Marv
Encyclopedia
Marv is a fictional character in the graphic novel
series Sin City
, created by Frank Miller
. In the 2005 film adaptation
, he is played by Mickey Rourke
. He first appears in The Hard Goodbye
and follows with appearances in A Dame to Kill For
, Just Another Saturday Night, and Silent Night. He makes a brief cameo in Blue Eyes (as featured in Lost, Lonely, and Lethal).
Marv has been well received both as a comic book character and a film character.
of the first Sin City "yarn", The Hard Goodbye
, as well as two shorter installments, Silent Night and Just Another Saturday Night. He also has a supporting role in A Dame to Kill For
.
outside of town where he confronts Goldie's killer, a mute
cannibal named Kevin
. Kevin is the ward of the most powerful man in town, Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark. Before he can go after the Cardinal, however, he is captured by Goldie's twin sister Wendy. He convinces her of his innocence and she assists him in his revenge with a revolver.
Marv proceeds to torture
and kill Kevin with an axe, then stages a one-man attack on the Cardinal's fortress. He confronts the Cardinal, and it is revealed that Goldie was killed because she found out that the Cardinal and Kevin were kidnapping and eating prostitutes. Marv kills Roark in an unspecified but extraordinarily violent way before being gunned down by his guards.
Marv survives the shootings, and is told to confess not only to the murder of Roark and Kevin (as well as all the people he did kill along the way), but also to that of Lucille, Goldie, and the other girls Kevin killed. Initially refusing to do so, Marv confesses after the authorities threaten to kill his mother, breaking an attorney's arm in three places in the process. He is sentenced to death. Before his execution, Wendy visits him one last time. Marv is executed by two jolts from an electric chair
. After surviving the first jolt, he defiantly says to his executioners: "Is that the best you can do, you pansies?" The switch is thrown again and Marv is soon pronounced dead.
, agreeing to help him rescue his former lover Ava Lord
. When it is revealed to be a set-up, he rushes a mortally wounded Dwight to Old Town, where he is taken in by his former 'associate' Gail. Shortly afterwards, Marv becomes involved with Goldie.
buzzcut, a falcon-like nose and a heavily scarred face, making him unappealing to the opposite sex. He has a massive frame and is distinctly broad-shouldered, generally towering over his fellow characters. He is usually seen dressed in an overcoat, white undershirt, leather pants and combat boots.
describes the creation of Marv as a juxtaposition of his two biggest influences: film noir
and medieval stories. The result was the idea for a character he called "Conan
in a trench coat."
In the film and A Dame to Kill For
his good friend Dwight remarks "most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield swinging an axe into somebody's face. Or in a Roman arena, taking his sword to other gladiators like him."
Marv has an incredible level of strength which, coupled with his well-developed fighting skills, allow him to bring down nearly anyone who challenges him or breaks his personal code of ethics with startling ease. Marv is also fond of long trench coats, and immediately prior to killing someone in possession of such a coat, he often remarks something to the effect of "That's a damn fine coat you're wearing", after which he takes their coat, especially if the one he had was damaged.
He suffers from an unnamed mental condition that causes him to "get confused", which, judging from his own awareness of his illness and the effects it is shown to have, probably involves short-term memory loss and possibly hallucination
s. He also fears "turn(ing) into what they always said [he] was gonna turn into- a maniac
, a psycho
killer." Lucille, his parole
officer, supplies him with medication (presumably antipsychotic
s) through her girlfriend Claire to control these effects of his condition. Claire, a psychiatrist, once tried to analyze him, but he claims she got "too scared."
Marv has convinced himself that he doesn't have a particularly high intellect, but he shows a surprising amount of intelligence when needed, noticeably an ability to logically deduce confusing and complex events quite accurately, and his skills in combat also imply a degree of intelligence from a strategic viewpoint. However, in most situations he just smashes his way through conflicts, such as kicking down a door and sending police flying, or charging a squad of heavily armed cops whilst only armed with a hatchet
.
