Mario Voice Actor Charles Martinet is Being Replaced, Super Mario Wonder Has Online Play

Charles Martinet and Shigeru Miyamoto have explained Martinet’s new role as ‘Mario Ambassador’.

September may have just started, but the holiday season is already fast approaching, with plenty of eager shoppers looking to find the next great gift for their game-adoring friends or family members.

Years ago I met Charles Martinet at E3. We shot a quick video where I said “It’s a-you?” and he shrieked “It’s a-me!” in the voice. I was so taken aback that I said “Holy Sh*t!” – He immediately took me aside and asked me not to post the video, as it would be inappropriate for children. We ended up posting it anyway, with my swear bleeped out, and it was a cute, hopefully inoffensive bit of fun. But what I really took away from that moment is how much Charles Martinet cares about his fans. He wants to fill their hearts with hope and joy, and not whatever the opposite of those two things is. That may be why we still haven’t heard exactly why he’s no longer the voice of Mario in the games.

It was a surprise to fans worldwide when we discovered that the iconic character, Mario, would receive a new voice actor. Nintendo’s flagship character had been voiced for decades by Charles Martinet. This actor has been offering his talents to Nintendo to give Mario those iconic phrases fans have become familiar with. But after his lengthy run, it looks like Charles was ready to hang up his cap and pass the torch. Unfortunately, we’re not sure just who that torch has been passed on to. 

We may have heard Mario and Luigi’s new voices in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but Nintendo will not be confirming who is voicing them until the game’s release, according to Nintendo president Doug Bowser.

We won't find out who the new voice of Mario is until the credits of Super Mario Bros. Wonder roll. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder includes chatty flowers which share jokes and useful hints as you pass by — though Nintendo has now confirmed you can put them on mute if you'd prefer.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder will seemingly allow players to mute the strange new Talking Flowers characters, which is good news for those of us who don't want to think about what Goombas taste like.

Thank the Gods of Silence; you can mute those talking flowers in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. That damned “onward and upward” that one spews at Mario is locked in a very painful spot in my mind. It’s like having a grain of sand between the folds of brain, slowly aggravating everything around it in small but significant ways.

Have you ever wanted to play as Mario, but also be an Elephant? If so, your time has finally come. Super Mario Wonder drops on the Nintendo Switch on October 20th. If you count the Mario Maker games more as sandbox experiences, this will be the first side-scrolling adventure for everyone’s favorite plumber since Super Mario 3D World on the Wii-U. Of course, it did breathe new life when it was ported to the Switch in 2021.  A Nintendo Direct this morning gave us some new information about Super Mario Wonder .

A new Nintendo Switch OLED special edition console is launching in a little over a month, the Japanese company announced today during its dedicated Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.

Nintendo has released new information, footage, and screenshots of Super Mario Bros. Wonder as part of today’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct, introducing new gameplay, new power-ups, Wonder effects, and more.