The Complete Super Mario Timeline...So Far | The Leaderboard

(electronic beep) (serene music) - (sighs) Mario has been in a lot of games. I don't think Nintendo has a solid

timeline

linking them all, so I made my own! It wasn't easy, so do me a favor and subscribe to The Leaderboard, okay? Other YouTubers like ConnorTheWaffle and MatPat have attempted the monstrous task of piecing together a Super Mario

timeline

, and I commend them, but I have yet to see one with every Mario title. So it's time for me, Marcus, to try it. The rules are simple: if Mario is in the game's title or is a central playable character, he must be included.

Sorry Qix, cut scenes alone don't count. I won't try too hard to shoehorn into Paper Mario games. They take place in a separate paper universe and Paper Mario is a different character. But Jumpman and Mario are the same person according to Nintendo. Well? 'Good. Let's try it. The Yoshi's Island series. When Mario is a baby, a stork takes him and Luigi on a birth route. Suddenly, Kamek arrives and knocks poor Mario out of the sky, sending him tumbling to the island below. Luckily, it's Yoshi's Island, so eight adorable Yoshis will help take him back home. You can see the entire adventure in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and the retelling of it, Yoshi's Touch & Go.

After an epic final battle against the giant baby Bowser, Mario and his brother arrive home safely. But wait, it's the wrong house. Come on, the stork had a job. So we get Yoshi's New Island, basically a rinse and repeat where Kamek's kidnapping plans are thwarted once again. Kamek expands his horizons and attempts to kidnap baby Mario along with Luigi, Wario, DK and Peach in Yoshi's Island DS, but Yoshi's guardians prevail once again. Now that Mario and Luigi have seen enough action, they can stand on their own two feet and team up with their adult counterparts from the future in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Crime.

Hey, five titles less! Only about 100 missing. Military service and carpentry. We don't know much about Mario's childhood and adolescence. Make Super Mario's pimple popper a reality, Miyamoto. But in his youth, Mario joins the army in Mario's Bombs Away, blowing things up in jungle operations. After returning to civilian life, Mario can't help the desire to blow things up. War changes man. So, he satisfies his appetite for destruction in Wrecking Crew alongside his younger brother Luigi. As Mario matures, he decides to expand his resume beyond making things prosper and actually builds at Mario's Cement Factory. Now that he's earning that sweet union money, the charming Italian attracts the attention of the beautiful Pauline, who soon becomes his girlfriend.

That's where Pinball comes in, because Pauline is there and Mario bounces the ball off a construction beam. He then takes advantage of this ability to rebound the ball in another industrial gig with Alleyway. Unfortunately, Pauline's beauty attracts other suitors, particularly Mario's pet Donkey Kong, a great ape whom she unfortunately mistreats. DK kidnaps Pauline and Mario must track her down through several construction sites and a cake factory inside Donkey Kong. He has to navigate many more places in its remake/expanded sequel, Donkey Kong '94. Mario succeeds, and although he appreciates Mario's heroic acts, Pauline owes the sweaty carpenter nothing.

Staying with Mario makes her a target for future kidnappings, so she abandons him a few weeks later, leaving Mario in a deep depression. First, Mario lashes out more at DK, trapping him in a cage. DK Jr. comes to his rescue, kicking Mario (bleeps) and further humiliating the carpenter in Donkey Kong Jr., also told as Donkey Kong II Game & Watch. Mario realizes that everything related to carpentry reminds him of his former muse, Pauline, so he decides to change careers. Like many young people in their twenties, he becomes an artist and tries his hand at drawing, music, and animation through Mario Paint.

However, he is only good at coloring, as seen in Super Mario Bros. and Friends: When I Grow Up. Eventually, Mario realizes that all of his art projects were just lopsided collaborations with, well, the player. He didn't really do anything and, in the first place, he believes that he has no artistic talent. Desperate, Mario attempts to busk Mario the Juggler, another Game & Watch title he just learned about, by collecting nickels and pennies on the boardwalk. Over time, Mario tires of the life of a starving artist and returns to his working-class roots. Plumbing days. Mario teams up again with his little brother Luigi in an exciting new job: plumbing.

