Martha Marriott

Martha Marriott is an older female servant working as a butler and caretaker for Becky Blackbell, the heiress of the Blackbell family.

To Becky’s best friend Anya Forger, she is simply referred to as “Becky’s person.”

She is typically seen escorting Becky to and from Eden Academy and carrying her shopping bags, always staying one step behind in a classic butler-like manner.

Despite her reserved position, she is a reliable adult figure who offers Becky tough but caring advice when needed, and Becky in turn deeply trusts her.

Martha is depicted on the cover of volume 15 of the collected editions, with her younger appearance shown on the inner cover.

Even in old age she is described as a “beautiful lady,” and it is implied she was even more stunning in her youth, with a habit of changing hairstyles over the years.

Loid Forger infers from her movements and composure that she is a seasoned former soldier, a deduction later confirmed by her backstory.

Among the women in Spy × Family, she ranks as one of the physically stronger characters thanks to her military experience and combat-honed reflexes.

Internally, Martha often reacts to Becky’s crush on Loid Forger with dry, somewhat misaligned commentary.

Rather than focusing on the obvious age gap and legal issues, she tends to frame it as an affair problem, remarking that cheating is unacceptable for a young lady, even though at that time Loid dating Becky would also be a crime.

Martha’s personality balances discipline, warmth, and a bit of no-nonsense bluntness.

She is loyal to her employers but not afraid to verbally “poke” Becky’s father when his ideas become reckless, and he tolerates her attitude, showing his trust in her.

She is fundamentally practical and level-headed, able to accurately read situations and decide on a course of action even under pressure.

This practical side is rooted in her wartime experiences, where naïve idealism could be deadly if not matched with resolve.

Despite her strict and composed exterior, she has a deeply romantic side, as shown by her long-unrequited love for Henry Henderson in her youth.

That romance ends in heartbreak, but she later comes to regard it as a treasured memory rather than a lasting wound.

In a bonus story, when watching a romance movie with Becky, Anya Forger, and Yor Forger, she agrees with Anya and Yor that she would rather protect someone she loves than be the one protected.

Becky, who had hoped for lighthearted “girly talk,” is baffled and a bit disappointed by Martha’s serious, warrior-like perspective on love.

While she usually uses polite language, Martha’s speech becomes more casual and relaxed around Henry Henderson, resembling her younger self.

According to Henry, her true personality is somewhat “rough” or “careless,” less fixated on small details than he is.

Martha’s primary role in the main story is as Becky Blackbell’s caretaker, chauffeur, and guardian.

She ensures Becky’s safety, supervises her activities, and provides grounded advice when Becky’s imagination and emotions run wild.

During the Eden Academy school bus hijacking incident carried out by remnants of the terrorist group Red Circus, Martha demonstrates why Loid pegged her as ex-military.

While Becky’s father panics and tries to devise extreme countermeasures, Martha keeps a cool head, reins him in, and calmly assesses the situation.

When one of the hijackers, driven to desperation after the plan fails and his leader shows signs of reforming, attempts to flee by taking Anya Forger hostage, Martha acts decisively.

She swiftly incapacitates the criminal with a taser gun, moving faster than the State Security Service agents who were ready to shoot the hostage-taker even at the risk of hitting the child.

Her sharp reaction saves Anya’s life and prevents a tragic outcome, showcasing that her combat instincts and physical abilities remain sharp despite her age.

Her actions underline that she is not merely an attendant but a capable protector trusted by the powerful Blackbell family.

Later interactions and flashbacks also show that she remains in contact, directly or indirectly, with figures connected to Eden Academy and the world of education and politics.

Her reliability and connections are such that trusted educators like Henry Henderson and Donna Schloack can count on her when discreet, practical help is needed.

Becky Blackbell

Becky Blackbell is Martha’s young mistress and the child she is most closely associated with.

Martha is responsible for Becky’s daily transportation, safety, and overall well-being.

She supports Becky like a guardian, giving her the freedom to grow while stepping in with firm guidance when necessary.

Becky deeply trusts and respects Martha, but also occasionally wishes her attendant were more interested in frivolous romantic chatter rather than grounded, battle-hardened perspectives.

When Becky hears the full story of Martha’s youth and lost love, she is moved to tears by the harshness of Martha’s fate.

Afterward, Becky begins to see Martha as a “wonderful lady,” admiring both her resilience and elegance.

Anya Forger and Yor Forger

Anya Forger knows Martha primarily as “Becky’s person,” seeing her as a reliable adult attached to her friend.

Anya witnesses Martha’s competence and bravery during the bus hijacking, which leaves a strong impression on her.

