Marcus Jackson

Marcus Jackson
Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: Next Class character
Duration	Next Generation: 1–9, 12–14 (regular) 10 (guest appearances) Next Class: 2 (guest appearances)
Full name	Marcus Landon Jackson
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	October 7, 1988 (age 27)
Residence	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hair color	Black (seasons 1–3, 6–present) Blond (seasons 4–5)
Network
Family	Kevin Jackson (father) Sandra Jackson (mother, deceased) Audra Torres (adoptive mother) Omar Torres (adoptive father) Mike Dallas (brother) Drew Torres (adoptive brother) Adam Torres (adoptive brother, deceased) Rock Dallas (nephew)
Children	Maria London Santos (daughter, with Manny)
Relationships	Manny Santos (ex-fiancé) Darcy Edwards (ex-girlfriend) Liberty Van Zandt (ex-girlfriend) Alli Bhandari (ex-girlfriend) Mike Dallas (one-night stand)
School(s)	Degrassi Community School (seasons 1–7) Banting University (seasons 8–11)
Affiliations	Degrassi Basketball Team (seasons 1–2) Downtown Sasquatch (seasons 3–5) Janie and the Studs (seasons 7–9)
Occupation	Student (seasons 1–11) Waiter at the Dot (seasons 8–9, 12) Musician (seasons 14–present)
Production
First appearance	"Mother and Child Reunion, Part 1" (Degrassi: The Next Generation episode, 1.01)
Last appearance	"#ToMyFutureSelf" (Degrassi: Next Class episode, 2.05)
Cause	Returned to Los Angeles
Portrayed by	James Claxton

Marcus Landon Jackson (born October 7, 1988) is a graduate of Degrassi Community School and college graduate from Banting University. One of the original and long-lasting characters in the Degrassi franchise, he was seen as the quiet, yet laid-back guy during his time at Degrassi, hiding the fact that he has autism until season 4. In season 5, drugs plagued his reputation, which nearly killed him and forced him to repeat his senior year. However, he fully recovered in season 7 and has lived a better life since then, graduating from Degrassi in 2007, and Banting in 2011. In season 10, it was revealed that Marcus had been adopted by the Torres family when he was 4 years old. Marcus returned from seasons 12 to 14, dealing with unexpected family reunions, an on and off again relationship with his brother, a near death experience, fatherhood, a renewed relationship with Manny, and a music career. His longtime best friends are Jimmy Brooks and Spinner Mason, despite each of their differences. He has also been friends with Liberty Van Zandt, Craig Manning, Marco Del Rossi, Paige Michalchuk, Ellie Nash, Manny Santos, and Emma Nelson. He was a friend to J.T. Yorke before his death in season 6. Marcus had two main rivalries, one with Lucas Valieri, who was the source of Marcus' drug problems, and another with Damian Hayes, who has been involved with his ex-girlfriend, Liberty, multiple times. His younger brother is Mike Dallas, and his adoptive brothers are Drew Torres and the late Adam Torres. Marcus is portrayed by James Claxton.

Character History

Degrassi: The Next Generation

Season 1

In the series premiere, Emma is excited to meet up with a boy from the internet, named Jordan. Marcus, Manny, Toby, and J.T. all warn her about the potential dangers of online dating and labels Jordan as a "potential stalker". However, Emma is convinced that Jordan is just a normal boy with whom she shares the same interests. The next day, Marcus learns from Manny that Emma might have gone to meet Jordan. Toby hacks into Emma's email account and discovers that "Jordan" has been telling a number of lies. After finding the hotel where Emma is meeting Jordan at, they rush to Degrassi Community School to inform Emma's mother, Spike. Fortunately, Emma is saved by Spike and Snake before it was too late, and Nystrom is taken away by police.

Marcus, along with Emma, Manny, and J.T., were teased by Jimmy Brooks and Spinner Mason because simply they were 7th graders. Marcus thought enough was enough and stood up for himself and his friends, demanding that Jimmy and Spinner grow up and act their age. Spinner wanted to attack, but Jimmy held him back and told him he got this. Jimmy was actually impressed that Marcus stood up for himself, and soon they began to respect each other. Jimmy tries to take Ritalin, medication that Spinner uses, in order to make the basketball team. Marcus thought it was foolish for Jimmy to do that, but Jimmy just went on with his plan. When Jimmy gets detention for being rough on the team, Jimmy apologizes to Marcus, telling him that he was right all along. Marcus accepts the apology, and tells Jimmy to use his brain, and he'll be successful in life.

Sean Cameron finished his exams and is on edge with Jimmy, so they organize a fight. Emma, Marcus, and Ashley Kerwin try to convince Jimmy not to fight him, but their rivalry knows no bounds. Emma tries to split the fight physically, but she is pushed down to the ground by Sean, causing the fight to stop. Both Jimmy and Sean are remorseful about what they did.

Later, Ashley's parents are out of town, and although Ashley and Toby were allowed to have only one friend over, Ashley ends up inviting Paige, Terri, and Hazel. Toby invites other friends as well, such as J.T. and Sean. While high on ecstasy, Ashley also invites Jimmy, Spinner, and Marcus, who all knew she was high, and Emma, Manny, and Liberty. After Ashley dances with everyone and makes a fool out of herself, Marcus was the first to see Ashley make out with Sean, and then she dumps Jimmy, telling him everything she thought of their relationship, hurting Jimmy deeply. Ashley tries to make up for her behaviour the night before, but Marcus tells her that Jimmy doesn't want to talk, saying she's done enough damage.

Season 2

Marcus is now in the 9th grade, after successfully acing a test to allow him to skip the 8th grade. Spinner wants to date Paige, so Jimmy and Marcus help him out. Spinner is embarrassed because of his body odor problems and asks Jimmy and Marcus to be truthful to him from now on. Jimmy, Marcus, and Spinner got into a big fight about the truth, which resulted in Jimmy revealing that his parents didn't like Spinner, and Spinner revealing that Jimmy's at his house all the time. Marcus came in and revealed that both Spinner and Jimmy are being idiots over speaking the truth. They all make up and agree not to be truthful about everything.

Marcus, Spinner, and Jimmy all befriend Marco Del Rossi, who is keeping a big secret from everyone. Spinner begins to suspect that Marco may be gay, so he constantly teases him about it. Although Marco tries to hide it by going out with Ellie, Spinner remains unsure. Jimmy and Marcus tell Spinner to lay off of Marco and try to be supportive of his sexuality. Ellie soon finds out that Marco is indeed gay and promises to keep it a secret. To keep it from everyone else, Ellie remains his pretend girlfriend for the remainder of the year.

Jimmy gets back together with Ashley, who is now a goth, something that Marcus doesn't approve. He is still angry towards Ashley for her behavior at the party the year before, where she was high on ecstasy. To prevent Jimmy from being hurt again, Marcus blackmails Ashley into breaking up with Jimmy by offering her $500. Ashley rejects the offer, and when Marcus tries to convince her for a second time, Jimmy walks in, just in time to hear about Marcus' devious plan. Marcus tries to explain that he's doing it for his own good, but Jimmy doesn't buy a word he says and demands Marcus to stay out of his relationship with Ashley. Marcus storms off, causing a rift in their friendship. Later, Jimmy begins to miss the old Ashley and starts to realize that Marcus was right about Ashley and apologizes. Marcus also apologizes for his role, and he explains that he just wants the best for Jimmy and cares for him. Just when they continue to talk, Marcus leaves when Ashley steps in, only to break up with Jimmy via a poem about separation.

Spinner was jealous of Jimmy's wealth because Jimmy could afford things, while Spinner couldn't. So, Spinner steals Jimmy's MP3 player without even knowing that Marcus caught him red-handed. Jimmy asks Marcus if he has seen his MP3 player, and Marcus tells him that Spinner took it. Although Spinner returned it to him and tried to apologize, Jimmy and Marcus distrusted him, causing a rift.

The school dance arrives, and Marcus and Manny are up for the Degrassi Luau King and Queen, competing against Hazel and Jimmy, Paige and Spinner, and Ashley and Craig. Manny recently was crushed in the heart by Craig, and when she found out she'll be facing off against Craig, all she could think about was Craig. Marcus had begun to take a liking into Manny, but at the dance, Manny was heavily obsessed with Craig, leading Marcus to think he was wasting his own time. Marcus told her that her obsession with Craig was just too much for him to handle and leaves the dance. Fortunately, Marcus and Manny did not win King and Queen, as it was awarded to Craig and Ashley. The next day, Marcus and Manny apologized to each other. Surprisingly, Manny was finally over Craig asked Marcus out on a date, starting a relationship.