Marv has a well-developed skill and a strong appetite for torture
. He never blinks or seems to think twice about inflicting the slowest, most creative and painful death he can possibly implement on his worst enemies. He speaks in a soft, plain-spoken, and calm manner, almost bordering on the nonchalant
, showing no sign of hesitation or fear, even while committing gruesome killings. He admits in The Hard Goodbye that he never feels bad about killing hired hitmen, though he may show some small measure of mercy when extracting information from them. He also shows little to no fear in dangerous situations, even when heavily outnumbered, and faces them with a dry laconic wit. In The Hard Goodbye, instead of panicking when cornered by several members of the SWAT team, upon being asked to open the door, he very calmly states "I'll be right out.", before successfully fighting his way out of the building.
While Marv has no compunction about maiming and killing anyone he feels has wronged him or those close to him, even he has his limits. He is deeply afraid of winding up as "a maniac [or] a psycho killer" (as mentioned previously). He will only kill someone if, as Marv himself puts it, "I know for sure I ought to", making it a point to avoid unnecessarily hurting or killing those who have not earned it in his eyes. A perfect example of this was when he knocks out Wendy rather than let her watch him dismember Kevin, since he believed Wendy witnessing Kevin's dismemberment would cause her a lifetime of nightmares, and would therefore be unnecessarily hurting her. He also adheres unrelentingly to his own personal code of honor, which dictates the repayment of debt
s and chivalry towards women, stating that "it really gets my goat when guys rough up dames,". He also highly values kindness, often going out of his way to repay kindness shown to him. As such, anyone whom he considers a friend and/or has shown him kindness, he will defend until he is no longer capable, or he feels the debt has been repaid, whichever comes first. Marv is shown to have a platonic
relationship with Nancy, being a sort of guardian angel to her, especially after an incident in which "some Frat boyfriend of hers roughed her up". And another platonic relationship with his social worker, Lucille, who is a lesbian. Both Nancy and Lucille clearly adore Marv and do what they can to help him. He also has a soft spot for children, suggested when he rescues a little girl from pimp
s in Silent Night, as well as for animals, as shown when he knocks out, rather than kills, Kevin's wolf, which he only does as a matter of necessity to maintain the element of surprise, since Kevin's wolf had otherwise done nothing wrong to him. Throughout the story, Marv often shows a good-natured, humorous side, unresentful of even the worst fate throws at him and often showing a wry sense of humor at the absurdity of his situations.
in the film adaptation
; Rourke took to the role despite the heavy amount of make-up work required and the minimal use of sets and even other actors. Because of the speed at which the film was shot (and the fact that most of the cast who appeared in multiple stories hadn't yet been cast), several of the people Rourke is seen interacting with weren't necessarily there during the day it was shot. During the scenes at Kadie's, he never met or interacted with Brittany Murphy
, Clive Owen
or Jessica Alba
, all of whom were yet to be cast or scheduled for filming; those scenes were all shot on different days several months later. Similarly, Rutger Hauer and Elijah Wood
never met Rourke either. Hauer was one of the last people to be cast and his scene was shot months after The Hard Goodbye had finished principal photography. Wood and Rourke were shot fighting each other's respective stunt doubles.
He also makes a cameo appearance in the segment That Yellow Bastard at the same bar where John Hartigan
went to look for Nancy Callahan
, just as featured in The Hard Goodbye.
Rourke's portrayal of the character was very popular among audiences and critics, winning awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Online Film Critics Society
, Chicago Film Critics Association
, and the Irish Film and Television Awards
. On the Sin City DVD, Frank Miller commented that "After [the interview] with Rourke, I was only able to get down one note: 'He IS Marv!'"
Death Row Marv was comparably rare to most other action figures on the market, as it was offered exclusively to comic book specialty stores and was not made available to larger chains such as Toys R Us and Walmart. Despite the fact that this was a collectible marketed solely towards adults, it caused a considerable amount of controversy.
In 2005, the license for Sin City toys has been acquired by NECA
, who has also done their own versions of "Death Row Marv".
In 2007, Marv was announced to be in the second series of Marvel Toys Legendary comic book heroes action figure line. Shortly afterward, another company, Dynamic Forces announced a full series of Sin City comic figures, which will start with a repaint of the Marvel Toys Marv figure.
country
troubadour Steffan Rock recorded a song called "The Return of Marv", which is a tribute to both the character and Mickey Rourke.
