(electronic beeping)
(serene music) - [Narrator] (sighs) Mario
has been in a lot of games. I don't think Nintendo
has a solid timeline that links them all
together, 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 stringing a Super
Mario timeline together, and kudos to them, but I've yet to see one with
every single Mario title. So time for me, Marcus, to give it a shot. The rules are simple: if Mario is in the game's title or is a central playable
character, it must be included. Sorry Qix, cut scenes alone don't count. I won't try too hard to shoehorn
in the 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. Okay? 'Kay. Let's give this a shot. The Yoshi's Island Series. When Mario's a baby, a
stork is carrying him and Luigi along on a delivery route. Suddenly, Kamek comes and knocks
poor Mario out of the sky, sending him plummeting
down to the island below. Luckily, it's Yoshi's Island, so eight adorable Yoshi's
help deliver him back home. You can see the whole adventure in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and it's retelling, Yoshi's Touch & Go. After an epic final boss battle
with a giant baby Bowser, Mario and his brother make
it home, safe and sound. But wait, it's the wrong household. Oh come on, the stork had one job. So then, we have Yoshi's New Island, basically a rinse and repeat where Kamek's kidnapping
plans are thwarted once more. Kamek expands his horizons and attempts to kidnap baby Mario along with Luigi, Wario, DK,
Peach in Yoshi's Island DS but the Yoshi guardians prevail yet again. Now that Mario and Luigi have
seen a fair bit of action, they're able to fend for themselves and team up with their adult
counterparts from the future in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Crime. Hey, five titles down already! Only about 100 to go. Military service and carpentry. We don't know a lot
about Mario's childhood and teenage years. Make Super Mario pimple
popper happen, Miyamoto. But in young adulthood, Mario joins the military
in Mario's Bombs Away, blowing things up in jungle operations. After he returns to civilian life, Mario can't shake the
itch to blow things up. War changes a man. So, he satisfies his
appetite for destruction in Wrecking Crew alongside
younger brother Luigi. As Mario matures, he
decides to expand his resume beyond make things go boom and actually builds in
Mario's Cement Factory. Now that he's making that
sweet, sweet union money, the Italian charmer attracts the eye of the beautiful Pauline, who
soon becomes his girlfriend. That's where Pinball falls in, 'cause Pauline is there
and Mario bounces the ball with a construction girder. He then parlays this ball-bouncing skill into another industrial gig with Alleyway. Unfortunately, Pauline's
beauty brings other suitors, namely Mario's pet, Donkey Kong, a large ape that he
unfortunately mistreats. DK kidnaps Pauline and
Mario must track her down through various construction sites and a pie factory within Donkey Kong. He has to navigate many more locations in its expanded remake/sequel,
Donkey Kong '94. Mario succeeds, and although she
appreciates Mario's heroics, Pauline doesn't owe the
sweaty carpenter anything. Staying with Mario makes her a target for future kidnappings, so she
dumps him a few weeks later, leaving Mario to spiral
into a deep depression. First, Mario lashes out further at DK, trapping him in a cage. DK Jr. comes to his rescue,
kicking Mario's (bleeps) and humbling the carpenter even
further in Donkey Kong Jr., also retold as Donkey
Kong II Game & Watch. Mario realizes that
everything about carpentry reminds him of his old muse, Pauline, so he decides to change career paths. Like many young 20-somethings,
he becomes an artist, trying his hand at drawing, music, and animation through Mario Paint. He's only ever good at coloring though, as seen in Super Mario Bros.
