The Super Mario Bros Movie fan theory suggests Mario isn’t Mario

An interesting fan theory for The Super Mario Bros Movie suggests that Mario isn’t actually Mario. 

The eagerly anticipated video game adaptation starring Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as the iconic plumbing duo dropped in theaters last Wednesday, April 5, with fans lapping up all the Nintendo-related Easter eggs. It’s gone down so well, in fact, that in the first five days since its premiere, The Super Mario Bros Movie generated over $377 million globally, smashing previous video game adaptations like Sonic and Warcraft.

The plot centers on Mario and Luigi, who are transported down a mysterious pipe and into the Mushroom Kingdom where they are separated. As the titular icon attempts to find his brother, he becomes an unlikely hero as he teams up with Toad and Princess Peach to save the magical new world from the big bad Bowser. 

While the storyline is a relatively straightforward one, a fan theory has been put forward that may just change everything you thought you knew about the movie. Before we get into it, WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Super Mario Bros Movie!

Mario isn’t Mario in The Super Mario Bros Movie fan theory

Though we all know by now that Pratt voices Mario in the new movie, some fans weren’t too pleased with his accent (or lack thereof) – but one theory put forward on Reddit appears to offer an explanation as to why this is the case. 

They argue that the real Mario vanished some time ago and now a “random guy from Brooklyn with an M on his hat” who happens to look like the main man himself “stumbles into Mushroom Kingdom” and is forced to take his place as the new hero. 

“This is also why Chris’s Mario looks slightly… off,” they wrote. “Peach seems to know that it’s not the real Mario and she tries her best to keep that a secret from the citizens (for morale) and now she has to train him in secret, which is why we see the training sequence in the trailer with just Mario and Peach.”

The Redditor goes on to suggest that Charles Martinet – the voice actor behind Mario and Luigi in the video game series – plays an important role here. You see, in the credits, we don’t get any concrete confirmation as to which characters Martinet plays in the movie. But as many have pointed out, he’s clearly behind the voice of Giuseppe, who is present when a Mario Bros Plumbing TV commercial airs. 

When Mario asks Luigi if their fake Italian accents were a bit much, Giuseppe – who even looks like the main man himself – interjects to say: “Too much?! It’s-a perfect! Wahoo!” It’s just the kind of meta joke you’d expect from the movie, but if the fan theory is to be believed, it could imply Pratt and Day’s iteration of the two lead characters are simply role playing.

What the fans are saying about The Super Mario Bros Movie theory

Though a number of fans shut down the theory, just as many agreed while offering their own take on the idea. 

“There are dozens of ‘Pratt isn’t really Mario’ theories, but this is one of the only ones with any kind of plausibility,” wrote one, although they did add: “Which is still incredibly small because this ain’t true.”

Another, who said “this theory could work,” went into the idea that Pratt’s version is actually Paper Mario, a character who had his own Nintendo spinoff game series. They continued: “It’s Paper Mario but he used the power of ‘Things’ to transform himself from paper to flesh.”

But, as said, not everyone agrees with the idea. “Your argument about Mario could be said about every other character too,” wrote one user. “So are they also not the real Bowser, or Donkey Kong, or Peach etc?”

Another said: “OP is thinking way too hard about this.”

Of course, anyone who’s seen The Super Mario Bros Movie will know that this fan theory doesn’t hold up. As is the case with all cinematic universes, anything is possible down the line, and while it’s highly unlikely, it’s always fun to speculate.

Speaking of which, if a sequel does get the green light, we’ve got a way better chance of seeing Wario and Waluigi making an appearance.