History Characters / SouthParkStanMarsh

* TakingUpTheMantle: Chef was the most sane adult in town as well as a caring authority figure towards the boys. While Stan would often fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan and would often act like a [[TeamDad strict but loving leader towards his friends]] when Chef wasn't around, with Chef out of the picture the boys rarely have any other competent authority figure they can rely on, which resulted in Stan having to fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan even more often as well as taking more responsibility for the group, similarly to how the [[PromotionToParent eldest child who takes charge of their younger siblings after the parents' demise]].

* TakingUpTheMantle: Chef was the most sane adult in town as well as a caring authority figure towards the boys. While Stan would often fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan and would often act like a [[TeamDad strict but loving leader towards his friends]] when Chef wasn't around, with Chef out of the picture the boys rarely have any other competent authority figure they can rely on, which resulted in Stan having to fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan even more often as well as taking more responsibility for the group, similarly to how the [PromotionToParent eldest child who takes charge of their younger siblings after the parents' demise]].

* ShrinkingViolet: Stan is generally a reserved kid who doesn’t really get involved in the town’s madness, when he does, it’s usually to solve a problem. While he usually has no problem interacting with people he knows, he has shown several signs of being shy, especially in the earlier seasons. For example, his interactions with Wendy. Back then, whenever Wendy tries to talk to him, Stan was too shy to say anything, so he ends up vomiting on her. In “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride”, when Stan tries to make a speech, he seems hesitant and doesn’t really know what to say. And in “Chef Chocolate’s Chocolate Salty Balls” while Stan and Wendy are seeing a movie, Stan keeps attempting to hold Wendy’s hind but when she looks at him he puts his hand away. However, while it doesn’t happen often, Stan also has been shown to have an angry side when he’s at his limit.

* ShrinkingViolet: Stan is generally a reserved kid who doesn’t really get involved in the town’s madness, when he does, it’s usually to solve a problem. While he usually has no problem interacting with people when knows, he has shown several signs of being shy, especially in the earlier seasons. For example, his interactions with Wendy. Back then, whenever Wendy tries to talk to him, Stan was too shy to say anything, so he ends up vomiting on her. In “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride”, when Stan tries to make a speech, he seems hesitant and doesn’t really know what to say. And in “Chef Chocolate’s Chocolate Salty Balls” while Stan and Wendy are seeing a movie, Stan keeps attempting to hold Wendy’s hind but when she looks at him he puts his hand away. However, while it doesn’t happen often, Stan also has been shown to have an angry side when he’s at his limit.

* ShrinkingViolet: Stan is generally a reserved kid who doesn’t really get involved in the town’s madness, when he does, it’s usually to solve a problem. While he usually has no problem interacting with others, he has shown several signs of being shy, especially in the earlier seasons. For example, his interactions with Wendy. Back then, whenever Wendy tries to talk to him, Stan was too shy to say anything, so he ends up vomiting on her. In “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride”, when Stan tries to make a speech, he seems hesitant and doesn’t really know what to say. And in “Chef Chocolate’s Chocolate Salty Balls” while Stan and Wendy are seeing a movie, Stan keeps attempting to hold Wendy’s hind but when she looks at him he puts his hand away. However, while it doesn’t happen often, Stan also has been shown to have an angry side when he’s at his limit.

* VocalDissonance: Stan is a cute looking PintSizedKid who is ten years old and wears a hat with a red puffball, yet he sounds rather like a teenager or even a young adult and his voice s also raspy, [[spoiler:(not to mention his [[HarshVocals metal voice]])]]. It does fit his [[WiseBeyondTheirYears personality]] though.

* EvilSoundsRaspy: {{Inverted}}. his voice is rather raspy, but he is one of the heroes, albeit an [[KnightInSourArmor impassionate]] and [[NotSoAboveItAll faulty]] one.

* VocalDissonance: Stan is a cute looking PintSizedKid who is ten years old and wears a hat with a red puffball, yet he sounds rather like a teenager or even a young adult [[spoiler:(not to mention his [[HarshVocals metal voice]])]]. It does fit his [[WiseBeyondTheirYears personality]] though.