They start a lucrative business through sewer systems, eliminating various dodgers, crawlers, fighting flies and freezers from under the streets of New York in Mario Brothers. Eventually, Mario starts making a lot of money, collecting solid gold coins that are as big as his head. Mario continues cleaning the pipes in Mario Clash, where he encounters out-of-this-world enemies like Para-Goombas and Pokeys. It's not long before the brothers stumble upon a portal to the Mushroom Kingdom, a magical world with charming mushroom inhabitants ruled by Princess Toadstool. Unfortunately, they arrive just as she is kidnapped by the infamous Koopa King, also known as Bowser.

Remembering his lost love Pauline, Mario channels his military days and goes Rambo in the Mushroom Kingdom to save this princess. During the events of Super Mario Bros., he destroys countless Goombas, Koopa-Troopas, and bricks on his way through eight worlds toward the princess. He included bricks because it turns out that Bowser turned a lot of the poor mushrooms into these blocks that cover the kingdom. After a lot of collateral damage, Mario and Luigi, I guess, save Princess Toadstool. Mario really enjoys this job of saving princesses, so he removes the plunger from him and stays in the Mushroom Kingdom as his guardian.

However, the peace does not last long. Bowser is stubborn and persistent, so he kidnaps Princess Toadstool again in Super Mario Bros. 2, also known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Things are much more difficult this time, but our man Mario doesn't care. Mario and Princess Toadstool like each other, but they both try to act cool. Mario wants to take this romance slowly. He's had some baggage since Pauline left him. A few months later, for Super Mario 64, Princess Toadstool bursts in first and invites Mario to eat cake. She even signs the letter with her nickname, Peach. What a way to take part in the situation, Mario.

Unfortunately, Mario just can't catch a break. Bowser hijacks the castle, traps Peach inside it and hides the power stars needed to reach her in 15 worlds scattered in paintings. So, Mario does what he does best: he collects all the stars and says goodbye to Bowser, foiling his plan. Once he's safe, Peach rewards him with a kiss, finally breaking that romantic tension. Over the moon of joy, Mario heads to the castle roof where his childhood savior, Yoshi, is relaxing. This meeting inspires Mario to take a little vacation to Yoshi's house: Dinosaur Land. Lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, Peach and Luigi, the third wheel, are relaxing on a beach in Dinosaur Land.

When the siblings turn their backs on them for, I don't know, two seconds, flip, Peach is kidnapped again! They find a Yoshi egg to hatch, and this new Yoshi joins the brothers to save his dinosaur siblings and the princess in Super Mario World, or Super Mario Bros. 4 on Nelsonic Game Watch. The brothers traverse various lands around the world, including Donut Plains, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, Valley of Bowser, and more. Once they reach Bowser, they rescue the agitated princess, ending what is sure to be the worst vacation of her life, at least until Sunshine. Completely defeated, Bowser abandons the chase to kidnap the Princess.

It is not a joke. Shortly after, he picks her up again in her Koopa Clown Car and holds her hostage during the beginning of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Rushing to rescue her, Mario arrives in time for Exor, a massive sword, to crash into Star Road and Bowser's castle, sending the princess, Mario, and Bowser hurtling in separate directions. This is all so Smithy and his gang can take over the lucrative Mushroom Kingdom. Without Star Road, wishes can no longer be fulfilled and Mario doesn't stand a chance against the Smithy Gang. He must travel through seven major worlds, including the Mole Mountains, Seaside, Nimbus Land, and more, to collect seven pieces of stars to restore the Star Road.

Along the way, Mario gets help from a cloud, oh sorry, a frog named Mallow, and a warrior/doll/future Super Smash Bros. character from Star Road, please, Geno. Even Bowser joins the fight. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all. Later, Princess Peach joins the list and proves that she, suddenly, she can take care of herself! Mario begins to doubt how helpless he is. Anyway, the heroes prevail, defeat Smithy at his factory, restore Star Road, and save the day. If you really want to force the Paper Mario series' entry, you can include them in the release order here if you want.

Technically, after all, Paper Mario was developed as a sequel to this role-playing game. There, happy? After this exhausting RPG adventure, Mario needs a deep rest. Have you ever had crazy dreams after a stressful day? Well, that's exactly what happens, when Mario joins Luigi, Toad, and the now hardened Princess Peach in the world of Subcon. Subconscious, subconscious. So clever. This is the world of Super Mario Bros. 2, but the American Super Mario Bros. 2. Subcon also has seven diverse worlds including deserts, sky, and ice. The gang has to fight enemies like Shy Guys and Birdos and a bunch of new bosses, like the bomb-throwing Mouser and the big bad Wart, whose weakness is vegetables.

