| “ | Wazzup! Wazzup!? WAZZUUUUP!!!!! | „ |
| ~ Martin's catchphrase. |
Martin Payne is the titular main protagonist of Fox's sitcom of the same name. He is the former host of a radio station WZUP, and a current talk show host. He is the boyfriend-turned-husband of Gina Waters-Payne.
He was portrayed by Martin Lawrence who also portrayed Marcus Burnett from the Bad Boys franchise, Miles Logan in Blue Streak and voiced Boog in the original Open Season film.
Personality[]
Martin Payne is often a very rude, loudmouthed, selfish, sarcastic and short-tempered individual with a bit of an arrogant and reckless side to his goofy behavior and snarky nature, but deep down has a heart of gold, and his very caring to his friends and family especially to his girlfriend and later wife Gina. However, he can be insecure about his emotion especially when he doesn't want anyone to know that he cried when watching Beauty and the Beast. His jerkish behavior, jocular remarks, arrogance and sarcasm can be seen as defense mechanisms, perhaps due to reference of being pick-on or made fun of as a teenager as hint in the episode "Really, Gina Is Not My Lover" where once again encounters his High School rival Ricky Fontaine, also named "Pretty Ricky" at their High School Reunion, as well for often being viewed as short and scrawny (especially from Gina's best friend: Pamela James).
In his good days, he loves to make light of most situations with several banters, and is often a wisecracker with his witticisms, retorts and repartee.
History[]
Martin was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by his mother Edna "Mama" Payne, and his father who was never named. He lives in an apartment where his girlfriend Gina would most often stay and spend the night with him while also living in an apartment of her own with her roommate and best friend Pam. He is best friends with Tommy Strawn and Cole Brown. He also has a back-and-forth rivalry with Pam as Pam would often make comments about his size while Martin makes jokes about her looks.
In the first two seasons, Martin was the host of a fictional radio station titled WZUP, where he usually brings in a special guest as well as trying to talk people through their problems.
Midway through the second season, he was engaged to Gina; however, in the season finale, he leaves after being fired from the station and tries to get his life back on track.
In the beginning of the third season, he was shown to join a cult under the name "Shaquille Sunflower", he was able to make an escape, and reunite once again with Gina who permanently moved in to his apartment as she made some changes, much to his dismay, but after getting a pep talk with Tommy and Cole, he was willing to accept it, and continued with Gina on their wedding. After several failed attempts of getting a job, he finds himself in a new position as a talk show host in Channel 51. In the end of the third season, he and Gina are finally married, and continued their lives in the apartment.
Throughout seasons 1-3, he has moments of being a ladies' man despite being cocky and an egomaniacal jerk who loves Gina, as he attracted ladies to the point of flirting with Martin without even trying such as Pamela James in the episode "Radio Days", his own elementary school teacher Miss Trinidad in the episode "Blackboard Jungle Fever", a seductive lady mentor named Rose Anne (played by Armelia McQueen) who was also a wife of Tom in the episode "In Search of Martin", a crowd of gym ladies surrounding him while watching him exercise and lift weights when Martin takes off his wedding finger in the episode "Ring a Ding, Ding, Ding Gone", an old lady considered him to be handsome one time, two lustful married ladies in the episode "Swing Thing", a businesswoman who liked how much Martin would take charge (and Martin wasn't interested or in the mood) in the episode "Waiting, Debating and Ovulating", an bouncer in the dance club Sugar Shack in the episode "Ain't This About An Ditch?", a room service attendee named Ellen to get all seductive with him in the episode "Goin' Overboard Part 1", and he even managed to attract Pam's identical wacko cousin Tammy for a moment in the episode "One Flew Over the Hoochie's Nest".
In seasons 4-5, Martin and Gina tried to keep their married life together, near the end of the fourth season, Gina assumes that she might be pregnant, only for it to be false in the beginning of the fifth season.
In the series' finale, they moved to Los Angeles, California where Martin's show will be taped there, also well as Gina being offer a new job, which bid them to say farewell to their friends in Detroit.
Heroic Acts[]
- Fights criminals in the episode "The Great Payne Robbery".
- Picks up a fight against Gina's ex to honor Tommy in the episode "Your Arms Are Too Short to Box with Martin".
- Unintentionally luring his seductive teacher into a vulnerable spot for her to be confirmed for her seduction and her deceptive crimes she did with trying to frame Martin, which helped Gina expose her for her lies and incrimination in the episode "Blackboard Jungle Fever".
- Partaking in a boxing match (and lost) in honor of protecting Gina in the episode "Guard Your Grill" (which got the boxer to respect Martin for protecting his girl in a fight Martin hurt himself for)
- Stopping a terrorist (disguised as Santa) from ruining Christmas for everyone when said terrorist hijacked Martin's show due to his personal & financial issues and getting his friends to help him (as well as his audience) from stopping a terrorist attack in the form of a song in the episode "Go Tell It on the Martin".
- Standing up for his friends and not sell out on them after Martin puts a creative spin on the Romeo and Juliet play in the episode "Homeo and Juliet".
- Accidentally saving the life of Prince Uche when the latter choked on food from in the episode "The Life You Save Might Make You Rich".
- Unintentionally luring the sadistic Ellen into getting caught for her faked suicidal identity and arrested by the cruise members in the episode "Goin' Overboard Part 2".
- Had to disguise himself as a doctor "Dr. Jay" as a devious way to convince the receptionist to free Pam from her being framed by her wacko cousin Tammy, and a good amount of luck managed to clear the scene that Martin caused irresponsibly in the episode "One Flew Over the Hoochie's Nest".
External Links[]
- Martin Payne on the Martin Wiki