Mademoiselle Marie
Encyclopedia
Mademoiselle Marie is the name of two fictional character
s appearing in comic book
s published by DC Comics
. She first appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #84 (August 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher
and Jerry Grandenetti
.
and Jerry Grandenetti
. Marie (last name unknown) was a French farm girl who joined the French Resistance
during World War II
. The red beret
wearing character is notable as being the only love interest of Sgt. Rock.
In Pre-Crisis
continuity it was revealed that Marie had a daughter named Julia Remarque. The father of her child was Batman
's butler Alfred Pennyworth
, who was an intelligence agent in France during the war. Julia no longer exists in the current DC Comics continuity.
awarded to agents of the French intelligence agency, the DGSE. Josephine Tautin, introduced in Checkmate
Vol. 2, #5, uses the name in her capacity as the member of Checkmate known as Black Queen's Knight. Relatively little has been revealed of Tautin's background as yet, save that she was the only Knight candidate able to pass Checkmate's admission tests by displaying sufficient cold-bloodedness.
A retcon
in Checkmate Vol. 2, #21 reveals that the Madmoiselle Marie codename in fact dates to before World War II. Flashbacks in this story show earlier characters using the name rescuing nobles from the French Revolution
in 1791, and defending Louis-Philippe
from assassins during the July Revolution
of 1830 and that the various Maries were, themselves, assassins. Another flashback reveals that there were a number of Madmoiselle Maries during World War II, one of whom (Sabine Roth) later trained Josephine Tautin.
In Checkmate Vol. 2, #22, Tautin goes on a one-woman mission to rescue Madeleine Desmarais (the daughter of her former supervisor and lover) from a terrorist camp. She shows her cool efficiency and ruthlessness as a killer, poisoning a contact that tries to betray her by dosing him with a neurotoxin, then destroying the antidote after extorting the required information. She also kills everyone in the terrorist camp in the process of rescuing Madeleine. Her actions cause Checkmate to be criticized by the Secretary-General of the United Nations because one killing occurred in front of a news camera. He demands that Tautin be disciplined, but the Black Queen secretly commends her for her actions.
in Justice League: The New Frontier.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s appearing in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. She first appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #84 (August 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Jerry Grandenetti
Jerry Grandenetti
Charles J. "Jerry" Grandenetti was an American comic book artist and advertising art director, best known for his work with writer-artist Will Eisner on the celebrated comics feature "The Spirit", and for his decade-and-a-half run on many DC Comics war series...
.
Original
The original Mademoiselle Marie was introduced in Star Spangled War Stories #84, created by Robert KanigherRobert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Jerry Grandenetti
Jerry Grandenetti
Charles J. "Jerry" Grandenetti was an American comic book artist and advertising art director, best known for his work with writer-artist Will Eisner on the celebrated comics feature "The Spirit", and for his decade-and-a-half run on many DC Comics war series...
. Marie (last name unknown) was a French farm girl who joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The red beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
wearing character is notable as being the only love interest of Sgt. Rock.
In Pre-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
continuity it was revealed that Marie had a daughter named Julia Remarque. The father of her child was Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's butler Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
, who was an intelligence agent in France during the war. Julia no longer exists in the current DC Comics continuity.
Legacy
At some point following World War II the name of Mademoiselle Marie became a code nameCode name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
awarded to agents of the French intelligence agency, the DGSE. Josephine Tautin, introduced in Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
Vol. 2, #5, uses the name in her capacity as the member of Checkmate known as Black Queen's Knight. Relatively little has been revealed of Tautin's background as yet, save that she was the only Knight candidate able to pass Checkmate's admission tests by displaying sufficient cold-bloodedness.
A retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
in Checkmate Vol. 2, #21 reveals that the Madmoiselle Marie codename in fact dates to before World War II. Flashbacks in this story show earlier characters using the name rescuing nobles from the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1791, and defending Louis-Philippe
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
from assassins during the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
of 1830 and that the various Maries were, themselves, assassins. Another flashback reveals that there were a number of Madmoiselle Maries during World War II, one of whom (Sabine Roth) later trained Josephine Tautin.
In Checkmate Vol. 2, #22, Tautin goes on a one-woman mission to rescue Madeleine Desmarais (the daughter of her former supervisor and lover) from a terrorist camp. She shows her cool efficiency and ruthlessness as a killer, poisoning a contact that tries to betray her by dosing him with a neurotoxin, then destroying the antidote after extorting the required information. She also kills everyone in the terrorist camp in the process of rescuing Madeleine. Her actions cause Checkmate to be criticized by the Secretary-General of the United Nations because one killing occurred in front of a news camera. He demands that Tautin be disciplined, but the Black Queen secretly commends her for her actions.
