The classicSuper Marioserieshas many touchstones, such as its iconic power-ups, music, and characters. Bowser stands out as the ever-present villain of the series. With a range of personalitiesvarying from affableto sadistic and a memorable design, he is definitely the best of Mario’s antagonists.
Even so, certain games have decided not to have him as a villain. Mario characters are often treated as players on a stage, and sometimes Bowser fits the mold of a supporting role rather than the main antagonist. Additionally, certain games billing Mario do not feature Bowser as a villain at all. Here are some of Mario’s best foes outside the Koopa King.
5Wart
Super Mario Bros. 2
Although not originally aMariovillain, this vegetable-hating, dream-hopping frog thing fits like a glove in the palm of the still-developingMarioseries. He took over Subcon, a dream land with connections to the Mushroom Kingdom. Subcon’s inhabitants told Mario and friends in their dreams about Wart’s weakness and urged them to stop him. After a couple of vegetables are thrown his way, he is eventually defeated.
Oddly enough, Wart also makes a less antagonistic appearance in theLegend of Zeldaseries, namelyLink’s Awakening. Here, he goes by his Japanese name, Mamu, and teaches Link the “Frog’s Song of Soul” in exchange for 300 rupees. Much likeSuper Mario Bros 2andDoki Doki Panic,Link’s Awakeningalso takes place in a land of dreams, namely Koholint Island.
4Smithy
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Hailing from a heavily industrialized world made of weapons, Smithy seeks to take over Mario’s world as well. He stations his minion, Exor, in Bowser’s keep and destroys the Star Road, the source of the world’s wishes. Smithy is encountered deep in his factory, which is only accessible after being inhaled by Exor, with his mouth serving as a gateway between Smithy’s world and Mario’s. Smithy is shown to have multiple forms as a final boss, with each having its own strengths and weaknesses. His head can transform into anything from a tank to a cloaked sorcerer. However,Mario and friendssucceed in defeating Smithy and restoring the Star Road.
Smithy’s ambitions make him feel in line with the earth-destroying goals of many a Square villain, but the cartoon design he is given, along with his factory, allows such a villain to make sense in Mario’s world, or more accurately adjacent to it.
3Wario
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Wario feels so far removed from his original appearance that more casual fans of the series may not realize he was ever a proper main antagonist at all. That said, he was designed to be an archnemesis to Mario. InSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario, a childhood acquaintance of Mario, steals the plumber’s castle and puts an evil spell on it to make it his own. He confronts Mario in the game’s final stage, where he initially attacks Mario by charging into him. He has two additional forms he takes after his initial defeat, Bunny Wario and Fiery Wario. Once each is defeated, he is shrunken down to size and his spell is broken.
Since this initial appearance, games with Wario as a proper villain are very few and far between. He is instead often portrayed as more of an anti-hero. Despite having his greed intact, Wario is the protagonist of series such asWarioWareandWario Land, a sequel/spinoff ofSuper Mario Land.In these instances, he can, in rare instances, perform heroic or kind actions, despite his ulterior motives. Most commonly, Wario features in spinoffs such asMario KartandMario Party, where he is often treated as a hero if the spinoff has a narrative. Although conceptually Wario is a fun villain, the best realization of his character traits comes when they’re contrasted with his role as the protagonist.
2Fawful
Mario & Luigi Series
Introduced as Cackletta’s right-hand man, the chortling Fawful is known for his odd speech patterns and sinister tricks. He and Cackletta often prank the brothers inMario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, like the time they fed Queen Bean a Belly Blech to distract the brothers from his theft of the Beanstar. He is even responsible for possessing Bowser, offering his body for Cackletta to possess. Despite his efforts, the crafty Beanish and his master are both defeated by the brothers. Fawful subsequently returns inMario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, where he tricks Bowser into inhaling a vacuum shroom, setting the events of the game in motion.
He eventually steals energy from the Dark Star, becoming the powerful Dark Fawful, one of the game’s final foes. He ends his efforts with a suicide bombing after becoming a stomach bug, trying to destroy the Mario Bros. along with himself. However, he is unsuccessful, instead only reversing the effects of the vacuum shroom. Fawful is somewhat fascinating as a villain, in part because of his development between his two major appearances. Although he is fine playing second fiddle to Cackletta, he is subsequently shown to pull the strings himself in the following game he is a villain. More interestingly, Cackletta’s own defeat seems to have little to do with his motives inBowser’s Inside Story, as he only mentions her once in passing, specifically in the French version of the game.
1Count Bleck
Super Paper Mario
Formerly known as Blumiere, Count Bleck was once a member of the Tribe of Darkness. He rejected his father’s demand to not get involved with humans and fell in love with a woman by the name of Timpani. Unfortunately, once found out, Blumiere’s father curses Timpani, leaving her amnesiac and banished from their dimension. It was around this time that Blumiere became Bleck and desired to destroy every world with the Dark Prognosticus.
Bleck sends his subordinates to deal with Mario and his companions from afar, but he secretly hopes they can stop his plan upon confirming Mario’s helpful fairy companion, Tippi, may actually secretly be Timpani. However, once defeated, he is betrayed by Dimentio, who wishes to use the Chaos Power to become a god. However, he is ultimately thwarted by Blumiere and Timpani’s mutual re-declaration of love, which summons the Pure Hearts and weakens Dimentio, leading to his defeat at the hands of Mario and his friends. Although Blumiere believed he and Timpani would die as a result of their pure-hearted sacrifice, an ending visual along with some words from Nastasia; Bleck’s former assistant, and Merlon; Tippi’s savior, implies the pair are living together happily in a separate world.
