Last night's Super Bowl teaser for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie featured an extended look at Mario and Luigi being chased by a T-rex. But why is it actually Baby Mario and Baby Luigi we see here? As ever, the internet has some theories.
Nintendo fans got a first glimpse at Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toad and Yoshi encountering a T-rex in last month's The Super Mario Galaxy Nintendo Direct. The dinosaur, which looks similar to its appearance in Super Mario Odyssey, roars at our heroes, sending them running away scared.
Now, we've got a slightly longer look at the same scene, with Baby Mario even shown waking up the sleeping dinosaur by drumming the classic NES Mario theme on its teeth. Still, the jury's out about what's really going on — and why we're seeing the plumbers' infant forms at all.
Don’t wake the dino. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is only in theaters April 1. pic.twitter.com/34vjqImsBf
As fans will remember from the first Super Mario Movie, Mario and Luigi travel to the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time as adults, suggesting this is unlikely to be a flashback to their youth. (We also see the brothers as Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, confirming they are their past selves, although very much living their childhood in Brooklyn.)
Could we have been misled, and the brothers actually visited the Mushroom Kingdom as children? It seems unlikely. Instead, the pair appear to have been reverted in age. Perhaps this is something to do with the fact they're in a prehistoric environment? Or maybe this is the work of Bowser Jr., or his minion Kamek?
"I'm sure Kamek made Mario and Luigi babies," wrote Nintendo fan Delbianco27 on reddit.
"There is a possibility that they either hid the fact that they once ventured into the Mushroom Kingdom as babies, or some weird time travel shenanigans," countered josh_winnnnnn.
"I feel like there in an area that 'takes them back in time' hence why Mario and Luigi are babies," suggested GoldenGirlsFan213. "I really hope they aren't babies for most of the movie cause that would be awful."
"Could possibly be a relative of the present-day Toad," agreed josh_winnnnnn again. "We'll find out in several weeks…"
Other fans have suggested this scene is simply an homage to Yoshi's Island, Nintendo's 1995 classic for the SNES where Kamek attempts to kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, before they're saved by Yoshi. Speaking of Yoshi, last week gave us our first look at the beloved dino eating someone (Kamek) and pooping them out as an egg.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie stars Brie Larsen as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., alongside the returning cast from the first film: Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.
As for the mystery behind Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, all will be revealed when The Super Mario Galaxy Movie lands in theaters on April 1.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
