- "The real me is just an introvert who usually prefers solitude and peace."
- ―Zack
Zachary "Zack" Marshall (born as Zachary Wilson) is the step-brother of the five McReary siblings, and is introduced as a primary cast character starting with the ninth season of Sibling Rivalries. He also appears as the eponymous pentagonist of the prequel Zachary.
Description[]
As a shy and socially awkward seventh grader, Zack is the deserted biological son of Hector Wilson (the step-father of the McReary siblings). When he was 19, Hector had a drunken hookup with a woman one night, and she was unintentionally impregnated. Upon hearing that he was going to be a father, Hector was scared. He stuck around for a while when Zack was born, but left afterwards since he was not fit to be a father. Hector was very guilty about this, and never brought it up with anyone else again, nor did he tell his new family once he married Maureen and took her children as his step-children (being more of a family man and fit to raise children by his 30's).
Zack lived with just his mother, who was so disgusted with Hector that she never wanted to date another man again (going as far as to remove the "Wilson" surname from Zack and replace it with hers). Zack lived without a father figure and gave this as the reason for him being shy. Upon asking where is his father, Lacey told Zack all about Hector being a coward and leaving them, leaving Zack depressed and thinking Hector never loved him.
Zack was fairly new to Wisconsin Elementary School, and met the McRearys siblings until one day when they encounter Zack alone on the street. He was sad and hungry because his mother was running late to pick him up. He had no money and no one else to give him a ride to his house. The siblings decided to befriend him, and took him to the McReary-Wilson Family Café.
Once there, Hector and Zack meet for the first time since Zack was a baby. Hector is put into a depression and once again remembers how terrible he was to abandon his son, who still has a grudge against him but nevertheless remains best friends with the siblings (who Zack is revealed to be their step-brother). His debut comic, "The Forgotten Son", focuses on Hector doing his best to make up for abandoning his son and vowing to be a better father. Lacey was still mad at Hector for what he did, but he later made amends with her by proving that he will now take care of Zack.
Zack should appear more after this and become an important part of the siblings' lives, as well as the series. However, he does not appear in every subsequent comic after his debut, with any absence in a comic being justified by him being at his mother's house that week. Strangely, Zack did not appear in "Pack To The Future" to see Francis graduate or move away to college (once again, due to the character not existing in Season 8); however, later comic "Pack To The Past" retcons Zack into the future scene at Francis's graduation.
Hector has custody of Zack every other week from Wednesday to Wednesday, and Zack switches from his mother's house to the McReary-Wilson Residence. He lives in the former guest room, and is the only sibling along with Gerry to not share a room with someone else.
Zack is into Marvel superheroes, as in his room he has posters of Captain America's shield, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk hanging up. He is also into DC, or at least just Batman, since his curtains are covered with Batman's logo.
Sexuality[]
Zack is likely questioning, as he does not know how exactly to define his sexuality, although he is at least interested in the same gender as he is currently dating Steve Madison. This is first seen in Season 11 comic "The Cartoonist"; as Steve compliments his comic series, both boys are hinted to have crushes on each other as they walk away with hearts over their heads. After Zack puts his series on an indefinite hiatus which breaks Steve's heart, Zack assures him that he will still be there to comfort him like the comics did. After this, Zack and Steve appear a few times together such as in comics "Pockets Full of Posey('s Love)" and "Dog Gone?", hinting that they are in a relationship with each other. When Steve calls Zack cute in "Dog Gone?" and "N.F.Twerps", Zack blushes and says "Oh, Stevie..."
While Season 13 "The 100th Comic Spectacular!" confirms that the two see each other as love interests, it wasn't explictly mentioned again until later comic "Love, Stevie". In the aforementioned comic, their relationship takes center stage; Zack expresses concern for how his family will react to his sexuality, while Steve is more laid back about it. After their date is attacked by Joel Gonzales, Zack has no choice but to call the siblings over to teach Joel a lesson. In the process, their relationship is revealed - the siblings already discussed earlier on how they knew about their relationship and are very supportive, while Zack was so relieved to hear Hector and Maureen finally confirm they also care.
