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For the Marco from the Amazon Sario Rip, see Marco
For the Marco from Visser Four's reality, see Marco
For the Marco from Back to Before, see Marco

"People don't understand the word ruthless. They think it means 'mean.' It's not about being mean. It's about seeing the bright, clear line that leads from A to B. The line that goes from motive to means. Beginning to end. It's about seeing that bright, clear line and not caring about anything but the beautiful fact that you can see the solution. Not caring about anything else but the perfection of it."
―Marco[src]

Marco is a founding member of the Animorphs and served as their militaristic strategist and tactician. Following the end of the Andalite-Yeerk War, he became a massively successful celebrity, working as an actor, author, technician and brand spokesperson.

Biography

Early Life

"He was too sweet-natured and trusting to ever make it very far in a hard world."
Edriss 562[src]

Marco was born in 1984[4] to a Hispanic immigrant[6] named Eva[7] and a Caucasian father named Peter.[8] Marco lived up in a nice neighborhood[9] in Southern California[3] as his father was a very skilled industrial computer software engineer[9][10] with the family even owning a private boat of their own at a marina, which they took often to go sailing.[7] While not fluent or even conversational in Spanish, Marco knew a few words as his maternal grandmother did not speak English.[6] Marco's mother taught him that humor could always be found in life,[2] and Marco himself was sweet-natured and trusting.[7]

While he was quite young, Marco met Jake, a boy who lived in his neighborhood and attended the same school as him, and the pair became best friends. Marco and Jake often played video games and had comic book superhero debates. In 1993,[11] when they were nine, they had a pie-eating contest that ended with Jake throwing up.[12]

Pre-Animorph Life

In 1995, when Marco was eleven years old,[13] his mother went out at night during inclement weather to go for a ride in their boat. Marco was suffering from a mild virus that night and was sick in bed.[7] However, Marco and his father were shortly notified that the boat had capsized and that Eva's body went missing. The pair were then informed by the authorities that Eva most likely had drowned.[9] Marco's personality transitioned from sweet and trusting[7] to a dark, serious and jaded demeanor. Marco also used humor and comedy as a coping mechanism, while his father Peter stopped going to work and stayed up all night staring at a blank television. Due to Peter no longer working, they were forced to sell their house and moved to an apartment in the bad side of town, where Peter obtained employment as a janitor.[9]

Becoming an Animorph

Night at the Mall

"Out of quarters. Certain people keep forgetting that the SleazeTroll shows up right after you cross the Nether Fjord. So certain people keep losing the game — and losing our quarter."
―Marco to Tobias[src]

One Friday night in 1997,[14] when he was thirteen,[15] Marco spent time at the mall with Jake, where they spent time playing video games at the arcade and at a comic book store. After running out of quarters, Marco and Jake decided to walk home together when they encountered Tobias, a kid from their middle school whom Jake had saved from bullying earlier. As Marco informed Tobias that Jake had wasted their quarters, Tobias decided to walk home with them.[16] As they walked towards the exit, they ran into Jake's cousin Rachel and her best friend Cassie, whom Jake had a crush on. While Marco was aware of Tobias, Rachel and Cassie as students from school, he was not friends with them. Rachel and Cassie decided to walk home with Jake, leading to the five thirteen year olds leaving the mall together. They headed towards an abandoned construction site, which Marco and Jake had frequented before during daytime, intending to use the site as a shortcut.[16] However, unbeknownst to Marco, a cosmic figure known as the Ellimist had predestined for Marco, along with Tobias and Cassie, to be walking home through the construction site that night.[17]

Gaining Morphing Powers

"We should tell someone. I mean, this is kind of major, you know? Spaceships don't just land in the construction site every day. We should call the cops or the army or the president or something. We'd be totally famous. We'd get to be on Letterman for sure."
―Marco[src]

While walking silently through the abandoned construction site, Marco heard Cassie exclaim that there was a flying saucer in the sky. Marco laughed before looking up and realizing that there was indeed an alien spaceship headed towards them. As it approached, Jake noted that the tail section of the ship looked to be a weapon, which Marco agreed with. Marco realized that the ship seemed to have noticed them and asked the others if they should run home and get a video camera, claiming that they would get a lot of money for video footage of an actual UFO. When Jake joked that if they might get shot by phasers, Marco rolled his eyes and retorted that this wasn't Star Trek. As the ship landed in front of them, Marco considered that they should go and tell the authorities, adding that they would be famous and end up on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Marco TAC Illustration

Marco meeting Elfangor

Marco witnessed as a blue alien exited from the ship, who greeted them all before collapsing. Dying of his injuries, the aliens informed the teenagers that there were other aliens, known as the Yeerks, who were already on Earth and intended to destroy humans. Marco asked him how no one had noticed aliens walking around, and the alien transmitted an image of a green-gray slug into their minds, which Marco realized was a Yeerk. The alien explained that the Yeerks were a parasitic species that take over bodies to use as hosts, after which they become known as Controllers. The alien, revealing himself to be a member of a species called an Andalite, added that it would take a year if not more for the Andalite forces to come to Earth, and urged the teenagers to warn humanity of the Yeerk threat. Looking at Jake, Marco stated that no one would believe them.

