Amongst the slew of familiar faces making their way to theaters later this week in Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, one surprisingly new figure has quickly become a fan favorite.
Forget about Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Princess Peach — allow us to introduce you to the Penguin King.
Voiced by none other than Khary Payton — an American actor known for his iconic role as King Ezekiel in The Walking Dead — Payton can’t seem to stop playing royalty. It’s true that the Penguin King’s time spent on screen may feature more mushrooms than zombies, but that hasn’t stopped Payton from embracing the role.
No stranger to voice acting, Khary Payton also voices another iconic animated character. Did someone say Cyborg from Teen Titans? That’s right, you have Payton to thank for voicing one of the most iconic super heroes of our time.
Still, none of this answers the larger question of: Who IS the Penguin King?
Frankly, not much is known about the Penguin King aside from the fact that he’s a penguin… who happens to be a king. You know, that old story. During the film’s first teaser trailer released way back in November, we can see that the penguin king finds himself under siege by big bad Bowser — eventually being defeated and taken captive.
As a supporting character in the newly established cinematic universe of Mario and company, the Penguin King’s role in the story’s larger narrative remains to be seen. Thankfully, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie set to hit theaters this Wednesday, we won’t have to wait long to find out more about our flightless friend.