Season 3

Although Marcus and Manny's relationship has been going pretty well, Manny felt she was not garnering the attention from other boys nor the popularity as she had hoped. To change this, Manny showed up to school with a complete new look and attitude, something neither Marcus nor Emma approved of. Throughout that day, Manny was treating Emma horribly and even insulted Marcus by labeling him as "boring". Marcus heard her and tried to give her a reality check, saying that if she doesn't change her ways, she'll lose the people she means the most to. Manny, however, didn't even care, and Marcus broke up with her, ending not only their relationship, but their friendship as well.

Jimmy and Marcus are very supportive of Marco coming out, and they comfort him after he is gay bashed. Spinner, however, continues to have problems with it. After writing "Marco is a fag" on a wall in the boys' bathroom, both Jimmy and Marcus are disgusted about it. Jimmy asks Spinner if he's going to add something about Jimmy being black, while Marcus asks if he'll write something about him being a dork due to his academic success. Later, Jimmy organizes a sleepover with Marcus, Marco, and Spinner. After Marco saved Spinner from choking on a piece of cheese, Spinner finally comes to terms with his sexuality. Marcus also performs in a Battle of the Bands competition with Downtown Sasquatch.

Since Marcus ended his friendship with Manny, she developed a relationship with Sully. Marcus confronted him and asked if he was really in love with Manny or he was using her for her looks. Sully told him to back off because it was between him and Manny. Marcus didn't take no for an answer, so he pushes him and eventually gets in a fight with him. Because of his actions, he was forced to attend Saturday detention. Marcus speaks to Manny for the first time since they broke up, and after telling her that Sully was using her, they both apologize to each other and decide to remain friends.

On Saturday detention, when he thought he was the only student there, he realizes that Sean, Ellie, Toby, Hazel, and Jimmy are also there as well. Then, they played a game of truth or dare, where everyone had to tell why they ended up in detention. Marcus confessed that he's there because he fought with a loser that used Manny for her looks. The gang are bonding until Mr. Raditch separates them. They manage to regroup and take a trip through the school, ending up on the rooftop. Mr. Raditch catches Toby on the roof, and they immediately rush back inside. When evidence of the escape is found, Toby confesses and takes the blame. Just as Ellie is getting ready to take a group photo, her tape recorder falls out and it reveals that she was double crossing Sean, which the others are disgusted by. On Monday, all of the attendees are friends with the exception of Ellie.

The end of year dance turned out to be a hectic one for Marcus, Jimmy, Hazel, Spinner, and Paige. Their very Western-styled limo driver is arrested, forcing them to arrive at the dance in a police car. They were supposed to go to a place they made reservations to have dinner at, but because Spinner and Paige ran off without paying a few weeks earlier, it is no good. Everyone is having a good time until the school almost burns down, forcing everybody to continue the dance at the parking lot. The remainder of the dance is peaceful and festive, as Marcus dances with Liberty.

Season 4

When Rick returns to Degrassi, Marcus bullies him like everyone else because of his violent actions toward his friend, Terri MacGregor. They corner him at The Dot, but he is defended by Emma.

Although Marcus was seen as an outgoing person, nobody knew about his secret since he was born. To hide it even further, he dyed his hair to blonde, leading Jimmy to suspect that something was up with him. Jimmy invited Marcus to what was supposed to be a "movie night", but it turned out to be a heated confrontation. When Marcus arrived, he was heavily intoxicated, forcing Jimmy to take extreme measures confronting him. Jimmy had no choice but to splash a bucket load of water to Marcus' face, which finally knocked some sense into Marcus. Jimmy demanded a reason why Marcus was trying to destroy himself, so Marcus confessed that he was born with a mild case of autism, a social disorder. Marcus dyed his hair and drank alcohol so people wouldn't find him as socially awkward. Jimmy comforted him, letting him know that he didn't had to take extreme actions with his life just to prove himself as a person. Marcus realized that Jimmy was right, and eventually autism wasn't a problem for him anymore.

When Rick is humiliated at the "Whack Your Brain" academic challenge, he returns to school only to bring a gun and then shoots Jimmy with it, paralyzing him from the waist down. Craig and Marcus were walking down the hallway when they found Jimmy lying face down on the ground, sending Marcus into a complete shock, which caused him to collapse and faint. While Marcus was later released from the hospital, he continued to see flashbacks of what he saw before he fainted. Nevertheless, Marcus, along with Craig and Marco, were very supportive in the aftermath of the shooting, and they helped him escape the hospital to see his favorite rock band.

Jimmy finally returns to school, and while everyone is thrilled, Spinner remains guilty. When Spinner confessed to Jimmy his part of the shooting, Jimmy, Marcus, and everyone else shun him for his actions. Later, a drunk Spinner tries to crash Jimmy's "Welcome Back" party, but everyone tells him to leave. Nights later, Marcus catches Spinner and Jay inside the school, and wants to know what are they up to. Spinner tells him that he is going to burn the school down, forcing Marcus and Jay to stop him. Spinner and Jay vow Marcus to not tell anybody about this, and reluctantly, he keeps his word.

One day at school, Darcy Edwards accidentally bumps into Marcus at the hallway, which causes her stuff to fall on the floor. Marcus helps her pick up her things until both of their hands meet with each other. They both pull away and introduce one another. Darcy invites Marcus to go see a movie with her, and he accepts. After the movie, they get to know each other more, which spikes their interest in each other. Darcy revealed how she was always nervous when it came to love, but Marcus convinced her that he is always faithful and speaks nothing else but the truth. Marcus then drives Darcy to her house, and before she exits the car, she kisses him on the cheek and gave him her phone number and email address, starting a relationship.

Season 5

With his return to Degrassi, Spinner tries to get everyone to realize that he's a better person. However, nobody was convinced, which led Marcus to have Craig fire Spinner from his band, Downtown Sasquatch. When Spinner wonders why he has been fired, he learns that Marcus was responsible, but for a good cause. Marcus lashes out at Spinner for being so cold-blooded and brainless, referring to his role in the shooting the previous year. Spinner was about to punch Marcus before Craig broke it up. A day later, at the locker room, Spinner confronts Marcus and reminds him to try to move on from the last school year. Marcus found that impossible because the image of him seeing Jimmy on the floor will forever haunt him. Before Marcus left, he tells Spinner that he can't forgive him for his actions, at least not in that moment, leaving an open door for them to become friends again.

Marcus' relationship with Darcy had gone well at first, but it has since went idle between them. Spinner had been taking interest in Darcy, in which she invites him to a Christian group named The Friendship Club. Marcus was going to see Darcy at her house, but her mom told him that Darcy was at The Dot. Then, he goes over there and discovers her with Spinner, talking to each other. He even saw Darcy pull into a kiss to Spinner, angering him even more. Marcus came close to causing a scene inside The Dot, but he instead just stormed out the area. A week later, Darcy tried to talk to Marcus, but he brushed her off and told her what he saw at The Dot. Darcy felt ashamed of herself and tried to get him to reconcile, but Marcus refused, ultimately breaking up with her. After leaving, Marcus then punches Spinner for stealing Darcy from him and threatened to tell her about his previous sex life with Manny, whom Darcy is a virgin and believed in virginity until marriage.

Marcus is now within months away from heading to college. However, Marcus has a hard time imaginating his future without his friends around him. Also, Marcus feels without his friends, he would be living a boring life, something he was not wanting to happen. In order to "spice" up his life, Marcus meets with a drug dealer named Lucas Valieri and asks him for some marijuana. Lucas was unsure though, as drugs were no joke to him. Marcus said that he really needed it, and after Lucas gave it to him, he began taking the drug.

