History Main / ASaintNamedMary

* [[Manga/FireForce Fire Force]]: Mari Kusakabe, [[spoiler:She is a woman who at an early age had a pregnancy, except that she had not been with any man, from that virgin pregnancy Shinra kusakabe was born, after a couple of years, she had another pregnancy and Sho kusakabe was born]]
[[/folder]][[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

* <span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.[[Manga/FireForce Fire Force]]<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: Mari Kusakabe, [[spoiler:She is a woman who at an early age had a pregnancy, except that she had not been with any man, from that virgin pregnancy Shinra kusakabe was born, after a couple of years, she had another pregnancy and Sho kusakabe was born]]

* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}} G'' goes double-Biblical with Maria Cadenzavna [[AdamAndOrEve Eve]]. Ostensibly the daring leader of the villains and reincarnation of an evil priestess (complete with a CreepyCrosses motif), she's actually [[AntiVillain an insecure, kind-hearted person]] serving as TheFace of the group, who [[TeamMom cares for her teammates like a mother]] and [[MinionWithAnFInEvil regularly fails to do anything evil]]. Once she [[HeelFaceTurn joins the heroes]] and doesn't need to keep up the charade anymore, she switches from her [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black outfit]] to [[GoodCostumeSwitch a white one with cyan accents]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': Maria Akeboshi deliberately {{invoke|dTrope}}s this image as the SchoolNurse: she allows her office to serve as a safe space for bullying victims, and encourages the students to come to her whenever they need her help, whether they are physically ill or need more.. *ahem* ''personal'' advice. [[CoolTeacher The students love her for it]], and have taken to calling her "Saint Maria of the Infirmary". This means [[BeneathSuspicion absolutely no one will suspect her]] when [[BestServedCold she goes after the bullies who killed her son]].

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': Maria Akeboshi deliberately invokes this image as the SchoolNurse: she allows her office to serve as a safe space for bullying victims, and encourages the students to come to her whenever they need her help, whether they are physically ill or need more.. *ahem* ''personal'' advice. The students love her for it, and have taken to calling her "Saint Maria of the Infirmary". This means absolutely no one will suspect her [[BestServedCold when she goes after the bullies who killed her son]].

"Mary" is the main English way of spelling the mother of Jesus' name, however, it is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS spelled differently in other languages]] (for example, "Miriam" and "Maria"). Despite appearing sparingly throughout the text, Mary is an iconic example of [[ProperLady a nice and pure character]]. [[note]] Even though she doesn't get much characterization in the Biblical text; most of the traditional portrayals of her character and beauty come from [[WordOfDante theologians in the Catholic Church]]. [[/note]] As a result many characters are named after her.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Maria Campbell is one of the nicest characters in the story and has benevolent [[LightIsGood light magic]] powers. Also includes a bonus subversion - another character named Mary is a bit of a {{Yandere}}.

A [[TheIngenue pure-hearted]] or TokenReligiousTeammate character will often be named after the Virgin Mary. As Mary was the [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] Jesus' mother, TeamMom and other motherly characters are often named after her as well. Bonus points if the character dresses in [[TrueBlueFemininity blue]], as in many countries that color traditionally feminine specifically due to its relation to Mary.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Maria Campbell is one of the nicest characters in the story and has benevolent [[LightIsGood light magic]] powers. Also includes a bonus subversion - another character named Mary is a bit of a {{Yandere}}.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': The IllGirl Maria Robotnik was the WhiteSheep of her family and was Shadow's best friend/sister-figure. She was also TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth and is a PosthumousCharacter who died undergoing a HeroicSacrifice. Maria was [[TrueBlueFemininity decked out almost entirely in blue]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}'': Subverted with Mary. She has [[InnocentBlueEyes shiny blue eyes]], [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold bright blonde hair]], and a CheerfulChild personality. However, it's a facade. She's actually [[spoiler: a villain]].

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

* The TokenGoodTeammate of The Misfits from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' is Mary "Stormer" Phillips. Stormer also has bright blue hair.

* Subverted with [[GenderBlenderName Mariya]] from ''Manga/MariaHolic''. He is a CreepyCrossdresser who regularly beats up Kanako, his roommate at an all-girls Catholic school he is DisguisedInDrag at. He has a {{Half Identical Twin|}} named Shizu who, [[SiblingYinYang in contrast]], is a {{bifauxnen}} gentle girl.

