| “ | I mean, seriously, are you a man or a mouse?! | „ |
| ~ Marcel Champagne to one of his fellow mice in Fairest #22 — "Of Men and Mice, Part Two: Memories" |
Marcel Champagne is an animal Fable who is one of the mice who was transformed into a coachman by the Fairy Godmother so Cinderella could attend the royal ball. He first appears in a brief flashback in Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #6 — "Part Six: Ever After."
History
From mouse to man
Back in the Homelands, Cinderella was visited by the Fairy Godmother, who kindly offered to grant her wish of attending the royal ball.[5] As Cinderella played with four small mice, the godmother reminded her of the importance of returning before midnight.[6] She transformed a pumpkin into a carriage, some pigs into horses, and the mice into coachmen.[5]
One of these mice was Marcel. Unlike the other mice who had been transformed, he didn't wait by the coach. Instead, he snuck in through a window, and attempted to enter the party, only to be stopped at the door. Fortunately, a lascivious young woman called Isabelle Du Lac found him handsome and vouched for him. Eager to come up with a surname for himself, Marcel's eyes landed on a tray of champagne glasses and he introduced himself as Marcel Champagne.[1] Isabelle didn't waste any time taking him to bed. Though she commended him on his good work, she was surprised to learn that he was a virgin. As she got dressed, she mused that she never would have slept with him if she'd known — virgins get so attached. Their tryst had been nothing but a bit of fun to her. As she left, Marcel felt himself transforming back into a mouse, and begged her to come back. As tears welled in his eyes, he confessed that he loved her. Unexpectedly, this caused the transformation to reverse, and he was human again.[1]
Marcel had discovered that being in love with women he slept with maintained his human form, and as such, he slept with and loved a great many women. Over the many years, though, he also fathered several children who came in several forms, be they human, mouse, or rat. He tried to give them all the best lives they were able to have, but in the end, he abandoned them all. By some miracle of magic, the power that maintained his humanity for centuries erased the memory of him and the children from the mothers.[7]
From man to mouse
When a group of humanoid ninja rats launch an attack on the Wolf family,[5] Cinderella travels to Deshnok, India to find answers. Upon arrival, she spots a man who was meant to meet her Fairy Godmother there, but she is annoyed when he makes a run for it. Her old ally Ramayan takes her to the man, and Cinderella is surprised to learn that the man who had run from her before is in fact Marcel, whom she remembers from her night out so long ago, and now runs a Temple of Rats. She warns that he must go back to Fabletown, as he may be the solution to a significant problem. He agrees gladly, explaining that he has changed his lecherous ways and now helps people. As they make their way out though, gunfire causes chaos, and Ramayan is shot.[7] However, Marcel is not defenceless. Angrily, he warns the assassin, Cinderella's stepsister, not to defile his temple any further, warning that she would fall victim to his army of rats, should she fail to leave. The rats leap at her, giving the trio enough time to escape before she recovers.[4]
Meanwhile, Cindy, Ramayan and Marcel escape by boat, but Cinderella leaves Marcel alone for only a moment, and that is all it takes for her stepsister to sneak up on him. When Cinderella returns, she finds her with her hands wrapped around Marcel's neck, and angrily tackles them both, causing all three of them to flop over the side of the boat, and crash into the water.[4] Marcel struggles for air, and the effort causes his ability to maintain human form to wane. To her step-sister's surprise, Cinderella and Marcel are rescued by Ramayan.[8]
At the same time, the Three Blind Mice discover that the mundy-Fable rat creatures who attacked Snow White and her family all share the same father. Cinderella returns to Fabletown with Marcel. After briefing Snow White, they are interrupted by violent knocking at the door, and are surprised to see the remaining two blind mice outside, being chased after by a host of villainous rat-mundy hybrids.[8]
The rat ninjas are revealed to be Marcel's offspring. He attempts to halt the rats' aggression by identifying himself as their father, yet this action only inflames the situation further, as the rats are filled with rage over how he abandoned them. Some of the rats are killed when Snow tricks them into jumping from a great height. The Fairy Godmother defeats the rest with magic, but Marcel is returned to mouse form and blinded in the process. Leland and Prescott, who both have knowledge about blindness, kindly offer to take him in. Marcel then joins the Three Blind Mice, replacing the newly killed Thaddeus as the third member,[2] as killed Fables often get magically replaced by new versions of the same Fables.[9] The new trio is seen attending a surprise party for Crispin Cordwainer.[2]
The glamour crusade
The Three Blind Mice join the other animal Fables in the barn to hear Reynard the Fox's tales. The mice eagerly inquire about his supposed experiences with grand hotels, cheese boards and unlimited free Wi-Fi. When Mister Sunflower comments on the naive way the animal Fables voted Prince Charming in as mayor, the mice admit that there may be some truth to Sunflower's words. The mice and many other animal Fables join him in a raucous protest in the center of the Farm, with the animals demanding the glamours that Prince Charming had promised them when he was elected.[10]
Marcel, Leland and Prescott are among the Fables present for the glamour Lottery and subsequent glamour casting. When King Cole is accidentally transformed into a cat, he sets his sights on catching and eating the Three Blind Mice. Luckily, Pussy Cat saves them from becoming dinner. The mice make a run for it while the transformed Mayor is distracted.[11]
The Three Blind Mice can later be spotted in a panel among a group of animal Fables at the Farm bidding farewell to the readers in Fables #150.[12]
Miss Mousyworld
Marcel, Leland, and Prescott join the Fables at Castle Dark with their bags, ready to journey back to the Homelands. They ask Flycatcher if he can transport them there, as he is responsible for magical transportation between the different Fable realms. Leland insists that they are next in line to leave according to a book called the Big Book of Rights and Privileges According to Persons of Special Regard and Entitlement. Despite Flycatcher's doubts about this book and their desired destination — a land of beautiful mouse women and delectable cuisine where three blind mice are destined to rule — he agrees to transport them there.[3]
The Three Blind Mice are crowned as the triumvirate rulers of Miss Mousyworld, where they bask in the adoration of the stunning female mice that surround them. However, one of them complains about the lack of decent tech support since his tablet has been malfunctioning for a month, regretting their decision to choose a world with subpar technology.[3]
Appearances
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Original source
"Cinderella"
Marcel Champagne is based on one of the mice from the Charles Perrault version of the "Cinderella" fairy tale (no mice are present in the Brothers Grimm version). In Perrault's story, the fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden carriage, mice into horses, a rat into a coachman, and lizards into footmen.[13] However, in Fairest #21 — "Of Men and Mice, Part One: It Happened One Night," the Fairy Godmother transforms the pumpkin into a pumpkin-shaped carriage, pigs into horses, and mice into coachmen; and no creatures are turned into footmen.
"Three Blind Mice"
Afer being returned to mouse form and blinded, Marcel becomes one of the titular characters of "Three Blind Mice," an English nursery rhyme. It goes:
Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife.
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As three blind mice?
Etymology
Marcel adopted the name Marcel Champagne upon observing a tray of champagne glasses being served at the royal ball.[1]
References
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Notes
- ↑ Like in the fairy tale, Cinderella met Prince Charming at a royal ball, and married him; indicating that she and Marcel are from the same world as him.