It’s a shame that Finn and Minerva will never know what actually happened. From Minerva’s perspective, her partner abandoned her and took her son with him for no reason whatsoever. From Finn’s perspective, his father betrayed his mother and put his life in serious danger. The only one who knew what happened was Martin. But he didn’t want to mend any bridges that he burned and just stuck to the only thing he was good at before he met Minerva: being a con artist.

ohhhh that's why Finn is scared of the ocean

"You're ok doc" "Your mom was. . .ok, i guess"

When Young Martin winked at baby fin, he wasn't lying in the moment as he confirmed, but it *became* a lie when he couldn't uphold his promise. Thus, he now winks whenever he lies in an effort to hide that one broken promise that decimated his soul.

Season 6: Martin is an asshole Season 8: Oh.

Old martin uses the right wink to tell lies Young martin uses the left wink to a truth which the old martin used once when he said “family is important

When you realise neither Finn nor Minerva will ever know the true story...

“I meant to come back for ya but... I didn’t! That’s true...” the first time we see an ounce of humanity in Martin he feels guilty for not going back but honestly who would even expect their child to be alive after that much time. Still a bad person but an excellent character and arc

Whoa, the pirates that saved Martin turn out to be Tree Trunk's underlings when she was a pirate queen.

left wink = true right wink = lie

This reminds me of how Finn uses his 'vault' to store away disturbing memories so he doesn't think of them again. It seriously seems like Martin does the same thing with his past, which kinda gives it a deeper meaning too when Finn (and Fern) finally face the vault. It draws an interesting parallel between father and son, even if the writers didn't intend it

The character of Martin hit me pretty hard due to how my dad changed after the first of his concussions. This whole story resonated with me on a level i cant verbally describe.

To be honest, before islands I didn't think Martin was Finn's real dad

"Is everything you say a lie?" No, no." "Well, is there any way I can tell the difference?" "Haha, I hope not." Father of the year.

" You burn enough bridges, the only direction to move is foward "

5:33 When fins mom was pregnant she was watering a banana plant and when fin was born the banana plant was grown

Martin's mental barrier you were talking about could be akin to Finn's vault

I love that as different as Finn is from his father, he actually has a very similar method of dealing with stuff he can't handle in what he calls his vault. And we see Finn have reeaally similar problems with guilt too, where he blames himself for events he really doesn't have much control over.

It's a mixture of brain damage and trauma. Massive unending PTSD. He knows Minerva is still there, but he never goes back to her. He can't bare to face her. Even knowing Finn is alive and well, his brain can't process it, he can't ever go back to that moment in his memories.

Martins arc is really thought provoking it essentially ends in his suicide but it’s because he’s offered a chance to be reborn in a new more powerful form disconnected from his past completely.

the shark was the lady the loan shark the tiger was the tiger the squid was the grabby henchmen martins story was true but was all over the place and downplayed this man remembers but he is ashamed escapism at its finest

I've said this and I'll say it again. Martin was a conman, but Minerva and the birth of Finn changed him. When suddenly his life turned upside down to a point beyond repair (losing his baby son), he went back to the man he was. A lowlife conman with no regards of anybody but himself.

I always thought it was a shame Fern never got to meet Minerva. On the other hand, it's probably a good thing he never got to meet Martin.

Lowkey think Martin is a milder version of Ice King but still a parallel. He has some recollection, but it’s all almost gone. Much like Ice King don’t remember saving Marcie, Martin doesn’t remember saving Finn, whom he really loved.

It might be cheap story telling but it's also factual. Brain injuries can completely change a person's personality

10:27 this shot with the shadowing makes me see two faces, one happy but nervous, the other sad but content with his decision.

The idea that Martin's change of personality from being a protective father to a scumbag was due to brain damage is not "cheap". It is in tune with the theme in Adventure Time where the line between hero and villain is very fine. We saw that in Simon/Ice King, The Lich/Sweetpea, etc.. Adventure Time is careful in not lumping heroes and villains in nice black and white categories. It tries to tell the audience that the characters could easily turn - and that helps us not to be so judgemental.

I feel like Martin... intentionally left out Finn being born on an island. He was scared that the guardian was still there, and that it would finish the job.

Why cant it be a mix of amnesia and him becoming a jerk after assuming his child was lost and that he could never return home? They aren't mutually exclusive possibilities.

I just realized that Adventure Time has BUTTLOADS of tragic backstories. The mushroom war, Simon, Martin, and Evergreen were among the biggest.

As someone who uses escapism and memory suppression to deal with losing access to their sons, I can say that it gets hard to remember what the truth was.. You don't want to forget everything, because even the bad times were part of something you treasure, but it's so depressing - to the point that you cannot function at the most basic level - to dwell on the past, so you just label yourself as the bad guy because you're not there, and try to move on by keeping yourself constantly distracted with anything you can do to keep it off your mind; eventually it hurts just as much that you can't accurately recall the past, so you have a new reason to try not to.

I don't think the brain damage theory is cheap. Seems to be rather in line with adventure times theme, that sometimes you have no control over the person you end up becoming. Simon never chose to become the iceking, Magic man became mad through great loss and returned to good when his madness was transferred from him and the Lich and Golb never made the conscious choice to be bad, as destruction is simply their nature. Frankly, this is the greatest tragedy, being transformed into a scoundrel by your most selfless and heroic act, unable to even remember the good man you once were.

This is too sad. People always dismiss Martin as just being a bad guy but it is way more than that. I wonder if being an omnipotent comet has changed him. Really good video.

I love how in season 6 Martin's story sounded so stupid but in Season 8 seeing the S6 scene it makes perfect sense... genius

In one episode fin takes over as the candykingdom doctor while Dr. Princess takes a vacation and fin says being a doctor "feels right" That might link to his mom, Minerva, being a doctor on the islands.

The sentence “The only time non-sentient bananas were prominent was in the nightosphere, but back then they were demon poop” is NOT the kind of thing you hear about a regular cartoon hahaha

I guess without his Son and Wife, he had nothing two keep his good nature intact. Even when he met Finn he probably believed there was no way his "real son" could've survived such an ordeal. Not to mention the fact he was too far gone(as a good person) by the time Finn freed him. I don't excuse his actions, but at least now we can understand them.

Remember when Martin got a "new mode" from the Catalyst Comet? The Comet offers Finn a "higher mode of existence" and he declines, I think the higher mode is only offered to Finn because he's lived so many mortal lived already. Then Martin chimes in saying "I want a new mode" and him and the comet disappear. In the opening scene of the Gum War we see a purple and orange butterfly (purple like the comet, orange like Martins tanned skin/hair/orangish shirt?) Finn says "there it is again" off screen, which I think is actually a subtle nod to the butterfly. I think Martin is that butterfly, he wanted a new mode but in order for him to reach the level Finn is at he has to start low and eventually that butterfly becomes Shermy (orange reddish shirt, more of a renegade than a hero) who then finds the Finn Sword. "I always planned on coming back for you." Really enjoyed the video, Martin is one of my favourite characters and I don't think he gets enough credit. Let me know what you think of my theory!

I always thought the reason Martin went insane was because of the grief of losing his only son. He tried looking for him but due to the explosion he lost a good portion of his memories. So when he finally found his son he couldn't believe it at first, but when he did and realized what he did he just found he couldn't live with what he did. So he bailed.

Oh! I was watching this and I just had the thought: what if Martin winking at Baby Finn before he left the raft was their way of saying he thought he wouldn't survive but he still wanted to comfort his child? A lie, but a noble one. It would explain why they'd set the wink up as a sign he's lying and then have him use it there. It's also a good empathy moment, as it points out that lying isn't always about scamming people. Sometimes we lie to comfort people, or ourselves. Because the truth is heartbreaking. (I dunno!)

I wonder how finn would react if he knew the full story and the sacrifices his father made and how hard it must have been to try and tell that story even though it might not be completly true yes brain damage might messed up his brain a bit but still this must of taken alot to tell this story specially sense he feels so bad about it

All the old jerks have sad back stories

1:40 serious damage to certain parts of the brain can change your whole personality making a calm person short tempered

Yeah, the abandonment issues Finn has are all tied up with his ocean phobia. Like when he FREAKS on the jiggler momma rejecting her young. The abandonment issues and ocean fears come from the same inciting incident. Which is why they are both such strong traits in Finn. They just manifest differently.

I love the connection with Finn's hat and his teddy bear too.

so, technically, Martin was sort of telling the truth?

I think the story just evolved. They didnt even have the post-apocalyptic world idea in mind until the whole Frozen Salesmen episode.

When you think about it, Martin *probably* tried to hide his painful memories and past the SAME WAY Finn does with putting his trauma in “the vault”, and it makes me question if the way Finn deals with his emotions is inherited from Martin

Hot breadsticks is what we bake, we don't bake pie and we don't bake cake! Funny to think that Finn survived off of hot breadsticks with no water for who knows how long.

I think Martin's wink is more of an insincerity act. When he told Finn he'd be back for him, it could be argued that he knew he'd make a sacrifice and might actually not return to Finn. So his wink could be more of a reassuring, confident lie.

