Marcus Dean is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Darcy Grey.

Marcus' arrival initially causes issues for Rhona and her relationship with Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock).

Following Pierce's death, Marcus begins a romance with Ethan Anderson (Emile John) and decides to remain in the village.

He is such an open book, with such an uncertain future that I just can't wait for you all to see where his journey in the village takes him!

"[1] In January 2022, it was announced that soap newcomer Darcy Grey had been cast on Emmerdale as Marcus Dean, the son of former character Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather).

[1][2] Speaking of his casting, Grey revealed that he was "quietly smiling inside" when his agent sent him the role of Marcus, explaining, "We share so many similarities, both the good – and perhaps – some of the bad!

[1][5] Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks was "delighted" to welcome Grey to the cast and believed that Marcus would make "quite the impression" on the other characters and viewers.

"[1] It was reported that Marcus' arrival would cause trouble for Pierce's ex-wife, Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry), who he raped.

[1] Jane Hudson, the soap's other producer, teased that viewers would have to "wait and see whether Marcus is a chip off the old block or whether he's the polar opposite of Pierce.

"[6] Justin Harp from Digital Spy reported that the storyline would be "gripping" and revealed that the memories of Pierce would come "flooding back" for Rhona when she meets Marcus.

[1] Harp noted that Marcus is "suave and handsome with a penchant for brooding" just like Pierce, but questioned whether there were more similarities between the pair.

[1] Craig Jones from Yorkshire Live believed that Marcus' arrival would cause "heartache" for "village favourite" Rhona.

[10] Grey told Radio Times that he found it interesting that this changes what he thought was his "calm life", explaining that Marcus has "got himself a job, he knows where his mum lives and he thought he knew where he was, and then all of a sudden this piece of information comes through about his dad and it's just shifted things and reverted it back to this unstable position for him".

[11] Hudson explained that when Marcus arrives at Rhona's door, she makes the "wrong" decision and decides not to tell Marlon.

[14][13] This happens when Marcus helps Ethan move into a shared house, which leads to the couple growing closer and discussing their future.

[25] Following this argument, Dan Seddon from Digital Spy speculated that fans had seen "the beginning of the (possible) end" of Ethan and Marcus' relationship.

[25] On 13 February 2023, it was announced that Grey had decided to leave the soap in order to explore other acting opportunities and that Marcus would be written out of Emmerdale.

[26][29] Grey did not release an official statement but seemed to confirm the news on his Instagram account by reposting the reports of his departure alongside three heart emojis.

[32] However, Marcus is in fact "wracked with guilt" after cheating on Ethan with Joe (Joseph Passafaro), being "Evidently conflicted" on whether to stay away or continue his affair with him.

Greg starts writing negative reviews about Marcus' electrician business, and Ethan considers dropping the claim and quitting his job.

"Emmerdale held its breath when the son of Pierce Harris rocked up in the village, but Marcus is worlds away from his monster dad.

[11] Some fans also believed that there was "something dodgy" going on, whilst others observed Marcus' resemblance to another Emmerdale character, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock).

[11] A writer from Heart called Marcus' arrival to Emmerdale "dramatic" and wrote that "some viewers are convinced he is hiding something".

"[36] Tyler later wrote, "We love how Marcus was smuggled into Emmerdale under the cloak of a story twist for Rhona, when really it was an excuse to give Ethan a boyfriend.

"[37] Tyler also joked that Marcus and Pierce put together looked like Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) from the television series You.

"[39] George Lewis from Digital Spy believed that Marcus made a "poor attempt" at an apology when Ethan found out that he cheated on him.

[9] Kilkelly also joked that Ethan responded to this with a "quick-fire way" of bringing "excitement" to Marcus' life by throwing his belongings out of the window.

[9] Sue Haasler from Metro wrote that Marcus and Ethan had a "solid bond" and joked that this was proven by the fact that they bought each other the exact same Christmas tree bauble.

[12] Lewis Knight from Radio Times believed that Marcus' storylines on the soap mainly revolved around his relationship with Ethan and "navigating his place in the village amongst Ethan's family", with Knight adding that the aftermath of Marcus and Naomi's plan had left the couple's relationship on "shaky ground".

[13] Kitson wrote "Love is in the air" when reporting on Ethan and Marcus moving in together, which she believed was a step in the correct direction for their relationship.