Super Mario Manga Suggests That 1-Up Mushrooms Are Grown From Bodies Of Dead Marios

A 1-Up mushroom is an essential part of any Mario game, a literal pick-me-up in a fungal form that guarantees you an extra chance to complete a level. Green mushrooms that add a touch of resurrection to a Mario Bros. run, these power-ups are iconic and might harbor a dark secret that could rock Nintendo’s mega-popular franchise to its very core.

As noted by the Twitter account Super Mario Broth, a page from the Super Mario 64 manga all the way back in 1996 suggested that Mario was trapped in a grim cycle of eco-friendly life and death. Every Mario who died in the Mushroom Kingdom would eventually become one with the dirt, their bodies feeding the soil and producing 1-Up mushrooms that the next Mario could consume. This probably explains why a single 1-Up in Super Mario 64 was almost impossible to collect.

Before an existential crisis about the state of Mario takes root, it’s worth noting that this is just an interesting idea from the manga authors. “Please note that these mangas are filled with jokes and eccentric theories such as this,” Super Mario Broth added. “This should be taken more as an interesting thought experiment than anything that would actually be endorsed by Nintendo!”

As he heads to the big screen in his first animated feature film, April is shaping up to be a big month for Mario. Set for a Wednesday release on April 5, Super Mario Bros. is expected to pull in between $85 million-$90 million at the US box office over the Easter weekend. The film stars the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as his brother Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser.