Karl Marsten is the son of the late Josef Marsten. He was born a werewolf and brought up as a mutt, and followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional thief. He is now married to Hope Adams with two children.
|
This article is about the book series. For the television show, see Karl Marsten on The Bitten Wiki. |
History[]
He was part of an uprising led by Daniel Santos to overthrow the North American Werewolf Pack, but switched sides and joined them instead. After the events of Chaotic, he begins dating Hope Adams and teaches her the basics of breaking and entering. After an on-again, off-again relationship, he proposes to her in the short story "Lucifer's Daughter." In Spell Bound, it is revealed that Hope is seven months pregnant with their daughter Nita. Three years later, he and Hope have a second child.
Appearance[]
In No Humans Involved, Jaime describes Karl as looking "like Hollywood's version of [a jewel thief]." He stands at about six feet tall and has dark black hair, blue-gray eyes, a faint tan and sharp facial features. He is also described as having a powerful build and numerous scars which he is hesitant to show to others, excluding Hope. Elena states in Bitten that Karl could make anyone look "like a slob" or unnoticeable in comparison to him.
When he is in wolf form, he takes the form of a large black wolf.
Personality[]
Karl is noted to be very sociable, and is often prone to making sarcastic remarks. In earlier books, he is described as a "fence-sitter" who played nice with the Pack but never formally joined them, and is considered dangerous and untrustworthy due to his charm. He also has self-esteem and confidence issues, but is nonetheless devoted to his girlfriend (and later wife) Hope Adams; at one point, he gives her a charm and later an engagement ring inscribed with No matter what, showing his dedication and love to her. At first he was reluctant to be affectionate with her in public, but this changes as the series progresses.
He is a devoted, loving father to his daughter Nita and is her primary caregiver while Hope is away at work. He deeply values his family, with Hope noting that having a stable life has made him happier and calmer than before.
As a couple, Karl is described as a James Bond with his Bollywood star, Hope.
Powers and Abilities[]
As a hereditary werewolf, Karl possesses superhuman strength, endurance and reflexes, enhanced senses, an immunity to all diseases, and the ability to shift into his wolf form at will. He is skilled in sleight-of-hand, various securities, monetary acumen, transportation, fashion sense, and can speak several languages due to his long career as a jewel thief. He is also an excellent fighter, having spent years honing his fighting skills after the death of his father.
Otherworld Series[]
Territorial[]
Karl is approached by Daniel Santos and agrees to help him take out the North American Werewolf Pack. Flashbacks reveal how his father was murdered by Malcolm Danvers when Karl was a teenager. It is also mentioned that he killed Raymond Santos in revenge for his involvement in Josef's death.
Bitten[]
Karl is the only survivor of the mutt uprising, and is given Wyoming for territory as a reward for protecting Clay and helping kill the other mutts.
Chaotic[]
Karl meets Hope Adams, a half demon under the illusion that she is working on behalf of the Interracial Council. He shows her that she is actually working for a rogue cabal sorcerer named Tristan Robard, who is looking for personal revenge against Karl after he turned down a job offer. Chemistry sparks between Hope and Karl, and they plan to stay in contact.
Broken[]
Elena mentions asking him to look over some burglary plans before she and Jeremy go to steal the From Hell letter.
No Humans Involved[]
When Hope is kidnapped, Karl joins Jaime and Jeremy to rescue her and take her kidnappers - humans trying to gain magical abilities - down.
Personal Demon[]
Several months ago, Karl and Hope finally took their friendship to the next level and slept together. The next morning, Karl gave her the cold shoulder and they have been out of communication since. However, he comes to her aid when he learns she has gone undercover for Benicio Cortez to gather intelligence on an supernatural gang operating out of Miami. He and Hope rekindle their romance in the process, despite Jasper "Jaz" Haig's interest in Hope.
Living with the Dead[]
Hope and Karl go to L.A. to visit Hope's friend Robyn Peltier. They end up helping her with a murder investigation involving local clairvoyants. Karl refuses to bite Hope when she asks him to, and they later decide to take time away from each other with Karl taking a job in Australia.
Lucifer's Daughter[]
Hope and Karl attend a museum fundraiser and thwart a demon summoning. Karl proposes.
Thirteen[]
Karl is mother-hen to his pregnant and vision-exhausted wife, even within Cortez Cabal protection. He is shot in the head while trying to stop a religious cult from kidnapping Hope, but survives. Although he is temporarily confined to a wheelchair, he stubbornly participates in the rescue mission and is briefly possessed by his father-in-law upon his daughter's birth.
Forsaken[]
When Kate goes missing, Karl and Hope join the Pack to offer their support. Their small family has recently been abroad.
Life After Theft[]
Karl has seemingly retired from thievery and works part-time designing security systems while being a stay-at-home dad to three-year-old Nita. After he is framed for a high-profile theft, he works with Hope to clear his name. It is also revealed that Hope is pregnant with their second child. After clearing his name, Karl decides to semi-retire to spend more time with his family, only taking certain jobs for the right price.
Driven[]
Karl attends the Pack Meet and sees Malcolm for the first time since his father's murder. Elena worries that there will be tension between them, but he has little reaction to Malcolm's presence. His second child has been born, and is a boy.
Trivia[]
- It is repeatedly stated that Karl was fifteen years old when his father was killed. However, Territorial instead says that he was sixteen.
- In early drafts of Bitten, Karl would have died during the events of the book. However, Kelley Armstrong decided she could make more use of him and Scott Brandon was killed in his place, and Karl went on to become a recurring character for the rest of the series.[3]
- According to Hope, Karl's fashion sense was what made her mother accept their marriage despite the age gap between them.[citation needed]
References[]
- ↑ Karl turns 50 during Personal Demon
- ↑ Moved there to be with Hope after Personal Demon
- ↑ Kelley Armstrong's Tumblr