When Frank Miller began Sin City – his series of ultra-noir set in the eponymous hotbed of crime – he needed archetypes that were almost Olympian in their grandeur. Marv is his Grade A patsy, the fall guy, the hapless hero at the centre of a conspiracy that he can’t even begin to understand – but with a traditional Miller tweak. This dumb brute can more than take care of himself, and fully embraces the self-destructive path he starts down when he vows to avenge the brutal murder of Goldie, a prostitute who showed him kindness, despite his face. Marv is a force of nature, cutting a path through the corrupt power-brokers of the city, until his pound of flesh (and more) has been exacted. His death scene – he’s juiced repeatedly in the electric chair, obstinately refusing to die right away – sums him up: stubborn, intractable, intent on doing things his way. Miller killed him, but brought him back for several Sin City prequels. Not even he could stand to see the big lug truly die.

FIRST APPEARED IN SIN CITY: THE HARD GOODBYE (1991)
CREATED BY FRANK MILLER