and Friends: When I Grow Up. Eventually, Mario realizes
that all his art projects were just lopsided collaborations
with, well, the player. He didn't really do anything, and figures he's got no artistic
talent in the first place. Desperate, Mario then
attempts street performance with Mario the Juggler, another Game & Watch title
I just learned about, collecting nickels and
pennies on the boardwalk. In time, Mario grows sick
of the starving artist life and returns to his blue-collar roots. Plumbing days. Mario teams back up with
little brother Luigi in a new exciting trade: plumbing. They start a lucrative business going through sewage systems, flushing out various side-steppers, shellcreepers, fighter flies, and freezies under the streets of New York in Mario Brothers. Finally, Mario starts
making the big bucks, collecting solid gold coins
that are as big as his head. Mario continues cleaning
out the pipes in Mario Clash where he encounters enemies
that seem out of this world, like Para-Goombas and Pokeys. It isn't long before the brothers stumble onto a portal
to the Mushroom Kingdom, a magic world with
delightful mushroom people ruled by Princess Toadstool. Unfortunately, they arrive
right when she gets kidnapped by the nefarious King Koopa, aka Bowser. Reminded of his lost love Pauline, Mario channels his military days and goes full Rambo on
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 towards the princess. I include bricks because it turns out Bowser turned many of
the poor mushroom people into these blocks that layer the kingdom. After a lot of collateral damage,
Mario, and Luigi, I guess, save Princess Toadstool. Mario really enjoys this
princess-saving trade, so he retires his plunger and stays in the Mushroom
Kingdom as its guardian. The peace doesn't last long, though. Bowser is stubborn and persistent, so he kidnaps Princess Toadstool again in Super Mario Bros. 2, aka Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Things are a lot harder this time, but it's no matter to our man Mario. Mario and Princess
Toadstool like each other, but both try playing it cool. Mario wants to take this romance slow. He's had some baggage
since Pauline left him. A few months later, for Super Mario 64, Princess Toadstool breaks first, inviting Mario over for cake. She even signs the letter
with her nickname, Peach. Way to gain hand in the situation, Mario. Unfortunately, Mario
just can't catch a break. Bowser hijacks the castle,
traps Peach inside, and hides power stars needed to get to her throughout 15 worlds
dispersed through paintings. So, Mario does what he does best: he gathers up all the stars,
and says so long to Bowser, thwarting his plan. Once she's safe, Peach
rewards him with a kiss, finally breaking that romantic tension. Over the moon with joy, Mario heads to the roof of the castle where his childhood savior
Yoshi is chilling out. This reunion inspires Mario to take a little vacation to
Yoshi's home: Dinosaur Land. Lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, Peach, and third wheel Luigi are chilling on a beach in Dinosaur Land. When the brothers turn their back for, I don't know, two seconds, flip, Peach gets kidnapped again! They find a hatching Yoshi egg, and this fresh new Yoshi
joins up with the brothers to save his dinosaur brethren and the princess in Super Mario World, or Super Mario Bros. 4 on
the Nelsonic Game Watch. The brothers traverse diverse
lands within the world including Donut Plains,
Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, Valley
of Bowser, and more. Once they reach Bowser, they
rescue the flailing princess, ending what's surely
the worst vacation ever, until Sunshine, at least. Totally defeated, Bowser
gives up the chase to kidnap the Princess. Nah, just kidding. Shortly after, he scoops her
up again in his Koopa Clown Car and holds her hostage for the beginning of Super Mario RPG:
Legend of the Seven Stars. Rushing to her rescue, Mario arrives in time
for Exor, a huge sword, come crashing through Star
Road and Bowser's castle, sending the princess, Mario, and Bowser careening
in separate directions. This is all so Smithy and his Gang can take over the
lucrative Mushroom Kingdom. With the Star Road gone, wishes
can no longer be granted, and Mario stands no chance
against the Smithy Gang. He must travel throughout
seven major worlds including the Mole Mountains,
Seaside, Nimbus Land, and more to collect seven star
pieces to restore Star Road. Along the way, Mario
gets help from a cloud, oh sorry, frog named Mallow and Star Road warrior/doll/future Super Smash Bros. character, please, Geno. Even Bowser joins in on the fight. The enemy of my enemy
is my friend after all. Later on, Princess Peach joins the roster and proves, hey, suddenly,
she can fend for herself! Mario starts to doubt
