Nintendo shocked fans this morning when it announced that Charles Martinet, the longtime voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and numerous other characters from the Super Mario Bros. franchise would be stepping away from his various roles. In lieu of this shift, Nintendo said that Martinet would now be serving as a “Mario Ambassador” which would allow him to remain tied to the series in some capacity. And while it’s not yet fully known what this new role will entail, it seems to be one that Martinet is taking on with a fair bit of excitement.
Not long after Nintendo shared this big news on its own social media channel, Martinet took to his own X (previously Twitter) account and thanked fans for their support over the years by saying that they’re “numba one” in his heart. He went on to refer to his position as Mario Ambassador as a “new adventure” which he seems eager to take on. For the time being, Martinet hasn’t added any additional context to what it will mean for him to be an ambassador for Nintendo’s longtime mascot, but it’s apparent that he won’t be completely out of the spotlight.
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Moving forward, Nintendo has already made clear that it will be honoring Martinet’s work and legacy in another manner when it releases a “special video message” featuring both Martinet and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. This video has yet to be unveiled, but Nintendo says it will post it “at a future date.” Whether or not this video goes live at some point in the coming days or is instead held for a future Nintendo Direct isn’t known, but we’ll be sure to share it with you here on ComicBook.com whenever it does drop.
How do you feel about Martinet’s time as the voice of Mario finally coming to an end? And are you happy to see that he’ll still be associated with the character in the future? Let me know your own thoughts on this situation either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.