* Maria from ''Anime/{{Canaan}}'' is a [[AllLovingHero sweet]] young woman who Canaan sees as her "light". Maria has a RescueRomance with Canaan ([[HideYourLesbians though it isn't explicitly called that]]). Canaan's name itself refers to a region where the Bible mainly took place.
* The protagonist of ''Manga/MariaTheVirginWitch'' is a virgin witch who strives to end the conflict, and there's a man named Joseph who's in love with her, and at the end of the series [[spoiler:has a MysticalPregnancy]].
* Subverted with Empress Marianne of ''Anime/CodeGeass''. While she was remembered as a beautiful, saintly woman and a sweet and gentle mother who was also a famed ActionMom in her prime, [[spoiler:she shares her despotic husband's view of humanity and helps him attempt to destroy and rewrite the world]].
* Invoked with ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'''s Ibara, a notably devout Japanese Christian whose powers allow her to grow her thorny hair at will -- a crown of thorns. Fittingly, her first hero name is "Maria", and her costume consists of a plain white robe ala Jesus.
* Mary from ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' plays with this trope. While she ''is'' a beautiful, kind, and gentle woman named Mary whose death still haunts Chrono, Mary isn't her real name, and the religious order who took her in named her for Mary ''Magdalene'', not the Virgin.

[[folder: Films -- Live Action ]]

* Maria from ''Film/StationsOfTheCross'' is explicitly named after the Virgin Mary, and she is the only member of the fundamentalist Society of Saint Paul to be shown not to be silent, dogmatic, or cruel. All she wants is not to sin and be closer to {{God}}, but she struggles in a life where her infant brother is sick and underdeveloped, and like Mary with her son, she cannot bear to see her little boy suffer.
* This is used in a roundabout way with the titular protagonist of ''Film/StellaMaris''. An archaic title for the Virgin Mary is "Our Lady, Star of the Sea", known as "''Stella Maris''" in Latin. Stella Maris in the film is a [[TheIngenue very pure-hearted and innocent woman]].
* ''Film/MaryMagdalene'': Certainly not a deliberate reference to Mary, Mother of God (who also appears in the film) since it was a common female name, but Magdalene is portrayed as saintlike in her compassion and wisdom, reinforcing this trope. Of course, she's also venerated widely as a saint by many Christian churches.

[[folder: Literature ]]
* Inverted with Precious' mother Mary in ''Literature/{{Push}}''. She is a physically and emotionally {{Abusive Parent|s}} who let her daughter be [[ParentalIncest raped by her father]] for years and [[TeenPregnancy impregnated by him]], the first time at ''twelve''. [[spoiler:Mary also sexually abuses Precious herself and tries to [[OffingTheOffspring kill her]].]]
* Creator/JodiPicoult's ''Keeping Faith'' is about a little girl named Faith who shows signs of being a MessianicArchetype. Fittingly, her mother is named Mariah.

* In ''Literature/WarAndPeace'', the deeply religious Princess Marya (the Russian equivalent of Mary) is the long-suffering caretaker to the Bolkonsky patriarch.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* ''Series/OnceUponATime''[='=]s "real world" version of Snow White is named Mary-Margaret Blanchard, a reminder of the fact that even in a world without happy endings, her soul is as white and unblemished as snow. The comparison between the Virgin and Mary-Margaret is furthered because the hero known as the Savior is the child of Mary-Margaret, much like how the Virgin Mary's [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} child]] was the Messiah.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The deceased matriarch Mary Winchester is initially treated as the patron saint of the Winchester clan, the reason they do what they do, and their motivation to carry on in moments of extreme adversity. However, as the series carries on, the question slowly becomes how well did any of them know Mary. Her secretive past turns out to be the source of much of their strife and the reality of who she wildly diverged from the Winchester men's nostalgic idealization of her.

[[folder: Music ]]
* "Buddha for Mary" by Music/{{Thirty Seconds To Mars}} is about a girl named "Mary" (who ironically is an atheist) and has a lot of religious overtones. It also [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation possibly]] serves as a drug reference, as "Mary Jane" is slang for marijuana.

[[folder: Theatre ]]
* Maria from ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' (the musical, the [[Film/WestSideStory1961 1961]] and [[Film/WestSideStory2021 2021 film versions]]) is the saintliest character in the story, a SettingUpdate on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' set against a battle between street gangs in New York City, with her as the Juliet stand-in. One song even says that her name "sounds like praying".
* The protagonist Maria from ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' is a peppy nun-in-training. Maria is sent to be a governess to a family of seven children and their stern widower father. She proceeds to [[MagicalNanny lighten up their lives]] and [[ManicPixieDreamgirl fall in love with the father]].

