Super Mario Bros. Wonder's voice actor for Mario and Luigi has been revealed. There are few characters in all of fiction as iconic as Mario. The character has been around since the 80s and is one of the most immediately recognizable protagonists out there. He's short, dons a colorful outfit with a red hat and blue overalls, sports a bushy mustache, and has a very cute voice that fans have been imitating for years. He is one of the most prominent characters in gaming and just recently, he made a faithful jump to the big screen with Chris Pratt playing him in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The Mario franchise is arguably as popular as it has ever been right now, but some major changes are happening.

Longtime Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is stepping down from the role and will not be in the brand new game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. This has left fans wondering who will take on the role from here and we have an answer, at least for the specific case of Wonder. Actor Kevin Afghani has confirmed on Twitter that he portrayed both Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. No other details were provided beyond that, so we aren't totally sure whether or not Afghani will be the permanent replacement. It's possible Nintendo will continue to mull things over and check what the fan reception to this version of the character is before making any kind of final decision.

Incredibly proud to have voiced Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Thanks to Nintendo for inviting me into the Flower Kingdom!

— Kevin Afghani (@KevinAfghani) October 13, 2023

Gamers are pretty notorious for being protective of characters and those who voice them. Metal Gear Solid V famously replaced longtime Solid Snake/Big Boss actor David Hayter with Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland which some fans didn't take too kindly. Granted, there were some narrative reasons for this and it did sound a great deal different from other versions of the character. It seems like Afghani has done a good job keeping the spirit of Mario alive based on what we have already heard.

ComicBook.com got to go hands-on with Super Mario Bros. Wonder recently and came away feeling quite positively about it: "From our time with the game thus far, Super Mario Bros. Wonder seems to be paving a bold path forward for the 2D series. One of the things Nintendo struggled with in the New Super Mario Bros. games was deciding whether or not all of the characters should play the same, or if they should have different abilities (like in Super Mario Bros. 2). Badges already seem to offer the best of all worlds, keeping the characters all the same at the start, but allowing players to tailor their experience the way they see fit; they can also make the game more enjoyable for young and inexperienced players. This could be a game changer for the 2D Mario series, and I can see it sticking around for a long time to come!"

Super Mario Bros. Wonder will release on Nintendo Switch on October 20th.



Posted: Oct 17, 2023 7:56 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/super-mario-bros-wonders-new-voice-actor-kevin-afghani/