Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Luigi, has apparently declared himself to be the legendary twins' father in the Mario universe. While it's unlikely to come up in future Mario games, this new factoid has some rather bizarre implications for Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom.

Although Mario games often feature Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, their parents do not make an appearance. The only time their parents have canonically appeared is in Yoshi's New Island for the Nintendo 3DS; even then, they are only seen from the waist down. Mario's voice actor, Charles Martinet, has made some joking off-hand comments about Mario's parents, naming them "Papa Pio Mario" and "Mama Mia Mario," but this is not endorsed by Miyamoto, who seems to have a different origin story in mind.

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During Friday's special Nintendo Direct for the Super Nintendo World attraction at Universal Studios Japan, Miyamoto referred to himself as Mario and Luigi's dad while talking to both characters on-camera. Saying this directly to the Mario brothers suggests that it is more than just a joke, becoming an actual piece of canon in the Mario universe's lore. Nintendo later reinforced this notion by calling Miyamoto "Mario's dad" in a tweet recapping the Nintendo Direct.

Hardcore Mario fans may raise their eyebrows at this factoid in light of an interview Miyamoto gave several years ago. In that interview, Miyamoto declared himself to be Bowser Jr.'s mother. This would make Mario and Bowser Jr. half-siblings, significantly reframing the eternal battle between Mario and Bowser. While the identity of Bowser Jr.'s mother is a major plot point in Super Mario Sunshine, no answer is ever given in-game. If Miyamoto is canonically Mario's father and Bowser Jr.'s mother, it is probably for the best that the game never clarifies this point.

To be fair, Miyamoto almost surely did not intend for fans to scrutinize his comment. Games that take place in the Mario universe, such as the Luigi's Mansion series, have strange implications that are not intended to be taken seriously, like malevolent spirits of the dead living throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. As almost every Mario game is lighthearted in tone, there is nowhere that a discussion of Mario's shared family tree with Bowser Jr. could really fit in.

For those truly dedicated to reconciling Mario's parentage with canon, Super Mario Galaxy may provide a solution. In that game, Bowser inadvertently triggers the end of the universe, leaving only Mario and Rosalina to watch the universe be reborn. Rosalina reveals that this has happened many times before, but changes a bit with each cycle. It's possible that Miyamoto is Mario's father in some iterations of the universe, but not others. In any case, Miyamoto's new declaration will leave fans speculating for years to come.

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Source: Nintendo Life