* TakingUpTheMantle: Chef was the most sane adult in town as well as a caring authority figure towards the boys. While Stan would often fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan Chef's demise and would often act like a [[TeamDad strict but loving leader towards his friends]] when Chef wasn't around, with Chef out of the picture the boys rarely have any other competent authority figure they can rely on, which resulted in Stan having to fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan even more often as well as taking more responsibility for the group, similarly to an [[PromotionToParent eldest child who takes charge of their younger siblings after the parents' demise]].

* TakeUpMySword: Chef was the most sane adult in town as well as a caring authority figure towards the boys. While Stan would often fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan Chef's demise and would often act like a [[TeamDad strict but loving leader towards his friends]] when Chef wasn't around, with Chef out of the picture the boys rarely have any other competent authority figure they can rely on, which resulted in Stan having to fulfill the role of the OnlySaneMan even more often as well as taking more responsibility for the group, similarly to an [[PromotionToParent eldest child who takes charge of their younger siblings after the parents' demise]].

* BaddasPacifist: {{ZigZagged}}, since he will use violence to solve conflicts if he deems it necessary, and sometimes he even enjoys watching fights and participating in them. However, from his friends he is the least likely to get confrontational and he often comes up with clever peaceful tactics.
* BaritoneOfStrength: PlayedWith. He does have a fair share of badass moments, and while his voice isn't deep (at least not when compared to the adults) he does sound a lot older than he actually is and has the deepest voice out of the main four boys, and his voice does get noticeably deeper when he's angry or sad, making this a {{downplayed}} version at most. [[spoiler:However, his voice becomes legitimately deep and scary when [[HarshVocals singing metal]].]]

* RealMenWearPink: Stan is mostly conventional for a boy. He has the deepest and raspiest voice from his group of friends, is very athletic, considering he often plays sports and he was the the best football player, doesn't emote often, sometimes enjoys violence, is a pretty skilled fighter, likes video and board games, and like his friends he swears often and enjoys dirty humor. He is also usually TheLeader of his group, often [[TeamDad disciplining them in a strict way and being quite protective]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Played straight in the previous seasons, downplayed in Seasons 14 and onward. He frequently uses gay as an insult, though he's quite nice to most LGBT people. When he mistakenly thinks Butters has come out as gay, he reassures him he doesn't care or think any differently of him for it. Makes sense, as he's made a couple callbacks to [[Recap/SouthParkS1E4BigGayAlsBigGayBoatride his dog being gay]].

* ShrinkingViolet: Stan is generally a shy, reserved kid who doesn’t really get involved in the town’s madness, when he does, it’s usually to solve a problem. He has shown several signs of being this, especially in the earlier seasons. For example, his interactions with Wendy. Back then, whenever Wendy tries to talk to him, Stan is too shy to say anything, so he ends up vomiting on her. In “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride”, when Stan tries to make a speech, he seems hesitant and doesn’t really know what to say. And in “Chef Chocolate’s Chocolate Salty Balls” while Stan and Wendy are seeing a movie, Stan keeps attempting to hold Wendy’s hind but when she looks at him he puts his hand away. However, while it doesn’t happen often, Stan also has been shown to have an angry side when he’s at his limit.

* TheEveryman: As the leader of the group, and the most "normal" character. Most of Stan's issues can be experienced by any American child while the other three all experience issues related to their particular demographics.

* TheGenericGuy: {{Downplayed}}. He is far from being a FlatCharacter and he has a fair share of badass and low moments, but his personality hardly stands out from the rest of the main and recurring cast, who have extremely diverse and unique personalities. The fact that some episodes don't focus on his unique traits (other than being passive, cynical, and having some hidden intellectual abilities that [[NegativeContinuity often only show up once]]) also plays a role in this.

* SiblingYinYang: Stan is (usually) very mild-mannered and easygoing, whereas his older sister Shelly is extremely hot-headed and borderline unstable.

* DarkIsNotEvil: ZigZagged, since his normal appearance doesn't look sinister in the slightest, but he does have black spiky hair under his hat and while that isn't really sinister, it's still often associated with dark imagery. His voice is also very deep for a 10-year-old and pretty raspy. In terms of personality, he is usually cynical, doesn't smile too often, is prone to depression and he often talks harshly. There are instances where he plays this trope straight, like [[spoiler:when he became a goth after one time Wendy broke up with him, but snapped out of it with Butter's help. He also looked and sounded extremely sinister after letting Satan possess him, but Satan only used him to stop a greater evil, then left Stan's body and even offered him a ride home. He also briefly became a metal-head and was able to pull of extremely deep growls]]. There are also plenty of instances when he wears black, like the occasional black leather jacket or in "Whale Whores", where he whore a black hat and hoodie both with pirate skulls, not to mention he was [[PayEvilUntoEvil killing Japanese whale hunters in that episode.

