History Characters / ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaMac

* BigBeautifulMan: Subverted In-Universe, as while Rob [=McElhenney=] arguably isn’t any less attractive heavier (his wife actually even found Fat Mac more attractive then when he got ripped for Season 13), he gained sixty pounds and grew his beard out for Season 7 to appear unattractive to subvert sitcom characters, regardless of lifestyle/wealth, getting better looking as their shows go on due to their actors having more money/access to plastic surgery, personal trainers etc. As such, Mac is seen by The Gang as being gross, as he’s frequently shown stuffing his face and having food on his shirts (some of which are too small for him and have his gut hang out), and being out of shape/sweating/wheezing while eating, and they constantly mock him for being fat. Dennis even ended up slipping him "size pills" to get him to lose the weight because he was so repulsed by him.

* EmbarrassingFirstName: His dad called him Ronald [=McDonald=] just for the laughs. It’s no wonder why he goes by “Mac”.

** Gluttony: In Season 7, Mac gains 50 pounds, becoming gluttonous to the point of carrying an entire trash bag of chimichangas everywhere he goes. This was meant to be a DeconstructiveParody of sitcom characters never seeming to age or change over years of the show’s timeline.

* DumbassHasAPoint: In "Reynolds v. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense", the topic shifts to the subject of creationism. Mac, TheFundamentalist, is generally framed as foolish for his refusal to believe in evolution, but he manages to make a cogent argument against Dennis, because he successfully proves that Dennis doesn't know how evolution actually works, so his "faith" in it is no more valid than his faith in Creationism - especially since the scientists he believes in can be wrong. Dennis is unable to come up with a good answer because Mac has a point: Dennis has never thought about the topic beyond blindly trusting smart people, and said smart people can be wrong.

* BeenThereShapedHistory: He and Dennis caused some of the voting count delays in the 2020 Election by trying to advertise a fictional debate between themselves about whether Rocky Balboa or Donovan McNabb is a better athlete.

* RomanticisedAbuse: He thinks love is dominating another man and getting him to submit to your will.

* AttentionWhore: Much like Dennis and Dee, Mac is an attention-seeker who desperately craves the attention of others in order to feel pleased with himself.

* BigBeautifulMan: Subverted In-Universe, as while Rob [=McElhenney=] arguably isn’t any less attractive heavier (his wife actually even found Fat Mac more attractive then when he got ripped for Season 14), he gained sixty pounds for Season 7 to appear unattractive to subvert sitcom characters, regardless of lifestyle/wealth, getting better looking as their shows go on due to their actors having more money/access to plastic surgery, personal trainers etc. As such, Mac is seen by The Gang as being gross, as he’s frequently shown stuffing his face and having food on his shirts (some of which are too small for him and have his gut hang out), and being out of shape/sweating/wheezing while eating, and they constantly mock him for being fat. Dennis even ended up slipping him "size pills" to get him to lose the weight because he was so repulsed by him.

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Likes to hype himself up as an ultra-tough man's man, but is actually a deeply insecure person who constantly worries (and not without good reason) that his friends and family don't care about him.

* BigBeautifulMan: [[Subverted]] In-Universe, as while Rob [=McElhenney=] arguably isn’t any less attractive heavier (his wife actually even found Fat Mac more attractive then when he got ripped for Season 14), he gained sixty pounds for Season 7 to appear unattractive to subvert sitcom characters, regardless of lifestyle/wealth, getting better looking as their shows go on due to their actors having more money/access to plastic surgery, personal trainers etc. As such, Mac is seen by The Gang as being gross, as he’s frequently shown stuffing his face and having food on his shirts (some of which are too small for him and have his gut hang out), and being out of shape/sweating/wheezing while eating, and they constantly mock him for being fat. Dennis even ended up slipping him "size pills" to get him to lose the weight because he was so repulsed by him.

* BigBeautifulMan: Subverted In-Universe, as whileRob [=McElhenney=] arguably isn’t any less attractive heavier (his wife actually even found Fat Mac more attractive then when he got ripped for Season 14), he gained sixty pounds for Season 7 to appear unattractive to subvert sitcom characters, regardless of lifestyle/wealth, getting better looking as their shows go on due to their actors having more money/access to plastic surgery, personal trainers etc. As such, Mac is seen by The Gang as being gross, as he’s frequently shown stuffing his face and having food on his shirts (some of which are too small for him and have his gut hang out), and being out of shape/sweating/wheezing while eating, and they constantly mock him for being fat. Dennis even ended up slipping him "size pills" to get him to lose the weight because he was so repulsed by him.

