We never thought we’d be saying the words “Mario” and “nightmare fuel” in the same sentence, yet here we are. In a horrifying series of unfortunate events, one Mario-themed Twitter account posted a long-lost manga that you really have to see to believe.
Allow us to introduce the Dead Mario Mushroom Replacement theory (still working on that title).
Now it’s worth mentioning that this particular image and accompanying theory exist non-canonically. Instead, they simply serve as an interesting thought experiment that’s sure to keep us all up at night. Seriously. The concept that every time a Mario dies, his little plumber body is used to grow mushrooms that another Mario then eats is, well, terrifying — and kinda cool, too.
Providing a bit of pathos in the Mario universe, a wacky joke like this definitely can’t be taken seriously, but it sure is fun to think about. Even if Nintendo will never, ever endorse something like this. As we get closer to The Super Mario Bros. Movie release on April 5, images like this aren’t exactly what the Mario community needs right now. Oh, here’s another one.
In this next image, we see Mario use underwater coins to provide himself with some much-needed air. It’s weird, cool, and frankly, we want more. The sad bit is that these images are from Mario comics created in the ’90s. When it comes to waiting for more, don’t hold your breath. Horrible pun intended.
Who knows? Maybe Illumination’s upcoming swing at a Mario franchise will include some of these strange bits of fiction. Our guess is probably not, but, hey, we can all dream, right? Or — in the case of Dead Mario Mushroom Replacement — have nightmares.