Marion James

"I am not political and I am not concerned what my next move is. I only want results and security. The integrity of what goes on here is paramount. And I need people that understand that."

- Marion James

Marion James is the Deputy Director of the CIA, who after thirty years at the Agency, is tipped to become its next head. Refusing to seek a political career after her tenure, unlike her predecessor, James chose to appoint William Rawlins as her Deputy Director as she believed in Rawlins' history of work. However when James learned that Rawlins' work with Operation Cerberus had resulted in an assassination attempt on Frank Castle that was going wrong, James put her career on the line to expose Rawlins to Homeland Security to try and save the agency however she could.

Working through the Ranks
"Do you know I used to suffer from panic attacks? Out of the blue, couldn't breathe. Heart pounding in my chest like I was having a coronary. Two years of it. It took two years for me to realize that I only feel right when I'm honest with myself about my actions. Straight, no self-justification."

- Marion James to William Rawlins

Marion James joined the CIA and soon began rising through the ranks, eventually becoming the Deputy Director while raising twin daughters Ella and Grace James. However all her time within the agency was difficult for James, as she began to suffer from panic attacks which plagued her for two years until she found that being completely honest with herself cured them. During this time, James had also met Rafael Hernandez whom she became close friends with.

Promoting William Rawlins
"You've led some of the most effective ops in recent history of this agency. But you're right. To bring you in as deputy director will definitely get political. So I need to know, Bill, between you and me are there any skeletons buried out there that might come back and bite us both in the ass?"

- Marion James to William Rawlins

James was given the task of presenting William Rawlins with the for his service to the CIA, which had included the sacrifice of losing an eye while in Afghanistan. Once she had given a speech in front of her staff, James congratulated Rawlins and presented him with the medal, before informing him that he could not tell anybody about the award and noting that he would not actually be presented with the medal itself due to the secrecy of the agency.

While Rawlins claimed that all his work had only cost him an eye, James noted that everything he had done had cost the enemies of the United States of America a lot more than just an eye as he had also assisted with taking many high value targets out during his work while in Afghanistan. James then questioned if Rawlins would be remaining in the CIA Headquarters for much longer and invited him to come to her office for a private meeting before handing Rawlins off to the rest of the staff in attendance who began complimenting Rawlins on his award as James continued to applaude Rawlins. Eventually, while James was relaxing in her office, Rawlins arrived to join her and she then poured them both a glass of scotch to enjoy together to celebrate Rawlins' award. As they sat down together Rawlins noted that he had heard James was soon to be promoted, which James confirmed as she explained that the current Director of the CIA was now moving into United States Congress and had asked her to take his position. Rawlins raised his glass and noted James should have been offered the job years earlier, to which James noted that she did not want to ask for the favors it would have required.

James then invited Rawlins to become her new Deputy Director, noting that she was not political and needed somebody who can make things happen and make hard decisions as she believed that the integrity of the CIA was paramount. James and Rawlins both agreed that bringing in somebody from covert operations would make things complicated, so James questioned Rawlins about whether or not he had any secrets which could disrupt their positions, which Rawlins denied. Hearing Rawlins tell her this, James formally offered Rawlins the job of Deputy Director which he gladly accepted.

William Rawlins' Confession
"I do not understand the "us", the "we" rhetoric. Are you suggesting I am culpable for the shitstorm you started over there?" "I'm your guy now. No way this shit hits me and doesn't splatter on your shoes. You may not be political, but everyone else is."

- Marion James and William Rawlins

While working within New York City, James had arranged for a police commissioner's son to be recruited into the CIA as he had proved himself highly skilled while performing some illegal hacking while also arranging for her daughters to go to Columbia University. While working with all of this, James met with William Rawlins who had come to New York for mysterious reasons and asked to speak with James outdoors where she informed him of Ella and Grace James exploits as well as also recruiting the police commissioner's son.