The Andalite suddenly exclaimed that they should retrieve a blue box from his ship. As Jake retrieved the box, the Andalite informed them that he could use the box to grant them the ability to morph — by touching an animal and concentrating, they could acquire that creature's DNA and transform their bodies into that of the animal's. Marco laughed, not believing that such a power were true and uttered that everything the Andalite told them was "nuts." As the teenagers decided whether they should accept the power, Rachel noticed something in the sky and wondered what it was, to which the Andalite replied that those were the Yeerks. The Andalite urged them to decide quickly, and all of them except for Marco agreed. However, Marco still joined them as they pressed their hands against the box, and felt a tingle run through him as he received the morphing ability.

The Andalite warned them that they should not stay in morph for more than two hours or else they would be trapped before yelling at them to run since Visser Three was coming. Hiding behind a low wall, Marco witnessed as the Blade ship and Bug fighters landed. As tall, bladed creatures emerged from the Blade ship, the dying Andalite used his thought-speak to mentally communicate with them, informing them that these were Hork-Bajir-Controllers and that the giant centipede-like creatures that were also emerging were known as Taxxons. The five kids then tried to remain silent as one of the Hork-Bajir-Controllers positioned himself near their hiding spot. They then noticed an Andalite emerging from the Blade ship, which the dying Andalite explained was Visser Three — the only Andalite-Controller to exist.

Marco watched as Visser Three greeted the Andalite as Prince Elfangor and was informed by Jake that there were some humans with the Yeerks. The kids continued to observe as Visser Three morphed into a monstrous creature with multiple ringed teeth. As the Visser used one of his arms to lift Elfangor, Jake picked up a pipe and tried to jump into action. Marco quickly restrained Jake with Tobias' help and hissed at his best friend to shut up before he got them all killed. Marco then watched as the Visser ate Elfangor and heard Elfangor's mental screams as he was being ripped apart before he died. Marco then threw up, prompting the nearby Hork-Bajir-Controller to look in their direction. The five teenagers then bolted and ran their separate ways as the Yeerks began pursuing them. Marco successfully managed to escape from the site and ran back home.[16]

Investigating the Yeerks

"You want to get into this fight against the Yeerks? Fine. Let's see how much you want to do it when it turns out it's your own brother you have to destroy. It's not exactly some video game, is it? This is reality. You don't know anything about reality, Jake. Nothing bad has ever really happened to you. You have this perfect family. Like I used to have. [...] So maybe we just walk away from this. Let someone else fight this fight. Sorry about the Andalite, but I've got enough death in my family."
―Marco to Jake[src]

The next morning, a Saturday, Marco was at home when he received a phone call from Jake, informing him that he and Tobias had morphed and that they were to have a meeting at Cassie's farm. Marco then went to the farm, where he encountered Rachel and Tobias. Marco read a newspaper, learning that while residents near the abandoned construction site had called the police about seeing spaceships and explosions, the police claimed they had investigated the matter and concluded there were no spaceships; additionally, the police stated that the explosions were just teenagers using fireworks, whom they were now looking for. They then realized that the police and media contained Controllers, and when Jake arrived, they shared the newspaper and their realization with him.

As they sat in silence, Marco told them that they should just forget what they've learned and move on with their lives. As Jake began to argue, Marco yelled that they could all get killed if they get involved, adding that if something happened to him, his father would stop deciding to continue living. A horse then galloped up to them and began to demorph into Cassie, prompting Marco to fall down in shock. However, his surprise was short-lived when a police cruiser suddenly pulled up to the farm. Marco then joined the others to shield Cassie from view as she finished demorphing. Marco then observed as the police officer questioned them about information on kids being at the abandoned construction site the night before, prompting Marco to immediately realize that the man was a Controller. After getting no information, Marco watched as the officer left, although not before inviting Jake to join The Sharing.

Rachel then advised them that they should be careful when morphing, prompting Marco to state that it wouldn't be a problem since they were not to morph anymore. When Tobias declared that they should fight, Marco retorted that Tobias could not even fight off the bullies at school. As the group began arguing what they should do, Cassie suggested that they take some time to think about it, which Jake agreed with. Marco then smirked, believing that the decision had been in his favor, and walked back with Jake to his house to play Dead Zone 5 on Jake's computer.

At Jake's house, Tom entered the room and asked to play, and Marco gave him his controller. Marco listened as Tom kept asking whether they knew anything about the kids at the construction site before recommending that the two join The Sharing. Shortly after Tom exited the room, Marco told Jake that Tom was a Controller, prompting Jake to punch Marco in the head. Marco managed to subdue Jake, promising to let him go if he stopped attacking. The duo were then interrupted by a red-tailed hawk outside Jake's window, who quickly revealed itself to be Tobias in morph. Tobias explained that he had acquired the hawk at Cassie's farm and that he had been looking for a Yeerk Pool. When Marco and Jake looked on in confusion, Tobias explained that Elfangor had given him visions and knowledge, including the fact that every three days a Yeerk must go into the Yeerk pool to absorb Kandrona rays.

