In The Last of Us, the Cordyceps fungus has decimated mankind, infecting normal humans and transforming them into monstrous Clickers. The transformation is already pretty terrifying, and former Teen Titans GO! art director Dan Hipp has taken it a step further, showing a Mushroom Kingdom take on the virus. In a piece of artwork shared to Hipp’s Twitter account, Mario ally Toad has been infected, causing countless 1-Up Mushrooms to sprout from his head. It’s a bizarre take, but it does look pretty cool!ย
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The Mario x The Last of Us mash-up can be found in Hipp’s Tweet embedded below.
Interestingly enough, Hipp is not the only one thinking of ways to combine the world of The Last of Us with Super Mario! Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live was hosted by Pedro Pascal, the actor who portrays Joel Miller in the HBO series. On SNL, Pascal appeared in a skit combining the characters of the Super Mario franchise with the dark tone of The Last of Us. The skit sees Pascal playing Mario, as he tries to protect Princess Peach from Bowser and his minions. Rather than avoiding Clickers, the heroes find themselves pursued by giant Goombas, who actually look kind of creepy in this context! Readers that missed the skit last night can check it out right here.
While it’s certainly unusual, it’s not all that surprising to see Mario and The Last of Us getting multiple mash-ups at the moment; after all, both games are the basis for two major Hollywood adaptations! The Last of Us has seen massive interest from viewers on HBO, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie might be one of the most highly-anticipated video game adaptations ever. The Last of Us currently airs on Sunday nights, but those interested in The Super Mario Bros. Movie have a bit longer to wait, as the animated film won’t be releasing in theaters until April 7th.
Are you excited for The Super Mario Bros. Movie? What do you think of this mash-up art?Letusknowinthecomments orshare yourthoughtsdirectly onTwitter andonHive atย @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
