Super Mario Bros: Who Are Mario And Luigi? (2024)

Since their first named appearances in the classic arcade game Mario Bros, and the iconic NES platformer Super Mario Bros, Mario Mario and his brother Luigi Mario have become an iconic sibling duo. Despite their plethora of appearances in some of the best games ever made, and their fame as Nintendo’s mascots, the characterization and details surrounding Mario and Luigi as people are, at best, scarce; and at worst, contradictory.

Although many games in the mainline Super Mario series of platformers attempt to convey information about Mario and Luigi, narrative consistency has never been the focus of the Mario franchise, leading to plenty of confusion about the brothers and their origins. Many fans have already done the work of examining Mario and Luigi’s rich 40-year history, so we've done the same and compiled it all here. Let's-a go!

Updated January 23, 2024, by Bobby Mills: Since we published this article, there have been many movements in the Mario universe. Chief among these is a multi-million dollar big screen adventure (no, not the Bob Hoskins one) that finally cements numerous aspects of the brothers' origins into canon. We also felt it prudent to tidy things up and expand a tad on the bros.' adventures as babies, so enjoy!

Who Is Mario?

As he is arguably the most recognizable video game character of all time, most people already know of Mario. Much less is known when it comes to who Mario ‘is,’ however. A few definitive details are generally agreed upon, and then lots of supplementary information has remained unconfirmed.

Mario's Origin

The first on-screen appearance of Mario is in the arcade release of Donkey Kong. To begin with, he was just called ‘Jumpman’ – a carpenter who wanted to save the captured Pauline from the tyranny of Donkey Kong. Later versions of the game on consoles would refer to 'Jumpman' as Mario, and the rest is history.

Donkey Kong doesn’t provide many details about the character of Mario, but it does put in place the aesthetic and gameplay foundations of the beloved hero. Mario wears red and blue,and jumps over his obstacles to solve his problems. These iconic details are still associated with the character to this day.

The first title in the series to be named after the brothers was Mario Bros, another arcade classic released in 1983. This game focuses on Mario and his brother Luigi defeating various monsters inside the New York sewer system.

This enthralling co-op platformer game was the first to feature Luigi, who was little more than a palette swap of his brother’s sprite at the time.

Various supplementary material for Mario Bros notes that both Mario and Luigi are plumbers by trade. It’s quite the career shift from Mario’s previous profession of ‘carpenter,’ but it also provides context for the game’s pipe-heavy sewer setting.

Although Mario’s plumber origins aren’t relevant to the gameplay or story of modern Mario titles, many of Mario’s appearances reference Mario’s past career as a cute detail.

Where Is Mario From?

Since Super Mario Bros on the NES attained remarkable global popularity, Mario has also been closely associated with the peculiar setting that many Mario games take place in: the Mushroom Kingdom.

In most Mario games, Mario jumps his way through the (often hazardous) terrain of the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Peach, the princess and sovereign ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.

In most cases, Peach is kidnapped by Mario’s chief adversary (and sometimes tennis partner) Bowser, leader of the often antagonistic Koopa Kingdom; sometimes referred to as 'The Darklands'.

Mario has risen to the occasion and rescued Peach many times in the couple's 40-year relationship. In almost every Mario game since Super Mario Bros, the titular character has been joined by a rich cast of characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, including Princess Peach, Toad (the princess’ mushroom retainer), former enemy Donkey Kong, and of course, his brother Luigi.

In terms of personality, Mario’s limited dialogue makes it difficult to discern much in the way of rich character. Still, his lively noises offer an enthusiastic refrain that — combined with his actions — makes it easy to suggest that Mario is a kind-hearted, enthusiastic hero.

The simple narratives of Mario games also support this idea, wherein Mario is regularly positioned as being immediately ready to solve all problems that the Mushroom Kingdom might face, along with the (usually more reluctant) Luigi.

Who Is Luigi?

As the multiplayer function of both Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros required the inclusion of a second playable character, Luigi entered the Super Mario franchise earlier than many remember.