Marv and "Sin City" was parodied in Robot Chicken
episode "Bionic Cow". As in the comics and film, Marv is portrayed as a gruff, mean-spirited good protector of cats and grandmas in "Virtue City". He was voiced by Breckin Meyer
.
magazine. Empire
magazine also ranked Marv as the 26th greatest comic book character of all time stating that Marv is a Frank Millar Grade A patsy, the fall guy, the hapless hero at the center of a conspiracy that he can't even begin to understand but with a traditional Miller tweak; Empire described Marv as a force of nature, cutting a path through the corrupt power-brokers of the city, until his pound of flesh (and more) has been exacted. Also In 2008, Empire Magazine also selected Marv as the 82nd greatest film characters stating that he ain't too bright, but it turns out that Marv, despite his seemingly indestructible (if bandage-swathed) exterior, has a soft center. IGN
also listed Marv as the 75th greatest comic book hero of all time stating that Sin City is a place where only the strong and sadistic can survive. Marv is a little of both, but he also has a noble streak and an unbreakable sense of loyalty towards those few people who can see beneath his craggy exterior and recognize the good man within.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
series Sin City
Sin City
Sin City is the title for a series of neo-noir comics by Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in "Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special" , and continued in Dark Horse Presents #51–62 from May 1991 to June 1992, under the title of Sin City, serialized in thirteen parts. Several...
, created by Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
. In the 2005 film adaptation
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
, he is played by Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
. He first appears in The Hard Goodbye
The Hard Goodbye
"The Hard Goodbye" is the first Sin City story. It was serialised, as "Sin City," in the comics anthology Dark Horse Presents by Dark Horse Comics and named "The Hard Goodbye" in the trade paperbacks...
and follows with appearances in A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Frank Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It was written and drawn entirely by Frank Miller...
, Just Another Saturday Night, and Silent Night. He makes a brief cameo in Blue Eyes (as featured in Lost, Lonely, and Lethal).
Marv has been well received both as a comic book character and a film character.
Appearances in the Sin City series
Marv is one of the major characters of the series, and appears or is mentioned in nearly every book. He is the protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the first Sin City "yarn", The Hard Goodbye
The Hard Goodbye
"The Hard Goodbye" is the first Sin City story. It was serialised, as "Sin City," in the comics anthology Dark Horse Presents by Dark Horse Comics and named "The Hard Goodbye" in the trade paperbacks...
, as well as two shorter installments, Silent Night and Just Another Saturday Night. He also has a supporting role in A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Frank Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It was written and drawn entirely by Frank Miller...
.
The Hard Goodbye
The Hard Goodbye begins as Marv has sex with a beautiful blonde prostitute named Goldie, only to wake up to find her dead and himself framed for her murder. He escapes from the cops and swears to track down Goldie's murderers and give them "the hard goodbye". He kills his way through a chain of small-time thugs who are related to Goldie's death. The last one, a priest, sends him to an abandoned farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
outside of town where he confronts Goldie's killer, a mute
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
cannibal named Kevin
Kevin (Sin City)
Kevin=Kevin is a character from Frank Miller's Sin City. He is a cannibalistic serial killer under the wing of Patrick Henry Roark.-Background:Kevin came to Roark for religious counsel, having already given into his cannibalism and being wracked with guilt...
. Kevin is the ward of the most powerful man in town, Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark. Before he can go after the Cardinal, however, he is captured by Goldie's twin sister Wendy. He convinces her of his innocence and she assists him in his revenge with a revolver.
Marv proceeds to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and kill Kevin with an axe, then stages a one-man attack on the Cardinal's fortress. He confronts the Cardinal, and it is revealed that Goldie was killed because she found out that the Cardinal and Kevin were kidnapping and eating prostitutes. Marv kills Roark in an unspecified but extraordinarily violent way before being gunned down by his guards.
Marv survives the shootings, and is told to confess not only to the murder of Roark and Kevin (as well as all the people he did kill along the way), but also to that of Lucille, Goldie, and the other girls Kevin killed. Initially refusing to do so, Marv confesses after the authorities threaten to kill his mother, breaking an attorney's arm in three places in the process. He is sentenced to death. Before his execution, Wendy visits him one last time. Marv is executed by two jolts from an electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. After surviving the first jolt, he defiantly says to his executioners: "Is that the best you can do, you pansies?" The switch is thrown again and Marv is soon pronounced dead.
