The Unsettling Origin Behind Mario

Mario, the iconic Italian plumber that everyone knows and loves, is a gaming legend that continues to reinvent the gaming landscape. Having been around for over 40 years, he created a legacy that very few other series could match.

As a kid, I always fell in love with the Mario games I played. Whether it was traveling through multiple galaxies in Mario galaxy or driving competitively in Mario Kart Wii, there was always something new the series provided.

Everybody knows the basics of the story; Princess Peach gets captured and it's up to Mario to save the day. He is a renowned hero who survives perilous obstacles in order to defeat the evil in the world. But what if I told you that this renowned image of Mario was simply a façade? That the origins of his story go further back, which are shrouded in something much more sinister?

The dark backstory behind Donkey Kong

Mario’s first appearance was in Donkey Kong (1981) under the name, Jumpman, where he originally appeared as a carpenter. The premise of the game seemed straightforward at first as you played Mario in order to save Pauline from Donkey Kong.

Gameplay of Donkey Kong (Boboborg)

But the truth is, the story behind the game is much darker, at least according to the original story that Miyamoto came up with. Mario owned Donkey Kong as a pet and mistreated him, resulting in him escaping and capturing Pauline. There are even fliers and screens of Mario holding a whip, threatening Donkey Kong to behave.

A flier of Donkey Kong caged (Nintendo)

Based on this development, Mario isn’t the clear-cut hero we originally thought he was. He abused Donkey Kong to the point of him breaking free and taking revenge. In matter of fact, Mario’s actions led the events of Donkey Kong to begin in the first place.

To add further, in Donkey Kong Circus (1984), Mario forces Donkey Kong to perform balancing tricks while juggling pineapples and avoiding fireballs. Mario is even shown to use a whip and actively humiliate Donkey Kong for messing up.

Photo of Donkey Kong in the circus (Nintendo)

Mario is made out to be a hero at the end of Donkey Kong, but he ultimately captures Donkey Kong and submits him to further abuse through whipping. This leads to the sequel Donkey Kong Junior (1982), where Donkey Kong’s son attempts to save his father from Mario’s abuse.

Gameplay of Donkey Kong Junior (EnglishCanada)

Thankfully Donkey Kong Junior was able to save his father from Mario’s clutches, but imagine if he hadn’t. Donkey Kong would still be locked in a cage at Mario’s expensive.

What changed?

It’s crazy to think that Mario’s early appearances made him out to be an antagonistic figure. The release of Mario Bros. changed the perception around him completely, as it made him a hero who defeats power-hungry turtle tyrants.

I assume that Nintendo wanted to go for a mascot approach with Mario, which led them to push aside his first appearances in Donkey Kong, basically creating a soft reboot of Mario as a character. This can be seen when they changed his job to being a plumber from Brooklyn, which was done to fit with the upcoming aesthetic of the Mario series.

This was a smart move on Nintendo’s part, since I don’t believe that a known animal abuser would work effectively as a family-friendly mascot.

*The original Donkey Kong is confirmed to be Cranky Kong from the Donkey Kong Country series, so the current Donkey Kong we all know and love was not involved with early Mario.