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Marie Belmont from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' takes the French-equivalent to Mary because, well, she's a pure and Heavenly woman who advises from [[TheLostLenore the glory of Heaven]]. Her living husband is motivated by her goodness, and his name is even Gabriel, the name of the angel who announced that Mary would give birth.
* Queen Mary from ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings.'' She not only rules over Magicant, which is essentially a FluffyCloudHeaven but [[spoiler: turns out that she was Ninten's great grandmother, Maria, who had foster-raised the alien antagonist Giygas as her son.]]

* Subverted with Mary from ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}''. She has [[InnocentBlueEyes shiny blue eyes]], [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold bright blonde hair]], and a CheerfulChild personality. However, it's a facade. She's actually [[spoiler: a villain]].
* IllGirl Maria Robotnik from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' was the WhiteSheep of her family and was Shadow's best friend/sister-figure. She was also TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth and is a PosthumousCharacter who died undergoing a HeroicSacrifice. Maria was [[TrueBlueFemininity decked out almost entirely in blue]].

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]
* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'' by Joseph Christiansen's wife Mary. Joseph is the neighborhood preacher, and although their names reference Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Mary herself drinks all the time, dresses in black, and flirts with younger boys at a bar.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* The TokenGoodTeammate of The Misfits from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' is Mary "Stormer" Phillips. Stormer also has [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair bright blue hair]].

* Maria from ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' (the musical and the [[Film/WestSideStory1961 1961 film]]) is the saintliest character in the story, a SettingUpdate on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' set against a battle between street gangs in New York City, with her as the Juliet stand-in. One song even says that her name "sounds like praying".

* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}} G'' goes double-Biblical with Maria Cadenzavna [[AdamAndOrEve Eve]]. Ostensibly the daring leader of the villains and reincarnation of an evil priestess (complete with a CreepyCoolCrosses motif), she's actually [[AntiVillain an insecure, kind-hearted person]] serving as TheFace of the group, who [[TeamMom cares for her teammates like a mother]] and [[MinionWithAnFInEvil regularly fails to do anything evil]]. Once she [[HeelFaceTurn joins the heroes]] and doesn't need to keep up the charade anymore, she switches from her [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black outfit]] to [[GoodCostumeSwitch a white one with cyan accents]].

* ''[[Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear Senki Zesshou Symphogear G]]'' goes double-Biblical with Maria Cadenzavna [[AdamAndOrEve Eve]]. Ostensibly the daring leader of the villains and reincarnation of an evil priestess (complete with a CreepyCoolCrosses motif), she's actually [[AntiVillain an insecure, kind-hearted person]] serving as TheFace of the group, who [[TeamMom cares for her teammates like a mother]] and [[MinionWithAnFInEvil regularly fails to do anything evil]]. Once she [[HeelFaceTurn joins the heroes]] and doesn't need to keep up the charade anymore, she switches from her [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black outfit]] to [[GoodCostumeSwitch a white one with cyan accents]].

* Maria from ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' is the saintliest character in the story, a SettingUpdate on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' set against a battle between street gangs in New York City, with her as the Juliet stand-in. One song even says that her name "sounds like praying".

->''"Maria! Say it loud and there's music playing, say it soft and it's almost like praying."''

A [[TheIngenue pure-hearted]] or TokenReligiousTeammate character will often be named after the Virgin Mary. As Mary was the [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] Jesus' mother, TeamMom and other motherly characters are often named after her as well. Bonus points if the character dresses in [[TrueBlueFemininity blue]], as in many countries that is a traditionally feminine colour specifically due to its relation to Mary.

"Mary" is the main English way of spelling the mother of Jesus' name, however it is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS spelled differently in other languages]] (for example, "Miriam" and "Maria"). Despite appearing sparingly throughout the text, Mary is an iconic example of [[ProperLady a nice and pure character]]. [[note]] Even though she doesn't get much characterization in the Biblical text; most of the traditional portrayals of her character and beauty come from [[WordOfDante theologians in the Catholic Church]]. [[/note]] As a result many characters are named after her.

As common as this trope is played straight, it is often subverted as well. An evil or malicious character will be named "Mary" (or an alternative spelling) for [[IronicName ironic kicks]], or a double meaning, as the name also means "bitter" in the original Hebrew. As the Virgin Mary is known as such a benevolent character, characters that [[BitchInSheepsClothing seem like straight examples but aren't]] aren't uncommon.

