Some fans are worried that longtime Mario voice actor Charles Martinet has been replaced in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder. While Nintendo’s iconic plumber isn't Martinet's only big gaming role, his signature high-pitched tone and Italian accent have become synonymous with Mario ever since players first heard them in Super Mario 64. Charles Martinet has provided the voices of Mario and several other characters in virtually every Mario game since then, and his performance is so beloved that there was a considerable backlash when it was announced that Chris Pratt would instead voice the hero in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.This has led some fans to think that Nintendo is looking to replace Charlies Martinet in the Mario games, but Martinet has assured everyone that he wishes to continue voicing Mario for as long as he can. He has also expressed his love of the character and his devotion to his role as the Mushroom Kingdom’s resident plumber on multiple occasions, though the some of the latest Mario announcements have brought back the rumors of him hanging up his iconic red hat.Not too long after the trailer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder was revealed at this week’s Nintendo Direct livestream, fans have started debating that Charles Martinet has been replaced. Twitter users like GemOnTW have speculated that Mario sounds somewhat different in Wonder, using clips from previous Mario games as a reference to how Martinet usually sounds. Others, like BlueBowser and Chris Schilling, instead think that the voice sounds the same and that Nintendo simply had Charles Martinet record new voice samples.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t the only newly-announced Nintendo game to draw speculation that Martinet has been replaced, as some players also think that Mario’s arch-rival Wario sounds different in the trailer for WarioWare: Move It. However, the explanations that fans have given for Mario’s supposedly different voice in Super Mario. Bros. Wonder can also be applied to WarioWare: Move It, and neither Nintendo nor Charles Martinet have officially commented on the situation as of this writing.
If there is any difference between Mario’s voice in Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the cheery performance of Charles Martinet, it is extremely subtle. However, there seem to be plenty of fans that think that a different actor is behind the legendary gaming mascot’s trademark “wa-hoo” in the recently released trailer - much to the alarm of players that have grown to love Martinet as the full-time plumber and part-time savior of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches on October 20, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: NintendoLife