9:50 "DONT LEAVE ME HERE. I'M SENSITIVE TO IT!" he is 100% affected by the isolation

Martin did tell Minerva that if he wanted to con her he would make her feel bad for him and that's 100% how their relationship started, but I think Martin really did end up loving Minerva. After he was lost in the sea with Finn on the raft I think since he knew he could never go back he just tried to convince himself it actually was just a long con, so the loss wouldn't hurt as much. He is already a very charismatic and conniving guy, so he would probably use his own tricks on himself to numb the pain. After doing this for 16 years it fucked him up enough that he lost basically all parental instincts and any trace of his former self

i still wanna know what martin's cosmic crime was

To those concerned, yes, I am already working on reviewing the new episodes.

I like to think when Martin uses his left eye to wink, it’s his subconscious way of having good intentions behind what he says, and when he winks with his right eye he’s planning something bad. When he says “I’ll come back for ya,” or “Family is what’s important,” he really means those things, but his actions always fail to live up with them, and therefore, he uses his left eye to wink. He only uses his right eye when he’s outright lying to Finn

8:25 guess “the vault” runs in the family

I really want to see Martin again or at least to find out what happened to him after his interaction with the Guardian.

The first time I watched "The Visitor" I was pissed at Martin After watching this video a huge gaping hole suddenly opened up in my heart I want Martin, MInerva and Finn to meet again... ...or a whole season about them

"you burn enough bridges the only way to move is forward" later sets the entire drift on fire which is primarily made of pods and bridges

"if you burn enough bridges the only way to move is forward"

The thing is, the inclusion of the fish and squid in the improvised memory MAY be a part of Martin's experience surviving the ocean after hurting the guardian, but we have no way of knowing.

"i dont like being abandoned! Im sensitive to it!"

Okay but we gonna talk about how he got so THICC

When Martin said banana boat the family’s house looked like a upside down boat with a banana tree in front.

To me the wink he gave baby Finn wasn't meant to be taken as "he planned to come back" but that he actually believed that he was going to die protecting him. it was meant to make Finn feel safe when really he doubted he would be able to return to him. I mean if you think about it this makes more sense, they have shown to us multiple times that he winks when he is lying and in this situation, he was going against an essentially unbeatable monster. In his mind, he wasn't planning on coming back, he was going to die saving his son. on the note of the brain damage being a cop out, I have to go with Occam's razor. Although the solution you came to was interesting and likely did have bits of truth in it, it feels like a stretch meant only to make the character a bit more interesting but I see nothing wrong with this, I just don't fully agree. For me, I believe Martin did get brain damage which likely messed with his memories. This is why he can barely remember Finn or his mom. His lack of memories of his son results in him essentially treating him like he would treat anyone else he was conning. I also think as he sees Finn the more he starts to remember. which it seems like something he didn't want. This could be due to the feeling of regret he may feel about what happened or the fact that at that point in his life he had decided to let go of his old life.

Man, it was so easy for me to write off Martin's dialogue in The Visitor. I was happy that he was bonding a little with Finn, but this context gives the episode a whole new spin. Martin's actually one of my favourite characters and it was fun to see you dissect this scene piece by piece. I hope this isn't the last we've seen of him.

“Unlike the fictitious fish squid and seaweed- *BEWEBEWBEWBE* “ Edit: I should put a time stamp so here 7:50 And if you just want the BEWBEWBEWBE then here ya go 7:52

Maybe Martin's initial wink to Baby Finn was still to symbolize a lie, but not one of hardship, but one of mercy. Not wanting to worry his child in a situation he didn't think he'd be able to come back from.

I wish that Martin would've made an appearance in Come Long With Me.

My question is: What did Martin do to get into the Citadel?

It's really a heartbreaking story:(

So, Finn's vault has a hereditary link. If I thought something from my past was the reason my son died (which Martin had to have believed), I would never be able to face his father. And the only way I could live with myself would be to shove everything away, past and all, and never let anything close to me again. I recognized the line about burning bridges and moving forward because I'd said it before. I absolutely get Martin. This show is so freaking great at being real.

It makes me so sad to think that although he was somewhat of a con man, he really did love Minerva and Finn. I wonder how Minerva would react if Finn told her what became of her husband

The wink represents when he's lying but doesn't want to be it always has. He wished he could come back to Finn but in reality he knew he'd never beat the guardian AND survive. He really beat the odds there.

I had an idea that he did sustain brain damage, but after losing Finn, repressed the trauma for so long he has no idea what he kept hidden away from himself, blocking any memory of being a father so he still thought he was a conman like he used to be, so he genuinely has no recollection of who Finn is. So I see them bonding as Martin finally letting his time as a father resurface

Dude! Your analysis, your insight, your delivery, and especially, your editing, 100%

I believe even in the past when Martin winked at Fin, he was lying. Martin ran up to the guardian believing that he was going to die, thus starting the pattern. What do you say to that?

