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Mack Mackenzie: Difference between revisions
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The one exception to his popular standing is Ms. Barch, the misanthropic science teacher. For reasons unknown, Janet Barch appears to have marked Mack as her favorite whipping boy. References to this decidedly ugly conflict abound: "[[The Lab Brat]]," "[[Gifted]]," "[[Fair Enough]]," ''[[The Daria Database]]'' ("I will not show Ms. Barch fear, no matter what she does to me," and being made to write "I am male, therefore I suck" repeatedly on the blackboard during study hall). Mack's level of self-control is astounding, given episodes like these and his list of frustrations as the football team captain (''[[The Daria Diaries]]''). His New Year's resolutions in ''[[The Daria Database]]'' all involve attempts to control his irritation with other people, including Jodie. It is significant that the only time in the entire show that Mack loses his temper is in a fantasy episode, "[[Murder, She Snored]]," inside one of Daria's dreams.
We know little about Mack's family, though in "[[The Misery Chick]]" he reveals his name was originally "Michael James Mackenzie, but Dad went to a Bulls playoff game when I was twelve and then he changed it." Jodie in "[[Partner's Complaint]]" describes him as being "bad with money," being overdrawn on his allowance since third grade. (Mack finally pays his father back during ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'', and also has enough money from his summer job to take Jodie to [[Chez Pierre]] "once.")
The only other vaguely negative aspect of his character is a tendency to be cynical when referring to the school, Ms. Li's policies, and some of his classmates. "I'm the only one on the team who can count by halves," he tells Ms. Li in "Fizz Ed." His sarcasm is completely missed by most of those listening to him, particularly Kevin Thompson. Mack participated in the betting pool on [[Mr. DeMartino]]'s upcoming roller-hockey battle in "[[The Big House]]", but so did everyone else, so gambling is not likely one of his few vices, if he has any. Fanfic writers have noted that writing an "evil Mack" story is nearly impossible, as there is so little in canon on which to hook it.
The series generally portrays Mack's and Jodie's relationship in a positive light, though Jodie often places a higher priority on her own commitments than on the relationship. The implication in "[[My Night at Daria's]]" is that the couple is sexually active. Jodie promises to tell Daria all about it "once my parents are dead."
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==Fanfic Stereotypes==
===Saint Mack===
Mack is in a curious position in the pantheon of ''Daria'' characters in that he seems to be without fault, or at least lacking major drawbacks as a male in a female-dominated story universe. In ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]],'' Jodie bemoans Mack's cash-flow issues, but that appears to be the extent of his flaws. This characterization is sometimes referred to as "Saint Mack." One extreme example of a "Saint Mack" is "[[The Thirteenth Man]]," by [[The Angst Guy]]. A less extreme instance appears in [[Bob Marley]]'s "[[You Don't Know Mack]]." He became President of the United States in one story.
===Mack-Who-Belongs-With-Someone-Else===
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* [http://www.theangstguy.com/fanfics/thirteenthman.htm "The Thirteenth Man"] by [[The Angst Guy]] (Mack as superhero)
* [http://thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23544 "Origin of the Ringbearers: Michael,"] by [[Brother Grimace]] (Mack as superhero [[Ringbearers|Ringbearer]])
* [http://www.outpost-daria.com/fanfic/ma1_twenty_years_from_today.txt "Twenty Years from Today,"] by [[Michael J. Pfeffer]] (Mack as President)
* [http://www.outpost-daria.com/fanfic/you_dont_know_mack.html "You Don't Know Mack"] by [[Bob Marley]] (Mack as good guy with a secret life as a good guy)
* [http://thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=25253 "Iron Chef: Mack Mackenzie Has His Day"] ([[PPMB]])
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* [http://www.thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23148&p=321399 "Iron Chef: Mirror, Mirror..."] (Mack/Jane)
* [http://www.thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12105 "Anger Meets Her Match"] (Mack/Andrea), by [[TheEleventy]]
* [http://outpost-daria.com/fanfic/ghosts_of_christmas_future.html "Ghosts of Christmas Future"] (Mack/Quinn), by [[Crusading Saint]]
* [http://www.thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4456 "The Hollow Land,"] (many possible pairings), by [[Crusading Saint]]
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