After stopping Wart, Mario wakes up. Wait, was this all a dream? Let's say yes. We've already spent too much time on this. From there, Peach tasks Mario with saving her friends King Fret and Prince Pine in Jewelry Land. Since his adventures are starting to get stale, she insists on riding his friend Yoshi all the time and using the Super Scope to avoid getting her hands dirty in Yoshi's Safari. Beginnings of a tycoon. So, do you remember how Mario started collecting coins in Mario Bros.? Well, he never stopped doing it and now he has a fortune. Gold may be common in the Mushroom Kingdom, but it's still quite valuable here in our reality.

Now that he's a billionaire, Mario decides to pursue his artistic passions once again, and what better way to spend millions than by financing a Broadway play? As many people know by now, Super Mario Bros. 3 is all but confirmed as a play. It's a dramatic retelling of Mario's adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom,

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with hanging pieces, bolted platforms, and a red curtain. It's a pretty successful show. Think of the stage ambition of “The Lion King” combined with the popularity of “Hamilton.” So now Mario is not only filthy rich, but he is more famous than Lin-Manuel Miranda. Mario becomes a household name and this fame allows him to be a famous referee in games like Tennis and Punch-Out.

But it wasn't just about PR, he took those roles seriously! He even refereed the world heavyweight championship match between Little Mac and Mike Tyson. I know I don't really need to include these cameos by my rules, but come on, it's Punch-Out! But fame has a price. With increasing notoriety, the tabloids begin to investigate Mario's past in search of skeletons in his closet. And what do they find? A strong dose of animal abuse. It was a dark time for him, but Mario locked Donkey Kong in a cage. The statute of limitations has not yet been reached, so Mario finds himself convicted by a jury and sitting in front of a judge.

Community service days. As punishment, Mario is sentenced to community service, helping to educate the youth of the world. First, he develops a triple learning curriculum for kids with Mario Early Years!: Fun with Letters, Fun with Numbers, and Preschool Fun. For the slightly older audience learning about computing or entering the workforce, he embarks on qwerty adventures, Mario Teaches Typing 1 & 2. Then, to generate enthusiasm for learning about geography and history, he creates two more interactive plays in Mario is Missing and Mario's Time Machine respectively. With his service

complete

d and his parole expired, Mario decides to treat himself and Peach to another vacation, this time to Isle Delfino.

Unfortunately, when he arrives, a mysterious Shadow Mario has caused a disaster across the island. Added to his past convictions, Mario is immediately accused of being a vandal and finds himself on trial once again. He must clean up the island while bringing sunlight to Isle Delfino through 120 Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine. At least he doesn't have to shine everything, he has the F.L.U.D.D. developed by E. Gadd. to facilitate cleaning and placing platforms. It turns out that Bowser Jr. is actually Shadow Mario! when he doeshis debut, he kidnaps the princess, thinking Peach is his own mother.

From there, everything repeats itself as Mario makes his way to Corona Mountain and defeats Jr. and his father once again. Upon returning to the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser decides to once again enlist the help of his now battle-hardened son to kidnap the Princess through New Super Mario Bros.. Even though it is his son's take day to work, Mario, of course, rescues the princess once again, and Bowser retreats to reevaluate his plans. But there is a new threat that the now experienced team of Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi must face. One of Mario's fans creates the SupaMerge visor, which a group of Rabbids steal after playing with his time washer.

They open a portal to the Mushroom Kingdom, absorbing our Mario friends and launching a desperate tactical fight for control of the mushroom land in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, complete with the threat of growing interdimensional space-time portals. Team Mario prevails, eliminating Bowser Jr., Spawny, Bowser, and Megabug, and eventually restoring the continuum with the help of the robot Beep-O and his future self, FB. Midlife crisis. With a few more heroic adventures under his belt and thousands more giant gold coins in his wallet, Mario decides it's time to play, a lot. He spends millions traveling the world with his entourage, which now includes the likes of Daisy, Wario and more, playing every sport imaginable.