A Dame to Kill For
In A Dame To Kill For (which is set just before The Hard Goodbye) he becomes a sidekick of sorts to his good friend Dwight McCarthyDwight McCarthy
Dwight McCarthy is a main protagonist in Frank Miller's Sin City universe. He appears in A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard. In the 2005 film adaptation, he was portrayed by Clive Owen.-Appearance:In Dwight's first appearance in A Dame To...
, agreeing to help him rescue his former lover Ava Lord
Ava Lord
Ava Lord is a fictional character in Frank Miller's Sin City universe, the title character in the graphic novel A Dame to Kill For. An ex-lover of Dwight McCarthy, she manipulates men with her good looks and an innocent facade for her own personal gain or amusement...
. When it is revealed to be a set-up, he rushes a mortally wounded Dwight to Old Town, where he is taken in by his former 'associate' Gail. Shortly afterwards, Marv becomes involved with Goldie.
Silent Night
In Silent Night, Marv rescues a young girl from sexual torture. The story is told with almost no dialogue.Just Another Saturday Night
In Just Another Saturday Night, Marv wakes up on the side of a highway, surrounded by dead men, and tries to piece together how he got there.Physical appearance
Marv is an imposing, 7 feet (2.1 m) man with a flattopFlattop
A flattop is a type of very short hairstyle similar to the crew cut, with the exception that the hair on the top of the head is deliberately styled to stand up and is cut to be flat, resulting in a haircut that is square in shape...
buzzcut, a falcon-like nose and a heavily scarred face, making him unappealing to the opposite sex. He has a massive frame and is distinctly broad-shouldered, generally towering over his fellow characters. He is usually seen dressed in an overcoat, white undershirt, leather pants and combat boots.
Personality
In the book Sin City: The Making of the Movie, creator Frank MillerFrank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
describes the creation of Marv as a juxtaposition of his two biggest influences: film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
and medieval stories. The result was the idea for a character he called "Conan
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
in a trench coat."
In the film and A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Frank Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It was written and drawn entirely by Frank Miller...
his good friend Dwight remarks "most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield swinging an axe into somebody's face. Or in a Roman arena, taking his sword to other gladiators like him."
Marv has an incredible level of strength which, coupled with his well-developed fighting skills, allow him to bring down nearly anyone who challenges him or breaks his personal code of ethics with startling ease. Marv is also fond of long trench coats, and immediately prior to killing someone in possession of such a coat, he often remarks something to the effect of "That's a damn fine coat you're wearing", after which he takes their coat, especially if the one he had was damaged.
He suffers from an unnamed mental condition that causes him to "get confused", which, judging from his own awareness of his illness and the effects it is shown to have, probably involves short-term memory loss and possibly hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s. He also fears "turn(ing) into what they always said [he] was gonna turn into- a maniac
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, a psycho
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
killer." Lucille, his parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
officer, supplies him with medication (presumably antipsychotic
Antipsychotic
An antipsychotic is a tranquilizing psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis , particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s...
s) through her girlfriend Claire to control these effects of his condition. Claire, a psychiatrist, once tried to analyze him, but he claims she got "too scared."
Marv has convinced himself that he doesn't have a particularly high intellect, but he shows a surprising amount of intelligence when needed, noticeably an ability to logically deduce confusing and complex events quite accurately, and his skills in combat also imply a degree of intelligence from a strategic viewpoint. However, in most situations he just smashes his way through conflicts, such as kicking down a door and sending police flying, or charging a squad of heavily armed cops whilst only armed with a hatchet
Hatchet
A hatchet is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood...
.
Marv has a well-developed skill and a strong appetite for torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. He never blinks or seems to think twice about inflicting the slowest, most creative and painful death he can possibly implement on his worst enemies. He speaks in a soft, plain-spoken, and calm manner, almost bordering on the nonchalant
Nonchalant
Nonchalant was an American female rapper, and songwriter from Washington, D.C., signed to MCA Records.Nonchalant is best known for her hit single "5 O'Clock", which peaked at #24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA, for sales of over 500,000 copies. It peaked...
, showing no sign of hesitation or fear, even while committing gruesome killings. He admits in The Hard Goodbye that he never feels bad about killing hired hitmen, though he may show some small measure of mercy when extracting information from them. He also shows little to no fear in dangerous situations, even when heavily outnumbered, and faces them with a dry laconic wit. In The Hard Goodbye, instead of panicking when cornered by several members of the SWAT team, upon being asked to open the door, he very calmly states "I'll be right out.", before successfully fighting his way out of the building.