Yor Forger, herself an extraordinarily strong woman, shares a similar “protect rather than be protected” mindset with Martha when watching the romance movie.

This small bonding moment shows that, although they are from very different backgrounds, they resonate on the idea of active, self-sacrificing love.

Loid Forger

Loid Forger, a master spy, quickly recognizes Martha’s disciplined bearing and infers that she is a veteran soldier with significant field experience.

This judgment is later confirmed as entirely correct by the revelations about Martha’s wartime past.

Indirectly, Martha is affected by Loid through Becky’s crush on him.

From Martha’s point of view, beyond the obvious affair issue, Loid being romantically involved with Becky would legally and morally be unacceptable, especially given Becky’s age.

Henry Henderson

Henry Henderson, a teacher at Eden Academy, is one of the central figures in Martha’s past.

They first meet as students at Eden Academy, where Martha transfers in during middle school and later becomes a top honor student, rising to the prestigious status of Imperial Scholar.

Martha’s talent for ballet and her elegant demeanor draw Henry’s attention, and he praises her grace, which helps them become close.

Over time, she falls in love with him, appreciating his earnest idealism and strict sense of propriety, even though he is oblivious to romantic advances.

Years later, as a 19-year-old in her 13th year at Eden Academy, she reunites with Henry after he has become a teacher.

Their teatime conversations resume, and her feelings for him deepen, but the worsening war and conflicting ideals drive a wedge between them.

Henry, who hates war, clashes with Martha when she volunteers for the National Women’s Defense Forces after her dream ballet company is destroyed by an air raid.

Their argument, born from differing responses to a brutal era, marks a painful turning point in their relationship.

After surviving the war and returning home, Martha happens upon Henry in the city and attempts at last to confess her feelings.

However, Henry’s wife, Lucia, appears, and Martha learns that he married a month earlier due to family pressure, crushing her long-held hopes.

Martha forces herself to congratulate them in a trembling voice, later breaking down alone under the weight of her heartbreak.

Years later, she looks back on Henry as someone she is proud to have loved, particularly because he sincerely loved his wife and remained faithful.

In the present timeline, Martha and Henry reconnect as old friends, interacting on a first-name basis and speaking casually.

The painful romance has mellowed into a shared “good memory of youth,” allowing them to maintain a warm friendship without reopening old wounds.

Notably, when Martha recounts her past romance to Becky, she never explicitly reveals that “he” was Henry Henderson.

Becky almost says that she has already figured it out, but Martha gently ends the conversation, saying that prying any further would be tasteless.

Lucia

Lucia is Henry Henderson’s wife and, in a sense, Martha’s romantic rival, though Martha does not treat her with hostility.

Instead, Lucia becomes an important benefactor in Martha’s life.

It is Lucia who helps Martha realize her dream of returning to the ballet stage after the war, even though Martha’s injuries prevent her from dancing as freely as before.

When Martha finally performs again on stage, Lucia rejoices with heartfelt happiness, as if Martha’s success were her own.

Lucia is described as a very kind, broad-minded woman whose goodness ultimately allows Martha to let go of her lingering romantic attachment to Henry without bitterness.

Even after Lucia’s death, Martha continues to visit her grave out of gratitude and respect.

Over time, Martha comes to see Lucia’s presence as a kind of salvation.

Without such a good-hearted spouse in Henry’s life, Martha might have resented her lost love instead of cherishing it as something she can be proud of.

Donna Schloack

Donna Schloack is Martha’s former classmate at Eden Academy, and like Martha, she once held the title of Imperial Scholar.

The two share a history as high-achieving students and maintain an ongoing connection into their later years.

When Henry Henderson is forced by circumstance to resign from Eden Academy, Donna quietly arranges for his transportation to the Berlint Ministry of Education.

She contacts Martha to have a car sent, showing that Donna trusts Martha with discreet, delicate tasks.

Henry privately grumbles that Donna is “overthinking things,” but this collaboration shows that both Donna and Henry acknowledge Martha as reliable support.

Martha’s role in these moments underscores her integration into a network of influential, long-standing Eden Academy figures.

The Blackbell Family

Martha works directly under Becky’s father, a powerful industrialist.

During the bus hijacking crisis, he becomes frantic and tries to propose reckless measures to rescue his daughter.

Martha firmly but respectfully talks him down, guiding him away from rash action and back toward rational decisions.

The fact that she can critique and “poke fun” at him without being punished speaks to the deep trust and value the Blackbell family places in her judgment.

Martha Marriott is an alumna of Eden Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the setting.

She joined the school as a middle-school transfer student and excelled academically, ultimately rising to the elite rank of Imperial Scholar.

