAMA | Absent |
| 27. BOND'S STRATEGY TO STAY ALIVE / DAMIAN'S FIELD RESEARCH TRIP | Absent |
| 28. MISSION AND FAMILY / THE ELEGANT BONDMAN / THE HEART OF A CHILD / WAKING UP | Absent |
| 29. THE PASTRY OF KNOWLEDGE / THE INFORMANT'S GREAT ROMANCE PLAN Ⅱ | Absent |
| 30. PLAN TO CROSS THE BORDER | Absent |
| 31. THE FEARSOME LUXURY CRUISE SHIP | Absent |
| 32. WHO IS THIS MISSION FOR? | Absent |
| 33. THE SYMPHONY UPON THE SHIP / SIS'S HERB TEA | Absent |
| 34. THE HAND THAT CONNECTS TO THE FUTURE | Absent |
| 35. ENJOY THE RESORT TO THE FULLEST / BRAGGING ABOUT VACATION | Absent |
| 36. BERLINT IN LOVE / NIGHTFALL'S DAILY LIFE | Appears |
| 37. PART OF THE FAMILY | Appears |
Trivia[]
- Martha owns glasses, only wearing them on rare occasions like watching movies at the cinema.[4]
- Martha's chair, featured on the fifteenth volume cover, is a Peacock Chair designed by Hans J. Wegner.
Quotes[]
- (To Becky Blackbell): "Ah, you see, it's the things that we don't understand that make us feel uneasy. I'm sure that's due to some animal instinct deep within us. So we convince ourselves that we do understand things we don't, in order to make ourselves feel better. 'The people of that country are just plain evil.' Or 'It's the elites doing as they please again.' And maybe it is that simple. And maybe it isn't. But latching on to such assertions and persuading yourself of their truths—that's a certain sort of weakness. And a dangerous one. Accepting that you don't know is every bit as important as trying to learn the truth."[5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 36, and Episode 24.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Volume 14, Bonus Timeline
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 71 (p. 4).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Short Mission 14 (p. 4).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 102 (pp. 21-22).
