Needless Character Analysis: Maddie Munroe

This week’s Needless Character Analysis in Maddie Munroe, from We Can Never Go Home. She’s a character that really has a great mystery around her, and took control of her life once it spun out of control. If you haven’t read it, then do so, because there are spoilers in this character analysis.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Maddie Munroe

Madison Munroe was adopted by a father that cared for her and a mother that she fought with constantly. Apparently, her adoptive parents were associated with some type of organization that had a secret motivation. When Madison was a teenager, she learned that in times of stress or anxiety, her eyes would crackle with energy and she would become extremely tough to injure and gain superhuman strength. She kept this a secret, even from her adoptive parents.

In her senior year of high school, Madison excelled, gaining scholarships to college and dating a star player on the football team. One night, he got drunk and at a remote location near town, he tried to force himself on her in his pickup truck. A classmate of theirs, Duncan Schmidt observed the encounter and when Madison’s boyfriend attacked Duncan, Madison used her powers to beat him and scare him off. Duncan walked home with Madison, giving her the nickname Maddie, since she expressed a dislike of her name. Duncan also confessed that he could kill people with his mind, something he discovered when he killed his mom.

The next day at school, rumors started going around about what had happened and Duncan was beaten up by Maddie’s now ex-boyfriend. Maddie chased off Duncan’s attackers and helped Duncan home. The next day, Duncan gave Maddie a mix tape. After listening to it at home, she went over to Duncan’s house to see him being beaten by his father. Maddie barged in, using her powers and killing Duncan’s father. Since Maddie had killed someone, Duncan suggested that they leave town. Maddie said goodbye to her adoptive parents and they left quickly.

Without any money Duncan suggested that they rob a local drug dealer, but the robbery went wrong when the bagman for dealer’s supplier intervened. He was no match for Maddie, but Duncan shot him in the head, saving Maddie’s life. The pair then crashed in a local motel, where Police confronted them. Maddie chased off the cops with her powers, but they fled without their money. After shoplifting new clothes for Maddie, they robbed another drug dealer, but had a disagreement with what to do next. This was when Maddie called her father who revealed to her that they were being followed. When she returned to Duncan he had been seduced by a shapeshifter pretending to be Maddie. The shapeshifter worked for the crime boss Mr. Carroll who while angry with them for stealing from his drug dealers, wanted to offer them jobs. Maddie and Duncan refused going on the run again.

They were then confronted by federal agents led by Mr. Lilley and including operatives with powers similar to Maddie’s. They wanted to recruit Maddie to find Mr. Carroll and put the blame on the men that they had killed on Duncan. They were able to escape when the shapeshifter showed up as an innocent bystander, giving them an opening. She drove them to Mr. Carroll’s home base, where he employed other superhumans.

In a sick test for Duncan, Maddie was beaten in a fight with several superhumans, including one that she killed. When it became obvious that Mr. Carroll was going to kill Maddie, Duncan helped her escape. Maddie informed the Agent Lilley where Mr. Carrol’s base of operations was while Duncan was tortured. In a raid, Duncan was freed by the shapeshifter and killed Agent Lilley. He fled when Maddie fought off ATF agents. Maddie ended up being blamed for the people that they killed, including Agent Lilley. Maddie escaped custody and drastically changed her hair. She was last seen when she stopped into a diner that Duncan worked in to tell him goodbye, since she was going off on her own.