At first, Marcus didn't use marijuana as he had hope to. However, final exams and an college interview with Banting University were coming his way, building a lot of stress for Marcus to handle. That is when his usage for marijuana began to increase, and he became heavily addicted to it. Jimmy noticed Marcus' strange behavior and wondered if everything was okay with him. Marcus told him he was fine, although Jimmy didn't really buy it. Marcus began to start skipping classes and school, and one day after school, Jimmy found Marcus in the alley, taking marijuana. Jimmy reminded Marcus that he is on the verge of failing the school year, which would force Marcus to repeat the 12th grade. Marcus didn't really care anymore, saying that his life lately has been hell. After Jimmy called Marcus an "idiot", Marcus reminded Jimmy how much of an idiot he is for not running from Rick Murray while he had the chance before he got shot. Shocked from what he just heard, Jimmy punches Marcus and tells him to go to hell, putting a huge strain into their long-time friendship. The next day, Marcus confronts with Darcy, who is trying to earn his trust from him again, but she smells marijuana from his breath, leading her to suspect that Marcus has been taking drugs. Then, Marcus is called to Ms. Hatzilakos' office, where he sees Ms. Sauve, the school counselor, and Darcy. Ms. Hatzilakos recommends that he gets help and try to talk to Ms. Sauve, but Marcus denies the help and storms off. Later at night, while high on marijuana, Marcus finds Jay, who recommends him to start using cocaine, a more powerful and deadlier drug than marijuana. Marcus rejects it at first, however, he was getting burnt out of marijuana, so he accepts it.

Once Marcus starts using cocaine, like marijuana, he immediately becomes addicted to it. Marcus didn't take the consequences of the drug seriously until one night, when he was out partying at the ravine instead of studying for a final exam. People at the party noticed that Marcus' nose was beginning to bleed, but it didn't stop him from partying. Jay threatened to throw Marcus out of the party, and right when Marcus was about to pick a fight with him, Marcus began to cough heavily and fainted, landing him in the hospital. When he finally woke up two days later, he found Jimmy at his hospital room. It was revealed that Marcus landed in cardiac arrest, nearly killing him. Marcus got deeply emotional and told Jimmy that he needed professional help and that he was sorry for his erratic behavior. Jimmy accepted his apology and reminded him that no matter what happens, he'll always be right by his side.

After being released from the hospital, Marcus had to talk to the school principal, Ms. Hatzilakos. She told him that because of his failing grades, he would have to repeat the 12th grade. She wanted to know what caused him to turn his life upside down, and Marcus told her that his life was boring and thought drugs would help him. Although he wanted to just leave Degrassi, she convinced him to stay, but also told him that his drug use will never happen again. Marcus made sure that his life will move on for the positive, not the negative.

Liberty met up with Marcus after finding him at the stairs of the school. He told her what has happened to him from the past year, and that he's made a huge number of mistakes. Liberty told him that he wasn't alone, as she recently gave birth to her baby and eventually gave it up for adoption. Realizing that they have made major mistakes in their lives, Liberty and Marcus share a kiss, which unexpectedly started a relationship between them.

Despite not being able to graduate as he wanted to, Marcus still attended the graduation. While there, Ashley Kerwin returns to Toronto to finish her senior year at Degrassi. Jimmy learns that he has to repeat his senior year because of him missing a large amount of school for recovery from his gunshot, which resulted him to have a few credits short to graduate. This makes Jimmy extremely upset, causing him to take his anger out on Spinner, who was trying to help pick up his books he dropped. Marcus and Marco break up the scuffle, and Marcus reveals to Jimmy that he has to repeat his senior year too. Then, at the "Fifty Years of Degrassi" history festival, Marcus talks to Spinner for the first time since after he broke up with Darcy, where he apologizes for holding a huge grudge on him for over a year and finally accepts his apology. The next day, at the graduation ceremony, Jimmy apologizes to Spinner, thus making Marcus, Jimmy, and Spinner all friends again, making one dream goal for the upcoming year: to graduate altogether. To make sure nothing would prevent that from happening, Marcus checked in to rehab in an attempt to move on from his dark past.

Season 6

Following a tumultous and life-threatening year, Marcus figured his repeated senior year would be the best year of his life. Things were going great with him and Liberty, which apparently wasn't okay with J.T. He told Marcus that Liberty is only using him as a rebound. Marcus didn't appreciate the fact that J.T. was trying to say what's right when J.T. was using drugs just to provide a home for him, Liberty, and her baby. J.T. and Marcus then got into a fight, only to be broken up by their girlfriends, Mia and Liberty. This is what led Liberty to have strong feelings for J.T. again.

Spinner is dealing with his breakup with Darcy, and after reading a poem about his breakup to Jimmy, Ashley, and Marcus, they tell him that he needs to get out of the funk he's in and start having fun. After Paige compliments Spinner's new shirt, Spinner gets the idea that he, Jimmy, and Marcus should start selling shirts with Jimmy's designs. They set up shop on the side of a busy road. Several people buy their shirts, and they end up selling out. As the trio pass by a "For Lease" sign on the ledge of a window on an empty building, Spinner gets the idea that they should open up a shop. With the money Spinner saved up working at The Dot and Jimmy's trust fund money, it was made possible. One night, two men enter the shop when Jimmy is there by himself. When Spinner and Marcus enter, the two men are in different spots. One guy is holding the box with their money in it, and another is grabbing onto Jimmy. As Spinner nails the guy grabbing Jimmy to the wall, Marcus tries to stop the guy with the money, but he escapes. When the police arrive, Jimmy decides not to reopen the shop even if the money is found. Jimmy and Marcus both remind Spinner of the way he pinned the thief to the wall and that he could make a great cop one day.

Marcus' relationship with Liberty begins to go South, and things don't appear to get any better as the only person Liberty tends to think about is J.T., not Marcus. Marcus reveals to Liberty that they should break up because it was clear that Liberty still had feelings for J.T. While Liberty tried to deny the feelings, she realized that her heart belonged to J.T. Marcus and Liberty still remain friends, and Liberty thanks Marcus for understanding her heart.

Marcus felt everything was in place in his life until the past begins to resurface. One night, Marcus returns to the alley where his life changed from the year before and finds Lucas. Lucas jokingly asked Marcus if he wanted more drugs, and after Marcus said no, three guys from Lakehurst appear out of nowhere. It is revealed that the drugs Marcus took costed money, and Lucas wanted the money immediately. Since he had no idea about it, Marcus told him that he didn't had it with him, which led to some deadly consequences. Lucas and his crew began to get violent with Marcus, as they punch and kick him very severely. After reaching the breaking point, Lucas and his crew flee from the scene, leaving Marcus bleeding and in severe pain. Fortunately, Spinner manages to find him and takes him to the hospital. Marcus was listed in critical condition, but he is expected to make a full recovery. Marcus told Spinner about what happened that night, but also told him not to worry. Spinner, however, wanted to make sure that nothing like that night will ever happen to Marcus again.

Marcus, despite the injuries, attended Liberty's 17th birthday party. Marcus appeared to be having a good time until he met up with Jay. Apparently, Jay made Marcus some "brownies", which is actually marijuana made to look like brownies, as a way to seek revenge for dethroning his party months earlier with his erratic behavior and near-death experience. Marcus begins to eat them, which causes his behavior to act up. Emma wanted to kick Marcus out, but he already had left. Marcus was furious when it turns out the brownies contained marijuana. When he returned to the party to seek revenge at Jay, he found two Lakehurst students with J.T., and one of them stabbed him in the aorta, prompting him to call 911. At the hospital, it was revealed that J.T. didn't make it, declaring him dead. J.T.'s friends were in shock and disgust, and when Liberty asked Toby if J.T. was okay, everyone came for a group hug.

Marcus comforts Liberty with the loss, although he noticed that she hasn't shed a tear since J.T.'s death. When Toby finally tells Liberty that J.T. still had feelings for her, Liberty was very upset and Marcus told Toby to leave her alone. During J.T.'s memorial service, Liberty finally begins to break down and cry, with Marcus comforting her. After the service, Marcus helped Liberty, Toby, and Mia clean out J.T.'s locker.

Spinner and Marcus try to get Marco to have some fun, so Marco suggests they go to Daytona Beach and relax. Before they left, they went to a club where Jay told them that he played poker with some other guys and invited Marco, Spinner, and Marcus to come along. That night, Marco won lots of money and they went out to celebrate. The next night, they played again but this time, Marco lost $1100. Spinner and Marcus try to tell Marco to stop playing poker following that big loss of money, but Marco continues to play anyway. After Marco is arrested for playing poker at Spinner and Jimmy's store, a cop asks Spinner and Marcus if he was allowed to be at the shop, and they both said no.

Marcus began to receive weird phone calls from an unknown number. When he tried to call back to the unknown caller, he was unable to get the line through. Thinking it was planned by Lucas and his Lakehurst gang, Marcus went to change his phone number. However, it was not Lucas who was doing the calling, but it was his biological father, Kevin Jackson, who abandoned Marcus and his little brother at a car accident while Marcus was young. Kevin's intentions were to meet up with Marcus, but because he was unable to talk to him, he realized that he wasn't ready to see Marcus, at least not yet. Marcus originally thought it was his father, but he didn't want to jump into conclusions, considering his father had already disappointed him enough despite only 6 years of knowledge of him.