Marco brought up that both Tom and the policeman-Controller had brought up joining The Sharing, which might be a possible organization run by the Yeerks. He then told Jake that if he were to start fighting the Yeerks, he might have to end up taking out Tom, and added that Jake had no idea what is was like to lose a family member. Jake replied that they should attend a meeting of The Sharing to learn more and offered Marco the chance to decline, although Marco agreed to tag along on the provision that it was just a meeting. Meeting up with Rachel and Cassie, the five walked to the beach where The Sharing was holding a bonfire.

On the way, Tobias hid behind a dune and assumed his hawk morph in order to spy from above while Marco put Tobias' clothes in his bag. Joining the festivities on the beach, they played volleyball and ate barbecue while speaking with the other members there. Regrouping, Marco laughed and claimed that he was recanting his earlier suspicions, stating that he no longer believed that The Sharing was Yeerk-affiliated or that Tom was a Controller. However, Jake wished to continue his investigation, and Marco watched as Jake morphed into his golden retriever Homer to spy on the full members' meeting. Upon his return, Jake notified them that Tom was indeed a Controller, along with their assistant principal Chapman, and that they were still looking for the kids who fled from the construction site. Marco reiterated that he believed they should forget what they learned and resume their normal lives, although the others declared that they wanted to fight the Yeerks, including Jake, who wished to rescue his brother. Marco retorted that the others weren't the Fantastic Four, but the argument came to a close when Jake once again suggested that they take time to think about their decision. The group then went their separate ways as they each returned home.[16]

First Mission

"This is so bad. If it wasn't for Tom I'd walk away."
"Look, Marco, you don't have to—"
"Oh, shut up! You're my best friend, you jerk. Like I'm going to let you go face all this alone? I'm in. I'm in, to rescue Tom. That's it. Then I'm done."
―Marco and Jake[src]

On Monday, Marco headed to the mall's food court after school in order to meet up with the others, where Jake informed them that he had located the entrance to the Yeerk pool in the janitor's closet at school and that he had heard human screams. Jake informed the others that he would be heading down into the Yeerk pool later that night in order to free Tom and that the others did not need to accompany him, although Rachel, Tobias and Cassie announced that they would. Marco then looked away and muttered that Jake's idea was bad and that if it weren't for Tom, he would decline. As Jake began to say that he did not need to come, Marco interrupted and stated that Jake was his best friend and that he wouldn't let him go into the Yeerk pool alone. He then stated that he would join their team in order to rescue Tom, but that it would also be his one and only mission. The newly-formed team then decided to pay a visit to The Gardens, the local amusement park-zoo where Cassie's mother worked, in order to acquire more dangerous morphs. When they were discussing admission, Cassie told them that she could give them her mother's employee discount, prompting Marco to chime in that perhaps they would get in for free if they announced that they were Animorphs. Rachel then inquired as to what that meant, and Marco quipped that they it signified that they were "idiot teenagers with a death wish."[16] He then clarified that he had coined the term as a portmanteau for "animal morphers"[18] which the others then accepted as their official team's name.[16]

Taking the bus to The Gardens, the five of them were escorted by Cassie into the employees' hallway, which contained multiple doors leading to all of the animal enclosures. Cassie guided them to the enclosure where a Silverback gorilla named Big Jim was held and asked the others how they felt about acquiring it. Rachel suggested that Marco acquire it, but when Marco hesitated, Jake bruised his ego by suggesting they get him a koala morph instead. Putting on some bravado, Marco agreed and touched Big Jim's wrist, successfully obtaining his first morph. The team was then interrupted by an employee heading their way, prompting them to return to the hallway, where they found themselves facing a crossroads. Marco began to walk down the path leading to the more dangerous animals, citing their need for more firepower, while Rachel headed towards where the dolphins were. The five of them were then spotted by a security guard who began to give chase; Marco then ran down the hallway with Jake in tow followed by the guard while the other three escaped.

Spotting an electric golf cart, Marco suggested that they steal it in order to evade their pursuer, although Marco's lack of driving skill caused him to take wild turns, resulting in Jake falling out. The two then noticed two younger guards heading their way, and the pair ran into one of the doors to hide. Finding themselves in a tropical enclosure, both of them realized that the animals held within must be dangerous as the guards had chosen not to open the door. Marco suddenly noticed a male Siberian tiger behind Jake, as well as an exit ladder on the other side of the exhibit. Jake told Marco that he would acquire the tiger to place it in a trance, after which the two boys ran towards the latter. However, as they ran, another tiger that was also in the enclosure began chasing them; although it nearly bit them, the two managed to jump onto the ladder and climb back out. Returning to the public space, they found themselves within the eyeline of the two guards, prompting them to hide within a crowd and hunch. They then made their way back to the main entrance, where they regrouped with the other three. After informing them of their experience, which the others were reluctant to believe, the Animorphs got on the bus and returned back to their homes.