Known Mademoiselle Maries
- Lady Elisabeth Saint-Marie who protected the nobility during the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. She appears in Checkmate #21 and 22.
- Countess Margaux de Mortain (circa 1830) guarded the life of Louis-Phillipe during the July RevolutionJuly RevolutionThe French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
and saved his life at the expense of her own, killed while saving the new King and General Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La FayetteGilbert du Motier, marquis de La FayetteMarie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
at the Hôtel de Ville, ParisHôtel de Ville, ParisThe Hôtel de Ville |City Hall]]) in :Paris, France, is the building housing the City of Paris's administration. Standing on the place de l'Hôtel de Ville in the city's IVe arrondissement, it has been the location of the municipality of Paris since 1357...
on July 31, 1830. She appears in Checkmate #21 and 22.
- Marie Salomon (circa 1916) was an actress and model who defended the Sacred RoadVoie SacréeThe Voie Sacrée is a road that connects Bar-le-Duc to Verdun , France. It was given its name after the end of World War I because of the vital role it played during the Battle of Verdun.-History:...
during the Battle of VerdunBattle of VerdunThe Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
. She appears in a gatefold page of other Maries in Checkmate #22.
- Zoe Magnier (circa November, 1940) was a mother of two who was part of the forces of General Charles de GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
during the Battle of GabonBattle of GabonThe Battle of Gabon or the Battle of Libreville was part of the West African Campaign of World War II fought in November 1940. The battle resulted in the Free French forces under General Charles de Gaulle taking Libreville, Gabon, and taking all of French Equatorial Africa from Vichy French...
. She appears in a gatefold page of other Maries in Checkmate #22.
- Simone Michel-Levy (circa late 1940) was a member of the Brotherhood of Notre Dame during the early stages of World War II. She was crucial to the French victory at Bruneval. She later encountered the Unknown Soldier while he posed as a German officer, though the exact circumstances of that adventure are unknown. She appears in a gatefold page of other Maries in Checkmate #22.
- Anais Guillot is the name of the most well known World War II-era Mademoiselle Marie. She undertook several missions for the French Resistance and had a romantic relationship with Sgt. Rock of Easy Company. She was also one of the French Maquis who fought Germans at the Vercors PlateauVercors PlateauThe Vercors is a range of plateaux and mountains in the départements of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers Drac and Isère...
. She was captured by Nazi forces and executed at Fontevraud AbbeyFontevraud AbbeyFontevraud Abbey or Fontevrault Abbey is a religious building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming preacher Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a...
on October 7, 1944 while attempting to assassinate Colonel Burkel. She is briefly shown in Checkmate #22. However, in the backup story "Snapshot: Remembrance" in the retrospective mini-series DC Universe: Legacies #4, set during a reunion on July 4, 1976, it is revealed that she did survive the war. She is an ambassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and has a son who is a soldier and whom the others at the reunion think resembles Sgt. Rock. The other attendees are Jeb Stuart of the Haunted TankThe Haunted TankThe Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 ....
, the Losers, GravediggerGravedigger (comics)Gravedigger is a codename used by two fictional soldiers published by DC Comics. Captain Ulysses Hazard the first Gravedigger debuted in Men of War #1 , and was created by David Michelinie and Ed Davis. Tyson Sykes the second Gravedigger debuted in Checkmate vol...
and possibly the Unknown Soldier.
- Sabine Roth (circa 1944 until the end of World War II) was just a schoolgirl when she took over the position of Mademoiselle Marie following the execution of Anais Guillot at Fontevraud. She was responsible for killing the Nazi Colonel Burkel, the Butcher of FontevraudFontevraud-l'AbbayeFontevraud-l'Abbaye is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is situated both in the Loire Valley, an UNESCO World Heritage Site between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, and the Loire Anjou Touraine French regional natural park.-External links:****...
, Guillot's final mission. She appears in Checkmate #21 and 22.
- Josephine Isabel Tautin (circa 1998 to present) is the current incarnation.
Other media
Mademoiselle Marie makes an appearance as an agent working for King FaradayKing Faraday
King Faraday is a fictional secret agent featured in DC Comics. Faraday first appeared in Danger Trail #1 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino.-Fictional character biography:...
in Justice League: The New Frontier.