As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Fridge Brilliance
- The phrase "Like a moth to the flame" can mean being allured by something that's harmful. In this case, Marcy is the moth being drawn in and the Core is the flame destroying the girl's relationships, acting as The Corrupter.
- Marcy doesn't seem to be mad at all with King Andrias for nearly stabbing her to death. Not only was it an accident in this story but it gave Marcy the opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with their master, the Core.
- The Wu Clan have had plenty of experience being The Man Behind the Man for various Puppet Kings on Earth with their teachings and methods passed down the generations, in Imperial China. It makes sense that many had joined the Core in treating King Andrias and his family line as one as well as be The Symbiote to Marcy.
- If you think about, it makes sense that The Wu Clan would form an alliance with the Leviathan family if they were anything like King Andrias is today: big, strong, Faster Than They Look for 20 ft. tall salamanders making them the Lightning Bruisers of the Amphibian races and possibly have brains to match their brawn making them ideal allies/protectors in a Death World like Amphibia. They probably could have been the ones who introduced Feudalism when building Newtopia to make the Leviathans their Puppet Kings like they did on Earth.
- The pursuit of immortality is a perennial pursuit in mysticism. Eastern alchemists, including Chinese Taoists, spent their lives seeking a way to achieve immortality. Hell, The Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi that The Wu Clan worked for sought immortality as well. It wouldn't be too far-fetched that the creation of the Core was the idea of Marcy's ancestors that lived in Newtopia, having succeeded their predecessors in transcending death.
- Marcy Hates Being Alone... now that she's a willing host of the Core, she never will be.
- Why would the Wu Clan form a coalition with the locals of Amphibia? Why not become The Conquerors of Amphibia themselves? Well, keep in mind that they came here due to the collapse of their influence on Earth, leaving them few friends and a lot of enemies. Even though The Clan had powerful sorcerers and skilled warriors they probably only numbered a few dozen at most at this point, while the Frogs, Toads, and Newts numbered in the many thousands with homefield advantage. They would lose via Zerg Rush in a straight-up fight.
- Not to mention that the titular world is absolutely teeming with all sorts of monstrous creatures that regularly prey on its amphibious inhabitants but also happily make a meal out of humans too, even the insects and plants would want to eat them. So making friends with the natives that know how to survive all that on a day-to-day basis makes sense in Pragmatic Villainy in exchange for giving them gifts from Earth and friendship. Hell, King Andrias probably came up with the lie to the heroes that his ancestors were "peaceful explorers" because Marcy's ancestors presented themselves as this the natives to gain the Amphibians' trust.
- Imperial China and The Roman Empire were aware of each other's existence, especially during the Han dynasty when the The Silk Road of trading was active, with the former viewing the latter as the “Da Qin” (Great China), a state of considerable power. It is possible that Julius Caesar was considered an obstacle to The Wu Clan because he refused to make better business deals with them, had him assassinated and replaced by Augustus who was more cooperative with them while making him a Puppet King.
- The Wu Clan may have had an easier time adapting to Amphibia's environment than the Calamity Trio did. Unlike the girls which are Ordinary High School Students, The Clan consisted of aforementioned trained warriors and sorcerers that had enough combat experience to fend off the dangerous wildlife and hold their own against hostile natives until they could convince them they came in peace.
- Both the ancient and modern Chinese are very secular and as a result, have little to no religious-based taboo when it comes to food. China (and by extension the Chinese culture) is also geographically diverse, thus a large number of food items become traditionally known to the Chinese, including bugs which are considered a delicacy by some.
- If the Wu Clan had real and powerful magic, one may have to ask why the sorcerers of The Clan don't run things themselves. There are disadvantages to being officially in charge, especially in the West where they practice Burn the Witch!. One reason that the Wu sorcerers may prefer to have a king or queen appear to lead (as a Puppet King) is that there are advantages to being the power behind the throne: if a ruler becomes unpopular, a new one can be swapped in.
- The name 'Wu' in Chinese can mean "military" or "martial arts" fitting for The Clan with skilled gladiators, warlords, soldiers, conquerors, and warriors.
- 'Wu' can also be the Chinese term translating to "shaman" or "sorcerer" of which they also had magic users. In the late Zhou Dynasty (4th to 3rd centuries B.C) it referred mostly to female shamans or "sorceresses". It was common for shamans in Imperial China to hold positions as low-ranking state officials, often serving as spirit mediums, fortune-tellers, healers, and exorcists. They were held in high regard.
