Marissa Cooper is<!-- SHE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER, NOT WAS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER. HER BEING A FICTIONAL CHARACTER DOES NOT CHANGE SIMPLY BECAUSE SHED DIED WITHIN THE STORY. GET IT? SHE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER FROM THE O.C. THUS, WE SAY THAT SHE IS. IF YOU CHANGE IT TO "WAS," IT WILL BE REVERTED BACK TO "IS"!!!! --> a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. She is a privileged California native born into a wealthy family, residing next to the Cohen family's house. Throughout The O.C.<nowiki>'</nowiki>s storyline, Marissa is introduced to new characters who influence her perspective on life and her personality.

Characterization

Personality

Marissa Cooper is characterized as the privileged yet troubled girl next door. Her designer-label-packed wardrobe masks her turbulent mood swings and hard-partying ways. Although Marissa is tall, thin and pretty, sadly, she is not much else. She is afforded all the privileges of a Newport Beach lifestyle, yet she fails to show any interest or engagement with the world around her. Like many of her peers, she is emotionally distant from her mother and becomes disillusioned with her mother's materialistic ways. As a result, she, like her sister Kaitlin, often rebelled against her mother. She is closer to her father, whom she stated was the "last thing keeping [her] sane" through the tumult of the first two seasons. Marissa was the social chair of The Harbor school. She organized the debutante ball rehearsals, school dances, carnivals, and other charity events. Simultaneously engaging in problematic romance and risky behavior, which in her case often go together.

Marissa's risky behavior was a factor in her on-off relationship with Ryan Atwood. For example, during Ryan's first Christmas in Newport Beach, he was furious to find her drunk due to his painful experiences as the child of alcoholic parents, but she did not understand his aversion to alcohol and thought that he was overreacting.

Storyline

Marissa is introduced as a wealthy, beautiful socialite in Newport Beach, California, whose family (mother Julie, father Jimmy, and younger sister Kaitlin) go through dramatic changes over the seasons. She is a troubled person before the series begins, with a history of substance abuse and rebellious behavior. This is evident from a scene in the pilot where she is left on her front door by her friends, passed out from drinking. The backstory on her friendship with Summer Roberts showcases it as a powerful bond, forged during second grade. One of her most profound connections, the friendship is a central element on the show for three seasons. The show significantly focuses on Marissa's on-and-off again relationship with Ryan Atwood.

Sexuality

Viewers of the series have debated Marissa's sexuality. When she hooked up with Alex Kelly, her heterosexual identity became the source of speculation. Fans questioned whether Marissa was bisexual or just bi-curious. The question became one of the top queries that viewers wanted The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz to answer.

Schwartz insisted that the relationship between Marissa and Alex was not a rating stunt and that Marissa developed real feelings for Alex. Sarah Warn of AfterEllen.com said that despite Schwartz's statements, "Marissa's predominantly heterosexual past, the huge fan support for the Marissa and Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) pairing, and the controversy The O.C. would court by making one of its principal characters bisexual, it's likely that her 'real feelings' for Alex will only last a few episodes."

Character's exit

The decision to kill Barton's character came from the producers. Josh Schwartz relays that it was entirely a creative decision: "It had as much to do with creatively feeling like this was always in the cards for this character and she was an inherently tragic heroine, and part of the Ryan/Marissa story was him trying to save her from a fate that she couldn't be rescued from." Commenting on her character's death, Barton said: "My character has been through so, so much and there's really nothing more left for her to do." She added, "I was really excited that I get to die, to be honest. [...] It was better than one of those lame farewells."

Julie Cooper

The overall relationship between Marissa and her mother, Julie Cooper, is full of angst, rebellion, misunderstanding and miscommunication. Beginning with the fling between Julie and Marissa's ex-boyfriend Luke Ward, the strain in the two's relationship increases throughout the course of the show. After Marissa's father Jimmy Cooper and Julie divorce, Julie treats Marissa as second tier to her many wealthy, successful boyfriends and fiancés in an attempt to save her own social and monetary status. The troubled Marissa is then left to deal with her friendship, alcoholic, and depression issue alone, without the help of Julie. The mother-daughter duo move from their home neighboring the Cohens, to Caleb Nichol's home, to a mobile home during their time of financial hardship.

Summer Roberts

Summer Roberts, Marissa's best friend, is a girl that Marissa often leans on in both happy and sad times. Marissa's nickname for Summer, “Sum,” emphasizes the two's bond. Together, Marissa and Summer are the popular girls at school: Summer the socialite, and Marissa the over-achieving, beautiful girl many long to be. The friendship between Summer and Marissa is further strengthened by the boyfriends they often have: best friends, and “brothers,” Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood, as many group hang-outs and double dates occur.

Luke and Marissa's tumultuous relationship evolves into a mature friendship by the second season. The two realize that they may not be the most compatible couple but can benefit from each other's friendship and support.

References

  • Marissa Cooper at the Internet Movie Database

<!-- SEE THE SEXUALITY SECTION FOR WHY THE BISEXUAL CATEGORY IS NOT INCLUDED. Marissa's sexuality/sexual orientation is heavily debated. The LGBT category has been placed instead for neutrality. The fictional bisexuals category says, "Characters must be explicitly defined as bisexual in order to qualify." She is not.-->

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