Summary
Ask anyone what the most influential RPG game of all time is and nine times out of ten their answer is going to be Final Fantasy 7, and the more recent reimagining of the epic,Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Part of what makes the game so memorable are the dynamic characters that fill out the world of Gaia. Outside the numerous party members that join Cloud on his journey to save the world is a huge supporting cast of family, friends, and enemies. One of the most memorable characters that help the gang is Marlene, a little girl with a tragic past.
Despite releasing back in 1997, there’s plenty here that could be considered spoilers for much of the extended plot of Final Fantasy 7 so keep that in mind before diving in. Also, some events may not line up with the apparent changes to the story line in the Remake series.
Who Is Marlene?
A Tragedy Stole Her Life
Born in the year 0003,three years after the Wutai War ended, Marlene was born to Dyne and Eleanor in the town of Corel. Around the time Marlene was a year old the town was destroyed by Shinra, with most of the townsfolk killed during the event. Among the casualties was Marlene’s mother, Eleanor, and her father, Dyne, waspresumed to have been killedas well though later it is revealed that he survived.
A close friend to Dyne and native to Corel, Barret Wallace returned home after sneaking into a mako reactor to help disrupt Shinra’s activity in the area, which he believed was causinghis wife Myrna’s mysterious illness at the time. In response, Shinra razed the entire town, leading to the death of Marlene’s parents and Myrna. Barret tries to save Dyne, but is shot in the hand by Scarlet, who causes him to drop Dyne off a cliff.
As Barret explored the wreckage of his hometown, he found Marlene among the rubble and adopted her, taking her with him as he left the ruins of his home to become a resistance fighter against Shinra. Eventually, the two would make their way to Midgar, but were without a home. In Sector 7, the two would often visit Tifa’s Seventh Heaven bar, and eventually,Tifa would give them a place to stayand asteady job working at the bar.
While there, Marlene would grow close to Tifa, who viewed her as an older sister or aunt as she would help out around the bar and keep an eye on it as Barret went out on Avalanche missions. During the events of the sequel film Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, Marlene told Cloud that he needed to forgive himself for his actions and go back to help his ‘family’, sharing her views on what a found family can look like.
Who Are Marlene’s Parents?
A Father Knows Best
Without a doubt, Marlene’s father is Barret, the leader of Avalanche and resistance fighter against the evil corporation Shinra. Barret saved her from the ruins of the village she was born in, and though he had a hand in that town’s destruction, worked to provide her a home and safety in a world plagued by illness and monsters.
For years Barret assumed that Dyne had died back in the aftermath of the Corel attack, but he and the Final Fantasy 7 crew would encounter him again at the Corel Prison, a massive prison built on top of the destroyed city. There, Barret meets with an insane Dyne,who now runs the prisonand is the only person who can let the party leave, claiming to hear the voice of Eleanor in his head. The voice of his wife begs him not to hate Barret for what happened in their past, but he struggles with acceptance.
A Father Back From Beyond The Grave
Forgiveness Comes At A Heavy Cost
Dyne believes that Marlene died back then, leading him down a nihilistic path of self-hatred and resentment and bringing him to be the prison boss that he is now. Barret attempts to help Dyne, telling him that his daughter is alive and well back in Midgar and that they can reunite, helping briefly, but Dyne quickly loses himself again, choosing to fight Barret instead.Dyne is so lost to his delusionsthat he even claims that he wants to unite Marlene with his deceased wife, implying he wants to kill Marlene, so they can be together again.
Barret bested Dyne, who, in a moment of clarity, told Barret that Marlene would not recognize him as it had been years since he last saw her, and she was a baby during the incident. As his last act, Dyne gives Barret an ornate pendant, asking him to give it to Marlene as a way to remember him and her mother. With that, Dyne’s final moments were of thinking of Marlene, making Barret promise never to make her cry, before jumping off of a cliff, this time to his death, but not before agreeing to let the party leave.
Even withFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth on the horizon, the events of Marlene’s past and the tragedy of her family are unlikely to change much with the release of the second title in the Final Fantasy 7 saga. Despite some major changes to events from the original game, much of what has happened in the past and the character’s backstories generally stay the same, and there’s no reason why Marlene’s would be subjected to change. While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth might not go into as much detail as the original, Marlene’s journey of found family is likely to stay the same.