- Why would General Yunan help Lady Olivia rescue Marcy despite believing the human to be a traitor of her own free will? Well, Marcy is The Dragon to King Andrias and the only one in Amphibia who supports his plans of conquest and has Undying Loyalty towards him. King Andrias in turn values Marcy enough to save her life after accidentally running her through. Even if they couldn't convince the girl to pull a Heel–Face Turn, it would be a victory against the mad king to remove his only loyal subject from his domain as a possible P.O.W.
- According to Marcy, her father made sure she read about the history of Imperial China to ensure his daughter was aware and educated of her proud heritage. Seems she internalized this when she met the Core who made it far more interesting and spectacular.
Fridge Horror
- The Core's influence over Marcy is very reminiscent of being brainwashed into a Cult, with the entity as a charismatic Cult Leader. In both her speech and thoughts, she talks about how wonderful it feels to be around The Core and how she considers them a higher being. It makes you wonder if The Core did this with the humans that lived in Amphibia, including their other descendants to worship them as their God.
- Leif's betrayal adds new information since she's most likely responsible for at least some of the Wu Clan being banished to Earth when they chased her down, whether intentional or not, with others perishing in the attempt to capture and/or kill her for treason. This cost King Andrias not only powerful allies with a Legacy of Service to the crown but Amphibia lost an entire race that, seemingly, got along well with the natives. This would probably be one more reason why King Andrias sadistically decides to let Marcy drop Sprig, who has Leif's coloration, even after Anne hands back the box. He views it as a form of "poetic justice" against his long-dead friend that a descendant of the Wu Clan banished from the world they were born and raised in to be the one kill his former friend's lookalike.
- If The Core or King Andrias told Marcy it was Leif that stole the Calamity Box from them, she have been Brainwashed to have Fantastic Racism against frogs.
- If Marcy has a Heel Realization, the poor girl's going to be in a horrible emotional state once she's free from the Core's brainwashing knowing that Anne and Sasha hate her, especially if the heroes are unwilling to forgive her, with only her parents wanting anything to do with her. If they are willing to reach out to her, in which case she may refuse any and all attempts to help or forgive her out of sheer guilt for her actions.
- If The Core used dark magic to brainwash Marcy to join it and King Andrias, then can Marcy really be held responsible for her actions? Is King Andrias even aware that The Core could do that or possibly be doing it to him?
- The Core's decision to be The Symbiote may have an ulterior motive. Will Darcy even need the helmet to stay connected making it near impossible to separate Marcy from the Core? Will she gain powers from the Hive Mind she didn't have in canon due to being "in synch" with each other e.g. Leviathan line's Lightning Bruiser physical prowess, the warriors' martial arts skills, magic from the sorcerers, etc. Maybe the powers Marcy displayed in her Mental World are a case of Foreshadowing...
- Judging by Marcy's pleased reaction to the soulless puppet versions of Anne and Sasha, she might decide to put extra strong Mind Control collars on them to keep them to herself.
- How are Marcy's parents gonna react when they find out that their daughter has gone off the deep end? Especially her father.
- Even if Marcy is stopped and does a Heel–Face Turn, after all the betrayals and trauma, it is likely the end of the trio's friendship (or at least Marcy's friendships with Anne and Sasha considering the Time Skip in canon shows Anne and Sasha are still close friends and reconnecting as adults). Though this may not be such a bad thing, as now the 3 are free from a toxic friendship and can make new ones, with Marcy making a new start in another state (assuming news of the Frog Invasion doesn't travel outside California). Still, it would be sad that it had to end in such an awful way, unlike the show.
- After the incident at the supermarket, its likely the girls' parents will force them apart, even if the trio do make amends with each other.
- Judging by the way Marcy's mother acts in Chapter 16, it's entirely possible that her insanity is a legitimate hereditary mental illness from her mother's side, in which case she was doomed to eventual madness even without the Core's interference in this story. This would explain her Jerkass actions, irrational behavior, and manipulative tendencies in her past memories shown.
- Considering how much further Marcy goes with her actions here, just how bleak will her fate be in the end? Even if she does pull a Heel–Face Turn, her greater involvement in the invasion doesn't spell high hopes for her future with a possibility of being arrested and sent to either jail, government custody, or juvie. Not to mention likely becoming Persona Non Grata in both Los Angeles (and probably the rest of the world if news of the Frog Invasion travels outside the city) and Amphibia as a result. Not to mention pretty much burning all bridges with everyone such as the Boonchuy-Plantar family, Sasha, Lady Olivia, and everyone else who cared for her, with likely only having her parents left in her corner. Unless its revealed the Core made her Brainwashed and Crazy and its diminished responsibility on her part.