Every countless iteration of Mario Golf, soccer with the Mario Strikers games, every Mario Tennis, racing adventures with every Mario Kart, lavish and competitive over-budget parties with the Mario Party series, Mario Super Sluggers and other baseball titles, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and NBA Streets V3, Mario Sports Mix, Mario Sports SuperStars, you get the idea. We are talking about dozens of titles. Hell, he even participated in some Olympic Games with the Mario and Sonic at the Olympics series. But over time, this endless game begins to bore our hero. He's just doing the same things over and over again. How can he add a little emotion to feel alive?

Simple: Fight Club, also known as Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. This is becoming more and more popular, as seen with the growing list. And the brothers take on a collective threat in Subspace Emissary, the adventure mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Super Smash Bros. 4 is more harmless and fun to fight, but the gang reunites again in World of Light during Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After all this excitement, Mario decides to take up a more relaxed hobby: baking at Yoshi's Cookie. Back to the adventures. With Mario's hand in so many cookie jars, constantly fighting or playing sports, Peach starts to feel a little abandoned.

While Mario and Luigi leave her to go on a coin-hunting adventure, Peach contacts Bowser's Koopalings to stage a kidnapping to get some more attention. This triggers New Super Mario Bros. 2, which backfires on Peach. With coins everywhere, Mario's immense wealth only grows. He uses these spare billions to invest and grow an even larger empire, turning the cutthroat world of real estate into a competitive game against his friends on Fortune Street. Still determined, Peach tries to do the whole cake/kidnapping trick again with Super Mario Run. By now, Mario has gotten so used to saving her that she can do it with one hand.

She then allows herself to be kidnapped by Goombas using an air cannon at a fair. Actually? Goombas? Come on, Peach, no one's going to believe that. Anyway, Mario has to chase her using the Spheralizer, which triggers the events of Mario Pinball Land. Back to a cake prank, we get it, Peach likes cakes, we have New Super Mario Bros. Wii where a giant cake filled with Koopalings arrives in time for Peach's birthday. What Mario doesn't know is that the cowardly damsel ordered the damn cake herself. She is kidnapped again and Mario, Luigi and the Blue and Yellow Toads embark on a cooperative adventure of epic proportions.

After succeeding, Peach recruits Bowser and the Koopalings once again, now with a giant mechanical arm, for a second more attempt to gain attention in New Super Mario Bros. U. Mario, Luigi, and the Toads play along. once again, but unfortunately for the Princess, this sisterly and cooperative bond only widens the gap between Peach and Mario even further. Brotherly revival. Look, all these rescue missions have made the brotherly bond between Mario and Luigi stronger than ever! Because they work so well together, the brothers vow to spend even more time together. First, they head to the Beanbean Kingdom with Bowser under the pretext of recovering Peach's voice from Cackletta in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

They then travel through time to fend off the Shroobs and meet their babies at the beginning of our timeline with Partners in Time. Shortly after, they venture into Bowser himself, Magic School Bus style, Bowser's Inside Story. Luigi then gets the Subcon treatment when he and Mario visit his dreams in Dream Team, fighting Antasma and Dreamy Bowser with the use of the Dream Stone. Finally, they free the entire world of Paper in the Mushroom Kingdom and must bring these 2D beings back to their magical storybook in Paper Jam. As jealous as ever, Peach tries her best to invite the siblings over for a picnic.

Luigi hopes he made a lot of spaghetti. While they're busy, she lets Bowser take over the kingdom, setting up seven Koopa Hotels, and eventually hiding the princess in one. And so, the stage is set for Hotel Mario. Mario and Luigi find Peach at the biggest, flashiest hotel, and she rewards them both with a kiss, just to make Mario jealous. Kidnappings out of this world. When her most elaborate plan still doesn't work, Peach becomes complete as Beastie Boys, an intergalactic planet. During the star festival in the Mushroom Kingdom at the beginning of Super Mario Galaxy, she puts herself in a vulnerable position to be abducted again by Bowser, as a kidnapped alien, because he takes her to space.