A few hours later, Marco biked to the school to meet up with the others, waiting alongside Rachel and Tobias, the latter of whom decided to already enter his red-tailed hawk morph. Jake soon showed up and informed the others that Cassie was missing. The four nonetheless decided to continue on with their mission, with Marco leading them to a window he knew of that could not lock. Entering a classroom through the window, Marco watched as Jake and Tobias peered out of the hallway, notifying them that Controllers were entering the janitor's closet and that one of them, the police-Controller from earlier that day, was dragging Cassie with him. The four Animorphs walked out into the hallway and entered the janitor's closet, where they found the entrance to the Yeerk pool.

As they began descending the many stairs, Marco noticed in horror that the passageway in the janitor's closet was not the sole entrance and that were multiple access points as the Yeerk pool was revealed to be a gigantic subterranean cavern, with Marco estimating that the pool was situated under half of their city. The group watched in horror as the Controllers re-entered the pool on one pier, with their screaming hosts thrown into cages, after which they would be brought to the reinfestation pier. Jake then noticed a group of Controllers laughing as they watched television, which Tobias explained were voluntary Controllers. Rachel disparaged the humans who had willingly allowed themselves to be infested, to which Marco reminded her that some humans were scum; when Tobias added that certain humans turned to The Sharing and accepted the Yeerks in their heads as they believed becoming something different would be the solution to their personal troubles, Marco retorted that some other humans turned to hawks in order to do the same, which offended Tobias and prompted him to fly away from them. Tobias then flew back and informed them that Cassie was on the infestation pier and that they had mere minutes to save her.

Marco, Jake and Rachel walked away from the stairs and ducked behind a shed; there, Marco pulled Jake to the side, telling him that while he was okay with the fact that he might get killed, he wanted Jake to ensure that he wouldn't allow him to become infested. Their conversation was then interrupted by a human-Controller, who found them to be suspicious and ordered his accompanying Hork-Bajir-Controller and Taxxon-Controller to take them. Rachel, who hadn't been noticed, stealthily manuevered herself behind the three Controllers and morphed into an African elephant. Rejoicing that she had successfully morphed, she popped the Taxxon and flung the human-Controller away.

Marco morphs into gorilla GN1

Marco morphs for the first time

Jake yelled at Marco to morph, which he complied with; Marco morphed for the very first time as he successfully transformed into a Silverback gorilla. Using his powerful arms, Marco punched the Hork-Bajir-Controller before throwing him aside. Joined by Rachel and Jake, the latter having morphed into the Siberian tiger, the three headed towards the cages, defeating the Controllers who attempt to impede them with ease. Marco was able to use the gorilla's dexterity to pull off the cages on the locks, although the prisoners were afraid at the sight of wild animals in front of them. In order to assuage their fears, Marco bowed and curled his finger and ushered them out of captivity. Rachel then yelled that Cassie was about to be infested, and Marco told Jake to save her while he would stay with Tom.

After freeing all of the caged hosts, Marco ran for the stairs, only to find their escape interrupted by Taxxon-Controllers. Marco wrapped his gorilla arms around a Taxxon and began climbing up the stairs when Visser Three appeared. Believing them to be Andalites in morph, the Visser morphed into a giant fire-breathing monster with eight heads. Marco ran up the stairs with Tom and several other prisoners, although most of them were burned or recaptured due to Visser Three's fiery projectiles, which had also blocked their exit. As the Visser began climbing the stairs behind them, Tom broke away to attack him but was swatted off the stairs. This caused Jake to attack Visser Three in a rage, and Marco, along with Cassie, Rachel and one sole freed prisoner, to pass through the fire and return to the school hallway. With Jake joining them, they demorphed and went back home.[16] Shortly after, Marco learned that Tobias, who was left behind in the Yeerk Pool and managed to escape on his own, had passed the two-hour limit and was now trapped as a red-tailed hawk.[19]

Reluctant Animorph

Morphing Practice

"This morphing thing would be so excellent if it weren't for the whole thing with the Yeerks. I mean, if it were just normal, we could really use these powers."
"To do what? Fight crime?"
"Fight crime? Who are you, Spider-Man? I'm talking show business. Movies! TV shows! I could go on Letterman. I could be an entire episode of Stupid Pet Tricks all by myself. [...] Now I'm really mad at the Yeerks. They're getting in the way of my showbiz career. I could be a millionaire. I could be trading funny lines with Dave. I could have beautiful Hollywood supermodels all over me."
―Marco and Jake[src]

To be added

Investigations

To be added

Truck Ship Operation

"We're supposed to be rescuing the entire human race from being enslaved by the Yeerks."
"I thought you didn't want to save the world, Marco."
"You're right. But since all of you guys think you have to save the world, and since you're all my friends, more or less, I figure someone has to keep you from being total idiots."
―Marco and Tobias[src]

To be added

Rescuing Ax

To be added

Fighting Crime

To be added

Morphing Trauma

To be added

Quarry Ambush

To be added

Joining the War

Learning the Truth

"Someday, somehow, in some way that I could not foresee, we would win this battle. Humans and Andalites together would defeat the Yeerks. And we would free all of their slaves. All of them."
―Marco[src]

Unlike the rest of the Animorphs, Marco was initially reluctant to join the fight against the Yeerks, not wanting to die and leaving his father truly alone. A couple of days before the two year anniversary of his mom’s disappearance, Marco told Jake that he’s had enough of the fighting and wanted to quit being an Animorph after their next mission.

