Marissa Cooper
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Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on FOX series The O.C. She is played by British-born American actress Mischa Barton.
In the show, Marissa is a rich socialite in Newport Beach, California, whose family was about to go through some dramatic changes throughout the season. First, Marissa's father, Jimmy Cooper, was caught committing fraud and eventually went bankrupt. Later, Marissa discovered that her boyfriend, Luke Ward, was cheating on her. During this time, she went to drugs and alcohol and collapsed while she, Summer Roberts, Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen were on a trip to Tijuana.
Throughout the season, Marissa was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Ryan, with the relationships being interrupted by Luke and Oliver Trask, respectively. Oliver Trask eventually was discovered to be mentally unstable and hiding an unhealthy obsession with Marissa.
During this time, her mother was romantically involved with Kirsten Cohen's father, Caleb Nichol. During a brief break-up with Caleb, Marissa's mother had a fling with Marissa's ex-boyfriend Luke, which caused Marissa to run away, strangely enough, to Chino and Ryan's ex-girlfriend Theresa's house.
At the end of the season, Julie Cooper and Caleb Nichol married, making Marissa stepdaughter to the most powerful man in Newport.
During the second season, Marissa struggles with alcohol and depression and seeks out relationships that seem specifically chosen to make stabs at her mother—first with DJ, the lawn boy, and then with Alex, Seth's ex-girlfriend. Marissa moves out of her mother's house briefly to live with Alex and returns home once she and Alex break up. As of the end of season two, Marissa is presumably a murderer after shooting Trey Atwood with a gun to save Ryan's life.