James then questioned why Rawlins had asked to meet with her to which Rawlins noted that Frank Castle, who had been on WHiH World News due to being a suspected terrorist, had information that could be damaging to the CIA if it was ever to get out. Rawlins confessed to James that his medal and all of the information he had gained had been gathered by unorthodox methods which James corrected as illegal. As James listened closely, Rawlins explained that Castle was now attempting to kill him due to Rawlins arranging an assassination attempt against him some years earlier.

Despite Rawlins insisted that he would not allow this situation to harm the agency and promising that they could still solve the situation, James attempted to draw herself away, but Rawlins noted that when she had promoted him she had implicated herself in his illegal actions. James cursed Rawlins as he promised that he had a civilian asset ready to kill Castle, with James noted that she meant she was sanctioning a man's murder which she was clearly uncomfortable with, but Rawlins argued that Castle was a terrorist and eventually James agreed to assist him to finally assassinate Castle.

Homeland Interview
"If this were true, can you imagine the damage it would do if it were made public? It would put our foreign policy back ten years." "I don't think the public would be surprised in the slightest at the shit you people get up to." "Young lady, show some respect. I have spent 30 years of my life working for this country and everything it stands for."

- Marion James and Dinah Madani

James was later contacted on her own personal cellphone by Rafael Hernandez who asked her to come to the Homeland Security Headquarters where she was happily greeted with a hug from Hernandez before being introduced to the Special Agent In Charge Dinah Madani who led her to the interrogation room. James then questioned if she had been asked to come due to all the Bombings of New York City conducted by Lewis Wilson but Hernandez confirmed this was not the case, which worried James.

Hernandez informed James that Homeland Security had evidence that one of her agents was running an illegal assassination program funded by heroin sales in Kandahar, with Madani noting that Ahmad Zubair who she had been working with had been assassinated when he had discovered the truth about the operation. Hernandez then confirmed to James that William Rawlins was the agent they suspected to be running the operation, to which James denied all knowledge of his illegal actions, noting that Homeland Security did not have jurisdiction over CIA agents' conduct on foreign soil.

As James listened in horror, Hernandez informed her that several Homeland Security agents had been killed while investigating this case, noting that he had asked her to come so they could deal with the situation between them. When Madani asked James to hand over Rawlins, James noted that this scandal had to the potential to put the United States of America's foreign policy back by ten years at least. Madani insulted the CIA before James insisted that she deserved more respect before storming out of the room to answer a phonecall, enraged by all of Madani's insults against the agency.

Firing William Rawlins
"There is no place for you in my agency. We protect the agency, and then you will resign your post. It's for the greater good." "But that hardly motivates me to make this go away." "I think it would. Because if you don't, I will hand you to Homeland myself, and see you in prison for the rest of your life."

- Marion James and William Rawlins

Horrified by what she had been told in the interview, James drove to a new meeting outdoors with William Rawlins where she immediately informed him that Homeland Security now had his name and knew of his operations before she confronted him over the deaths of five Homeland agents, furiously claiming that this was not what how they at the CIA did things or what they stood for as an agency. Rawlins however remained calm and claimed he was not responsible.

Rawlins instead claimed that Billy Russo had taken it upon himself to attempt to kill Frank Castle, with James deducing that Russo was Rawlins' civilian asset and a part of his operations in Kandahar which Rawlins did not deny. Rawlins told James that his plan was to blame Russo for smuggling heroin out of Afghanistan and then all they would need to do was ensure Castle died and the CIA would no longer be at risk. James furiously confronted Rawlins, telling him to look at his actions, before Rawlins demanded that she show some loyalty to him, much to James' utter disgust.

Seeing that James was considering handing him over to Homeland, Rawlins argued if she exposed everything then it would destroy her own career and damage the United States of America's position in world, claiming that the deaths of Ahmad Zubair and Castle were not worth the risk. Being told that they had to protect the agency, James gave Rawlins permission to burn Russo and blame him for everything, before telling Rawlins that once this was done he would resign. When Rawlins tried to argue, James threatened to hand him over to Homeland herself before telling him that he disgusted her.

