| “ | The pendant works for me! She shot herself, it wasn't me, you saw the whole thing! You work for me, both of you.. You worship me.. Because.. (laugh) I am.. I am the Empress of the Universe. | „ |
| ~ Maria, experiencing (and falling to) the power of the Quantum Compiler |
Maria is the protagonist of the season seven episode "Bête Noire" of Black Mirror. Her surname is not given.
She is a development manager at a confectioners who bullied Verity Green as a child. After Verity attempted to use her reality-warping Quantum Compiler to take revenge on Maria, Maria killed her and took control of the Quantum Compiler instead, becoming immediately mad with power.
She is portrayed by Sienna Kelly.
Appearance[]
Maria is a woman in her early 30s with long, curly hair and dark skin. She has a slim build. Once in control of the Quantum Compiler, she wears a distinctive metallic tear-shaped pendant on a chain around her neck.
Personality[]
| “ | So.. what.. now I'm threatened by popular people? Is that it? | „ |
| ~ Maria, discussing Verity with her boyfriend Kae |
| “ | No, I'm just saying that you, you like to be top dog. You love it when everyone's sucking your ****. | „ |
| ~ Kae |
Maria is a conscientious, hard worker, but prone to paranoia and distrust of others. She has a desire to be loved, accepted and respected, and quickly becomes envious of others who achieve these ahead of her. She fails to see any wrongdoing or accept any accountability for the way in which she treated Verity Green.
Biography[]
Background[]
Maria attended a school in South London. Her classmates included Natalie Caine and Verity Green. At school, Maria started a rumour that Verity had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teacher. This was then spread by Natalie, leading to Verity being ostracised and given an insulting nickname by the school. In reality, Verity spent a lot of time with this teacher as she was constantly teased and bullied for being nerdy and awkward, but never had any inappropriate relationship with him.
When she left school, Maria met Kae, who later became her boyfriend. Eventually, Maria joined Ditta, a food company, where she became development manager.
After Verity Green developed the Quantum Compiler (see Verity Green) and used it to fulfil her own wishes, Verity tormented Natalie Caine into suicide over the course of 5 weeks.
Black Mirror[]
Verity then targeted Maria, taking a job at Ditta in Maria's department. Verity used the Compiler's reality warping powers to have herself socially accepted and respected above Maria at work, leaving Maria envious and upset; she then began using the Compiler more directly to place Maria in unpleasant situations where reality did not match her memories. Maria realises that Verity's pendant - actually a remote transmitter connected to the Quantum Compiler - is the key to her abilities. After Maria is fired for attempting to attack Verity at work, she breaks into Verity's house to steal the pendant and discovers the Quantum Compiler in the basement.
Verity reveals the powers of the Quantum Compiler to Maria; Maria tries to deny any role in the bullying of Verity, but is forced to confess when Verity tells her that Natalie mentioned her name. When Verity taunts Maria about her intention to drive Maria to suicide, Maria attacks Verity. Verity uses the Compiler to place Maria in a reality in which she has broken into Verity's house with a knife (but does not remember this) and is about to be arrested or shot by firearms officers; but Maria, realising she is doomed either way, steals an officer's gun, shoots Verity, and uses Verity's finger to activate the pendant in order to gain control of the Quantum Compiler for herself. She immediately uses it to remove her murder of Verity from the timeline, thus escaping the police, and then to become Empress of the Universe.
Victims[]
- Verity Green - shot by Maria with a firearms officer’s pistol during her arrest. This became an alternate universe when Maria used the Quantum Compiler to specify that Verity shot herself.
Trivia[]
- Maria is not presented as an antagonist in the episode, but it is strongly implied that her bullying of Verity was more severe than she acknowledges or admits. It is also strongly suggested that excessive use of the Quantum Compiler corrupted Verity, and Maria immediately becoming the Empress of the Universe suggests that she may be starting down the same path.
- After killing Verity and taking control of the Quantum Compiler, Maria is potentially the most powerful single living entity in the Black Mirror universe. Although she lacks Verity's intelligence, and does not understand the operation of the Compiler in the way that Verity did, she could use its powers to change both of these.
- The episode title "Bête Noire" translates as "Black Beast", a term commonly used for a single person or thing that is particularly hated. However, a small number of fans consider the "black" term to refer to Maria's dark skin, meaning that the title refers to her state at the end of the episode. In addition, the fact that Maria gains her power as an indirect result of having bullied Verity at school is taken as further evidence that the episode represents a villainous origin.
- Maria is not stated to have any fighting experience and her ability to sieze a gun from a professional firearms officer, commit murder in front of them, and then fire on an officer without being shot herself may be considered a plot hole. However, it may also indicate that the use of the Quantum Compiler has resulted in a random suitable reality being selected, in which unlikely events were certain to happen.
- The name "Maria" can mean both "Bitter" and "Beloved", a possible reference to the length she will eventually go to in order to be loved and admired.
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Black Mirror: Bandersnatch | ||