Steve (Minecraft)

Steve is the name given to the default main player character and protagonist in Minecraft; the female default skin playable character is Alex. Steve has dark brown hair, a light blue shirt, blue pants, grey shoes, and a dark, brownish pigmentation. Alex has long, red hair, a light green shirt, brown pants, grey boots, and a much lighter skin tone. Enemies in the game include a Zombie (a green-skinned version of Steve with no hair), and an Enderman (an entirely black humanoid-like figure with small, purple eyes, and skinny, tall legs).

The game, Minecraft, and its characters were created by independent video game developer company, Mojang Studios, which was wholly purchased by  in 2014. Steve, Alex, a Zombie, and an Enderman were all confirmed to be a playable character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as downloadable content.

Minecraft
Steve is the default skin in all versions of Minecraft, with Alex being the other default playable skin available from the start. Before being named Steve, the model for the human player was added to the first public release of Minecraft on May 13, 2009. The character of Steve originally came to be referred unofficially to as "Steve?" by the game's creator, but it was not until the game's official release out of beta in 2011 that the name "Steve" was made official (dropping the question mark). Zombies were added on September 1, 2009 to Java Edition Classic 0.24, Endermen were added on September 14, 2011 to Beta Update 1.8, and Alex was added on September 2, 2014 to Java Update 1.8.

The Super Mario Mash-up, available on Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and New Nintendo 3DS, adds forty different Mario-themed skins to replace Steve. Hammer Bros. replace the Zombies in the pack, while Endermen are replaced by Stilt Guys.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
On October 1st, 2020, Steve was revealed to be the second fighter of Fighter Pass Vol. 2 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with Alex, Zombie, and an Enderman being alternate costumes for him. An additional video showing his moveset was presented on October 3rd, 2020, where it was also confirmed that he would be set to release October 13th, 2020. The name on the character selection screen changes to "Alex", "Zombie", or "Enderman" while changing costumes for Steve, to reflect their differences, much like Captain Olimar and Alph are the same character, but get identified separately.

Steve's moveset consists of placing blocks that break over time, a piston and a fishing rod as part of his throws, throwing buckets of lava around himself, placing a TNT block with red stone leading to it, attacking with swords and pickaxes, using flint and steel to burn an opponent, collecting materials and crafting, riding minecarts, flying with Elytra wings, and a Final Smash that launches fighters into a dark room with [Creepers], [Zombies] and TNT. The exterior then blows up, causing damage to the person who was trapped inside.

Some of Steve's attacks use tools from the game, such as a sword, an axe, a shovel and a pickaxe. Said items can break over time from being used. A Crafting Table will spawn in the foreground near Steve, upon a match's beginning. Using his standard special move, Steve can mine for blocks to get various materials. There is a set number of materials that Steve can craft, so once he crafts over his limit, he will begin to chuck materials backwards to dispose of them. A gauge is present near the player's icon and damage at the bottom of the screen, showing what materials have been mined so far. The materials that Steve generates will vary, depending on what stage is being played on. Steve can then walk over and use the Crafting Table and his mined materials to replenish broken items; when Steve crafts using the table, all his tools get upgraded at the same time. The various types of tools, in order of strength are: wood, stone, iron, gold and diamond. The Crafting Table can be broken by any player's attacks, but it will respawn after a few seconds. Steve can also summon his table close to him, by shielding and pressing the special move button at the same time. If there are two or more Steves in a battle, they can use each other's Crafting Table.

Additional elements borrowed from Minecraft include Steve wielding a shield from the game if a perfect shield is performed. When Steve is put to sleep, they will sleep on one of the beds that can be crafted in the original game.

Steve's home stage is based off the various biomes from Minecraft, and it is called Minecraft World. Zombies and Skeletons appear in the background of the stage (regardless if Zombie or Enderman are being controlled by a player), but they do not interact with the action.

Trivia

 * The model for Steve in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate uses a version of his face with a beard that was removed from Minecraft since Java Edition Classic 0.24 released on September 1, 2009. Despite having been changed in-game for over a decade, this bearded version of Steve is still used in promotional artwork for Minecraft, including its game cover, and thus was most likely chosen for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, for being more iconic. The beard on Steve's face is often confused for a smile.
 * Steve is the second Microsoft-owned playable character and the second playable character from a Western franchise added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; Banjo and Kazooie mark the first for both instances.
 * Steve is the first playable character that originated from an indie game, though Minecraft is no longer considered independent after the Microsoft acquisition in 2014. However, the original Switch, Wii U, and New 3DS ports of the game were both developed and published independently by Mojang and 4J Studios.