On Monday, August 21st, Nintendo announced in a Twitter post that Charles Martinet will retire from voicing in the Mario franchise. Fans speculated that Martinet had been replaced, as the voice in the Super Mario Wonder trailer seemed… slightly off. That appears to be confirmed with this announcement. Martinet also contributed to the voices of Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. Now, he will be a “Mario Ambassador.” Judging by the language in the post, he will still be interacting with fans, which likely means press events and convention appearances. We don’t know who will replace him yet, but I don’t think we have to worry about it being Chris Pratt.
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
Martinet has been acting since the ’80s, so he’s been at this for a while. His first-ever role as Mario was in the PC version of 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing. Martinet frequently talks about how hard he tried to do a more whimsical voice when he auditioned for the role. After the audition, they just said “Thanks” and sent him on his way. He didn’t know he got the part for a while. Little did he know he would become the most iconic voice in the gaming world. It took Nintendo quite some time to find the perfect one. Lou Albano gave him a typical Boston accent in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. It still fits Mario pretty well, while different from what we had with Charles. Even Chris Pratt’s Mario wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I expected.
Martinet’s Other Work
Alongside his impressive run as Mario, Charles Martinet also voiced Mario’s dad, Giuseppe, in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Looking back on it in this context, I feel Martinet was passing the torch a bit. The movie will be his final role in The Mushroom Kingdom. Outside Mario-adjacent roles, he also voiced Paarthurnax in Skyrim and Magenta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. While it is sad to see him go, the new replacement does a close impression. I wouldn’t have noticed if someone had not pointed it out. He should bow out now rather than strain his voice up to his death, like Wayne Allwine (Mickey Mouse) and Mel Blanc (Looney Tunes) before him. Please keep your eyes focused here for a full article on his legacy with the character soon.
Speaking of Mario, we have the reprint of his adorable Nendoroid up for preorder. I missed these the first time around and regretted it. Avoid the same mistake I made!
