Who plays Marwa in What We Do in the Shadows? Everything you need to know

The horror-mockumentary TV series What We Do in the Shadows tells the story of four vampire roommates and a familiar living on Staten Island. Season 4 of the FX show introduced Marwa, one of the 37 wives of Nandor from his time as an ancient warrior in Al Quolanudar while serving the Ottoman Empire.

Marwa is played by American-Iranian actress Parisa J. Fakhri.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from What We Do in the Shadows season 4. Viewer discretion is advised.

Appearing for a total of seven episodes in season 4, Fakhri's character exposed Nandor's selfishness and his misconstrued idea of a perfect marriage. His quest for finding true love culminated in Marwa merely becoming a tool for his jealousy against Guillermo's happy relationship with his then-boyfriend, Freddie.

What We Do in the Shadows introduced Marwa to highlight Nandor's character flaws but also to showcase that wishes rarely work how you want them to.

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Parisa Fakhri plays Marwa in What We Do in the Shadows

Parisa was cast in the role in July 2022 as a recurring cast member in season 4. She is most notably known for playing the role of Naima Perry in Paramount+'s SEAL Team.

Parisa has also guest-starred in several popular shows such as Into the Dark, Mom, Shameless, Suburgatory, Castle, House M.D., and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

She is also a famous voice actress, having lent her sound to the role of Arisa Uotani in the Japanese manga series Fruits Basket and Bra in Dragon Ball GT.

Parisa also played the role of Mira in the series Dwelling. Though of Iranian descent, the actress was born in Dallas, Texas.

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What happened to Marwa in What We Do in the Shadows

Marwa morphs into whatever Nandor wants her to be (Image via FX Network)

At the beginning of season 4, Nandor was on a quest to find true love. He stumbled upon a Djinn lamp, and upon rubbing it, was granted 52 wishes. He chose to revive 37 of his previous spouses. After spending some time with each, he chooses to eliminate them except Marwa, who he claims is the best.

Unfortunately, as soon as he revived Marwa, he neglected her and started changing her personality as per his wishes. Nandor starts using up more of his remaining wishes to mold her personality to his liking.

The more he changed Marwa, the more she became a version of him. Before their wedding, Marwa is seen affectionately hugging Guillermo, his familiar. This is because as Marwa became more like Nandor, she also started getting feelings for Guillermo, much like Nandor harbors feelings for him.

Fans of What We Do in the Shadows know all too well that Nandor does indeed have feelings for Guillermo but is unable to express them.

Finally, Nandor grew weary of Marwa. In a fit of jealousy, he used one of his wishes to make her a clone of Freddie— Guillermo's boyfriend.

This not only destroyed Guillermo and Freddie's relationship but also wiped Marwa entirely out of existence. It gave a dissatisfying ending to her character.

Although Parisa's character became an instrument of Nandor's whims and fancies, fans did get to know fleeting instances of her character's true motivations.

Most notably, at the start, she longs for a deeper connection with her to-be husband and the vampire gang. Viewers also see her going to the night market with them and participating in Nadja's girls' night to watch Mamma Mia.

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Watch all seasons of What We Do in the Shadows on FX or stream the episodes on Hulu. The series is currently playing its final season (season 6). The series finale airs on December 16, 2024, on FX and Hulu.