Nintendo announces that beloved Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is stepping away from the role

The end of an era is upon us. Early Monday morning, Nintendo announced that Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is officially retiring from the role. Martinet has been the voice of the world-famous plumber since the mid-90s, accompanying the video game character on countless journies through the Mushroom Kingdom, Dream Land, and beyond. Nintendo posted on X (formally Twitter) that Martinet will be “stepping back from recording character voices for our games.” Additionally, Martinet voices Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. video game series. While Martinet is retiring as the voice of Mario, he’ll still work with Nintendo as the company’s Mario Ambassador, traveling the world “sharing the joy of Mario” with fans worldwide.

“It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him,” Nintendo wrote. “Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.”

We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023

While Mario rarely speaks throughout his video game adventures, Martinet’s “Wahoo!,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Let’s a go!” have become synonymous with the character, with fans of all ages gleefully shouting the phrases across a spectrum of contexts.

Martinet voices the iconic character for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder video game. Arriving on the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder features classic Mario side-scrolling gameplay. The game includes new mechanics that turn Mario’s world upside down in fun and exciting ways, with the addition of Wonder Flowers. The game features 4-player mayhem, with Mario (Charles Martinet), Luigi (Charles Martinet), Princess Peach (Samantha Kelly), Toad (Samantha Kelly), and Princess Daisy (Deanna Mustard) as playable characters.

What Martinet’s retirement means for Mario’s future is unknown. Will the character become more verbose in future titles? Will Nintendo piggyback off the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and ask Chris Pratt to become the official voice of the character? Martinet is a valuable player in Mario’s history, and fans will undoubtedly mourn his absence in future titles.

Do you think Nintendo will replace Martinet with another actor in future titles? Could they use existing clips of Martinet’s voice instead? Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.