Luigi has long lived in the shadow of his more famous brother Mario. While Mario is known for being the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, saving Princess Peach time and time again, less is known about his lanky green-clad brother. Some suggest that there may be a darker side to Luigi that isn’t apparent at first glance. In this article, we will explore the evidence that Luigi may not be as squeaky clean as he seems.
Luigi’s jealousy of Mario
It’s no secret that Mario has always been more popular and acclaimed than Luigi. Mario usually gets top billing in their games, with Luigi relegated to the sidekick role. While Luigi helps Mario save the day, Mario soaks up all the glory. Luigi likely harbors some resentment over being forced to live in his brother’s shadow. This jealousy could motivate him to secretly plot Mario’s downfall so he can finally get the recognition he thinks he deserves.
The theory of Mr. L
In Super Paper Mario, Mario encounters a villain named Mr. L who bears a striking resemblance to Luigi. Mr. L wears Luigi’s familiar green hat and blue overalls, although his outfit also includes a black mask and cape. He also speaks similarly to Luigi. Some fans believe that Mr. L is actually Luigi’s alter ego that represents his darker impulses.
When Luigi isn’t getting the respect he thinks he merits, he transforms into the villainous Mr. L in order to cause mayhem and chaos. Mr. L represents the bitterness Luigi feels over his lack of fame compared to Mario. Putting on the mask allows Luigi to indulge his violent and destructive urges.
Connections to Mr. L
There are some other clues that Mr. L and Luigi are one and the same:
- Mr. L’s title is “The Green Thunder,” referencing Luigi’s iconic green clothing.
- Luigi is mysteriously absent when Mr. L first appears.
- Both share a rivalry with Mario.
- In later games, Mr. L even uses Luigi’s signature high jump and thunder hand abilities.
The evidence strongly suggests Mr. L is simply an alter ego created by Luigi to act out his darker impulses and jealousy toward Mario.
Luigi’s mansion
In the game Luigi’s Mansion, Mario is captured in a haunted mansion and Luigi has to rescue him. Some find it suspicious that Luigi is the one who located the mansion in order to save his brother.
Could Luigi have lured Mario to the mansion in order to imprison or even kill him? This would allow Luigi to step out of Mario’s shadow once and for all. Luigi may have created the whole elaborate mansion scheme to get rid of Mario for good. The game never explains how Luigi found the mansion in the first place, leaving his motivations open to speculation.
Luigi only steps up when Mario is missing
Another pattern is that Luigi only stars in games when Mario is out of the picture. Games like Luigi’s Mansion and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon only happen because Mario has gone missing or been kidnapped. This gives Luigi a chance to play the hero for once.
But is Mario’s disappearance just an odd coincidence before Luigi gets in the spotlight? Or has Luigi found ways to bump off or imprison Mario to clear his path towards fame and glory? Luigi only gets top billing when his brother is removed from the equation in suspicious circumstances.
Luigi’s evil doppelgangers
Throughout the Mario series, evil doppelgangers of Luigi appear as enemies. These include Waluigi, Shadow Mario from Super Mario Sunshine, and Cosmic Clone Luigi from Super Mario Galaxy. Each of these characters represent different aspects of Luigi’s dark side.
Waluigi embodies Luigi’s jealousy and bitterness. Shadow Mario captures Luigi’s desire for the spotlight. Cosmic Clone Luigi represents the evil that lurks beneath Luigi’s surface. These doppelgangers may be manifestations of the darkness and anger swirling within the real Luigi. He tries to suppress it, but it comes out through these villainous clones.
Conclusion
Luigi has understandable motivations for why he may harbor secret resentment toward his brother Mario. While Mario lives in fame, Luigi plays second fiddle. Jealousy over his lack of recognition could drive Luigi to act out against his hero brother. Mr. L and other doppelgangers paint him as a complex figure trying to suppress a violent dark side. Luigi’s Mansion shows he has the capacity to betray Mario when it suits his purposes.
While we may never know the full truth, the signs point to Luigi having an evil persona hidden beneath his seeming cowardice and humility. Perhaps Luigi is not the pure-hearted underdog we all assume him to be. Behind his guise of innocence, Luigi may in fact be plotting Mario’s doom in order to take the star position for himself. Beware the man in green!
Luigi’s Early Years
Luigi first appeared alongside his brother Mario in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. At the time, not much was known about Luigi other than that he was Mario’s lanky twin brother. He was initially created as a simple palette swap of Mario to accommodate two-player gaming. Luigi wore the same red overalls and blue shirt as Mario but his color scheme was changed to green and white to differentiate the brothers.
In these early gaming days, there was little to distinguish Luigi from Mario other than the color of his clothes. Luigi lacked an identity beyond being Player 2 in a two-player game. He was very much living in Mario’s shadow from the very beginning.
Debut in Super Mario Bros.
Luigi’s debut as a distinct character came in the 1985 classic Super Mario Bros. Here we learn that Luigi is not just Mario’s twin but his younger brother. In the game’s single-player mode, the player controls Mario while Luigi is mentioned in the game’s manual as having been kidnapped along with Princess Toadstool.
So once again, Luigi was relegated to a secondary role while Mario took center stage as the hero off to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser. Luigi seemed destined to play second fiddle from Super Mario Bros. onward.
playing second fiddle
In Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3, Luigi continued to play a supporting role behind Mario. He had no unique powers or abilities to distinguish him from his brother. He remained Option 2 for the second player, with Mario firmly established as the star player.
This cemented Luigi’s position as the lesser-known brother who lacked an identity beyond being Mario’s partner or sidekick. There were few signs in these early games of Luigi harboring secret jealousy or resentment. However, his always being in Mario’s shadow may have planted the first seeds of envy that would grow in later years.