However, during their mission, the Animorphs are captured and brought to a Yeerk pool ship, where they all meet Visser One, who Marco recognizes as his long-lost mother. After escaping the pool ship, Marco realizes that he now has a reason to fight the Yeerks, to save his mother, and fully joins the fight with the other Animorphs.

Detaining Jake

To be added

Meeting the Ellimist

Return to the Yeerk Pool

To be added

Visit to Alternate Future

To be added

Battle at the EGS Tower

To be added

Trouble with Ax

To be added

Quest for the Pemalite Crystal

Meeting the Chee

To be added

Paternal Concerns

To be added

Matcom Infiltration

To be added

Death and Resurrection

To be added

Jeremy Jason McCole Investigations

To be added

Free Hork-Bajir

To be added

Zone 91 Infiltration

To be added

Royan Island Mission

Visit to Underwater Base

To be added

Hammerhead Time

To be added

Reunion with Visser One

To be added

Yeerk Ethics

To be added

Battle for Leera

To be added

In the Time of Dinosaurs

To be added

Rift with Cassie

To be added

David Debacle

To be added

Further Missions

To be added

Visser vs. Visser

"We take out Visser One. We take out Visser Three. We leave the Yeerks believing they've erased the free Hork-Bajir colony. The free Hork-Bajir end up much safer; the Yeerks end up leaderless."
―Marco[src]

While ditching school one day, Marco realizes that Visser One is hiding out in an office building. Returning later that night with Ax and Tobias, they discover that she was demoted to Sub-Visser rank and she is being hunted by the Council of Thirteen after Visser Three branded her a traitor.

Realizing that they can use this opportunity to kill both Vissers at the same time, Marco makes a deal with the former Visser One – trade the location of the Hork-Bajir Valley, which the former Visser is looking for, in exchange for an opportunity to eliminate Visser Three. When Marco's mother arrives at what she believes to be the Hork-Bajir Valley, a fight breaks out between Visser One's forces and Visser Three's. Marco takes the opportunity and tells his mother that he loves her, revealing his identity to Visser One, before knocking her over the mountain to her apparent death.

Chase Through Time

To be added

Interim Leader

To be added

Additional Operations

To be added

Morphing Problems

To be added

Aiding Visser One

Providing Assistance

"If you wanted me dead it would be easy. You could take me, infest me, and have all of my friends within a few hours. So you need me. This is about your little personality conflict with Visser Three. You're desperate. But you won't give me up to Visser Three because you hate him more than you hate us."
"I once thought you were too soft, too gentle."
"Yeah, well, things change."
―Marco and Edriss 562[src]
This section needs a rewrite

After being the best man at his father’s wedding, where his father married Marco’s math teacher Nora Robbinette, Marco receives a phone call from Visser One, requesting for the Animorphs to stage an attack to discredit Visser Three. After performing the attack, the Animorphs take Visser One to an unknown cave and Marco forces Visser One to free his mother. However, Eva, Marco's mother, sympathizes with Visser One since she too is a mother and allows Visser One to infest her again to prevent Visser Three's open war plan and protect Visser One's human children.

Speaking with his Mother

To be added

Continued Campaigns

To be added

Revelations

Saving his Father

To be added

Faking his Death

"Suddenly, reality hit. I was dead. And this was the end... of school, of dates, of video games. Of everything normal. The kid in that photo had prepared his last frozen pizza dinner. Had gone to his last math class. Had seen his last movie at the Cineplex. That kid would never even hang out in his own backyard again. Because this wasn't his home anymore. He had no home. He'd made the necessary sacrifice."
―Marco[src]
This section requires expansion

When Marco's father, Peter, gets into a project involving Z-space, it attracts the attention of the Yeerks. Despite knowing the risks of saving his father from becoming a Controller, Marco cannot bring himself to let it happen and rescues his dad, revealing everything about the Animorphs and the battle against the Yeerks, including his mother's existence. The Chee use their holographic abilities to fake Marco and his father's death from Controllers and Marco and his father relocate to the hidden Hork-Bajir Valley. However, Marco neglects to rescue Nora, allowing the Yeerks to infest her, mentally remarking that a part of him wanted her out of their lives.[20]

Killing Visser One

"I slammed my foot on the still-wriggling worm. And it was clear... ...it was clear that Visser One's journey had ended."
―Marco[src]

Soon after, the Animorphs discover that Visser One is back on Earth and go on a mission to the Yeerk pool. There, Marco manages to rescue his mother and kill Visser One. After being reunited with Eva, Peter asks Marco if Nora can be saved, prompting Marco to lie to his father that Nora was always a Controller and that the Yeerks had placed her in his life to keep an eye on him. Peter accepts the lie, with Marco musing that his conscience is heavy with the permanent damage he has wrought with his lie, although it was a decision he chose to make in order to keep his family together.