While Marv has no compunction about maiming and killing anyone he feels has wronged him or those close to him, even he has his limits. He is deeply afraid of winding up as "a maniac [or] a psycho killer" (as mentioned previously). He will only kill someone if, as Marv himself puts it, "I know for sure I ought to", making it a point to avoid unnecessarily hurting or killing those who have not earned it in his eyes. A perfect example of this was when he knocks out Wendy rather than let her watch him dismember Kevin, since he believed Wendy witnessing Kevin's dismemberment would cause her a lifetime of nightmares, and would therefore be unnecessarily hurting her. He also adheres unrelentingly to his own personal code of honor, which dictates the repayment of debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
s and chivalry towards women, stating that "it really gets my goat when guys rough up dames,". He also highly values kindness, often going out of his way to repay kindness shown to him. As such, anyone whom he considers a friend and/or has shown him kindness, he will defend until he is no longer capable, or he feels the debt has been repaid, whichever comes first. Marv is shown to have a platonic
Platonic love
Platonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
relationship with Nancy, being a sort of guardian angel to her, especially after an incident in which "some Frat boyfriend of hers roughed her up". And another platonic relationship with his social worker, Lucille, who is a lesbian. Both Nancy and Lucille clearly adore Marv and do what they can to help him. He also has a soft spot for children, suggested when he rescues a little girl from pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
s in Silent Night, as well as for animals, as shown when he knocks out, rather than kills, Kevin's wolf, which he only does as a matter of necessity to maintain the element of surprise, since Kevin's wolf had otherwise done nothing wrong to him. Throughout the story, Marv often shows a good-natured, humorous side, unresentful of even the worst fate throws at him and often showing a wry sense of humor at the absurdity of his situations.
Backstory
- Carries a .45 ACP.45 ACPThe .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
Colt M1911 which he took from the toughest person he tangled with in high school who "was dead at the time, so he didn't mind." He named it 'Gladys' after the toughest nun at his school. - Grew up in the Projects of Sin City.
- Suffers from short-term memory loss due to an unnamed mental condition.
- Highly respects his mother, to the point of breaking an assistant DA's arm in three places for even suggesting they would harm Marv's mother if he failed to sign a false confession. She frequently dusts off his childhood room, leaving it just as it was when Marv moved out. Despite being blind, she lives by herself and by all accounts, leads an independent life.
- Avoids hurting women, to the point that he willingly takes blows from them without lifting a finger, and frequently beats up any man who would dare to hurt them. He only deliberately strikes (and knocks out) one woman, Wendy, but does so only because he felt doing so would cause less harm than the lifetime of nightmares she would endure by witnessing Kevin's dismemberment at Marv's hands. He has only been shown killing one woman, a sex slave trader, whom he shot in self-defense and to save a little girl from slavery.
- Often hangs around Kadie's and has a close relationship with the woman who owns the place, citing that she would rather break his arm than let him pay for a drink. This is because Marv is the only one who "knows where the bodies are buried."
- Is a good friend of Dwight McCarthyDwight McCarthyDwight McCarthy is a main protagonist in Frank Miller's Sin City universe. He appears in A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard. In the 2005 film adaptation, he was portrayed by Clive Owen.-Appearance:In Dwight's first appearance in A Dame To...
and is a sort of a guardian angel for Nancy CallahanNancy CallahanNancy Callahan is a fictional character from the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. She first appeared in The Hard Goodbye before becoming a more prominent character in later stories, most notably That Yellow Bastard....
, on whom he has an unrequited (and mostly unrealized) crush. - Has a laconic wit, especially in situations where he is fighting someone.
- He is highly skilled in hand to hand combat. He is shown executing various strikes and disarming movements from Krav MagaKrav MagaKrav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Europe that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks...
, JujutsuJujutsuJujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, Tae Kwon Do, and Keichu Do. Coupled with his staggering strength and finesse, Marv is victorious in nearly every fight he is involved in, both in the books and film. - An incessant drinker with a high alcohol tolerance, even for someone of his size.
- Possesses a keenly acute sense of his surroundings.
