Marissa Tasker is a fictional character on the soap opera, All My Children. She was portrayed by Brittany Allen from April 21, 2009, to December 21, 2010, and by Sarah Glendening from December 27, 2010, to September 23, 2011.
Character history
2009–2010
Marissa is the biological daughter of David Hayward and Krystal Carey, and was born on April 10, 1983, along with her late twin sister Arabella "Babe" Carey. Krystal finds Marissa working at an illegal massage parlor to pay for her college tuition. After Krystal accidentally gets her fired, the two are arrested and Krystal offers to pay for Marissa's tuition. Marissa follows Krystal back to Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, and moves in with Krystal and her husband David. Adam Chandler begins blackmailing Krystal when he discovers that Marissa is Krystal and David's daughter. After giving birth to Marissa and her twin sister Babe, Krystal sold the child to the Tasker family. Krystal finally reveals the truth to David and Marissa, infuriating them both. Marissa starts to form a relationship with David, but has a harder time forgiving her mother for her abandonment.
Marissa begins to become close to JR Chandler, who had been married to her twin sister and fathered AJ Chandler with her before she died. David, a longtime nemesis of JR, becomes concerned about the relationship. Marissa begins assisting lawyer Liza Colby, who is representing Kendall Hart in her trial for murdering Stuart Chandler. When Stuart's wife Marian Chandler breaks down, she attempts to shoot Kendall in court, but accidentally hits Marissa instead. David and Dr. Jake Martin attempt a surgery to save her life, but David freezes remembering the death of his daughter Leora, who died as an infant. Nevertheless, with Jake's help Marissa makes it through the surgery and is pleased to see that JR's feelings for her have grown. David offers to stay away from JR's son Little Adam if JR agrees to stay away from Marissa. JR rejects the deal, and tells Marissa he is falling in love with her. It is eventually discovered that Stuart was in fact killed by a drugged Adam Chandler.
When JR learns that he has a rare form of lymphoma, he decides not to tell Marissa, and instead confides in his former step-father Tad Martin. Later, JR confesses he has cancer to Marissa, who offers support and admits she is falling in love with him. JR asks Marissa to marry him on October 21, 2009. Marissa worries it is about the cancer and not about loving each other, JR tells her that he loves her and asks her again. She says yes and later that day Tad marries them. She legally adopts her nephew Little Adam, now called AJ, on March 3, 2010. Marissa has to deal with JR's affair with Annie Chandler (her ex-stepmother-in-law).
On August 11, 2010, Marissa tells Scott that she saw J.R. and Annie at the cottage together. She and Scott then have sex. On August 24, JR and Marissa agree to end their marriage. JR and Marissa agree to divorce on August 30. On August 31, they tell AJ about their divorce, and agreed on joint custody of him.
On November 29, 2010, David attacks Ryan Lavery with the intent to kill him and kidnap Greenlee, whom he had recently married, only to be shot and rendered comatose by Kendall (though the public believes it was in fact Erica). When he awakens on January 17, 2011, Marissa offers to be his defense attorney and hopefully get him to turn over a new leaf, but assures her father that if he doesn't do exactly as she says, she will see to it personally that he is thrown in prison.
When David is incarcerated after apparently attempting an escape, Marissa is outraged, but David manages to convince her that he was set up by Ryan. Eventually, Erica manages to convince the governor to grant David a pardon for his crimes after he helps Griffin Castillo perform emergency heart surgery on Kendall. Marissa immediately sets about trying to rebuild David's reputation.
2010–2011
Meanwhile, Marissa becomes suspicious of Annie and discovers that she is still in love with JR, though she dismisses Annie's claims about her relationship with JR as paranoid delusions. Annie begins to fall apart mentally, eventually following Marissa to the Chandler Mansion and accidentally knocking her unconscious. Panicking, Annie locks Marissa in the attic and accidentally sets off a gas leak. Fortunately, JR comes home and saves Marissa before she suffocates, and Marissa discovers that JR and Annie were indeed in a relationship. JR eventually begins to try to convince Marissa to move back into the mansion, at least for AJ's sake, but Marissa adamantly refuses, insisting that she has too many bad memories of the place.