Season 7

As the second semester commences, Marcus is shocked to learn that after a devastating fire destroyed Lakehurst, Lakehurst students would be forced to attend Degrassi. Marcus didn't approve of this at all, especially because Lucas is there. Marcus confronts Lucas and reminds him to stay out of his way. Marcus was about to fight, but Spinner stopped him from going any further. Spinner reminded Marcus that they're within months away from graduating, and that he doesn't want anything to prevent from that happening. Marcus reluctantly lets Spinner take care of him. However, Marcus still seeks revenge for the hell Lucas put him through. Lucas was told to meet up with Marcus at the alley, and once Lucas arrived, Marcus appears with a gun, prepared to shoot. Spinner finds Marcus and he barely misses being shot. As Marcus tries again, Lucas manages to hold Marcus under gunpoint. Luckily, Lucas lets him go by pushing him to the ground and leaves the scene. Soon, after Marcus realizes that he can't throw away his life again, he forgets Lucas, although he knows deep in his mind that it's not over.

When Craig's CD finally comes out, Jimmy and Marcus were happy that they were mentioned in the shout-outs, but Craig used one of Ashley's songs, which inspired her to return to music. Ashley wanted Jimmy and Marcus to follow her on her dreams, so Jimmy and Marcus wrote a rap for Ashley's song, "Tell Me Lies". When Ashley was dog-sold by the crowd to play a song by Craig, Jimmy saves her by going onstage with his rap. While Marcus and the crowd were impressed, Ashley felt she was playing the "side-kick" role again, just like with Craig. The track was then heard by Griffin, Ellie's new roommate, and asked Jimmy to perform at a show. While Jimmy performed, Ashley stepped aside to let him have the spotlight. Griffin showed their work to a record producer and asked the trio to make a demo. Marcus and Jimmy are excited about the opportunity, and they ask Ashley to manage it. Ashley ended up deleting Jimmy's rap and sent the producer just her song instead, unaware that Marcus saw her red-handed. When Jimmy found out about this, Jimmy and Marcus remind Ashley that she's on her own.

Spinner begins to experience pain in his lower stomach and groin area, and confides in Marcus and Jimmy, who both recommend him to see a doctor. A fight breaks out between Lucas and Liberty's younger brother, Danny. When Lucas tells Liberty that J.T. "asked for it", she tries to attack him, leading Marcus and Spinner to break it up. After Spinner experiences even more pain, he tells Jimmy and Marcus how much he's scared. The next day, Spinner confirms that he has testicular cancer. When Spinner tries to pick a fight with Johnny DiMarco instead of going to his operation, Jimmy and Marcus try to tell him that he can't fight cancer with his fists. Realizing that by fighting it would make his recovery difficult, Spinner goes through the operation instead of fighting.

Later, Spinner starts to receive the bad side effects of chemotherapy, so, recommended by Jay, he starts taking marijuana. Marcus discovered his usage of the drug and tried to get to stop taking it, considering it had a huge impact to his life. However, Spinner convinced him it has been almost a year since he last took marijuana, so reluctantly Marcus re-used the drug again. While high, Marcus and Spinner hang with Darcy, who is in a dark place in her life. Soon, Marcus receives flashbacks from when he took drugs and when he nearly overdosed himself to death, which causes him to realize that he cannot take drugs again, even if it's only just one time. As a result, he leaves and it remained the last time he touched drugs until season 13.

Marcus and Liberty hadn't talked to each other since J.T.'s memorial service, so they insist on going out to dinner to reconnect. Marcus was unsure that Liberty was ready to deal with love after J.T.'s untimely death, but Liberty told him that even though he will always have a place in her heart, she has to move on so she won't become too fragile. Marcus makes their second relationship official with a kiss, with nothing holding their feelings back from each other.

Spinner, Jimmy, and Marcus are on their way to a Purple Dragon concert at Smithdale, but their car breaks down. They ask Jay for help, but they soon find him weeping with a DVD labeled "Manny's audition". When they play it, Jay realizes that he's made a terrible mistake and must follow Manny and switch the DVD's. On their way to Smithdale, Jay and the boys see a girl who has car troubles on the side of the road. Jimmy, Spinner, and Marcus beg him not to stop, but Jay does it anyway. A while later after fixing the woman's car, the police arrive and take Jay and the boys away, only to be later released. They finally arrive at Smithdale and at the concert, the group waits to see who the guest surprise singer is, which is revealed to be Craig Manning. Marcus goes up on stage with him and Ashley and perform Craig's song, "My Window".

Since Marcus was a child, he always wanted to know what happened to his father after the car accident that killed his mother. While on FaceRange, Marcus finds his father's account, and he finds out that he is going to play golf. Marcus asks Jimmy for help and they sneak into the golf course. Marcus tells Jimmy about his father and the car accident that led him to runaway from his family. Marcus' father arrives with what appears to be his new wife, breaking Marcus' heart. Jimmy thinks that it might be a huge misunderstanding, but Marcus throws away everything he has about his father, but when he sees a picture of his mother, he breaks down in tears, representing how much he misses her.

With college approaching, Marcus realized that he may need to find a place on his own if he were to not live near Banting University premises. While visiting Paige's house, Marcus learns from Ellie that Paige is planning on selling the house because her father bought her a condo and due to the inability of finding a new roommate. Ellie then comes up with the idea of having Paige sell the house to Marcus. Marcus seemed a little unsure at first, but he decided to go along with the plan. While the negotiation process goes on, Marcus then becomes the deciding factor between Marco and Ellie, whom the two had kissed and nearly had sex. Paige and Marcus remind Marco that kissing Ellie doesn't change his sexuality. However, Marcus goes more in depth and tells everyone that although they have been close with each other for years, they have become too dependent on one another and suggests that they go their separate ways. The trio agrees and Paige sells the house to Marcus. He then joins Paige, Ellie, and Marco for their last moment together, although they promise to keep in touch with each other.

Marcus and Jimmy try to help Spinner pass Physics, but because of Spinner's desire to play at a band competition, he fails to help them build a bridge for the class. When Spinner tries to get the extra grade by helping build the bridge, he learns that Jimmy and Marcus had already completed it and they got an A. Spinner starts to cram for the exam but struggles, and when the exam rolls around, he is saved by Jimmy and Marcus, who pulled the fire alarm, giving Spinner four extra days to study.

The Class of 2007 Prom and Graduation ceremony arrive, and everyone is having a good time until Manny and Marcus see Liberty sneak off with Emma's boyfriend, Damian, angering him. When everyone goes to the pool, Damian brags to Toby about him and Liberty hooking up, which Toby instantly reveals to everyone there. Emma angrily calls Damian out on it and exits the pool. Liberty tries to calm Marcus down, but he angrily lashes out on her for being unfaithful and calls off their relationship. Before he leaves the pool, Marcus punches Damian in the face, which causes him to slip inside the pool. This marks the beginning of their rivalry against each other. On Graduation Day, Marcus, Manny, Emma, and Toby all gave Liberty the cold-shoulder. Before the graduation ceremony, Marcus talks to Jimmy and reminisce everything they have been through since season 1. Jimmy suggests that Marcus should give Liberty another chance and not hold a grudge on her on their biggest day of their lives. During her graduation speech, Liberty speaks of friendship and forgiveness and chokes up when she starts her memorum of J.T., causing her to run out of the auditorium in embarassment. Emma, Manny, Toby, and Marcus all follow her in comfort. Liberty asked Marcus if their relationship was over because of her actions with Damian, but Marcus revealed that it was never over, but he was very disappointed in her. The couple made up, and all five friends returned to commencement. Following the ceremony, the five friends honor their departed friend J.T. one last time by flipping the tassel on the graduation cap reserved for him, proving that even though he's gone, he'll never be forgotten.

Season 8

Marcus is now attending Banting University, and although he now lives at the house Paige sold to him, he realizes that things doesn't feel right. Back in Toronto, Marcus enters The Dot and asks Spinner for a job there. Spinner is unsure about this, as he wonders if he has any experience as a waiter. However, Spinner felt he can trust Marcus, so he gives him the job.

Spinner applies for a police academy, only to get rejected acceptance from them. When Jimmy, Marcus, Jane, and Trina all celebrate, they are unaware that Spinner lied about it, angering Jane. After she got mad at Spinner for lying, Jimmy and Marcus consoled him and helped him through it. Marcus advised Spinner to just be faithful to her, no matter what happens.

