Ennemis devenus alliés : quand les vilains rejoignent Mario

Enemies Turned Allies: When Villains Join Mario

1508 mots | Temps de lecture : 7 minute(s)

In the Mario universe, the line between heroes and villains is surprisingly porous. Several characters who started their careers as the plumber's sworn enemies eventually joined his side, a phenomenon that English-speaking fans summarize with the expression Mario enemies who became allies.

From Donkey Kong to Vivian, and even Bowser himself, here are the former adversaries who switched to Mario's side — and most importantly, how and why each of them changed allegiances.

Summary

Donkey Kong: Mario's very first enemy

Before becoming a Nintendo star, Donkey Kong was the very first antagonist in Mario's career. In the Donkey Kong (1981) arcade game, the giant gorilla kidnaps Pauline (initially called "Lady") at the top of a New York construction site, and it's a carpenter nicknamed "Jumpman" — the future Mario — who has to climb the scaffolding to rescue her.

The turnaround is spectacular as early as Donkey Kong Country (1994) on Super Nintendo, where Donkey Kong becomes the hero of his own series, entrusted to the Rare studio. A subtle lore detail worth noting: according to Rare, the DK from 1981 is actually Cranky Kong, the grumpy old ape, with the modern Donkey Kong belonging to a later generation.

Even more interesting: starting with Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), the roles are reversed and Mario becomes the villain, holding Donkey Kong prisoner in a cage that his son must open. The plumber hasn't always been on the right side of history.

Bowser: The sworn enemy recruited in RPGs

Bowser has been Mario's most iconic adversary since Super Mario Bros. (1985), but role-playing games love to make him switch sides. It's in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996 in Japan and North America; re-released in Europe in 2023) that the Koopa King first joins Mario's team as a playable character.

The pretext is simple: his own troops abandoned him after the invasion of the Smithy Gang, and Bowser forms an alliance out of spite. In the Mario & Luigi series, he becomes a recurring ally: a simple ally of circumstance in Superstar Saga (2003) — though not playable — and then a true protagonist.

The highlight remains Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009) on Nintendo DS, where you literally play as Bowser while Mario and Luigi, having been swallowed, venture into his insides. The union is against a common enemy, Fawful, proving that rivalry always yields to a greater threat.

Wario: The usurper who became an anti-hero

Wario was born as a villain, and not just any villain. He first appears in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) on Game Boy, where he takes advantage of Mario's absence to seize his castle and rename it after himself.

His name summarizes the entire character: "Wario" combines "Mario" with the Japanese warui, "bad", and his emblem is an "M" turned upside down into a "W". However, starting with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994), he gets his own series of platform games, greedy but now playable.

The shift is complete with the WarioWare series (starting in 2003), which makes him a comical, gold-obsessed anti-hero rather than an enemy of Mario. Wario never truly became good; he simply transitioned from being an obstacle to being an autonomous star with an selfish temperament.

Birdo: From egg-spitting mini-boss to spin-off regular

Birdo indeed started as an enemy. This pink dinosaur with a red bow, capable of spitting eggs, serves as a recurring mini-boss in Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), a game adapted from the Japanese Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987, Japan).

Her name is also the result of a famous blunder: the American manual swapped the names "Birdo" and "Ostro", the other enemy in the same game. The egg-spitting dinosaur has kept "Birdo" ever since, and the error has remained in history.

From the 2000s onwards, Birdo became a regular in Mario's camp and a playable character in spin-offs: Mario Tennis (2000), Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003), the Mario Party games, up to Mario Tennis Aces (2018) and Mario Strikers: Battle League (2022). The former level guardian has become a friendly and familiar figure in the gang.

Paper Mario: When entire species switch sides

The Paper Mario series takes the idea to an extreme: Mario recruits his teammates directly from enemy species. In Paper Mario (2001 in Europe), his combat partners are a Goomba, a Koopa Troopa, a Bob-omb, and a Boo, all creatures usually hostile to the plumber.

The most touching case comes from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004 in Europe), with Vivian. This witch is initially part of the Shadow Sirens, alongside her sisters Marilyn and Beldam, a group of enemies serving the X-Nauts.

Mistreated by her older sister, Vivian defects to Rogueport to join Mario and turns against her own. A mistress of fire, capable of hiding Mario in her shadow, she has become one of the most beloved partners in the entire saga.

Why Nintendo turns its villains into allies

This back and forth is no coincidence. Nintendo reuses its antagonists as allies primarily in RPGs, where the storyline has the necessary time to add nuance to a character and make an improbable alliance credible.

The driving force is almost always the same: unity against a common threat. Faced with a danger that transcends everyone — the Smithy Gang, Fawful, the X-Nauts — old rivalries naturally take a backseat.

The result: a universe where no villain is definitively evil, and where the player enjoys finding the very same character they were fighting yesterday, whether in a kart or a battle team. This is one of the great strengths of Mario lore: its ability to recycle its enemies into endearing companions.

Mario's enemies who became allies: The essentials

Donkey Kong Antagonist in Donkey Kong (1981), hero starting with Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Bowser Playable ally starting with Super Mario RPG (1996)
Wario Enemy in Super Mario Land 2 (1992), solo series starting in 1994
Birdo Mini-boss in Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), playable starting with Mario Tennis (2000)
Vivian Enemy witch who joined forces in The Thousand-Year Door
Bowser's Inside Story 2009: you play as Bowser himself
Narrative device Unity against a common threat, typical of RPGs

🍄 Want to continue the adventure? Discover our Mario figurines in the shop.

FAQ

  • Who is Mario's very first enemy?
    Donkey Kong. In the Donkey Kong (1981) arcade game, the gorilla kidnaps Pauline and Mario, then nicknamed Jumpman, has to climb a construction site to save her.
  • In which game does Bowser become a playable ally?
    As early as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996), the first game where the Koopa King joins Mario's team, long before Bowser's Inside Story (2009).
  • Is Wario a good guy or a bad guy?
    Neither: he's an anti-hero. He starts as an enemy in Super Mario Land 2 (1992) then gets his own series, Wario Land and WarioWare.
  • Was Birdo really an enemy?
    Yes. This egg-spitting dinosaur served as a mini-boss in Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988) before becoming a recurring playable character in spin-offs.
  • Who is Vivian in Paper Mario?
    A witch from the Shadow Sirens in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Initially an enemy, she defects to join Mario and becomes one of his partners.
Back to blog