just how helpless she is. Anyway, the heroes prevail,
defeating Smithy in his factory, restoring the Star Road,
and saving the day. If you really, really wanna
force the Paper Mario Series in, you can throw them in the
release order here if you want. Technically, Paper Mario was developed as a sequel to this RPG after all. There, happy? After this exhausting RPG adventure, Mario needs a deep rest. Ever have crazy dreams
after a stressful day? Well, that's exactly what happens, as Mario finds himself
joined by Luigi, Toad, and the now battle-hardened Princess Peach in the world of Subcon. Subcon, 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 battle enemies
like Shy Guys and Birdos and a bunch of new bosses,
like the bomb-spewing Mouser and the big bad Wart whose
weakness is vegetables. After stopping Wart, Mario wakes up. So wait, was this all a dream? Let's just say yes. We've already spent way
too much time on this one. From there, Peach tasks Mario with saving her pals
King Fret and Prince Pine in Jewelry Land. Since his adventures are
starting to get stale, he insists on riding his friend
Yoshi the whole entire time and using the Super Scope so
he doesn't get his hands dirty in Yoshi's Safari. Beginnings of a mogul. So remember how Mario
began collecting coins back in Mario Bros.? Well, he never quite stopped, and now he's sitting on a fortune. Gold may be common in
the Mushroom Kingdom, but it's still pretty valuable
back here on our reality. Now that he's a multi-millionaire, Mario decides to pursue his
artistic passions once again, and what better way to blow millions than by funding a Broadway play? As many people now know,
Super Mario Bros. 3 is pretty much fully
confirmed as a stage play. It's a dramatic retelling of Mario's Mushroom Kingdom adventures, complete with hanging set
pieces, bolted platforms, and a red curtain. It's quite a successful show. Think the staging ambition
of "The Lion King" meets the popularity of "Hamilton". So now, Mario is not only filthy rich, he's more famous than Lin-Manuel Miranda. Mario becomes a household name, and this fame allows him
to be a celebrity referee in games like Tennis and Punch-Out. But it wasn't just PR, he
took those roles seriously! He even refereed the heavyweight
world championship match between Little Mac and Mike Tyson. I know I don't really need to include these cameos as per my rules but come on, it's Punch-Out! But with fame comes a price. With increased notoriety, tabloids begin digging into Mario's past for any skeletons in his closet. And what do they find? A hefty dose of animal abuse. It was a dark time for him, but Mario did lock up
Donkey Kong in a cage. The statute of limitations
hasn't 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 educate the world's youth. First, he develops a learning
curriculum trifecta for tykes 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 create hype for learning about geography and history, he creates two more
interactive stage plays in Mario is Missing and Mario's
Time Machine respectively. With his service complete
and his probation 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 made a mess across the whole Island. Coupled with his past convictions, Mario's immediately framed as a vandal and finds himself on trial once more. He must clean up the island all while bringing
sunshine to Isle Delfino via 120 Shine Sprites
in Super Mario Sunshine. At least he doesn't have to
give everything a spit shine, he's got the E. Gadd developed F.L.U.D.D. to make cleaning and platforming a breeze. Turns out Bowser Jr. is
actually Shadow Mario! When he makes his debut,
he kidnaps the princess, thinking Peach is his own mother. From there, it's rinse and repeat as Mario fights his way to Corona Mountain and takes down Jr. and
his father once again. Upon returning to the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser decides to recruit the help of his now battle-hardened son once more in kidnapping the Princess via New Super Mario Bros.. Despite it being bring
your child to work day, Mario, of course, rescues
the princess once more, and Bowser retreats to
reevaluate his plans. But there's a brand new threat for the now experienced team of Mario, Luigi, Peach,
and Yoshi to take on. One of Mario's fans creates
the SupaMerge visor, which a bunch of Rabbids steal after messing around with
their time washing machine. They open a portal to
the Mushroom Kingdom, sucking up our Mario friends and launching a desperate,
tactical struggle for control of the fungi land in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, complete with the threat of growing inter-dimensional
time-space portals. Team Mario prevails,
taking out Bowser Jr., Spawny, Bowser, and the Megabug, eventually restoring the continuum with help from robot Beep-O