After a busy day working at The Dot, Marcus receives a call from an unknown number. When he answers, the unknown caller is revealed to be Jay, who is desperately seeking his help. Jay told Marcus that he wants to be with Manny again, who broke up with him months prior. Despite Jay's previous actions towards her, Marcus reluctantly agrees to help him. The next day, they meet at a pawn shop, and Jay finds his mom's ring from which he stole from the shop before. Marcus forced Jay to put that ring down, as it caused nothing but trouble between him and Manny, so Marcus instead bought a 3-carat diamond ring for a reasonable price. Jay thanks Marcus for his help, but Marcus warned him that if he hurts Manny again, action will be forced. Marcus also tells him that he won't tell Manny about this.

So far in his college freshman year, Marcus has had peace while at Banting until he saw Damian, who was the guy Liberty cheated on with at the Class of 2007 Prom. Damian tries to apologize for his actions before, but Marcus didn't want anything from him, except that he stays away from Liberty. Then, at The Dot, Marcus talks to Spinner about the situation, where Damian eventually shows up over there. Marcus unapologetically accuses Damian of stalking him and demands him to run as far away from both town and Banting. Before Marcus went to sleep, Liberty called him and wanted to know why was he being so hard on Damian. Marcus begged Liberty to not contact Damian in any kind of way, and she reluctantly agreed. A day later, Marcus sees Damian leaving with his bags and demands to know where he's heading to. As Marcus kept pushing Damian, all of Damian's anger finally came out and despite throwing a punch at Marcus, Marcus punched Damian to the ground. By then, Damian had left Banting premises for good, where Marcus is busted by the president of the university. Miraculously, Marcus was to not get any kind of punishment and was instead told to get back to class. Marcus then calls Liberty and tells her what just happened, saying that Damian has left Banting permanently, and also tells her that he loves her and wants their relationship to work this time without any disruptions between them.

Marcus stops by at Smithdale to visit Emma, Manny, and Liberty. When he sees Emma, he notices that she no longer has blonde hair, as she changed it to brunette. Emma tells Marcus that she's bored at Smithdale and feels she's stuck with the "plain girl" image. Marcus advises her that she should start having fun at anything because life is too short to be doing absolutely nothing. However, Emma takes his advice the wrong way by smoking pot. Manny, Liberty, and Marcus grow concern when Emma begins to share weed brownies to everyone at the annual Floor Olympics. Marcus tries to get her to stop, but she laughs it off saying that everyone was having a great time and he, Manny, and Liberty were just jealous. Later that night, a student named Becca is hospitalized after landing in a diabetic coma for forgetting to take insulin after digesting Emma's drugged brownies. Marcus was forced to leave Smithdale premises as the campus cops began raiding everyone's dorm rooms, but he promised to keep in touch with the girls, especially Emma.

Aside from everything that had went down with Damian, compared to the past few years, Marcus has had a very peaceful year, as he was doing well at Banting. When he decides to work late at The Dot, things begin to change for the worst. A former Lakehurst student robs The Dot under gunpoint. Without thinking, the gunman shoots Spinner in the shoulder. Marcus wants to try and escape from the scene and notify the police, but after seeing Spinner in a lot of pain, Marcus remains by his side. Spinner is finally taken to the hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.

Paige tells everyone that she is a hairstylist in Los Angeles, but it is revealed that she is working as an assistant. One day, Paige happens to audition for the role of Trixie for Jason Mewes' play, Mewesical High. When she learns that she got the part, she invites Marcus, Ellie, and Marco to come along for support. While in Los Angeles, Marcus notices a ton of problems between Paige, Ellie, and Marco. Paige starts acting like a diva and is rude to everyone, Marco tries to get Ellie to see her sick father, and Ellie deals with stress between her mom and Craig, which leads her to nearly attempting suicide. When Marco is slapped by Paige after he calls her an "insecure, little girl", Marcus labels that moment to Paige as her "lowest moment". Like Marco, Marcus also packs up his bags and leaves the mansion. However, after having a change of heart, Marcus decides to go back to the mansion. On the way back, Marcus sees the limo Paige is in for the red carpet premiere she's attending. Paige gets out of the limo and falls, which causes Manny and Marcus to help her. When they get to the mansion, Marcus talks to Paige and reveals to her that he came back because he didn't want her to feel that she doesn't have any friends left. He also tells her that Ellie is visiting her father, and Marco is still mad at her for slapping him. Marcus then forgives Paige despite her over-the-top diva mode. Paige manages to help Manny by having her and the Studz sing "Life Is a Show" in front of Jason Mewes via his window, which helps Manny get the part as Trixie on Mewesical High. In the last scene, Marcus stays in L.A. with Manny, Peter, Sav, Mia, and Danny.

Season 9

Marcus and the Studz are performing at the Degrassi Beach Dance, without Peter in sight. With no other choice, Sav steps in as the lead singer and performs until they see Peter finally at the dance, high on crystal meth. Peter then freaks out and rushes out the dance and is later stranded on the middle of the street at night. The Studz are on the rescue and they bring him home. Spinner and Marcus stay overnight to assure that Peter is okay.

At Emma's barbecue, Spinner and Marcus convince Emma's boyfriend, Kelly, to cheat and eat steak. They sneak in and eat steak and drink some of Spike and Snake's wedding wine. When Emma catches them, Spinner makes an excuse to feed his turtle. Later on, Emma talks to Spinner and Marcus and tells them that she's scared of college and it is something she really doesn't want to do. Spinner and Marcus tell Emma that she should follow her heart and go back to college when she is ready to pursue that expectation.

Peter decides to open a club above The Dot called "Above The Dot", making Spinner and Marcus nervous. Spinner's manager tells them if Peter messes up, it'll be the end of both Spinner and Marcus' jobs because they're supposed to babysit Peter. Spinner and Marcus attend a few of the club nights to make sure nothing bad happens. When they find out that kids are smoking marijuana and drinking beer, Spinner and Marcus order Peter to fix things. When Peter does, he feels better, but after Jane sees Victoria doing coke, Spinner and Marcus leave the matters into Peter's hands because he got himself into this situation.

Marcus too begins to struggle at Banting because he has been working overtime at The Dot in order to make money. Realizing that his time at The Dot is taking a toll on his grades, Marcus tells Spinner that he has to resign his position at The Dot. Spinner asked Marcus how long he planned on leaving, and Marcus revealed that he wanted to leave months prior, but only stayed because of the need for money. This upsets Spinner and it causes a strain in their friendship. Marcus tried to talk to Spin about it, but he refused. After having enough, Marcus finally is able to confront Spinner and tells him that he's being a jerk for no good reason. Spinner tells Marcus that if he leaves, he would have no one to depend on anymore. Marcus reminds him that he'll always be by his side, no matter what. Spinner and Marcus resolved the issue and Marcus would remain on the job until the end of his college sophomore year.

Spinner and Marcus attend Declan's pool party, and they end up overhearing Jane and Holly J talking about Jane's affair with Declan. Spinner goes on a blind-rage, breaking up with Jane and punching Declan in the face on the way out. Meanwhile, The Dot is erupting in flames, and Spinner and Marcus come in time to see what's going on. Moments later, The Dot explodes, causing more devastating damage and costing both Spinner and Marcus' jobs. Days later after the fire, Jay, Manny, Emma, and Marcus breaks into Spinner's apartment and pretty much kidnap him. Spinner wants to know where he's going, but they insist it's a surprise and a way to cheer him up.

The guys take Spinner to Niagara Falls to gamble and have a good time. Manny, Jay, and Marcus' intentions are to get their friends Emma and Spinner together, so they leave them to be at the casino tables. The next morning, Manny and Marcus knock on Spinner's door to wake him up to go get breakfast for everyone, and they see Spinner half-naked, and Emma is covered by a blanket and wearing a veil and a large ring. Both feel this is awkward, and Manny asks Emma if that's a veil she's wearing on her head. Then Jay walks in with the exact same thought as everyone else: awkward.