Luigi Branching Out
As the Mario franchise evolved, Luigi began to develop more of an individual identity and branching storylines separate from his brother:
Super Mario Bros. 2
In this game, Luigi was given a higher jump and worse traction than Mario, making him feel slightly different to play for the first time.
Super Mario 64
Luigi did not appear in the core game, fueling rumors that he had gone missing in the castle. This marked one of Luigi’s first mysterious absences.
Luigi’s Mansion
This GameCube launch title featured Luigi as the main character investigating a mansion and rescuing Mario for a change. The seeds of jealousy may have motivated Luigi to lure Mario to the haunted mansion.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
In the 3DS sequel, Luigi had to rescue Mario from possession once again. Luigi was only called upon after Mario had vanished into ghostly danger.
Luigi’s solo adventures
Titles like New Super Luigi U and Luigi’s Mansion 3 reinforced Luigi’s ability to carry a game without Mario.
While at first Luigi was merely a palette swap of Mario, later games developed him into a more complex character. His ongoing solo adventures and mysterious absences from certain games point to Luigi wanting to establish an identity beyond just being Mario’s brother.
Luigi’s Dark Doppelgangers
Various darker doppelgangers of Luigi have appeared across the Mario franchise. These shadowy twins may represent the darker aspects of Luigi’s psyche that he tries to suppress:
Waluigi
Waluigi has many bitter and jealous qualities that reflect the resentments brewing within Luigi. His gangly frame resembles Luigi while his purple color scheme evokes villainy.
Shadow Mario
Shadow Mario tries to frame and mimic Mario in Super Mario Sunshine. He may represent Luigi’s repressed envy and desire to replace his brother as the hero.
Mr. L
Mr. L operates as a separate identity for Luigi in Super Paper Mario. The deceptive masked villain represents the sinister side Luigi reveals when his jealousy boils over.
Cosmic Clone Luigi
This purple-tinged doppelganger battles Luigi in Super Mario Galaxy. The darker clone embodies the evil that Luigi tries to keep hidden.
Each of these doppelgangers symbolizes different negative emotions and impulses within Luigi. They suggest he harbors some dark frustrations and rage beneath his humble exterior as he continues to linger in Mario’s shadow.
Theories on Luigi’s Motivations
Several fan theories attempt to explain what motivates Luigi and causes him to act in sinister ways:
Inferiority complex
Always being second fiddle to Mario has given Luigi a severe inferiority complex. This fuels his dark actions in trying to overcome his eternal underdog status.
Desire for attention
Luigi feels under-appreciated next to the world-famous Mario. His repressed need for attention drives him to extreme measures.
Childhood jealousy
A long-harbored jealousy of Mario that formed in their youth motivates Luigi to secretly undermine his beloved brother.
Psychological splitting
Luigi may exhibit a “split self” with his good and evil personas. This Jekyll and Hyde-style dual identity allows him to switch between nice guy and sinister villain.
While we can only speculate, Luigi likely harbors complicated psychological motivations for his shadowy actions aimed at upstaging Mario. He may not even be fully aware of what drives his darker doppelgangers.
Luigi’s villainous acts
Luigi has carried out various subtle acts of villainy against his brother Mario over the years:
Orchestrating Mario’s kidnapping
Luigi located the haunted mansion in Luigi’s Mansion with the likely intent of luring Mario into danger.
Framing Mario for crimes
In Super Mario Sunshine, Shadow Mario disguises himself as Mario and vandalizes Isle Delfino to get Mario imprisoned there. Luigi was conspicuously absent.
Masterminding invasions
Luigi may have enabled the Koopa invasion in Super Mario Bros. and orchestrated the Shroob attack in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
Sabotaging Mario’s relationships
Waluigi has repeatedly interfered with Mario’s friendships and sporting events out of bitter envy.
Trying to steal Mario’s glory
Games like Luigi’s Mansion depict Luigi trying to upstage Mario and become the Mushroom Kingdom’s hero instead.
While rarely obvious, a pattern emerges of Luigi enabling Mario’s misfortunes in order to put himself in the spotlight. Luigi’s helping hand may hide a lust for power.
Notable Luigi Disappearances
Luigi has mysteriously vanished from certain games where only Mario appears. His unexplained absences stoke suspicion about his whereabouts and motivations:
| Game | Luigi’s Absence |
|---|---|
| Super Mario 64 | Luigi is nowhere to be seen in Peach’s castle. |
| Super Mario Sunshine | Mario takes a solo vacation to Isle Delfino while Luigi is missing. |
| New Super Mario Bros. | Mario adventures alone to rescue Peach without Luigi. |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Luigi sits out Mario’s intergalactic journey and makes no appearance. |
Luigi’s unexplained disappearances often coincide with Mario embarking on major adventures. Are they merely coincidental, or is Luigi deliberately making himself scarce when Mario is in the spotlight? His frequent yet inconsistent absences raise red flags about his true motivations.
Conclusion
In summary, several signs point toward Luigi having an underlying darkness despite his unassuming personality:
– His jealousy of Mario manifesting through shadowy doppelgangers
– Orchestrating Mario’s imprisonments and kidnappings
– Suspicious disappearances conveniently when Mario is heroic
– A classic inferiority complex fueling villainous ambition
While we can’t definitively prove Luigi’s evil intentions, the patterns are too conspicuous to ignore. Perhaps the Mushroom Kingdom’s beloved man in green secretly harbors nefarious designs to overthrow Mario once and for all. We may be wise to keep an eye on the seemingly innocent Luigi!