Massacre Aftermath
"You assisted a wanted terrorist in his escape." "Did I? We all need to be wary of accusations without proof. Like, say, someone accusing a decorated CIA official of running an illegal heroin operation and assassination program. Or that government departments colluded to keep it quiet."

- Marion James and Dinah Madani

Upon hearing that William Rawlins had been violently killed by the Punisher while trying to torture him to death, James personally went to Micro's Hideout to examine the aftermath herself, finding multiple corpses and the aftermath of a violent shootout. Watching Rawlins' bloodied corpse being packed away inside of a body bag, James noted that his body was so beaten down that it looked like he had been hit by a train, to which Rafael Hernandez noted that he struggled to sympathise with Rawlins' situation.

James then asked Hernandez if he had heard from Dinah Madani, to which Hernandez confirmed that he had not ever since she had led a team of Homeland Security agents into the hideout to rescue the Punisher from Rawlins. Frustrated by this answer, James noted that while Billy Russo was on the run she needed to know why Madani had seemingly vanished along with Frank Castle in the aftermath of Rawlins' violent murder, although Hernandez claimed that they did not know for sure that this was the actually case, which James struggled to believe due to Madani's attitude towards Castle. James was later brought to the Homeland Security Headquarters where they watched the video footage of Rawlins torturing Castle for several hours. James and Hernandez confronted Madani over letting Castle go free, although she insisted that it was only through Castle and Micro, two men they had tried to paint as criminals and terrorists, that they had been able to expose the true crimes committed by Rawlins, although James claimed that they simply did not know the truth. Hernandez questioned where Castle was, and Madani claimed that he had overpowered her and had then escaped.

As James noted that Madani had aided a wanted terrorist to escape, Madani turned the tables on James by reminding her that the CIA had awarded Rawlins who had created an illegal assassination squad funded by heroin which the agency had tried to keep quiet, to which James had no reply. With this Madani invited the pair to arrest her, which they both declined to do, allowing Madani to walk out of the room once she confirmed that she did not know where Castle was. Once Madani had gone, James noted to Hernandez that she was a piece of work, before claiming that she did like her.

Frank Castle's Freedom
"The country owes you a debt it can never repay. And for that, I am sorry." "What are you sorry for? Is it the debt or is it the pass? What is this, a payoff? You want me to keep my mouth shut?" "Pretty much. We've redirected the narrative for recent events."

- Marion James and Frank Castle

Eventually James learned that the Punisher had defeated Billy Russo in the violent final showdown in which Russo endured horrific facial injuries which had almost claimed his life, but not before Russo had shot and almost killed Dinah Madani. James and Rafael Hernandez met with Madani and Frank Castle in the hosptial where both were recovering from their injuries, with Castle being kept in handcuffs until Hernandez asked them to be removed so they could talk.

James informed Castle that the CIA had redirected the narrative of recent events to ensure that Russo and Lewis Wilson were the only suspects, with Hernandez confirming that while Castle was still officially a wanted man, they had ensured that his DNA had been wiped from the system, allowing him to begin a new life without fear of being hunted. James noted that Castle had been betrayed by Russo and William Rawlins and this was their way of ensuring that some form of justice was done for him, before telling Castle to enjoy his freedom however he could before James walked out of the room.

Personality
"You'd think in a building full of secrets, we'd be better at keeping one."

- Marion James to William Rawlins

To be added

Abilities
To be added

Facilities

 * CIA Headquarters: As a Deputy Director of the CIA, James has a personal office in the agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. In the headquarters, James personally presented William Rawlins with the medal for his service to the CIA. Later, he met with Rawlins in her office to discuss current situation with their potential promotions.

Family

 * Ella James - Daughter
 * Grace James - Daughter

Allies

 * CIA - Subordinates
 * United States Department of Homeland Security
 * Rafael Hernandez - Friend
 * Dinah Madani
 * Frank Castle/Punisher - Enemy turned Ally

Enemies

 * William Rawlins † - Subordinate turned Enemy
 * Billy Russo