* BigBeautifulMan: While the others mock him, he actually prefers being fat in the seventh season, and has no issue going shirtless still.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: His hair goes from fluffy to slicked back after “The Gang Gets Whacked”, as he hero worshipped the Mafia and still wanted to be like them.

* WeightWoe: Not that he takes any blame for it, but he’s upset enough about his weight gain to go to a confessional about it, as he did it for a scheme he thought the gang was gonna go through with and was livid when they said they dropped it as soon as it was suggested and they mock him for it. In “The Gang Gets Analyzed", when by that point he is then again, he reveals he liked being bigger because he was more intimidating, and the therapist explicitly asks him if he’s heard of body dysmorphia.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: His hair goes from fluffy to slicked back after “The Gang Gets Whacked”, as he hero worshiped the Mafia and still wanted to be like them.

* {{Fetish}}: A recurring trend with Mac is his interest in various niche fetishes, such as older women. The staff describes him as "spinning around, trying out different things, but inevitably ending up on a dick".

* MistakenForMurderer: The episode "Mac is a Serial Killer." He's actually [[spoiler: banging Carmen again, and doesn't want his friends to know about it.]]

* MrFanservice: Season 13 has him acquire an impressively chiseled physique, which is shown prominently in the season premiere and finale, the latter of which has Mac perform an elaborate dance with fake rain while shirtless. Ironically no one in the gang is impressed nor really cares about his ripped body, whereas in Season 7 when he got fat the constantly mocked him over it.

* MistakenForMurderer: The episode "Mac is a Serial Killer." He's actually [[spoiler: banging Carmen the Transsexual. Again.]]

* WillTheyOrWontThey: The later seasons seem to be setting this up between him and Dennis.

* BigEater: To the point of gaining a significant amount of weight in Season 7.

%% * EpicFail: Mac thinks of himself and tough, strong, and a capable fighter, and he is none of these. Whenever his combat abilities are tested, the results are both pitiful and hilarious.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Mistreatment of mothers is one of the many things that set him off.

* LimitedWardrobe: Mac has been wearing the same black combat boots and blue Dickies chinos since Episode 1, with few exceptions beyond costumes. Rob [=McElhenney=] claims Mac only owns the one pair of pants, and that the wardrobe department has altered them for [=McElhenney=]'s various weight fluctuations.

* MrFanservice: Season 13 has him acquire an impressively chiseled physique, which is shown prominently in promotional ads for the season.

* NoBisexuals: Despite showing overt interest in women in the first seven seasons, Mac is only ever described as being gay after his sexuality begins getting discussed in-universe. While the idea of the Gang simply being too ignorant to even consider the possibility of bisexuality is very plausible, Mac himself notably stops showing interest in women after this point. [[NoAccountingForTaste Given the kind of women he used to pursue]], however, it's not hard to imagine these were simply TheBeard.

* PaperTiger: To his credit, Mac ''is'' fairly impressively muscular, but Dennis claims that he only works out his "glamour muscles", meaning he only builds muscle to look good and is actually worthless physically. From what we see of Mac's athletic abilities, Dennis wasn't lying. Played with in Season 13 in which he manages to lift up Dee by the crotch with one hand; however, despite his improved physical abilities, Mac is still a terrible fighter as in Season 14, Charlie manages to overwhelm him in a fight.

** Inverted in Season 7, where he suddenly gains 60 pounds and becomes a lot less good looking. Rob [=McElhenney=] was actually really annoyed at the trend of ProgressivelyPrettier in television, especially for actors that play characters that would have no access to (blatantly obvious) plastic surgery or personal trainers, so he put on a ton of weight just to mock the practice.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Later seasons have him slicking his hair back, making him resemble Luther more closely.

* WeightWoe: Not that he takes any blame for it, but he’s upset enough about his weight gain to go to a confessional about it, and the therapist explicitly asks him if he’s heard of body dysmorphia.

%%* WillTheyOrWontThey: The later seasons seem to be setting this up between him and Dennis.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Mac considers himself to be a very devout Catholic but demonstrates a poor knowledge of the church's beliefs and rituals and lives by absolutely none of the church's teachings. Most notably, he joins an anti-abortion movement until he believes that he got a girl pregnant, then suggests that she get an abortion. Later on, he goes to confession with the intention of asking the priest to smite the rest of the Gang, even as the priest explains Mac is supposed to be repenting for his own sins.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: The later seasons seem to be setting this up between him and Dennis.

* WrongGenreSavvy: When everyone fights over who gets the Bar, Mac tries to invoke the PlayingBothSides trope to remain the manager no matter which side wins, without realizing that the only thing he achieves is that neither side can trust him, in addition to making the mistake. to say them. So in the end he comes off as an untrustworthy fool, instead of the Chessmaster he thinks he is.