Manny, Jay, and Marcus all learn that Spinner and Emma woke up in bed with Emma wearing a veil and a wedding picture. Manny, Jay, and Marcus suggest they get dressed and go downstairs to see if they can get a refund on the ring and veil, and to see if they can get "divorced". They got dressed and they all go down to the casino to confront the crazy lady that married Spinner and Emma. Manny got a little frightened by her, so Marcus asks the lady if they could get a refund. The lady says no, but tells them that they got a good price ($2,000 for the ring, and $500 for the dress, which was the earnings Emma and Spinner won from playing blackjack). The day they got back to Toronto, Manny, Jay, and Marcus go to Spinner's apartment to ask Spinner if they want to find a divorce lawyer for them. However, Spinner and Emma continue to love each and bond, especially in a game of basketball, which would eventually lead them to renew their vows.

On the day of Spinner and Emma's wedding, Marcus sees Liberty at the wedding. She asks him what's going on, and Marcus tells her it's a surprise. Manny is prepping and getting ready, and when she goes to say some words to Spinner, she sees Jane kissing his cheek, leading her to think that Jane is trying to interfere with the wedding. Manny gets in a all-out catfight with Jane, forcing Spinner and Marcus to split it up. After the fight, the wedding goes on and stands by Liberty as he watches his best friend get officially married to Emma. Later, at the after-party, Manny sings her song "I Trust You", and The Studs play in the background. Marcus is seen dancing with Liberty.

Season 10

It is Winter Break in Toronto, giving Marcus some time off from Banting. Although Marcus and Liberty's relationship has been going steady since the Damian fiasco, Liberty is currently keeping a huge secret from Marcus that could tear them apart for good. While communicating via webcam, Marcus notices that Liberty seemed down and tired, leading him to suspect that something is wrong. After having enough of hiding, Liberty straight up tells Marcus that she is pregnant. Despite Marcus being shocked and excited, Liberty also told him that the child is fathered by Damian, not Marcus. This upsets Marcus to the core, as he had told her to not be with Damian at all. Liberty tries to calm him down, but Marcus didn't want anything to do with her, leading to their ultimate break up.

Angry and furious from what he just heard, Marcus goes to Toronto University, where Damian is now attending university at, to seek revenge. When he finds Damian, Marcus severely punches him for what he did, prompting him to get arrested by the campus cops. While at the police station, the commissioner tells him that due to the severity of Damian's injuries, Marcus could face some real legal trouble as a result of this. However, Damian decided to not press charges against Marcus and Audra, his adoptive mother, comes in to bail Marcus out of jail. Marcus promises Audra that he wouldn't get into trouble like that ever again. Despite the trouble, Marcus continued to attend Banting without any strict punishment.

Season 12

After successfully graduating from Banting, Marcus returns to Toronto and gets his old job back at The Dot. Marcus also returns to his home, but he receives an unexpected surprise: his brother, Mike, is back in his life. Marcus isn't very happy about this, as he abandoned him after taking care of Mike years after their parents were presumed dead from a car accident. Despite his bitterness towards Mike, Marcus still attends a party to celebrate his arrival. Marcus appears to be having a good time, as he and the hockey team shove a trophy full of beer in Drew's face. Drew goes upstairs to talk to Katie, and when he returns, he announces to the party that he "did it", before blacking out. Revived shortly after, everyone continues to party and have a great time.

Despite the party, Marcus is still not over his resentment towards Mike. Mike tries to talk to Marcus in effort of trying to rebuild his destroyed relationship with him, but Marcus felt he said enough after the way Mike abandoned him. The two begin to fight, angrily lashing out each other back and forth. Marcus took things too far when he wished that Mike was never his brother, which hurt Mike really bad. Following their heated confrontation, Marcus begins to regret everything he had said to him, so Marcus tries to apologize to Mike. Mike, however, ignores him on every attempt, leading Marcus to believe that he's really messed up this time. Later that day, Mike was about to head for hockey practice, but Marcus stops him, as he really wanted to speak to him. Marcus apologizes to Mike, regretting everything he said about him, and he wanted to start their brothership over again. Mike was relieved to hear him say that, and he hugs Marcus, rekindling their brothership.

It has been five years since Marcus last saw his father at a golf course with an apparent new wife and child. Just when Marcus thought he would never see him again, his father shows up in front of his home. Marcus was shakened up by his appearance, but shockingly, he allowed his father in the house. Marcus wondered why his father came to him after more than a decade and a half, and Kevin explained that he realized that he made such a devastating mistake leaving his dying wife and two sons. Marcus was about to accept his father back to his life until Mike came home from hockey practice. Mike wanted to know why Kevin was there, but Marcus soon kicked his father out. Mike and Marcus got into a heated confrontation, with Mike asking Marcus why he was even talking to their father. Marcus told him that he showed up out of nowhere and that he had no other choice but to let him in. Mike reminded him that their father is no good and they should never trust him. Marcus soon realized that Mike was right, and he couldn't forgive his father, even if Kevin got into any sort of trouble.

A few days later, Campbell Saunders, a teammate from Mike's ice hockey team, committed suicide, which brings Marcus to briefly remember when he wanted to commit suicide when he was 17. Marcus leaves his shift at The Dot and goes to Degrassi to comfort Mike. By the time he arrives, Mike explodes in front of Alli. When Marcus tries to calm him down by telling him that he has been through this before, Mike accuses him of being a know-it-all and a bad example as an older brother, as Marcus pushed Mike away and never went to find him, but found their father instead. Marcus then broke down in tears for being blind from the truth for all these years. However, not wasting anymore time, Marcus goes to find Mike. While searching, Marcus finds Mike's friend, Fiona, and Marcus thinks Mike might be up in the roof of the school. Although they are relieved to finally find him, Mike is still deeply upset and admits that it was his own fault that Cam was gone. Marcus apologizes to Mike for being so hurtful and blind to him and explains that he too lost a good friend, referring to J.T. Yorke, who died in his senior year of Degrassi. Marcus also tells him that even though they haven't had the best brother relationship, he would always be there for him and promised that he will help Mike through the grieving, every step of the way. Mike then emotionally hugs Marcus and tells him that he loves and appreciates him. The next day, Mike goes to talk to the counselor, and before he did, he smiles at Marcus, who also smiles back while trying to hold back a tear.

Marcus begins to take in interest on Alli, despite Mike also having the same exact feelings for her. At a house party in the Torres household, Marcus commences conversation with her and they talk about previous relationships and how Alli can't be more than friends with Mike. When Marcus mentions how hurt he was when his last girlfriend had gotten pregnant with someone else's child as a reason why he hasn't searched for love, Alli suggests that she changed that by kissing him. Alli began to feel it was a mistake before Marcus kisses her back, unaware that Mike saw them together. Then, they leave the party and go to Alli's house, where her mother gives her a dozen roses apparently sent by Eli. They go to The Dot and learn that Connor, boyfriend of Alli's friend, Jenna, was the one who sent the flowers. Meanwhile, the next day, Mike confronts Marcus about the kiss he saw from the night before. Marcus explains that Alli was over Mike relationship wise and that he had feelings for her for a little while. After Mike abruptly left to walk off his frustration, Marcus tells Alli that Mike saw him and Alli kiss at the party. Alli builds guilt once more, but Marcus doesn't have any regrets about the kiss, telling her that he really likes her and wants to see where their relationship can go. Later that day, Mike returns to apologize to Marcus for getting upset and felt he shouldn't have gotten mad at him, especially when they just rebuilt their relationship. Marcus told him that this wasn't the first time they had the same feelings for the same girl, as they both fell for a girl while they were kids. The following night, Marcus and Alli go on their first date as a couple.

Season 13

Marcus and Alli's relationship continued to improve since their first date, and it seemed destined to become even better as they go on a summer trip to Paris. However, when they arrive in Paris, their relationship seems to become less affectionate and romantic. Despite the decline, Marcus and Alli try to revive it by walking around Paris, but because of their lack of experience with France, they end up getting lost, unable to retrieve directions, and Alli breaks her heel and her hand lands in dog feces. Finally able to find the Eiffel Tower, Alli asks a random man to take a picture with her and Marcus, but the guy tries to steal her phone. Marcus tries to capture the thief, but another guy named Leo was able to stop him. Although Marcus thanks Leo, Leo offers to be Alli's guide around Paris, which causes Marcus to become jealous. Marcus then turns to Mike for advice, who tells Marcus that he shouldn't be too overly concerned about Alli's interaction with Leo, but ultimately leaves it on Marcus' choice. While at their hotel room, Marcus feels his relationship with Alli isn't going to make anymore progress and starts to pack his bags. Before he leaves, Marcus overhear Alli talking to her friends and hears that Alli doesn't want to lose Leo, which causes Marcus to step in and say that she'll lose either way, referring to her losing him. Alli tries to stop him and convince him to stay, but Marcus already knew what Alli truly wanted, and it was Leo, not him. Marcus then leaves for the airport, where he tells Mike that the relationship is over and that he is on his way home to Toronto. Marcus then says goodbye to Paris and Alli as his flight begins to board and depart. When he arrives back home, Marcus is convinced by Drew to join the Degrassi Summer Day Camp for the summer as a way to get over Alli.