and its future self, FB. Mid-life crisis. With another few heroic
adventures under his belt, and with thousands of more
giant gold coins in his wallet, Mario decides it's time to play, a lot. He invests millions
into traveling the world with his entourage, now including 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, over budget competitive, lavish 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're talking about dozens of titles. Hell, he even fit in a few Olympics with the Mario and Sonic at
the Olympic Games series. But eventually, this endless
play begins to bore our hero. He's just doing the same things
again and again and again. How can he add a little excitement to make himself feel alive? Simple: Fight Club, aka Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. This becomes more and more popular, as seen with the increasing roster. 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, fighting fun, but the gang all comes together
again in World of Light during Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After all this excitement, Mario decides to take
up a more relaxed hobby with baking in Yoshi's Cookie. Back to adventures. With Mario's hand in so many cookie jars, constantly fighting or playing sports, Peach begins to feel a little neglected. As Mario and Luigi ditch her to go on a coin hunting adventure, Peach contacts Bowser's Koopalings to stage a kidnapping for
a little more attention. This sets off New Super Mario Bros. 2, which backfires for Peach. With coins everywhere, Mario's
immense wealth only grows. He uses this spare billion to invest and grow an even bigger empire, turning the cutthroat world of real estate into a competitive game against his buddies in Fortune Street. Still determined, Peach then tries to pull the whole
cake/kidnapping ruse again with Super Mario Run. By this point, Mario has
gotten so used to saving her, he can do it with one hand. She then allows herself to be kidnapped by Goombas via air cannon at a fair. Really? Goombas? Come on, Peach, no one's
gonna believe that. Anyway, Mario has to chase
after her using the Spheralizer, setting off the events
of Mario Pinball Land. Reverting back to a cake caper, we get it, Peach likes cakes, we have New Super Mario Bros. Wii where a giant cake stuffed with Koopalings arrives in time for Peach's birthday. Little does Mario know
the dastardly damsel ordered the darn cake herself. She gets kidnapped again, and Mario, Luigi, and
Blue and Yellow Toads embark on a co-op adventure
of epic proportions. After succeeding, Peach recruits Bowser and The Koopalings once more, now with a giant mechanical arm, for one more 2d attention-seeking attempt in New Super Mario Bros. U. Mario, Luigi, and the
Toads humor her once more, but unfortunately for the Princess, this brotherly, co-op bonding
only further widens the rift between Peach and Mario. Brotherly rekindling. See, all of these rescue missions have made Mario and
Luigi's brotherly bonding stronger than ever! Since they work so well together, the brothers vow to spend even
more time with one another. First, they head out
to the Beanbean Kingdom alongside Bowser under the guise
of retrieving Peach's voice from Cackletta in Mario
& Luigi: Superstar Saga. They then journey through
time to fend off the Shroobs, meeting up with their baby selves in the beginning of our
timeline with Partners in Time. Soon after, they venture
into Bowser himself, a la Magic School Bus,
Bowser's Inside Story. Luigi then gets the Subcon treatment when he and Mario visit
his dreams in Dream Team, battling Antasma and Dreamy Bowser with use of the Dream Stone. Finally, they unleash the
entirety of the Paper world into the Mushroom Kingdom and
must bring these 2d beings back into their magic
storybook in Paper Jam. As jealous as ever,
Peach goes out of her way to invite the brothers over for a picnic. Luigi hopes she made lots of spaghetti. While they're busy, she lets
Bowser take over the kingdom, set up seven Koopa hotels, and eventually hide the princess in one. And so, the stage is set for Hotel Mario. Mario and Luigi find Peach in the largest, most conspicuous hotel, and she rewards both with a kiss, just to make Mario jealous. Out-of-this-world kidnappings. When her most elaborate
plan yet doesn't work, Peach goes full Beastie Boys,
intergalactic planetary. During the star festival
at the Mushroom Kingdom at the start of Super Mario Galaxy, she puts herself in a vulnerable position to be abducted again by
Bowser, like alien abducted, because he takes her to space. After Kamek launches Mario into the void, he finds himself at
Rosalina's observatory. To save Peach, he must
gather 120 power stars and countless star bits
with the help of Lumas to restore power to the observatory. Once the star ship is up and running, Mario travels to the