* PinkGirlBlueBoy

** In "I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining" he manipulated the other main boys into going ziplining by making it look like all of them came up with that idea together.
** In "Super Fun Time" the class besides him, Kyle, Wendy, Jimmy and Craig got kidnapped by terrorists at Pinoneer Village, a 19th-century themed living history museum. The terrorists asked the actors to give them the vault code, but they refused to, because they would break character. Later, the terrorists threatened to kill Kenny if they don't get the code. In order to save Kenny's life, Stan asked the actors to give the code while acting like a pioneer, so that the actors wouldn't break character. This strategy succeeded, but the terrorists took Stan as a hostage as well and planned to leave with all hostages. However, while the terrorists where distracted by Cartman's and Butter's arrival, Stan took the opportunity to lie to Murderin' Murphy, an actor impersonating a criminal at the village, that the terrorist guarding them "killed his paw", giving him an in-character reason to attack the terrorist, thus making it possible for all hostages to flee.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: In "Rainforest Schmainforest" Stan is appropriately freaked out by snakes.

* TurnOutLikeHisFather: [[spoiler:In "Post Covid", he adopts a lot of mannerisms from Randy such as his [[TheAlcoholic alcoholism]][[note]]Right down to making excuses for it, even making a call back to Randy's "shmorgesvine" excuse[[/note]], [[ItsAllAboutMe egocentrism]], [[{{Jerkass}} abrasiveness]], and [[{{Manchild}} immaturity]].]]

* WackyParentSeriousChild: The sensible, down-to-earth son of his [[{{Flanderization}} increasingly wackier]] father, Randy Marsh (and sometimes his mother too). It is to the point that Stan is the one parenting his father at times, the most notable examples being "Bloody Mary", the ending of "Crazy old Drivers", and most notably "Informative Murder Porn".

* DarkIsNotEvil: ZigZagged, since his normal appearance doesn't look sinister in the slightest, but he does have black spiky hair under his hat and while that isn't really sinister, it's still often associated with dark imagery. His voice is also very deep for a 10-year-old and pretty raspy. In terms of personality, he is usually cynical, doesn't smile too often, is prone to depression and he often talks harshly. There are instances where he plays this trope straight, like [[spoiler:when he became a goth after one time Wendy broke up with him, but snapped out of it with Butter's help. He also looked and sounded extremely sinister after letting Satan possess him, but Satan only used him to stop a greater evil, then left Stan's body and even offered him a ride home. He also briefly became a metal-head and was able to pull of extremely deep growls]]. There are also plenty of instances when he wears black, like the occasional black leather jacket or in "Whale Whores", where he whore a black hat and hoodie (not to mention he was [[PayEvilUntoEvil killing Japanese whale hunters]], both with pirate skulls.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In "Jesus vs. Frosty" Stan was portrayed as having a HairTriggerTemper, and [[EnragedByIdiocy being the one to call out his friends on his questionable actions]]. In the following short, and the first five seasons of the show, Stan was portrayed as more of a bratty kid who, despite being a tad smarter than most people around him, was mostly apathetic to the daily chaos that roamed the town. As of season 6, however, he's become more proactive and willing to fight for causes.

* KidsDrivingCars: He drove a truck in "Towelie", his father's car in "Bloody Mary", and a bus in "Night of the Living Homeless2. he even piloted Santa's sleigh in "Red Sleigh Down".

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In "I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining" Stan deeply regrets forcing his friends to hang around tourists on a lame hobby just to get an i-Pod Nano.

** After the first few seasons he got pretty good at reading and getting along with people. On occasion, he can solve problems by talking things out. He is also quite skilled at offering his friends emotional support and guiding them.

** In "The Spirit of Christmas" he tells off his friends for swearing in his presence twice.

'''Stan:''' [[MeaningfulEcho Even if it means calling Jesus or Santa]].

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Stan's only 10 years old, yet he has a vast knowledge and experience in politics, religion, and philosophy.

