Morticia Addams: Seek the Dark Forces & Join Their Hellish Crusade Today!
She’s the original mistress of the macabre and her dark and glamorous influence has captured our cold hearts—she’s Morticia Addams.
Brush up on your spells and your French because it’s time to pay homage to the original glamor ghoul. Morticia Addams has evolved from a hauntingly funny comics character to a pure vibes icon. She’s inspired darkly beautiful superstars for nearly 100 years now. And she’ll likely be around long after we’re all dead. She’s a goddess of self-expression and oddity—here’s everything you need to know about her.
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Who is Morticia Addams?
Most of what we know about Morticia Addams’ past comes from Netflix’s series Wednesday. Before the series premiered, we knew that Morticia’s maiden name was Frump. Her mother (named either Hester or Griselda or both) is commonly known as Granny Frump, and she raised a curious and independent daughter in Salem, Massachusetts. She also has a sister, Ophelia Frump.
Morticia shows exceptional talent in the psychic arts. She’s proficient with crystal ball scrying and has said that she specialized in “hexes and spells” during her schooling years. Perhaps in a tribute to her name, Morticia has an affinity for communing with the dead. She’s also often about as calm as the dead and has been seen showing no pain during childbirth and other physical tortures.
She’s more classically a witch than any other kind of creature. Despite her signature vampiric look, Tish doesn’t drink blood. That we know of.
Outside the realm of dark magic, Morticia is a gifted fencer. She’s also an effective leader, and in Wednesday, we learned that she was the leader of her school’s secret Nightshade Society. She also enjoys gardening, and grows rosebushes, iconically cutting off the flowers and nurturing the thorny stems beneath.
Morticia is also a talented musician and dancer.
The Whole Rotten Family Tree
While attending Nevermore Academy, Morticia met Gomez Addams. The comic and newer imaginings of Gomez cast him as silly, roguish man. He’s a real romantic, a characteristic that was nurtured by unforgettable performances by John Astin and Raul Julia.
Gomez was originally arranged to marry Ophelia, but she fell in love with Cousin Itt (much to Gomez’s relief.) Later, on Morticia and Gomez’s wedding night, the ceremony was interrupted by an angry mob.
As her children came along, Morticia proved to be as caring mother as she was a spouse. While Gomez is prone to whimsy and fancy, Morticia is arguably the true leader of the Addams Family clan. She’s actively involved in the hobbies and emotional wellbeing of both Wednesday and Pugsley, and has been known to help guide the affairs of Gomez and his brother Fester Addams.
READ MORE: They’re Creepy & They’re Kooky — An Addams Family History Lesson
Morticia and Gomez Addams’ relationship has become the iconic go-to meme for #relationshipgoals. The two are incredibly loving and affectionate, and are often kissing each other and expressing their physical affection. Each has their own hobbies but are incredibly supportive of one another. Morticia is also shown to have an incredible commitment to her husband’s mental health and happiness.
Morticia Addams on Screen
Much of Morticia’s lore has evolved on-screen thanks to several adaptations over the years. In the mid-1960s, Carolyn Jones brought Morticia Addams’ hypnotic gaze to televisions across the country. The series still holds up remarkably well, as does her performance. Scenes of her dancing with Wednesday and Lurch have become iconic meme material.
In 1991, The Addams Family was rebooted into a film. Morticia Addams was played by Angelic Houston. Thanks to some creative lighting choices around the eyes and a truly ghoulish performance, Houston’s Morticia is also the source of many memes, and she stars is possibly the most memorable scene of Morticia “tending her garden”.
In Tim Burton’s Wednesday series, Catherine Zeta-Jones steps into the role and reveals a good deal about Morticia’s time in school.
Tish can also be seen in a few animated iterations. In the 90s, thanks to the success of the Addams Family and Addams Family Values films, she made it back to TV for an animated series. In 2019, Charlize Theron voiced the dark matriarch again, this time for an animated movie.
Morticia Addams In D&D and More
Outside of comics and film, Morticia Addams’ influence can not be understated. She provided the influence for the original Vampira, who went on to inspire Elvira, Lily Munster, and more.
READ MORE: The Life & Legacy of Punk Rock Horror Icon Vampira
Her face can be seen on generations’ worth of pinball machines. The Addams Family has even made it to the stage. There’s also an Addams Family Board Game and years’ worth of video games that will allow you to play Morticia Addams or several other members of the creepy, kooky fam.
Morticia Addams in D&D
If you’re looking to play the original mistress of the dark as a DnD character, there are a few ways to go about it. If you’re playing her as a character by herself, one could easily cast her as a Wizard or a Sorcerer. After all, it is her specialty, and it definitely runs in the family.
However, if you want to play Morticia Addams in the context of the family itself, her role might change. Our resident D&D expert Meaghan thinks Gomez might make a great Warlock—and Morticia is the god he serves. Honestly? Hot.