center of the universe to take on Bowser once more. There, a giant black hole
forms, gobbling up the universe, eventually collapsing into singularity, creating a supernova. Remember when Mario was just a plumber? Fortunately, Rosalina
recreates the universe, allowing Mario to basically relive the whole adventure again, this time with Starship Mario plus Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Once she's grounded back home, Peach lures Bowser back
with the ripe, Tail-Tree, offering flight abilities
for all his minions. Bowser sucks it dry and
kidnaps Peach in the process, setting off the events
of Super Mario 3D Land. Here, there's similar
obstacles and level scenarios to those found throughout the galaxy in the previous adventure, but Mario can use Super Leaves too, so he swiftly kicks more Bowser butt. Peach realizes that her
constant kidnappings aren't the best way to win over Mario. Sure enough, she figures
that her best chance to spend time with the man is
to join him on his adventures, just like she did back in Super Mario RPG. She joins Mario, Luigi, and Toad as they save the Sprixie
Princesses from Bowser in Super Mario 3D World, all while the entire cast
discover their love of cats. Bowser takes a brief
hiatus from kidnapping to finally cure his tone-deafness, stealing the four music
keys from Truffle Tower with the help of Waluigi, ridding the land of its musical powers. Mario defeats him in a dance off at the end of DDR: Mario Mix, but he feels bad about
Bowser's lack of musicality. Mario knows the plight
of a struggling artist, more than anyone else
in the Mushroom Kingdom, so he turns Bowser's castle
into a lush green environment with the mystical keys, igniting the music in everyone's souls and inspiring them to dance. But despite the song in his heart, Bowser is still miffed at the
runaround that Peach gave him. She's been stringing him along, using him just to get Mario's attention. Bowser's had enough, 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're hat 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 travel
throughout many new lands such as the Cascade and Metro Kingdoms, collecting power moons to fuel their ship before tracking down Bowser on the moon. After King Koopa's final defeat, Mario is suddenly again
enamored by Peach at last, probably because he sees his ex Pauline is doing quite well without him. He makes a proposal of sorts, pathetically competing with
Bowser for her affections, but Peach sees how ridiculous
this whole thing is. Fed up, Peach finally sees
that she's fine on her own, and decides to tour the
kingdoms with Tiara, leaving Mario to ponder
what he really wants in life Farewell Mushroom Kingdom. Well, it sure as hell
isn't wishy-washy Peach, so he decides to save
another damsel in distress he knows from his leisure days: Daisy. He abandons the Mushroom Kingdom in favor of Sarasaland
in Super Mario Land, taking on the alien Tatanga. It's a short, fun romp, but it gave his old greedy buddy Wario enough time to take over Mario Land. Yeah, Mario was rich enough
to found his own nation, I probably should've
mentioned that earlier. Mario has to find the six golden coins that act as keys to his own castle spread through different zones like Tree Zone, Macro
Zone, and Mario Zone. Hubris much? Before reclaiming his throne from Wario in Super Mario Land 2. Wow! Don't worry, Wario goes on to star in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Sitting upon his throne, Mario knows that he's still unfulfilled. He uses his unlimited resources to create Mushroom Kingdom levels to remind him of his glory days with Super Mario Maker 1 & 2. He even uses his successful toy line brand to ruffle up his past rivalry with DK for kicks in the Mario
vs. Donkey Kong series, or maybe it's Donkey Kong's grandson? It's this whole family tree thing. We made a video about it. Anyway, playing puzzlers with
his pal Yoshi, like in Yoshi, is another fun way to pass the time. But surely, there's more to life. Why not go back to school? He channels his inner Dr. Alan Grant and becomes an archeologist, as chronicled in Mario's Picross. Still not ambitious enough, Mario then embarks on a journey
to get his medical degree. You know that he can afford it. He spends the rest of his
working days battling viruses in the Dr. Mario series. Mario eventually retires, allowing him to spend his twilight days playing checkers and backgammon
in Mario's Game Gallery. And here's the best part:
aside from the baby stuff, Mario did all of this when he
was around 24 or 25 years old. Let that sink in! And hey, if this timeline doesn't sink in, then let me know how you would string
Mario's story together. Two head canons 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! (lively techno music)