Future Life[]
It has been showcased several times and confirmed in "Rock n' Roll, Bro!" that Zack wishes to be an artist in his adulthood. He has also shown a knack for writing stories, but there is slightly more evidence that confirms Zack will lean more towards painting. In fact, one of the series' comic strips reveals that in the future, Zack becomes rich after one of his paintings becomes the fifth most popular one within a gallery. Ironically, this was after Steve accidentally sneezed on one of his completed paintings, adding a collage of colors that must have popularized it.
Aside from that, the rest of Zack's future is currently unknown as with the rest of his family. However, it is known that he will always reside close to his family and friends in Green Bay, presumably entering a life-long relationship with Steve as they learn to be more comfortable with their gay relationship.
Trivia[]
- Zachary was first subtly alluded to in Season 4 comic "Wouldn't It Be Nice?", which introduces Aiden Wilson (now a non-canon event). Hector refers to Aiden as "my first son with [Maureen]", which is an interesting choice of words rather than just saying "my first son", which wouldn't be true.
- He owns two red-eared sliders named Claude and Toby, who first appear in "One of Us?". Zack emphasizes that Claude was not named after Claude Tena, already having the name in mind for years prior.
- He gets extreme air sickness, which gives him vomiting fits lasting weeks after the flight. ("Maureen Be Not Proud")
- He was given medicine at the end of that comic and by "Living La Vida Familia", he did not show signs of sickness anymore.
- In Season 10 comic "Zack Attack", it is revealed that consuming sugar causes Zack to turn extremely extroverted and wild. This is a reference to The Big Bang Theory's first six seasons where Rajesh Koothrappali was silent around women under he drank alcohol and he became talkative (in fact, he would become a bit TOO talkative and creepy).
- In "Zack Attack", he mentions himself that he was an accident.
- He dislikes parties due to the large crowds of people that make him extremely anti-social. In "Zack Attack", his anti-socialness was corrected after he drank soda, but he mentions that he will never want to be hyper again.
- Zack is the only character in the series to have a known birthday after after October 21st, which is when the series began in 2013 and thus everyone's ages freeze. This would mean Zack had to be 12 years old until 2014.
- Zack has his name spelled on the doors of the guest room, which now appear in the background during any couch scene from Season 10 onward. Comics that show the doors with his name but does not feature Zack as a character (such as "Saturday Morning Imposters" or "Overprotect and Serve") does count as an appearance/mention.
- Zack's favorite meal is blueberries and cream oatmeal (presumably by the brand Quaker Oats, as author GTA Nerd also loves), as mentioned in his debut appearance, "The Longest Line" when he picks up more oatmeal at the store, and "Love, Stevie" when Steve delivers a bowl of oatmeal to Zack.
- Although he loves sci-fi movies, he claims that robots terrify him in real life. ("I, Rivalry")
[]
|
Other[]
First Generation |
---|
William and Emily O'Neill • Richard and Sophie MacCaurthy |
Second Generation |
---|
Paul (†) and Rachel O'Neill |
Third Generation |
---|
Gertrude and Nicholas Conner • Maureen McReary-Wilson and Hector Wilson (former spouse Aiden McReary†) • Ethan and Chloe O'Neill • Cameron and Brooklyn Andrysiak-O'Neill |
Fourth Generation |
---|
Note: Italicized indicates this is a step-relative, and a slashed name indicates the character was later written out of the series. Lauren Conner • Amy Conner • Francis McReary • Zachary Marshall • Patrick McReary • Dillon O'Neill •Aaron O'Neill • Gerald McReary • Derrick McReary • Kate McReary • Robert O'Neill • |
First Generation |
---|
Zachary Wilson I (†) |
Second Generation |
---|
Yvette (†) and Matthew Wilson (†) • Rosaura and Alfredo Belotti |
Third Generation |
---|
Fred and Valerie Wilson |
Fourth Generation |
---|
Louis and Carol Wilson • Hector and Maureen McReary-Wilson |
Fifth Generation |
---|
Note: Italicized indicates this is a step-relative, and a slashed name indicates the character was later written out of the series. Samantha Wilson • Francis McReary • Zachary Marshall • Adrian Wilson • Patrick McReary • Troy Wilson • Gerald McReary • Derrick McReary • Kate McReary • |