Although both characters initially lacked substance, later entries expanded Luigi’s role and characterization to distinguish him from his brother. As with Mario, there are only a few confirmed details relevant to Luigi’s character, with many other details arriving in spin-off media.

Luigi's modern characterization positions him as an underdog living in his brother’s shadow. If Mario is brave by default, Luigi needs to do a lot more to summon courage by comparison.

If Mario is the main star, Luigi is often cast in a supporting role (at least, within the universe — Luigi certainly has a dedicated fan base in the real world).

This characterization of Luigi is especially supported by the Mario & Luigi RPGs and the Luigi’s Mansion games, which both play into the idea of the ‘cowardly’ Luigi for laughs.

Luigi's Independence From Mario

The Luigi’s Mansion series of games offer plenty of additional context for the character of Luigi. In these games, Luigi becomes an amateur ghost hunter to save his brother, emptying such locales as stately houses, museums and hotels of mischievous spooks.

Aside from his rampant cowardice, Luigi can be quite an intuitive thinker, relying more on intellect and guile than his brother, who often acts (and jumps) on instinct.

Despite their differences, Mario and Luigi are particularly capable of working as a team. They work excellently as a duo in many Mario sports titles involving teaming up, like Mario Kart: Double Dash or Mario Tennis.

The Mario and Luigi RPGs also evoke a clear unity between the two brothers; their most powerful attacks, known as Bros. Moves, come from their ability to work together.

What Are Mario And Luigi's Origins?

One of the most curious facets of Mario lore is the inconsistency of Mario’s place of birth. Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, and various other early Mario media tell us that Mario is an inhabitant of New York City. Yet it was not until 1995’s Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island that his heritage would be alternatively explained.

Yoshi’s Island tells us that both Mario and Luigi (born as twins) were transported by Yoshi on a legendary pilgrimage to return them to their parents in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Kamek, Bowser's dogsbody, had swiped the infants as part of a diabolical scheme — a stunt the gruesome twosome would repeat in Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi's New Island, Yoshi's Crafted World, and many other Yoshi outings besides.

The baby versions of our heroes have also had adventures across time with their older selves.

They crop up in every Mario Kart, Golf, Tennis or Party game you'd care to name – but most prominently in Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time.

The Shroob invasion displaces the tots into the present day, so they and the Marios senior must band together to stop the aliens from subjugating both time periods.

What Does The Mario Movie Tell Us About Mario's Past?

As mentioned, assorted spinoff media has characterized Mario and Luigi as being from Brooklyn, only to tumble down a secret warp pipe and wind up in the Mushroom Kingdom.

At first, many fans assumed this was non-canon, as it was only in such Western projects as the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and the ill-fated Bob Hoskins film adaptation that this story was told.

However, 2023's Super Mario Bros. Movie, penned in large part by Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto themselves, openly re-embraces the idea.

Mario and Luigi are struggling plumbers who don't even have the respect of their (extended) family, but an opportunity to prove themselves falls into their laps when a burst water main sweeps them into Peach's kingdom. Before long, Bowser has designs on Peach's heart, and Brooklyn too, so the bros must rise to the challenge.

The Brooklyn origins finally being canonized in such a big way has ramifications across the series' lore: we can assume, for now, that this is the past Miyamoto intends for Mario and Luigi, until such time as it's contradicted (again).

Fixing The Gaps With New Donk

So how do we reconcile these conflicting narratives, or for that matter explain the presence of Mario and Luigi as adults in Donkey Kong and the Mario Bros. arcade game? The answer may have arrived in 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, which features a location known as New Donk City in the game’s Metro Kingdom area.

New Donk City is remarkably reminiscent of the real world's New York City and includes several elements first included in Donkey Kong. This includes the mayor of New Donk City, Pauline, who is reintroduced in Odyssey after a long absence from the series.

Other references to Donkey Kong in various aesthetic features heavily suggest that this could be the New York that Mario and Luigi briefly belonged to. It certainly makes sense considering its relative proximity to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Despite going on a number of globe-trotting and galaxy-hopping adventures, it seems that Mario and Luigi are now firmly rooted in the Mushroom Kingdom. The brothers live within the Mushroom Kingdom and remain there as its protectors.