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Mary Sue is a pejorative term, sometimes shortened to MS or Sue, used to describe or criticize a fictional character that exhibits some or most of the clichés common in amateur (and especially fan) fiction, making the character itself something of a cliché. The term "Mary Sue" is often considered unisexual, although masculinized variations such as "Gary Stu" or "Marty Stu" are frequently used in reference to male characters as both parts of the given name "Mary Sue" are considered predominantly feminine in the English-speaking world.

Although the term itself is not limited to fan fiction, its origins lie in the name of a character from a 1973 Star Trek fanzine parody, and its most common usage today is still within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction. Characters were originally labeled as "Mary Sues" for being portrayed in an overly idealized way and lacking noteworthy or realistic flaws, similar to the character in the original parody story, A Trekkie's Tale. The definition today has widened considerably to encompass most clichés found in fiction — such as having a tragic past or being shown as instantly cool and likable — and especially that the character in question acts as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author who created it. These authors are sometimes referred to as Suethors, a portmanteau of "Sue" and "author," though this usage is not universal within the fan fiction community.

While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, canon and original fiction characters are also sometimes criticized as being "Mary Sues." Wesley Crusher[1] is probably the best-known example of this. In play-by-post role-playing games, many original characters are also criticized as being "Mary Sues" if they dominate the spotlight or can miraculously escape a near-impossible predicament (usually with an unlikely saving grace).

It is important to remember that affiliating a character as a "Mary Sue" is an entirely subjective process and personal decision, typically made by people — paid critics and non-professional readers alike — who generally disapprove of allegedly overused plot devices or stock characters found in most amateur fiction, and that not all fan-made characters would necessarily qualify as a "Mary Sue" by everyone's criteria.

While "Mary Sues" are usually unintentionally written as such, some authors deliberately create them as a form of parody.

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