* DarkIsNotEvil: ZigZagged, since his normal appearance doesn't look sinister in the slightest, but he does have black spiky hair under his hat and while that isn't really sinister, it's still often associated with dark imagery. However, [[spoiler:he did become a goth after one time Wendy broke up with him, but snapped out of it with Butter's help. He also looked and sounded extremely sinister after letting Satan possess him, but Satan only used him to stop a greater evil, then left Stan's body and even offered him a ride home. He also briefly became a metal-head and was able to pull of extremely deep growls]]. There are also plenty of instances when he wears black, like the occasional black leather jacket or in "Whale Whores", where he whore a black hat and hoodie, both with pirate skulls.

* HairAntennae: {{Downplayed}}. He has two strands of hair next to each other on top of his head, but they are so small they don't really form an antennae.

** He has some shades of this for Kyle too. He has saved Kyle multiple times, has comforted him often and would die for him. However, Kyle himself can be equally supportive and they are generally on an equal level, and sometimes Kyle is the more level-headed one.

** Shows this towards Kenny on occasion as well. In "The Passion of the Jew" while Kyle and Cartman were fighting, the other 2 boys hang around, eventually deciding to see "The Passion". They didn't liked it, and in order to get their money back they had to go to Mel Gibson. During their adventure Stan did most of the talking and made the plans. If you pay attention, you can see that while Mel Gibson was chasing them with a gun, Stan stayed in front of Kenny most of the time to prevent Mel Gibson to get near Kenny. When Mel Gibson came through a door dancing and wearing a fruit hat, Stan slowly pushed Kenny away from the mad man. In "Super Fun Time" he did the "ultimate sacrifice" (looking like a fool in front of Wendy) in order to save Kenny's life.

* TeamDad: ZigZagged. Being the first to turn 10 makes Stan the eldest of the main boys, but not by much, and it's rarely brought up. However, he is pretty much TheLeader, being a {{determinator}} who leads by example and prone to giving them emotional support. He's also probably the most mature in the group, considering he's the least impulsive and often the OnlySaneMan. He can also be [[BigBrotherInstinct very protective]] towards others, sometimes to the point of risking his own life (though less so towards Cartman). Usually, if he disagrees with what they are doing, he won't hesitate to scold them. Out of the main boys, he fights the least with Cartman; the latter even respects him somehow, though that's not saying much. It's also important to note that it [[DependingOnTheWriter varies]] how selfless and responsible Stan is, especially when compared to Kyle. He goes so far with this role as putting a coat on Kenny's back when they dressed him up like Mr. Jefferson's son and taking care of Kyle's farm on Facebook when Kyle asked him to (similarly to how a little kid would ask their parent nonetheless), even though he found it annoying.

* WackyParentSeriousChild: The sensible, down-to-earth son of his [[{{Flanderization}} increasingly wackier]] father, Randy Marsh (and sometimes his mother too).

** Has some shades of this for Kyle too. He has saved Kyle multiple times, has comforted him often and would die for him. However, Kyle himself can be equally supportive and they are generally on an equal level, and sometimes Kyle is the more level-headed one.

* TeamDad: ZigZagged. Being the first to turn 10 makes Stan the eldest of the main boys, but not by much, and it's rarely brought up. However, he is pretty much TheLeader, being a {{determinator}} who leads by example and prone to giving them emotional support. He's also probably the most mature in the group, considering he's the least impulsive and often the OnlySaneMan. He can also be [[BigBrotherInstinct very protective]] towards others, sometimes to the point of risking his own life (though less so towards Cartman). Usually, if he disagrees with what they are doing, he won't hesitate to scold them. Out of the main boys, he fights the least with Cartman; the latter even respects him somehow, though that's not saying much. It's also important to note that it [[DependingOnTheWriter varies]] how selfless and responsible Stan is, especially when compared to Kyle. He goes so far with this role as putting a coat on Kenny's back when they dressed him up like Mr. Jefferson's son and taking care of Kyle's farm on Facebook when Kyle asked him to (similarly to how a little kid would ask their parent nonetheless), even though he found it annoying.* {{Technopath}}: Toolshed has the superpower of psychic command over every form of power tool.

The "normal" guy of the group, he is often the one to give AnAesop at the end of each show. Although Stan is cynical, easily frustrated with his surroundings, and occasionally gloomy, he is laidback, compassionate, and sympathetic toward animals. Due to his on-and-off relationship with Wendy, Stan is the only one of the Boys to consistently date someone.