Mario & Luigi (series): Difference between revisions

The casts of the ''Mario & Luigi'' series vary widely, and except in ''Paper Jam'', include a variety of original characters created by AlphaDream along with those designed by Nintendo as part of the traditional cast of the franchise.

===Protagonists===

The main playable protagonists are [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]], the titular brothers. When there is trouble, Mario attempts to solve the problem as quickly as he can, dragging Luigi alongside him. Mario is very famous and popular not only in the Mushroom Kingdom, but also in foreign lands when he travels to them. Luigi, the lesser-known of the two, often gets dragged into adventures beyond his will, is more cowardly and hesitant than his brother, and engages in clumsy antics that are usually comic relief but are sometimes dangerous. During the course of the series, Mario and Luigi seek help from other characters, notably [[Baby Mario]] and [[Baby Luigi]], their infant selves, in ''Partners in Time''; and [[Paper Mario (character)|Paper Mario]] in ''Paper Jam''. Another protagonist is [[Captain Goomba]], who appears as a protagonist in ''Minion Quest'' from the ''Superstar Saga'' remake.

===Antagonists===

Deviating from a central tradition of the ''Mario'' franchise, [[Bowser]] is not the central antagonist in most ''Mario & Luigi'' games. In ''Superstar Saga'', he aids the protagonists during a period of the game, but his body eventually becomes possessed by an evil spirit. ''Partners in Time'' has him teaming up with his baby counterpart to fight the Mario quartet, and later serving as the final boss to be encountered after the main boss, whom the Mario Bros. had just defeated, manipulates him. In ''Bowser's Inside Story'', he is the main protagonist, with Mario and Luigi adventuring inside him. In ''Dream Team'' and ''Paper Jam'', he is the true main antagonist: in the former game, using an original antagonist created by AlphaDream to further his own goals, and in the latter, teaming up with a paper counterpart to himself to advance his scheme to take over the Mushroom Kingdom.

The primary antagonist of ''Superstar Saga'' is the Beanish witch [[Cackletta]]. Her aide, the assailant [[Fawful]], is characterized by his comical use of language, as evidenced by his use of broken grammar and bizarre metaphors. Cackletta causes trouble for the Beanbean monarchy, including mutating [[Queen Bean]] and transforming her son, [[Prince Peasley]], into a dragon; and steals a mystical object called the [[Beanstar]] which once awoken with a "pure" voice (specifically, that of Peach) will grant all of her wishes. Nonetheless, the "Peach" whose voice was stolen is not really Peach at all, causing the Beanstar, once exposed to the voice in question, to go berserk and flee. After Mario and Luigi confront and defeat Cackletta in battle, severely incapacitating her in the process, Fawful sucks up her soul into his [[Vacuum Helmet]] to save her life, but Prince Peasley stops an attack done on the brothers by Fawful at Cackletta's command. The ejected Fawful has the consciousness of Cackletta possess Bowser's body to form the creature [[Bowletta]].

 

 

===Supporting characters===

[[Princess Peach]], the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, appears at some point in all games in the series in her traditional role as the damsel in distress; however, even in captivity, she is able to assist the Mario Bros. in some way, such as warning them of the dangers of the Cobalt Star in ''Partners in Time'', and the Dark Star in ''Bowser's Inside Story''. [[Toadsworth]], her companion introduced in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', appears in the first four entries to provide help and advice for the player during the adventure. In ''Partners in Time'', when the older Peach is kidnapped, Toadsworth retrieves [[Baby Peach]] from the past into the present, where she is nurtured by both the old and young renditions of him. [[Professor Elvin Gadd|Professor E. Gadd]] from ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' also appears in the first two games: in ''Superstar Saga'' he gives the player special items in return for samples of drinks that the brothers give him at the [[Starbeans Cafe|Starbeans Café]] in Beanbean Castle Town, and in ''Partners in Time'' he provides the player with advice throughout the adventure and is the inventor of the time machine that sends Mario and Luigi to the past, as well as the "Hydrogush 4000" which uses Baby Luigi's tears to defeat the Shroobs.

 

Several new supporting characters were created by AlphaDream to aid the brothers during their adventures. In ''Superstar Saga'', both Queen Bean and Prince Peasley assist Mario and Luigi during their journey after being rescued by them; a number of their subjects, including not only those belonging to the dominant [[Beanish]] race but also those belonging to other races, such as the [[Hoohooligan]]s, provide aid to the Mario Bros. as well. Prince Peasley, in particular, is hailed as a celebrity in his native Beanbean Kingdom. ''Partners in Time'' featured a character called [[Stuffwell]], a talking briefcase created by E. Gadd who carries items and accessories and can show the player's statistics. ''Bowser's Inside Story'' introduced [[Starlow]], a representative of the "Star Sprites" that watch over the Mushroom Kingdom, who gives tutorials and advice to help Mario and Luigi advance through this adventure and the next two. She shows herself to be irritated toward Luigi in her debut appearance, but starts to warm up to him in ''Dream Team''. In ''Dream Team'', [[Prince Dreambert]] plays a similar role to Starlow and Stuffwell from the previous games.

 

There are also original supporting characters who hold antagonistic roles. ''Superstar Saga'' introduced [[Popple]], a thief, as a recurring antagonist who engages the protagonists in conflict at various times during the game. During the brothers' first two encounters with him, he is accompanied by a sidekick called [[Rookie]] (an amnesiac Bowser). The two cause trouble for the Mario Bros. twice, but in both incidents, they are defeated. After Popple loses his Rookie, the next time the brothers face him he fights alone, and when last encountered by them, he fights alongside [[Birdo]], who falls in love with him. The [[Koopalings]] are first encountered by the Mario Bros. in ''Superstar Saga'' in Bowser's castle, but do not hold any importance to the story; however, when they next appear in ''Paper Jam'', they become supporting antagonists with expanded roles. In ''Bowser's Inside Story'', Fawful has a boar-like assistant named [[Midbus]], who is strong but unintelligent; this character guards Bowser's castle after Fawful has taken it over and subsequently fights Bowser three times in the game. Additionally, [[Bowser Jr.]], who returns from previous ''Mario'' titles, appears in ''Dream Team'' as a secret boss and in ''Paper Jam'' as a supporting antagonist.

 

Minor supporting characters in the series include [[Kylie Koopa]] and [[Toadbert]], both introduced in ''Partners in Time''; [[Kamek]] the [[Magikoopa]] and [[Petey Piranha]], both of whom first appear in ''Partners in Time'' but return in later installments; [[Broque Monsieur]], [[Chakron]], [[Dr. Toadley]], and the "[[Elite Trio]]" of Bowser's minions in ''Bowser's Inside Story''; and the [[Zeekeeper]] and the [[Big Massif|Massif]] [[Li'l Massif|Bros.]] from ''Dream Team'', among others.