Unless you have been under a rock for the past 30 years, you have come to know the affable overall clad plumber named Mario. What was once supposed to be a Popeye-inspired story, pitting the then Jumpman and Donkey Kong against each other grew into one of the largest video game franchises of all time. From his initial starring role in the first Super Mario Bros. to his partying ways in Mario Kart, Mr. Mario is responsible for some of the most wholesome and entertaining fun in gaming. He is the name your parents hoped you would say instead of Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto: Pick-A-Number, but his game was still cool enough to play where you did not feel like you were missing out on edginess.
His brand is synonymous with PG-related fun time, on par with Mickey Mouse and his 90s competition, Sonic the Hedgehog. However, even the noblest heroes have a limit, and Mario is no exception. Having to constantly save Princess Peach from a relentless Bowser, navigate insanely uninhabitable worlds, and deal with the still infamous blowback of a mediocre live-action film, Mario has plenty of reasons to act out his frustrations on those around him. Imagine how you would feel if you dodged fire, fought lizards, committed unspeakable acts, and only had a cake to show for it? His retaliation and underhanded tactics are more than understandable once you realize what Mario has had to encounter. Here are fifteen of Mario’s most savage moments that you may not know about.
15 That Time When Mario Dodged Bullets On A Rollercoaster
So we know that Mario can be a little bit of a scene-stealer, but sometimes this can be a good thing. In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario entered some GTA bullet dodging action. He had to kill a large mechanical Bowser while putting Max Payne’s bullet time evasions to shame. Also, he had to do this while riding an unpredictable roller coaster. While Mario makes it looks easy —as he always does—think about this the next time you are enjoying an 80-mile per hour ride on your favorite coaster. Mario sat in your seat and destroyed a rogue, murderous robot. On second thought, this sounds like a theme park ride winner.
14 Handling An Ape Who Had One Too Many Mushrooms
Remember those “Mega Mushrooms” we discussed earlier? Well, Donkey Kong got a hold to an early iteration of them in 1994 to get revenge on Mario’s earlier party crash of his classic arcade title. Mario always seems to get himself into “underdog” situations where the odds seem to be against him. However, Mario is a hero who always has a bit of savage in him. Not only did Mario defeat Donkey Kong again, but he also did it while avoiding a one hit kill from the giant ape. In his battles with Bowser, Mario gets a few times to get it right, but even when he has one shot to end a rematch, the legendary plumber can put it away.
13 Mario Kidnapped Donkey Kong And Traumatized His Son
At this point, it would seem Mario has an unchecked vendetta against Donkey Kong, and this entry proves it. In the game, Donkey Kong Jr. Mario took Donkey Kong captive, and in a stroke of rare villainy prevented his son from saving him. Not only did he threaten the bond between father and son, but he also tormented Donkey Kong Jr. with traps and other animals whom he also whipped. This seems out of character for the friendly plumber, but earlier entries about Mario’s missteps with Yoshi and initial trouble with Donkey Kong show that Mario may have a problem respecting the animals in his world.
12 Taking Yoshi Hostage For His Own Gain
One of the hallmarks of Super Mario World is Yoshi’s entrance into the Super Mario franchise. It is a special moment for old school gamers everywhere, but did you know this moment was also tinged with some Mario savagery? Let me refresh your memory. At some point, Luigi and Mario discover a huge egg and out pops Yoshi. He explains that his dinosaur friends (and possibly family) are in Bowser's clutches. In response, Mario hops on top of Yoshi to take him on his noble quest to save Princess Peach. Granted, the final defeat of Bowser also brings about the release of Yoshi’s friends. However, it would have been decent to give Yoshi a choice of whether he wanted to go it alone or join the “plumber gang.” Also, would Mario have even made the journey if Princess Peach were not involved? Instead, Yoshi gets the opportunity to be transported while hoping the release of his friends is also a priority for his captor.
11 Children Are Not Off Limits For A Beat Down
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and Luigi had to defeat seven enemies, the Koopalings. They are also referred to as the Koopa Kids, so everyone is well aware that these are children. However, these are not normal kids. In the events leading up to Super Mario Bros. 3, they each were tasked with defeating one of the seven kings of the mushroom realm, taking their wand, and turning them into an animal. It is safe to say they are pretty vicious, but not enough to top Mario’s levels of savagery. Mario defeated each Koopa Kid in their military zones. This was not a typical Mario journey where the titular hero had to climb a castle, hop over lava and smash bricks. He had to battle seven child lizards armed with wands in military hideouts one after the other. Who made rated this title E for everyone again?
10 Made His Debut By Crashing Another SNES Classic
It was mentioned earlier that Mario is not a fan of sharing the spotlight. That behavior had to start somewhere. The classic Donkey Kong arcade game tasked Mario with avoiding Donkey Kong’s traps to rescue his love, Pauline from Donkey Kong’s clutches. This is all well and good, but the title is called Donkey Kong, and yet we are still talking about Mario, aka Jumpman. The game is not even about the now-famous ape. Instead, he is seen as the villain. Humiliatingly enough, Donkey Kong is killed by the method he uses to try and thwart Mario. Can’t an ape enjoy a night out in his title game with his abductee in peace?