Operation 9466

To be added

Endgame

Identities Exposed

To be added

Recruiting Disabled Children

To be added

Trip to the Capitol

To be added

Destroying the Yeerk Pool

To be added

Seizing the Pool Ship

To be added

Post-War

2000

"We Animorphs and the newly minted Prince Aximili, with our prisoner, landed Ax's official liaison ship, a sleek Fast-Courier, right in the middle of the Mall in Washington. Not a mall, the Mall, a sort of open green space with the Capitol Building at one end, the Smithsonian Institution and various government buildings on both sides, and the obelisk of the Washington Monument at the far end. We called ahead, not wanting to terrify anyone. There were roughly a thousand cops and twice that many newspeople waiting for us. It was, as Marco said, a "shiver-my-spine moment." A sea of microphones and video cameras and flashbulbs. Ax and Jake, and to a lesser extent Marco and I, gave a sort of brief explanation of what had been happening, and where things stood now. Needless to say, it was kind of a big news day."
Cassie[src]

To be added

2001

"My career was going pretty well. I was past the point of being a fad, anyway. I'd done seven appearances total on Letterman and Leno, plus several times each on Jon Stewart and Conan. The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah? Been there. Bill O'Reilly called me a genuine American hero. [...] I had a three-year deal with Pepsi, plus smaller deals with Alamo Rent A Car and Gap/Old Navy. You would not believe the money. So, a year after the end, I was seventeen and rich from book deals and product endorsements and acting contracts. I had a beach house in Santa Barbara (close to Hollywood, but with less traffic) and an apartment in New York. I owned a canary-yellow Viper, a red Maserati, and a desert-camouflage Humvee. I dated girls who wouldn't have looked at me before. I ate in cool restaurants. And maybe you're expecting me to say it was all an empty experience, that my life wasn't all that great, but you know what? I was happy."
―Marco[src]
This section requires expansion

After the war, Marco goes on to become a rich celebrity, using his status to write books, appear on many talk shows, endorse products, and perform as a regular actor, one of his roles being Nick Lang, a "wisecracking mutant superhero sort of guy who can turn into animals" and doing commercials. Unlike the rest of the Animorphs, Marco lived extravagantly, buying a mansion in Santa Barbara, having many dates with supermodels, and owning many expensive cars.[21]

2003

"I had nine million four hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars in my Merrill Lynch account. Mostly in stocks, some bonds. My TV show was doing fine, winning its time slot, although viewership in the critical demographic was falling off a little. I had a girlfriend. She was a model/actress. She was not, shall we say, a genius. But she was beautiful and sweet and about a foot taller than me. I had seven cars. A butler named Wetherbee. (Actually his name was McPherson, but I liked the sound of 'Wetherbee.') I had two maids. I had a time-share deal on a jet. I had the house in Santa Barbara, the pied-a-terre in New York and was looking at a little place in Tuscany."
―Marco[src]

At nineteen years old, Marco was still living in his extravagant lifestyle, having at least 9,432,000 dollars in stocks and bonds and his television show still performing well. Marco had a girlfriend, a beautiful and sweet model/actress.

A New Mission
"Half a year went by, but it seemed longer. I had brought along some DVD's but there are only so many times you can watch Airplane!, especially when you have to explain every joke to a former Andalite. It became obvious that this was going to be a long trip. You can't just go toodling around a billion square light-years and find what you're looking for. In the end, even after many months, we didn't find the Blade ship. They found us. I was manning the sensor station (and using the ship's computers to play Tomb Raider V), when I spotted the orange squiggle indicating an unknown ship within range."
―Marco[src]

When Jake tells Marco about a mission to save Ax, Marco agrees to come, but only after yelling at Jake, and telling him that he cannot undo his past mistakes, and that, just as during the war, they will only succeed if they follow his instincts, no matter how "crazy, reckless and ruthless."

After many months traveling in space in "The Rachel", Marco, along with the others aboard the vessel, finds the Blade Ship and encounters “The One”. Jake comments on Marco's earlier call to be "crazy, reckless and ruthless," and, with a smile that Marco notes makes him look like Rachel, orders them to ram the Blade ship.

Personality

"I'm a joker. I'm a comedian. That's how I deal with life. See, I've always believed that to some extent you get to decide for yourself what your life will be like. You can either look at the world and say, "Oh, isn't it all so tragic, so grim, so awful." Or you can look at the world and decide that it's mostly funny."
―Marco[src]

Throughout the war, Marco always maintains a sense of humor because he believes you have to decide whether you think life is tragedy or comedy, and he chooses to look for the joke in life. Because of this, Marco is able to crack jokes and make sarcastic remarks in the midst of battle just as easily as when he is chilling in the barn with his best friend Jake and the others. Marco is also very clever, and is good at thinking strategically. He was also the one who came up with the name "Animorphs" in the first book.