- Has been known to withstand more physical pain than most humans, even in Sin City. Survives one jolt on the electric chair.
Movie appearance
Marv is played by Mickey RourkeMickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
in the film adaptation
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
; Rourke took to the role despite the heavy amount of make-up work required and the minimal use of sets and even other actors. Because of the speed at which the film was shot (and the fact that most of the cast who appeared in multiple stories hadn't yet been cast), several of the people Rourke is seen interacting with weren't necessarily there during the day it was shot. During the scenes at Kadie's, he never met or interacted with Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
, Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
or Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
, all of whom were yet to be cast or scheduled for filming; those scenes were all shot on different days several months later. Similarly, Rutger Hauer and Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
never met Rourke either. Hauer was one of the last people to be cast and his scene was shot months after The Hard Goodbye had finished principal photography. Wood and Rourke were shot fighting each other's respective stunt doubles.
He also makes a cameo appearance in the segment That Yellow Bastard at the same bar where John Hartigan
John Hartigan
Detective John Hartigan is a major protagonist in the Sin City series of graphic novels, written by Frank Miller. He is the central character in That Yellow Bastard, and has a small cameo in Just Another Saturday Night...
went to look for Nancy Callahan
Nancy Callahan
Nancy Callahan is a fictional character from the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. She first appeared in The Hard Goodbye before becoming a more prominent character in later stories, most notably That Yellow Bastard....
, just as featured in The Hard Goodbye.
Rourke's portrayal of the character was very popular among audiences and critics, winning awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Online Film Critics Society
Online Film Critics Society
The Online Film Critics Society is a professional association for film critics who publish their reviews, interviews, and essays on the Internet.The OFCS was founded in 1997...
, Chicago Film Critics Association
Chicago Film Critics Association
The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong...
, and the Irish Film and Television Awards
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
. On the Sin City DVD, Frank Miller commented that "After [the interview] with Rourke, I was only able to get down one note: 'He IS Marv!'"
Merchandising
In 1999, Marv's likeness was captured in the form of three McFarlane Toys action figures, all depicting scenes from "The Hard Goodbye." One comes with Kevin's severed head and a gun, while another figure was made with bandages on his face. The latter also comes in black and white and a gun, while the other, known as "Death Row Marv", comes with an electric chair.Death Row Marv was comparably rare to most other action figures on the market, as it was offered exclusively to comic book specialty stores and was not made available to larger chains such as Toys R Us and Walmart. Despite the fact that this was a collectible marketed solely towards adults, it caused a considerable amount of controversy.
In 2005, the license for Sin City toys has been acquired by NECA
National Entertainment Collectibles Association
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
, who has also done their own versions of "Death Row Marv".
In 2007, Marv was announced to be in the second series of Marvel Toys Legendary comic book heroes action figure line. Shortly afterward, another company, Dynamic Forces announced a full series of Sin City comic figures, which will start with a repaint of the Marvel Toys Marv figure.
In popular culture
In 2006, FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
troubadour Steffan Rock recorded a song called "The Return of Marv", which is a tribute to both the character and Mickey Rourke.
Marv and "Sin City" was parodied in Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "Bionic Cow". As in the comics and film, Marv is portrayed as a gruff, mean-spirited good protector of cats and grandmas in "Virtue City". He was voiced by Breckin Meyer
Breckin Meyer
-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
.
Reception
Marv has been well received both as a comic book character and a film character. Marv was ranked as the 24th greatest comic book character in WizardWizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
magazine. Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
magazine also ranked Marv as the 26th greatest comic book character of all time stating that Marv is a Frank Millar Grade A patsy, the fall guy, the hapless hero at the center of a conspiracy that he can't even begin to understand but with a traditional Miller tweak; Empire described Marv as a force of nature, cutting a path through the corrupt power-brokers of the city, until his pound of flesh (and more) has been exacted. Also In 2008, Empire Magazine also selected Marv as the 82nd greatest film characters stating that he ain't too bright, but it turns out that Marv, despite his seemingly indestructible (if bandage-swathed) exterior, has a soft center. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also listed Marv as the 75th greatest comic book hero of all time stating that Sin City is a place where only the strong and sadistic can survive. Marv is a little of both, but he also has a noble streak and an unbreakable sense of loyalty towards those few people who can see beneath his craggy exterior and recognize the good man within.