Compare to AdamAndOrEve and NameOfCain for other religious themed names. Not to be confused with MarySue (though a Mary Sue might use this trope), and God help you if the character is named after "[[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor Bloody Mary]]" instead. See also ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming.

* ''[[Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear Senki Zesshou Symphogear G]]'' goes double-Biblical with Maria Cadenzavna [[AdamAndOrEve Eve]]. Ostensibly the daring leader of the villains and reincarnation of an evil priestess (complete with a CreepyCoolCrosses motif), she's actually [[AntiVillain an insecure, kind-hearted person]] serving as TheFace of the group, who [[TeamMom cares for her teammates like a mother]] and [[MinionWithAnFInEvil regularly fails to do anything actually evil]]. Once she [[HeelFaceTurn joins the heroes]] and doesn't need to keep up the charade any more, she switches from her [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black outfit]] to [[GoodCostumeSwitch a white one with cyan accents]].

* The protagonist of ''Manga/MariaTheVirginWitch'' is a virgin witch who strives to end conflict, and there's a man named Joseph who's in love with her, and at the end of the series [[spoiler:has a MysticalPregnancy]].
* Subverted with Empress Marianne of ''Anime/CodeGeass''. While she was remembered as a beautiful, saintly woman and a sweet and gentle mother who was also a famed ActionMom in her prime, [[spoiler: she actually shares her despotic husband's view of humanity and helps him attempt to destroy and rewrite the world]].

* Mary from ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' plays with this trope. While she ''is'' a beautiful, kindly, gentle woman named Mary whose death still haunts Chrono, Mary isn't her real name, and the religious order who took her in named her for Mary ''Magdalene'', not the Virgin.

* Maria from ''Film/StationsOfTheCross'' is explicitly named after the Virgin Mary, and she is the only member of the fundamentalist Society of Saint Paul to be shown not to be silent, dogmatic or cruel. All she wants is not to sin and be closer to {{God}}, but she struggles in a life where her infant brother is sick and underdeveloped, and like Mary with her son, she cannot bear to see her little boy suffer.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime''[='=]s "real world" version of Snow White is named '''Mary'''-Margaret Blanchard, a reminder of the fact that even in a world without happy endings, her soul is as white and unblemished as snow. The comparison between the Virgin and Mary-Margaret is furthered because the hero known as the Savior is the child of Mary-Margaret, much like how the Virgin Mary's [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} child]] was the Messiah.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The deceased matriarch Mary Winchester is initially treated like the patron saint of the Winchester clan, the reason they do what they do and their motivation to carry on in moments of extreme adversity. However, as the series carries on, the question slowly becomes how well did any of them really know Mary. Her secretive past turns out to be the source of much of their strife and the reality of who she was wildly diverged from the Winchester men's nostalgic idealization of her.

* Maria from ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' is the saintliest character in the story, a SettingUpdate on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' set against a battle between street gangs in New York City, with her as the Juliet stand in. One song even says that her name "sounds like praying".

* Marie Belmont from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' takes the French-equivalent to Mary because, well, she's a pure and Heavenly woman who gives advise from [[TheLostLenore the glory of Heaven]]. Her living husband is motivated by her goodness, and his name is even Gabriel, the name of the angel who announced that Mary would give birth.
* Queen Mary from ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings.'' She not only rules over Magicant, which is essentially a FluffyCloudHeaven, but [[spoiler: turns out that she was actually Ninten's great grandmother, Maria, who had foster-raised the alien antagonist Giygas as her own son.]]

** Maria from the original ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' is most likely the most religious non-priest or nun character in the franchise. She is deeply devoted to [[CrystalDragonJesus the Harvest Goddess]] and spends much of her free time at church. In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody'' the town has no church due to plot reasons. Maria was thus made into a librarian. Despite the change in occupation, a large number of Maria's quotes relate to her religious beliefs. Maria dresses in a blue dress as well.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Mary Goodhope, the daughter of a teleevangelist, and has the codename, Angel, with the expected angelic wings, blonde hair, blue eyes.

Note, that the character must be particularly pure-hearted, religious, maternal, or otherwise an obvious Virgin Mary reference (like a MadonnaArchetype) to count. A character just being named "Mary", "Maria", or a similar name is not enough. "Mary" is one of the most popular names out there and thus many characters are named it without any association to this trope.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001'': Mia (Mary in the original Japanese) is the healer of a small town, using her Mercury Psynergy to heal the sick (though {{Muggle}}s only see that she glows when healing someone). Her default class becomes Paragon and later Angel in the sequel.