Marco is forever the cautious one, and at the start of the series he was the most reluctant to fight in the war. A major reason was he felt his dad was still suffering over the loss of his mother Eva, and wouldn't be able to bear it if he lost his son as well. Marco stayed in the war in honor of Jake's brother, but the stress began to get to him. He soon confessed to Jake that he had decided to quit, but that changed when he made a tragic discovery - his mother had not drowned two years earlier, but instead was infested by the Yeerk Visser One. Her death had been faked so that the Visser could use her body as a host. Marco's desire to save his mother and reunite his family was more than enough to make him continue the fight.

Marco has been called the most ruthless member to the Animorphs, often looking at the big picture and willing to make sacrifices in order to secure a win. This is in contrast with Cassie, who always considers emotions and morals in the equation, even when it comes to her enemies. They sometimes get on each other's nerves because of this. However Cassie has gotten through to Marco on occasion, sensing that he sometimes uses his humor to mask the pain he feels over his family situation. Marco desperately wants to save his mother, and yet he knows that in order to win the war he may have to destroy her.

Relationships with the other Animorphs

Jake

"Jake, who is Rachel's cousin, is our sort-of leader. Not because he asked to be. It's probably because he'd never ask to be. You know – he's one of those tiresomely dutiful, levelheaded guys. If you met Jake, you'd understand why we turn to him. Call it charisma. Something about Jake commands respect. Not from me, of course. He's been my best friend forever. I was with him when he was nine and ate an entire pie on a bet and ended up blowing blueberries for an hour."
―Marco[src]
This section requires expansion

Jake and Marco have been friends since their childhood. Although their friendship is tested at times, they generally retain a strong bond. Towards the end of the series this begins to deteriorate, as Jake sinks into depression and Marco regains his family. After the war, Marco and Jake retain their friendship, and Jake recruits Marco for their final mission.

Rachel

"Rachel is your basic psycho-babe. And I mean that in a nice way. She's a tall, willowy, supermodelesque blond. You might think she was a mall-rat airhead – until you called her an airhead. Then, after she removed your left kidney, you'd realize your mistake. Rachel's a great person to have on your side in a fight. The only problem I have with her is that she's always looking for a fight."
―Marco[src]

Rachel and Marco's relationship is characterized by their insults and banter. They generally side together on group votes, as both are more interested in pragmatism than ethics. Their similar personalities are beneficial in understanding how the other thinks, but also serves as the basis for their frequent fights. They dated in the alternate universe of Back to Before.

Ax

"I remind everyone that we have been in morph for thirty of your minutes. Dinner is scheduled to be served in twenty-five more of your minutes."
"Ax?"
"Yes, Marco."
"They're everyone's minutes, Ax. They're not our minutes. They're just minutes. Just minutes. Okay? We're on Earth, you're on Earth, they are everyone's minutes."
"Now we have been in morph for thirty-one of your minutes."
Ax and Marco[src]

At first Marco remains distant from Ax, but the two develop a close relationship. Ax's dry sense of humor becomes more obviously influenced by Marco as the series goes on. After Marco's cover is blown and he has to leave his regular life, he goes to live with Ax at his scoop, and the two bond over electronics and soap operas.

Tobias

"That night in the construction site, he was just this kind of dweeby kid I barely knew. He liked Jake because Jake once kept some guys from beating him up. To be honest with you, I don't even remember what Tobias looked like back then. Now, of course, he looks like a fierce, angry bird of prey. There's a downside to the morphing power we have. A time limit of two hours. Stay more than two hours in a morph, and you stay forever. That's why Tobias was flying overhead, with his wide wings catching the warm updrafts. Tobias is a hawk. A red-tail hawk, to be exact. I guess he always will be. I tease Tobias sometimes. What happened to him scares me."
―Marco[src]
This section requires expansion

At the beginning of the series the two aren't close, as Marco seems annoyed by Tobias's presence in Jake's life and frequently insults or hassles him. Eventually a strong camaraderie between them develops.

Cassie

"I took a good, long look at Cassie. See, there was this little episode with Cassie. She quit the Animorphs because I guess she had problems with some of the stuff we have to do. She came back, of course. But since then I'd felt a little shaky around her. Cassie has way too many morals and ethics. She's always wondering whether something is right or wrong. Me, I just wonder "will it work?" or not. I was thinking of something snide to say to Cassie, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Cassie has saved my life more than once. You cut a person a lot of slack when they've saved your life."
―Marco[src]

Cassie describes Marco as cute, but not her type. Although they are generally on good terms, Marco is often impatient with Cassie's morality.

David

"Now David, another kid not very different from any of us, had been dragged into this nightmare reality of great power and greater fear. Maybe I didn't like him. But I felt sorry for him."
―Marco[src]

Marco disliked David from the beginning, and voted against giving him the morphing power when the Animorphs were faced with that decision. The tension between Marco and David is strong even before David turns traitorous.