Unlike the rather rigid Henry Henderson, whose seriousness caused him to become somewhat isolated, Martha was surrounded by same-sex friends and enjoyed a richer social life.

Her elegance and ballet skills earned her admiration from both peers and faculty.

In her youth, Martha dreamed of becoming a professional ballerina.

Her skills were praised as elegant even by Henry, who is famously strict about refinement.

She aspired to join a renowned ballet troupe, the Marlov Ballet Company.

However, as the war intensified, the company was wiped out in an air raid at one of its performance locations, killing all 17 dancers and leading to the troupe’s dissolution.

This tragedy shattered Martha’s dream and profoundly altered her worldview.

She came to believe that “even if you have dreams and ideals, they will be taken from you if you do not fight back.”

Motivated by this harsh lesson, she volunteered for the National Women’s Defense Forces, choosing to resist rather than remain a passive dreamer.

Henry, who detested the war and clung to idealistic principles, clashed with her over this decision, and they parted on bad terms.

At what was supposed to be their final chance for connection, a school dance party, Martha made a memorable appearance.

She wore a women’s military uniform of the national defense forces and dramatically asked Henry to escort her, intending to confess her feelings.

Before she could confess, an air raid warning sounded, forcing them to separate and cutting the moment short.

Martha lost her last clear opportunity to tell Henry she loved him, and she could not gather the courage to try again before she left for the war.

Even under censorship, Martha and Henry continued exchanging letters for a time, keeping their bond alive in a restrained, distant way.

Meanwhile, the war worsened, and Martha’s unit was effectively forced into front-line combat.

On the battlefield, Martha experienced brutal conditions, including so-called “blocking units” that would even fire on their own soldiers to prevent retreat.

Through sheer will, a series of coincidences, and some luck, she survived as a straggler and eventually made it back home.

During this period, Henry’s feelings toward Martha began to shift from affection to romantic love.

However, amid chaotic wartime information, he was mistakenly led to believe that Martha had died in battle.

With his family pressuring him, Henry reluctantly agreed to an arranged marriage, leading to his union with Lucia about a month before Martha’s return.

This tragic miscommunication is a key element of the “era and family status did not allow their love” nature of their relationship.

After the war, Martha managed to return to the stage as a ballerina, supported by Lucia’s goodwill and connections.

Her injuries prevented her from dancing as perfectly as she once dreamed, but simply standing on the stage again was an important fulfillment of her youthful aspiration.

She later reveals that she also served in a second major war—the same conflict in which younger characters like Loid Forger and Franky Franklin fought.

She simply comments that she “had a lot on her mind” at the time, hinting at complex feelings about war, duty, and survival.

From all available hints, Martha appears to have remained unmarried.

No spouse or children are depicted, and there is no mention of close family, suggesting she has lived out her life as a single woman.

Although her love story with Henry ends in heartbreak, the passage of time allows her to see it as a formative, meaningful part of her youth.

She continues to honor Lucia’s memory through grave visits and regards Henry with affectionate respect as an old friend.

Martha is a former soldier with extensive battlefield experience, making her far from the typical elderly servant.

Her movements are controlled, efficient, and precise enough that a professional like Loid Forger immediately recognizes her as a veteran.

During the bus hijacking incident, she demonstrates impressive situational awareness and tactical judgment.

While others panic or overreact, she remains calm, prioritizing the safety of the children and taking action at the critical moment.

Her physical abilities are still remarkable despite her age: she moves quickly enough to outpace armed agents and subdue a criminal without harming the hostage.

Her proficiency with a taser gun and her ability to coordinate her movement in a tense situation reflect her military training and adaptability.

In her youth, Martha possessed outstanding ballet skills, described as genuinely elegant even by Henry Henderson’s strict standards.

This background in dance contributed to her poise, balance, and grace, which later complemented her combat training.

Her combination of elegance, combat experience, and emotional resilience makes her one of the more formidable women in Spy × Family.

Yet she rarely flaunts these traits, instead choosing to present herself as a discreet, supportive attendant.

After surviving multiple wars and briefly returning to the stage as a ballerina, Martha eventually took on a new role as a servant to the Blackbell family.

The exact circumstances and timing of how she came to work for them have not been disclosed.

In her position as a butler and caretaker, she channels her experiences into quietly protecting and guiding Becky.

Her life of hardship, lost dreams, and unfulfilled romance shapes the wisdom and firmness she offers as an adult role model.

Though her youth was marked by war and heartbreak, Martha’s present is defined by dignity, loyalty, and a subtle, enduring grace.

For Becky and the readers, she stands as an example of someone who endured a harsh era, made peace with the past, and chose to live on as a “wonderful lady” in her own right.