Crack Theory: Martin loss his memory, but after a time spent with pirates, becoming a douchebag and living a rowdy life, something began triggering his memories. Guilty due to the differences between his new life and his past life, he, like his son, mentally began blocking off the past. Over time, his mind began blurring the past and the present, especially after being reunited with Finn, which started making it harder and harder to repress the past. Whether he likes it or not, the old Martin is slowly seeping through, and the pirate dirtbag can't completely remain a dirtbag. And just like that, we get both scenarios forming a seamless and sad reality.

My theory is that he didn’t remember until he met Finn again. Then slowly his memory came back and he felt too bad to reconnect and burned bridges

I think that the whole idea of Martin suffering from major brain damage as a turning point is actually a very compelling narrative for several reasons that Uncivilized Elk doesn't dive into: 1. We know from the case of Phinneas Gage that brain damage can cause significant personality changes. Prior to his injury, Gage was known for being responsible, timely, and overall just a decent individual. However, post-injury Gage experienced a massive personality swing with many of his old friends describing him as overly emotional, easily enraged, and overall childish in nature. 2. Recent studies on the damage caused by multiple concussions have established a strong correlation between head trauma and severe brain damage which can lead to major changes in personality. Malcolm Gladwell brings this up in a podcast episode about Penn football (definitely worth a listen if you have the time). 3. Martin already has an inclination towards deception and running away from his personal problems. It's plausible, therefore, to imagine that a major concussion could exacerbate his pre-existing personality traits making him not only more prone to lying and manipulation but also incapable of distinguishing his lies from the truth. As for the story becoming "weaker" if Martin is suffering from brain damage I would respectfully disagree. Having a brain injury doesn't make Martin somehow less accountable for his poor actions or the damage that he causes. But it helps us, the viewer, understand why Martin is such a jerk and to get inside his head a little. The Islands episode allows us to empathize with Martin, and the suggestion that he has brain damage causes me to view him as a more complex character, not a less complex character. Without that description, Martin is just a sociopath--but with it, we can view him complexly and begin to understand what his life might be like.

The stuff with bananas may also be a reference to the banana "tree" the Mertens family used to have in their yard.

Did you notice he uses one eye left when he lies and his right when he cares

People’s personalities and behaviors have changed dramatically as result from brain damage many times. Its heavily documented. Id google it. Its not a bad plot device when used right. Adventure Time did a good job of it.

For me I see Martin’s character change is after he got amnesia at first he could remember nothing but he slowly started to remember but it was too late and the pirates had driven way out far in the sea and he didn’t know how to get back so with all the guilt he decided to block it all out and start a new life and like he said burn bridges.

Every time I watch the scene where they're in the sea in their way to encounter the giant I beg for things to go well, and my heart breaks every time I see Martin failing at protecting Finn.

How do you think Finn got his animal hat because he did not have it when he was on the raft in Min and Marty but in Memories of Boom Boom Mountain in the flash back he had an animal hat when Joshua and Margaret found him?

After BMO we can see Mr. M (almost definitely Martin) he has the earlier Martins appreciation for technology, though he appreciates it alot less.

“And the biggest twist is that this is a children’s show and you are all crazy”

Martin's defense mechanism reminds me of Finn's defense mechanism when he sees something too intense that he doesn't wanna think about (referring to the Halloween special with the Shoko ghost and the Worm King episode). Like father, like son.

at 11:11 i don't think he was lying, both shown lies, he used the opposite eye then in the past, but at 11:11 he used the same eye to wink, as when he said he was coming back for finn

Don’t underestimate brain damage some people completely lose their emotions over it just get a certain part of your brain is damaged

Just like finn, martin puts memories he doesn't want to remember in a vault.

I didn't see the wink to baby Finn as a promise to keep, I saw it more as a lie of "I'm sacrificing my life for you, but telling you we'll both survive to comfort you right now", and didn't search for him because he honestly believed that Finn's a good kid with the genes of his mom, so no matter what raised him, it'd be better than his lowly swindler of a father...

Damn, if I don't year for an AU where Martin somehow managed to reunite with Finn when they were both younger, when he hadn't had a chance to get so jaded, so lost from his own past and morals...

The pirate who found Martin was also the pirate who was on Tree Trunk’s pirate ship.

You know what makes me tear up more than the sad nature of the episode? The background music used for this video. The instrumentals for the ending theme and I remember you, as well as the sad Simon's tale music. All of these songs are so beautiful and filled with nostalgia that I cry just hearing them. Thank you for putting all of this work into your videos. I love seeing all of your deep analysis because I definitely don't have the energy to scan the beautiful background details. Thank you for giving us all of this perfectly-edited content, as you make me smile every time I click on one of your videos.

didnt martin already used the winks before meeting minerva/fathering finn? when he was being mischievous in the islands? god so much to rewatch...

Winking with his left eye is when he lies. Winking with his right eye is when he tells the truth

8:05 what this guy's said here, made me think that Martin also has "The Vault" that Finn also has.

7:52 You’re welcome.