Towards the end of summer camp, tragedy strikes when Adam gets into a texting while driving car accident, giving him severe injuries. Although it seemed that Adam would be okay and pull through, Adam would later pass away while in surgery, causing a huge blow for Marcus and the Torres family. At the funeral, Marcus is grieving like everyone else, but is keeping it together for Drew's sake, who is the most upset and emotional with the loss. Marcus and Adam's friends go to a bonfire organized by Becky, Adam's last girlfriend, and they celebrate and remember Adam's life. While there, Marcus talks to Alli for the first time since their break-up, and Alli apologizes to him for how she treated him while at Paris. Marcus forgives her, and they agree to just remain friends. Later at night, while a candlelit kite was being flown off to commemorate Adam's passing, Marcus receives strange and suspicious text messages from an unknown number. When Marcus tries to call the number, he hears a voice with very low bass and is reminded that he shouldn't had called the number. Then, out of nowhere, Marcus is knocked out unconscious by an unknown assassin, later being taken away with nobody knowing. Mike then gets a text message that says that the "job is done", implying that Mike was involved in the devious plan.

Marcus finally wakes up from unconsciousness, but he discovers that he has been held captive by one of Mike's allies. A day later, the unthinkable happens to Marcus; carbon monoxide gas inside the room begins to steam all over the room, and despite trying to escape, he is too late and he succumbs to the poison. After the damage is done, the carbon monoxide is put to rest, and the assassin takes Marcus to the hospital, who pretends that he found him unconscious. Following testing, it was confirmed that Marcus was in a drug-induced coma. Mike was furious about the news, and it was revealed that it wasn't the plan he meant to go for. While in a coma, an old friend, not Jimmy nor Spinner, but Manny Santos, came to visit Marcus at the hospital. She appeared very upset about what happened to Marcus, and she tells him that she is in love with him, revealing that her and Jay had broken up. Marcus is revived briefly for a few minutes, and just when he is about to tell her that he loves her back, Marcus briefly flatlines until he is put back into a coma. Nearly a day later, Marcus' condition begins to improve, eventually waking up from his coma for a second time, seeing Manny once again.

After testing was done, Manny talks to Marcus and tries to tell him her feelings again. However, Marcus tells her that he already knows, as he heard her while he was in his coma. Marcus reveals that he always had feelings for Manny, even while dating other women and felt that they could make a relationship work this time around compared to 10 years prior. Manny, surprised by his thoughts about her, hugs and kisses him, getting back together for the first time in a decade. While this happens, Mike walks in during the moment, saying that he needs to talk to him. Manny offers to let them talk, so she leaves the room. Mike, looking distraught and very guilty, struggles to tell Marcus the truth. After a long pause, Mike tells Marcus that he's responsible for his brother's path to a coma, explaining that everything was set up according to plan, dating back to Adam's bonfire ceremony. Furious and outraged, Marcus threatens to kill his own brother by choking him, eventually being stopped by Manny. When the Torres family walk in, everyone is notified that Mike is responsible for putting Marcus in a coma. Despite Mike's actions, Marcus doesn't place him under arrest, but he continues to show anger and bitterness towards his brother. Manny suggests that he go to Los Angeles with her while she works on filming a movie, which Marcus sees as a good idea. While in LA, Marcus begins to have nightmares of the time when he slipped to a coma, and as a result, disappears from LA and flies back to Toronto, originally seeking revenge on Mike. While spying on him, however, Marcus discovers a sweet and mature side of him he had never seen before, and it gave Marcus a change of heart. The following day, Marcus reveals to Mike that he is tired of holding in anger towards him and reminds that no matter how imperfect they are, he is still his brother and loves him. Then they hug each other, restoring their relationship back to normal.

Marcus and Manny go out on a special date to celebrate their 9 month anniversary. Things are going pretty well, but as they eat, Manny begins to feel nauseous and starts having to use the bathroom constantly to vomit. When Manny mentions that she had morning sickness the last few mornings, Marcus gets the idea that Manny might be pregnant. The following morning, Manny takes a pregnancy test and it confirms that she is indeed pregnant. Both are excited about the news, as they had wanted to become parents someday at the right time, and they feel it's the best time to have a child together. A week later, Marcus and Mike decide to hang out together and stay at a hotel for a night. However, as they're going up an elevator, the electricity fully blacks out due to a heavy thunderstom striking Toronto, leaving them stuck in the elevator. Nonetheless, they find a way to have some fun by drinking cans of beer and playing rounds of truth and dare. As they drank more beer, things become more revealing, as Marcus admits that he has been confused with his bisexuality for years, and they both admit sexual feelings for each other and fulfill them by having incestuous sex. The following morning, Marcus and Mike decide that they can continue their affair, but that it remains a secret from their peers, including their girlfriends.

Season 14

Marcus barely has had any contact fron Mike since their one-night stand together, and he is curious to know why. The brothers then meet up at the back of The Dot, and Mike orders Marcus to forget their night together because he doesn't want to ruin their own relationship or his with Alli. He also threatened that if Marcus refused to stop, he would have no other choice but to tell Manny about his affair and bisexuality. However, Marcus drops a bomb by telling him that he doesn't have to because he will tell her on his own once he moves to Los Angeles. Stunned, Mike tries to convince him to not go, but Marcus feels as though he has nothing more to offer that will make him stay in Toronto. Also, Marcus fears his relationship with Manny is on the rocks, since he hasn't heard much from her for the past few months and needs to do whatever it takes to save his relationship. Later that night, he packs his things and goes to the airport, but before he boards his flight, Marcus and Mike share one last kiss with each other and reminds him that it's not the last he'll hear from him, hinting a return for home in the forseeable future.

Now back in Los Angeles, Marcus tries to do everything he can to rebuild his declining relationship with Manny. He had organized a late-night dinner with her as a fresh start, but Manny never showed up. The following day, Marcus questioned Manny if she still wanted to be with him, and she replies that she does and explains that her schedule, even while pregnant, is still busy for her and communication hasn't been the same. Marcus then forgives her and promised to be more committed with each other. However, reconstruction of their relationship wouldn't last long as Marcus investigated Manny's phone and saw texts and photos involving her ex-fiancée, Jay Hogart, confirming Manny's infidelity. When Manny asked Marcus for her phone, he threw her phone to the wall, symbolizing his shattered heart due to Manny's betrayal. Marcus then called their relationship off and threatened that once their daughter was born, he will file for full custody and make sure Manny never have rights to see their child. Originally planning on staying in L.A., Marcus once again went back to Toronto and tried to figure out his future and life. While there at The Dot, Marcus reunites with his best friend Spinner for the first time in five years. Spinner reminded him of what happened with him and Manny and suggested that he goes back to L.A. for the sake of their child. Marcus still felt deeply betrayed and wasn't sure if he could ever forgive her for the damage she caused, but Spinner told him it will take time but still urges Marcus to fly back to L.A. Marcus then compared his advice to something Jimmy would say and realized that he was right and then boards a flight to return to Los Angeles just less than 24 hours later. However, by the time he arrived back, he learns that Manny is at the hospital about to give birth to their daughter. Wasting no time, Marcus rushes over there in time to watch his daughter come to life. Marcus and Manny decide to name their daughter Maria London Santos. After birth, Marcus and Manny apologize to each other and promised that they will stay together no matter what, and to always be honest with each other. This proves to be ironic for Marcus because he still has yet to tell Manny about his affair with his brother. They fulfill their promise with Marcus proposing to Manny, in which she eagerly accepts.

Marcus and Manny travel back to Toronto with their daughter to announce to the Torres family about their engagement. The announcement received a warm reception from family and friends except from Mike, who feels Marcus is only being engaged to Manny just so he can further hide the truth from her. Marcus threatens Mike that if he speaks about his infidelity to anyone, he will do the same to Mike with his secrets hidden from Alli. However, Manny overhears their entire conversation and when she and Marcus arrive back at their hotel, Manny confronts him and demands to know why he would betray her after so many years and memories together. Marcus explains it was for payback for all the women that had betrayed him over the years, including Manny herself back in season three. Shocked by his reasoning, Manny calls their engagement and relationship off and wants nothing more to do with Marcus anymore. She then moves out of the hotel, leaving Marcus heartbroken once more.

