Samantha Manson

Sam Manson
Sam Manson
First appearance	"Mystery Meat"
Created by	Butch Hartman
In-universe information
Alias	Sam, Sammy-kins
Species	Human
Relatives	Jeremy (father), Pamela (mother), Ida (grandmother)
Nationality	American

Samantha "Sam" Manson is a fictional character from the Nickelodeon animated series Danny Phantom, created by Butch Hartman and designed by Shannon Tendell and Stephen Silver. She is the leading female character and love interest of Danny Fenton/Phantom. She is voiced by Grey DeLisle.

Samantha, or Sam as she prefers to be called, is one of Danny Fenton/Phantom's best friends. She is a polarizing figure on the show due to her unique, but unpopular interests. She remains a supportive character to Danny.

Conception and creation

Sam was originally intended to be a "dark and mysterious girl" with knowledge of supernatural world. She was also intended to have a psychic link with Danny; the idea was discarded because the developers didn't want to give the characters too many unique talents, preferring Danny to be the only character with special powers.

Character

Sam is a self-proclaimed goth and a strict ultra-recyclo vegetarian. She wears dark clothing and has great interests in the subliminal and nether worldly. She combines this with an outspoken attitude on vegetarianism, animal rights and environmentalism. Her personality is less dreary than what the stereotypical "goth" persona is usually portrayed as, but remains deadpan and snarky. Her goth label is more an outlet for her independence and individuality, as well as a means of rebellion to her strict, sunny parents.

Out of the trio, she remains the most rational and levelheaded, often keeping Danny and Tucker in line, pushing the former's ghost hunting when trouble calls. Despite her outspoken persona, Sam hides her romantic feelings for Danny inside; her inability to confess her love has let other romances into Danny's life.

Sam also tends to be bossy and hypocritical, usually as a mean to push her agenda; temporarily forcing her Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian diet on the entirety of Casper High or protesting a beauty contest, and criticizing Danny's power abuse, but supportive when she wanted to scare people away from buying environmentally threatening trucks.

Coming from a wealthy background through her grandfather's invention of the deli toothpick cellophane-twirling device, she keeps her rich status a secret to prevent fake friendships, though she eventually reveals it to her friends. She has a questionable relationship with her parents, whose optimistic, colorful personalities clashes with her dark and dreary preferences. Her grandmother remains the only one to support her unique behavior, having been somewhat of a nonconformist in her youth.

Sam is an athletic, frequent online gamer, and enjoys punk, Anime, and Sci-fi. She is of Jewish origin. She has known Tucker and Danny since the 2nd grade.

Plot Overview

Sam's interest in the supernatural causes her to egg Danny into showing his parents' basement lab. There she urges Danny to explore the then-under-construction Fenton Portal, causing him to turn half-ghost. She further pushes him to keep his powers and subsequently, he becomes a superhero.

Sam has had her share of troubles and adventure; she briefly turns into a ghost dragon while wearing the amulet of Aragon, accidentally erased Danny Phantom's memory of her existence by unknowingly making a wish Desiree grantsnearly becomes the bride of Prince Aragon in, and temporarily gets possessed by Undergrowth, a plant ghost, as his 2nd-in-command. She is also responsible for designing Danny's "DP" emblem which he kept for the remainder of the series.

One of Sam's ongoing arc is her romantic interests in Danny. During the beginning, Danny and Sam consistently denied any romantic associations with each other, though it is clear Sam silently has affections for Danny, almost confessing at one point. She briefly gets a Hungarian boyfriend, but dumps him when he turns out to be a fake. She and Danny eventually hook up in the finale with promises of a good future.