What does it mean to be a Mary Sue?

What does it mean to be a Mary Sue?

Mary Sue is a term used to describe a fictional character, usually female, who is seen as too perfect and almost boring for lack of flaws, originally written as an idealized version of an author in fanfiction.

Can a villain be a Mary Sue?

While a Mary Sue can apply to a villain character, the crux of the terminology is rooted as an idealized stand-in. It only really works if you think the writer is self inserting themselves as a villain, or writes the villain as perfect because they're projecting onto them.

What is the opposite of a Mary Sue?

If a Mary Sue is "perfect", then the easiest way to avoid making one is to do the opposite, right? Well, the Anti-Sue shows up when an aspiring writer takes the opposite of "perfect" as "perfectly opposite" instead of "imperfect".