9 Gave Indiana Jones A Run For His Money
Indiana Jones is not the only one who can handle the consequences of disturbing ancient artifacts. In Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario has to move a key from the beginning of the stage to the end to proceed to the next level. It sounds easy enough, but he also has to accomplish this while being chased by the “guardian” of the key, Phanto. This villain can show up anytime and without warning, with the unrelenting goal of killing the intruder who stole their key. Mario has to avoid this enemy while holding a key that is the same size as him while maneuvering through the usual mushroom kingdom trappings. Maybe Mario deserves his own Indiana Jones spinoff.
8 Super Mario Saved The SNES In North America
Mario has done some shady things in the past thirty years, but he can is also credited with some good deeds. In the late 1980's, Japan was preparing to replace the SNES with a Famicom disc system and had the same idea for the system in the United States. Super Mario Bros. was meant to be the grand farewell for the system. However, Super Mario mania brought this plan to a halt in the states and caused Nintendo’s execs to hold off on introducing the Famicom system in North America. Thanks to Mario, American consumers got a chance to experience a few more years of epic SNES gaming. Basically, he changed the marketing and R&D plans of a global corporation, no biggie.
7 Pulling A “Godzilla” In The Mushroom Kingdom
Remember the days when Mario grabbed the mushroom that made him a little larger? It protected him against a one-hit kill from a Goomba and made it easier to jump longer distances. Well on the Nintendo DS New Super Mario Bros. title, Mario took it to another level with the “Mega Mushroom.” This gives him the ability to reach sizes of Godzilla proportions and mow down the Goombas, Koopa Troopas and any other enemies that come his way. While the feature is all types of “destructive cool,” there is something a bit disturbing about the lovable Mario stomping through the Mushroom Kingdom like a movie monster on a tantrum.
6 Mario Can Be A Bit Of A Scene Hog
In 2016, the eyes of millions of people were watching Rio, Brazil and Tokyo’s performance. However, what do most people remember about the city’s show stopping spectacle? Mario, that’s what! Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a bit late getting to the ceremony and morphed into the New York plumber. Instead of all eyes being on Japan, the applause was loudest for the man in red. While this seems harmless, imagine it is your birthday, and you created the party of a lifetime. However, everyone is talking about the “popular” friend who got internet famous after high school. Yes, this is kind of like that. You love their company because they are highly entertaining, but they just don’t know when to turn the spotlight-hogging off.
5 Luigi Who?
Other than Luigi’s Mansion, when was the last time the slimmer and green clad brother got a feature? Did you know that you could almost count them on one hand? Mario is Missing (1992), Luigi’s Mansion (2001), Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (2013), New Super Luigi U (2013), Dr. Luigi (2013) and Luigi’s Mansion Arcade (2015). In fact, most of these titles are related to the Mansion storyline, and the first game was still about finding brother Mario. Can Luigi get a break? Mario gets 30 years of titles to evolve and become a household name. However, there is still so much we do not know about Luigi after all these years. Mario saves the Princess, while Luigi ‘s prize is an old mansion? It seems like Mario could step aside a little more to show his brother some “feature love.”
4 He Defeated Bowser In A Sea Of Fire
Let’s set the scene of this epic match up between Bowser and Mario in Super Mario 64. Mario has just traveled through a lava-filled wasteland: tilting platforms, furnace style elevators, plumes of fire shooting from black orbs, and the ever present threat of burning at the hands of red lava. The journey to this boss fight was surely not an easy one. Finally, Mario has made it to Bowser’s fire-themed lair; The rock music kicks up and out stomps Bowser on the red stone platform. Unlike the first boss fight, when Bowser jumps to attack, the platform tilts with him. It takes Mario only one time to toss Bowser into bombs to end the battle, but between the 90-degree angle tilt and fire breath from Bowser, Mario’s ability to come through this takes his savage level to 100.
3 Squaring Off Against A Well-Known 90s Nemesis
If you were born in the 80s or 90s, you are well aware of the informal feud between Sega and Nintendo fans. Many asked questions like: “Which was better?” “Which system had the best games?” However, another question also crept up among these discussions, “Who was better? Sonic the Hedgehog or Mario?” Both have loyal fan bases — both brought an edginess to gaming that had not been seen before. However, could the spiky-haired blue hedgehog be more of an icon than the mascot of Nintendo? In October 2007, fans got their wish when Sonic joined the Super Smash Bros. Brawl lineup. Finally, Mario could show the world why he was the "one-and-only" video game legend.
2 Super Mario Defeating Bowser In The Final Battle Of His First 3D Game
To say that Super Mario 64 is a revolutionary game is an understatement. Many still regard it as one of the greatest games of all times. It brings the titular character into the mid-90s in his first 3D story. One of the most captivating moments in the game was Mario’s final journey to beat Bowser for the third and final time. Everything he faced throughout the game was thrown at him in this mission. Still, Mario did not let us forget whose title this was. He triumphantly conquered floating platforms, timed stairs, electronic orbs and overzealous winds to meet Bowser in the sky. This battle would not be their last, but it was the first time Mario laid the smack down in 3D.
1 Mario is killing members of the Mushroom Kingdom
In this final look into Mario’s savagery, we travel back to the debut of the original Super Mario Bros. The story goes that the people of the Mushroom Kingdom were turned into bricks by the “black-magic-loving” Koopa turtles under the leadership of Bowser. Well, these are the same bricks that Mario smashes along his journey. For years, he has been destroying the last known resting place of many of the citizens of Mushroom Kingdom. You may be thinking…okay, they were dead anyway. However, the manual also states that Princess Toadstool can undo the spell and turn them back into their normal bodies. A fitting end to one of the most low-key savage characters in Nintendo history.