Morphs

Book Morphs

Morph Book Acquired
Silverback Gorilla (Big Jim) The Invasion
Osprey The Visitor
Wolf The Encounter
Trout
Bottlenose Dolphin The Message
Seagull
American Lobster The Predator
Black Garden Ant
Cockroach The Capture
Housefly
Mouse The Andalite's Gift
Termite The Secret
Great Horned Owl
Skunk
Irish Setter The Android
Wolf Spider
Brown Bat
Spider Monkey (unusable; acquired by alternate self) The Forgotten
Jaguar (unusable; acquired by alternate self)
Llama The Reaction
Racehorse The Unknown
Parrot (green) The Escape
Hammerhead Shark
Mole The Underground
Mosquito The Decision
Leeran
Tyrannosaurus Rex (unusable; Sario Rip morph) In the Time of Dinosaurs
King Cobra (Spawn) The Discovery
Flea The Threat
Rhinoceros The Solution
Giant Anteater The Suspicion
Baby Ringed Seal The Extreme
Polar Bear (Nanook)
Giant Squid The Exposed
Chimpanzee The Experiment
Eel The Sickness
Grizzly Bear (unusable; acquired by alternate self) Elfangor's Secret
Human (Mr. Grant) The Reunion
Mountain Goat
Hork-Bajir The Prophecy
Squirrel The Proposal
Cockatiel
Poodle (Euclid)
Orca (Swoosh) The Mutation
Cheetah The Weakness
Honeybee The Other
Hork-Bajir The Unexpected
North American Beaver The Resistance
German Shepherd (Champ; acquired but never used) The Diversion
Mallard Drake The Absolute
Human (female; State Governor)
Dragonfly The Answer
Eagle The Beginning


Television Show Morphs

Morph Episode Acquired
Rat My Name is Jake, Part 2
Skink The Underground
Human (Mall cop) (never used) On the Run
Butterfly The Message
Cockroach The Escape
Ferret
Wolf The Alien
Llama The Reaction
Mouse My Name is Erek
Collie
Duck Changes, Part 1
German Shepherd
Lizard Changes, Part 3
Hawk (off-screen) The Front
Bat

Books Narrated By Marco

Trivia

  • He has the WAA username Cassie98, which he uses to annoy Jake in instant messaging by pretending to be Cassie, although he likely has another account for primary use.
  • Cassie describes Marco as having "incredible eyelashes."
  • Marco is one of the characters whose battle morph is often forgotten for merchandising and illustration purposes; although he very rarely uses anything besides his gorilla morph in regular battle, he was illustrated morphing into a wolf on the cover of Megamorphs #1, and a cobra in Megamorphs #4, while the other characters were all shown morphing into their preferred battle morphs.
  • The cover of The Predator is very different in international covers. On the U.S cover, Marco morphs a Silverback Gorilla. While on the U.K cover, he morphs a lobster.
  • From the Anibase: Want to know the real reason Marco got a haircut in The Android? One day, K.A.'s editor, Tonya Alicia Martin, called K.A. up and said, "We have this really cute Marco model, but he has short hair" -- much shorter than Marco's hair in the books. K.A. agreed to give Marco a trim and had fun having the other characters tease him throughout the book -- and Marco has had short hair ever since.
  • In 1999, four different transforming toys of Marco were made.
    • Two of Marco's Transformers that were sold in stores turned into a Gorilla and a Fire Beetle, respectively
    • The third transformer, a Tri-Rex, was a Tyrannosaurus Rex figure made up of three separate Jake, Cassie, and Marco figures.
    • In 1999 Taco Bell released a transforming toy where Marco turns into a hammerhead shark.
  • Marco frequently uses the word "insane."
  • Because of many of his interactions with Jake and Ax, large numbers of LGBT readers considered Marco to be same-gender attracted, but not overtly due to Scholastic censorship. In response to being asked about this speculation in a discussion about representation, Michael Grant wrote on Twitter that "Marco was bi[sexual]."

Gallery

Elfangor eye closeup andalite chron "Someone took a picture of me? Not cool. Do you see what I'm wearing? I'm Spandex-boy. Totally not cool."

The image gallery for Marco may be viewed here

References

  1. The Unknown
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Escape
  3. 3.0 3.1 The Beginning
  4. 4.0 4.1 The Andalite Chronicles is said to take place in 1976 and states it is 21 years before Elfangor met the Animorphs, meaning the Animorphs met Elfangor in 1997. In #53, Jake states they were 13 when they met Elfangor, placing their year of birth c.1984
  5. Stabbed in the heart while in gorilla morph, although he was resurrected when Erek King restarted his heart
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Forgotten
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 VISSER
  8. The Revelation
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Predator
  10. The Alien
  11. Marco was 13 in 1997, placing the events of him being nine in 1993.
  12. The Extreme
  13. Eva disappeared two years prior to Marco becoming an Animorph in 1997, placing Eva's disappearance in 1995.
  14. The Andalite Chronicles is said to take place 10 years after the 1966 Yeerk exodus of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles and 21 years before Elfangor met the Animorphs. This places it in 1976, meaning the Animorphs met Elfangor in 1997.
  15. The Answer
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 The Invasion
  17. Back to Before
  18. The Stranger
  19. The Visitor
  20. The Revelation
  21. The Beginning
Animorphs
Animorphs Jake | Rachel | Tobias | Cassie | Marco | Ax | David
Auxiliary Animorphs James | Collette | Timmy | Kelly | Craig | Erica | Julio | Liam | Tricia | Jessie | Judy | Ray
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