Maid Marian

Maid Marian is a vixen from Disney's 1973 animated feature film Robin Hood and is both the love interest of the title character, based on the character from the Robin Hood legend.

Background
It's stated that Maid Marian is King Richard's niece, but it's never actually revealed how they're related and she doesn't really appear to be related to Prince John, despite him being Richard's brother. Because of that, it can be assumed that Richard is Maid Marian's uncle by marriage---meaning that the sister of either Marian's mother or father was the wife of King Richard (making Marian's aunt the queen).

She and Robin Hood have known each other since they were young children and fell in love as they got older. However, several years before the events of the film, she left for London for unspecified reasons and had only recently returned to Nottingham.

Maid Marian is a very beautiful, ladylike, nice and kind woman. Despite being separated from him, Maid Marian is still very much in love with Robin Hood as he loves her. So much so that she finds the courage to plead for his life.

She also loves children and is happy to meet Skippy and the others when the former sneaks into the castle to retrieve his arrow, which he had accidentally shot over the walls of the castle as he was playing with the bow he had gotten as a birthday present from Robin Hood. She eagerly and willingly plays the role of the damsel-in-distress as Skippy (playing Robin Hood) fights with Lady Kluck (playing Prince John) to save her, and then takes her into a grove of bushes and trees that represents Sherwood Forest. She also kisses him on the cheek as a way of thanking him and to teach him how a hero should treat his "lady fair".

Indeed, it is thought that after Marian and Robin Hood are married, Skippy and Marian develop something akin to a mother-son relationship.

Robin Hood
Maid Marian is first seen in the courtyard of Prince John's castle, playing badminton with her lady-in-waiting, Lady Kluck. She invites a group of children, including Skippy, his two siblings, and friend Toby, to come to her when she discovers Skippy trying to retrieve an arrow, and later finds the rest of them outside the gate. She is described as being "awful nice" ("awfully nice", actually), and the children approach her without fear. After speaking of her past relationship with Robin Hood, she joins in the children's role play of Robin rescuing her. Later, in her room, she expresses her fear that she has been away so long that Robin has forgotten about her, despite Lady Kluck's attempts to reassure her.

She is next seen at Prince John's archery tournament, where she is to give a kiss to the winner. She is able to immediately recognize the disguised Robin and cheers him on throughout the tournament. When Robin's identity is revealed and he is sentenced to death, she tries to plead Prince John to show mercy and spare Robin's life and in the process admits she loves him, where Robin in return admits his love for Maid Marian. Though it seemingly fails, Robin is eventually freed through the intervention of Little John and she and Robin briefly embrace each other before the Sheriff intervenes. She is seen running from members of the Sheriff's posse when Robin Hood dramatically rescues her. He then proposes to her; she accepts, but playfully chides him for not choosing a more romantic setting. She then accepts his ideas of going to London, Normandy and "Sunny" Spain for a honeymoon, but politely objects to his idea of having six children, as she wants at least a dozen.

After escaping to Sherwood Forest, she takes a moonlight stroll with Robin and eventually goes to his and Little John's hideout. When they arrive, it's revealed that the townspeople are there and they all participate in a celebration for Robin and Marian's engagement, while at the same time making fun of Prince John. She is not seen again until the end of the film, where it is revealed that she marries Robin Hood and leaves with him on their honeymoon.

Cameos
Maid Marian makes occasional cameo appearances as a guest at the club in House of Mouse.

In "Halloween With Hades", she appears embracing Robin Hood, and in "Max's Embarrassing Date", she appears at a table with Robin Hood.

Once Upon a Time
Maid Marian appears in the ABC drama, but as a human rather than a fox like Robin Hood. She is portrayed by Christie Laing.

She is the lover of Robin Hood, but had fallen ill while she was pregnant with their child. To heal her, Robin Hood had to venture into Rumplestiltskin's castle to steal some magic. He escaped with the aid of Belle and hid out until Marian arrived on a cart. He manages to cure her illness, however, an arrow is shot by Rumplestiltskin, forcing Robin Hood to run off with Marian to escape him.

Emma Swan meets Marian when she and Hook go back in time to the Enchanted Forest (although unaware of her identity). She is arrested by Regina for helping Snow White escape and is set to be executed. Wanting to aid the woman's life, but not wanting to change the current timeline, Emma takes Marian back with her to Storybrooke in present time to prevent any changes from occurring. What Emma is unaware of, however, is that Zelena killed Marian when she and Hook left her unattended and took her identity so that she can find her way back to Storybrooke and ruin Regina's happiness.

Disney Parks
Marian appeared in the Disney parks as a meetable character in the years following the film's release but disappeared during the 1990s.

Unlike her animated counterpart, Marian's ears were revealed while her headdress was smaller and didn't hide them, but rather was between them. Also, her shawl didn't cover her ears either. And she wore white socks and black Mary Jane shoes.

Trivia

 * Maid Marian is the only female character from Robin Hood to ever wear shoes on her feet; all other females are barefoot; however, in the storyboards (particularly for the part of the alternate ending where she tends to a wounded Robin Hood and when she runs to hug King Richard, who has returned from the crusade), Maid Marian's feet are bare, too.
 * Despite being the love interest of Robin Hood, Maid Marian only appears in the film for 30 minutes.
 * During the "Phony King of England" number some of Maid Marian's dance moves are rotoscoped from those of Snow White and Duchess.
 * Maid Marian's design was eventually reused for that of Vixey's from The Fox and the Hound, though Vixey is less anthropomorphic and more realistic-looking than Marian.
 * Curiously enough, Monica Evans, Maid Marian's voice actress, as with Carolle Shelley, Lady Kluck's voice actress, also voiced Abigail and Amelia Gabble from The Aristocats.
 * She calls Lady Kluck "Klucky" the same way Robin Hood called Little John "Johnny".
 * According to Disneystrology, her birthday would be on May 1st.
 * There was a scene deleted from the final film in which she and Lady Kluck provided comfort to the poor people of Nottingham by showing them pictures of delicious food.