After Kamek throws Mario into the void, he finds himself in Rosalina's observatory. To save Peach, she must gather 120 energy stars and countless star fragments with the help of Lumas to restore power to the observatory. Once the starship is operational, Mario travels to the center of the universe to confront Bowser once again. There, a giant black hole forms, devouring the universe and eventually collapsing into a singularity, creating a

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nova. Do you remember when Mario was just a plumber? Fortunately, Rosalina recreates the universe, allowing Mario to basically relive the entire adventure again, this time with Starship Mario and Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Once he returns home, Peach lures Bowser back with the mature Tail. -Tree, offering flight. abilities for all of her minions. Bowser sucks him dry and kidnaps Peach in the process, triggering the events of Super Mario 3D Land. Here, there are obstacles and level stages similar to those found throughout the galaxy in the previous adventure, but Mario can also use Super Leaves, so he quickly kicks more of Bowser's ass. Peach realizes that her constant kidnappings are not the best way to win over Mario. Indeed, she thinks that her best chance of spending time with the man is to accompany him on her adventures, just like she did in Super Mario RPG.

She joins Mario, Luigi, and Toad as they save the Sprixie Princesses from Bowser in Super Mario 3D World, while the entire cast discovers her love for cats. Bowser takes a brief break from kidnapping to finally cure her deafness, stealing the four musical keys from Truffle Tower with Waluigi's help, freeing the earth from his musical powers. Mario defeats him in a dance at the end of DDR: Mario Mix, but feels bad about Bowser's lack of musicality. Mario knows the plight of a struggling artist more than anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, so he turns Bowser's castle into a lush green environment with mystical keys, igniting music in everyone's souls and inspiring them to dance.

But despite the song in his heart, Bowser is still upset about Peach's avoidance of him. She has been cheating on him, using him just to get Mario's attention. Bowser has had enough of her, so he finally forces her into marriage with the help of the Broodals in Super Mario Odyssey. He also kidnaps a Bonneter named Tiara. They are hat-wearing beings with the ability to capture most things. Mario teams up with Tiara's brother, Cappy, to save her and Peach. The hat/plumber duo travels through many new lands, such as the Cascade and Metro Kingdoms, collecting energy moons to power their ship before tracking down Bowser on the moon.

After King Koopa's final defeat, Mario suddenly falls in love with Peach again, probably because he sees that his ex Pauline is doing quite well without him. He makes some sort of proposal, pathetically competing with Bowser for his affections, but Peach sees how ridiculous this all is. Fed up, Peach finally sees that she's fine on her own and decides to tour the kingdoms with Tiara, leaving Mario to reflect on what she really wants in life. Goodbye Mushroom Kingdom. Well, it sure isn't Peach, so he decides to save another damsel in distress he knows from her lazy days: Daisy.

He leaves the Mushroom Kingdom in favor of Sarasaland in Super Mario Land, facing off against the alien Tatanga. It's a short and fun game, but he gave his greedy old friend Wario enough time to take over Mario Land. Yes, Marius was rich enough to found his own nation, he probably should have mentioned that before. Mario has to find the six gold coins that act as keys to his own castle spread across different areas such as Tree Zone, Macro Zone and Mario Zone. Too much arrogance? Before reclaiming his throne from Wario in Super Mario Land 2. Wow! Don't worry, Wario continues to star in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

Sitting on his throne, Mario knows that he still isn't satisfied. He uses his unlimited resources to create Mushroom Kingdom levels that remind him of his glory days with Super Mario Maker 1 and 2. He even uses his successful toy line brand to alter his past rivalry with DK for fun in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. series, or maybe he is Donkey Kong's grandson? It's this whole family tree thing. We made a video about it. Anyway, playing puzzles with his friend Yoshi, as in Yoshi, is another fun way to pass the time. But surely there is more to life. Why not go back to school?

He channels his inner Dr. Alan Grant and becomes an archaeologist, as chronicled in Mario's Picross. Still not ambitious enough, Mario embarks on a journey to obtain his medical degree. You know he can afford it. He spends the rest of his working days fighting viruses in the Dr. Mario series. Mario eventually retires, allowing him to spend his final days playing checkers and backgammon at Mario's Game Gallery. And here's the best part: baby stuff aside, Mario did all this when he was around 24 or 25 years old. Let that sink in! And hey, if this timeline doesn't convince you, then let me know how you would tie Mario's story together.

Two head cannons are better than one. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to The Leaderboard while you're at it. After all, all players are welcome. I've been Marcus, thanks for watching! (upbeat techno music)