After being painfully dumped by Manny, Marcus discovers that he has nothing more to live for and starts living "recklessly". He begins to drink heavily and going out to bars late at night, with Manny and his daughter not even coming to mind. One night, Marcus is heavily drunk and on his way driving to the hotel. He loses more of his impaired vision and loses focus of the road, only to end up crashing at the front of Audra's house. Marcus survives the crash but is faced with injuries and a DUI charge that could land him in jail. While at the hospital, he is visited by Mike and surprisingly, his biological father, Kevin. It turns into an emotional encounter with the latter, as Marcus feels he has no solid future anymore and wishes he could find some happiness again. To help brighten his instincts, Mike calls Marcus' old friend, Craig Manning, via FaceTime, who advises him to reconstruct his life, and once he does that, he can reach him out for a potential future in the music industry. Marcus thanks Craig for his advice, and it motivates him to change his own life once and for all.

After checking out of the hospital and being released from jail on bond, Marcus attends Mike's prom and graduation ceremony. At the former, Marcus receives yet another surprise visit, this time from Manny. Marcus apologizes to her for the damage he has caused and while he knows it will be awhile before she can fully forgive him, Manny accepts his apology and realized the moment she left him that it would be the worst mistake of her life. Marcus and Manny wind up getting back together, but held off their engagement plans until they are both at comfortable places in their lives. It is revealed two months later after the graduation events that Marcus was cleared of all DUI charges and that Marcus was improving his life each day. He then moved to Los Angeles with Manny to begin a solo musical career under Craig's management, and she and Marcus became engaged again and plan to marry in 2016.

Degrassi: Next Class

Season 2

Marcus returns to Toronto and attends Degrassi's 60th anniversary and Alumni Event. He reconnects with several of his closest friends, including Spinner, Emma, Marco, Paige, Peter, and Sav. On the backburner, Marcus is having serious relationship issues with Manny, who is still in Los Angeles heavily focused on her music career and not on him or their daughter. Contemplating on ending their engagement, Marcus reconnects with Liberty at the event for the first time in nearly five years. She apologizes to him for all the times she has wronged him, but Marcus reveals he forgave her a long time ago. Marcus then asks Liberty out for coffee at The Dot, in which she happily accepts. After they talk, Marcus leaves a voicemail for Manny and tells her that the engagement is over and he will return to Los Angeles and move out of their condo.

Appearance and style

Marcus has had a number of changes in appearance during his time in Degrassi. During the first 3 seasons, Marcus had a casual look, often wearing T-shirts and polo shirts and sporting a rough small afro. However, in season 4, in an effort to change his look, he edged his hair shorter and changed his hair color to golden blond and wore edgier clothing.

In season 5, Marcus had multiple looks. In the beginning of the season, Marcus made his blond hair turn even lighter to platinum blond, but gelled it to make it look spikier and edgier, but had toned down the edginess in his clothing. In the middle, to coincide with his drug storyline, Marcus sported a "gangster" look, wearing dark beanies on his head, sporting a new visible tattoo, and a gold chain around his neck. Towards the end of the season, Marcus returned to normal clothing, but ditched the blond hair, as it had turned into brunette-towards-black, and also ditching the beanie and the gold chain.

In season 6, Marcus had yet another change in appearance, completely changing his hair color back to black for the first time since season 3. His clothing was also changed, going for a more brighter and contemporary look. In season 7, with the aftermath of J.T.'s death and the merging of Degrassi and Lakehurst, Marcus sported more darker clothing and even sported another visible tattoo. Also, he cut his hair to a bald fade before slowly letting it grow back out toward season's end.

In seasons 8, 9 and 10, he hardly made any hair changes, but went back to contemporary and casual clothing. In season 12, Marcus began sporting a more mature look, wearing buttoned shirts and formal clothing. He also returned to a bald fade, keeping it until season's end. In season 13, Marcus sported a comeback to the rough small afro from the first 3 seasons during the summer. Midway during the season, Marcus shaved the right side of his hair, giving it a side shave look to coincide anger and rebellion, similar to season 5. However, he let the side grow back out and stuck with the afro for the rest of the season.

Trivia

• Marcus has appeared in 213 episodes, the most of any character on the series.
• Because of his high grades in season 5, It was hinted that Marcus was a potential candidate for valedictorian for the Class of 2006, his original graduating class. However, because he went on a drug addiction spiral that eventually made him repeat his senior year, Marco Del Rossi was ultimately named valedictorian.
• Not much was known about Marcus' family until season 7, but his story on being adopted wasn't revealed until season 10.
• Marcus, Jimmy, and Spinner all graduated a year late because of conflicts with their credits. However, Marcus failed because of his drug addiction that made him miss crucial exams.
• Jimmy, Katie, Liberty, and Marcus all share the same line "You're dead to me."
  • Both Jimmy and Marcus used this line in "Eye of the Tiger".
  • Katie used this line in "Don't Panic, Part 2".
  • Liberty used this line in "King of Pain".
• Marcus is one of 11 characters to be held back; the other 10 are Rick Munro, Joey Jeremiah, Sean Cameron, Rick Murray (before his death), Jimmy Brooks, Spinner Mason, Fiona Coyne, Imogen Moreno, Drew Torres, and Mike Dallas.
• Marcus was linked to two former Spirit Squad members: Manny Santos and Darcy Edwards.
• Marcus was one of four characters that remained as a regular until season 9; the others are Emma Nelson, Manny Santos, and Spinner Mason. Marcus, however, was the only character to return to a regular role.
• Marcus is right-handed.
• Marcus is one of 8 characters with a mental disability, which is autism. The other 7 are:
  • Anya MacPherson with dyslexia
  • Joey Jeremiah with dysgraphia
  • Connor Delaurier with Aspergers
  • Liberty Van Zandt with Dyscalculia
  • Spinner Mason with ADHD
  • Craig Manning and Eli Goldsworthy with Bipolar disorder.
• Although never mentioned on the series, it is possible that Marcus lost his virginity with Liberty.
• Marcus is the fourth main character to fall into a coma, after Shane McKay, Terri MacGregor, and Adam Torres.
• Marcus and Dallas are the series' first siblings to have a sexual relationship.
• Originally supposed to be a love interest for Marco Del Rossi in season 3, but it was scrapped and changed for Dylan Michalchuk, Paige's older brother.
• One of the original Degrassi: The Next Generation characters.
• Season 13 originally confirmed to be Marcus' final season on the series, but storyline changes pushed his final appearance to season 14.

Relationships

• Manny Santos
  • First relationship
    • Start Up: "Tears Are Not Enough, Part 2" (222)
    • Broke Up: "U Got the Look" (303)
      • Reason: Marcus didn't approve of Manny's new attitude and image.
  • Second relationship
    • Start Up: "Barely Breathing" (1314)
    • Broke Up: "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" (1404)
      • Reason: Marcus discovered Manny's infidelity with Jay.
  • Third relationship (First engagement)
    • Start Up: "I'll Be Missing You" (1407)
    • Broke Up: "Ready or Not" (1414)
      • Reason: Manny discovered Marcus' infidelity with his brother, Mike.
  • Fourth relationship (Second engagement)
    • Start Up: "Finally, Part 2" (1424)
    • Broke Up: "#ThrowBackThursday" (205)
      • Reason: Manny chose her music career over Marcus and their daughter.
• Darcy Edwards
  • Start Up: "Modern Love" (418)
  • Broke Up: "Tell It to My Heart" (509)
    • Reason: Darcy double-crossed Marcus with Spinner.
• Liberty Van Zandt
  • First relationship
    • Start Up: "High Fidelity, Part 1" (518)
    • Broke Up: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (608)
      • Reason: Marcus understood that Liberty still had feelings for J.T.
  • Second relationship
    • Start Up: "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (711)
    • Broke Up: "We Built This City" (724)
      • Reason: Liberty cheated on Marcus with Damian.
  • Third relationship
    • Start Up: "We Built This City" (724)
    • Broke Up: "Try Honesty, Part 1" (1011)
      • Reason: Marcus learns that Liberty is pregnant with Damian's child after a 5 month affair with him.
• Alli Bhandari
  • Start Up: "Zombie, Part 1" (1237)
  • Broke Up: "My Own Worst Enemy" (1304)
    • Reason: Marcus discovered that Alli was more interested in Leo than him.