Wart: the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2

A giant toad, a kingdom of dreams and a vegetable allergy: Wart is one of the most atypical villains in Mario history. Final boss of a game unlike any other, and largely missing in action ever since, he holds a place all his own — that of the plumber's very first major antagonist outside Bowser. Portrait of a tyrannical king whose weak point comes straight from the vegetable garden.

Contents

• Who is Wart?
• The final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2
• A game unlike any other
• His weakness: vegetables
• Wart after Super Mario Bros. 2
• Fact file
• Frequently asked questions

Who is Wart?

Wart (マムー, Mamu in Japan) is a gigantic green toad with a big white belly, tyrant of the dream world of Subcon. Unlike Bowser, he has no ties whatsoever to the Koopas: he is a villain in his own right, exclusive to a single game — and what a game! His Japanese name, Mamu, actually comes from “muma”, the demon of nightmares.

The final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2

Wart is the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2 (Western version, 1988, on NES). King of Subcon, he enslaved this land of dreams by hijacking the famous Dream Machine to spawn an army of monsters — the “8 bits”. It is at the very end of the adventure, after crossing Subcon with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach or Toad, that the heroes finally face him.

A game unlike any other

Here is Wart's big secret: the Western Super Mario Bros. 2 is not an original Mario game at all. It is a “reskin” (a fresh coat of Mario paint) of Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987), a Japanese game where Wart was already the final boss, under the name Mamū. That is exactly why this installment feels so different from the first Super Mario Bros.: different gameplay, no mushrooms to stomp… and a brand-new villain.

His weakness: vegetables

What makes Wart so unusual is his most unlikely weak point: vegetables! During the final battle, he spits out bubbles to shield himself. To beat him, you have to throw vegetables into his mouth — the ones churned out by a machine in the background. Count on 6 vegetables to finish him off in Super Mario Bros. 2 (only 4 in the original Japanese version). Once hit, the toad turns grey, coughs and collapses. A boss as memorable as he is ridiculous — in the best possible way.

Wart after Super Mario Bros. 2

Despite his status as the first major villain outside Bowser, Wart then all but vanished from the Mario series. He shows up again in the Super Mario All-Stars re-release (1993), but above all in a cult cameo… over at the competition: in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993), he appears under the name Mamu — this time as a friendly ally who teaches Link a song. A lovely second life for a boss forgotten far too quickly.

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Wart's fact file

Frequently asked questions

• Is Wart a frog or a toad?
  Officially, a giant toad (big, green, with a large white belly). The word “frog” gets thrown around as shorthand, but “toad” is closer to the reference descriptions.
• Why do you fight Wart with vegetables?
  Wart is allergic to vegetables! While he spits bubbles, you pick up the vegetables produced by a machine and throw them into his mouth: it takes 6 to bring him down in Super Mario Bros. 2 (against 4 in the original Japanese version).
• Is Wart the original villain of Super Mario Bros. 2?
  Yes for the Western version (1988), but he actually comes from Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987), of which Super Mario Bros. 2 is a “reskin”: Wart was already the final boss there, under the name Mamū.
• What is Subcon?
  Subcon (the “Subconscious”) is the dream world that Wart enslaved by hijacking the Dream Machine to create monsters. That is where the whole Super Mario Bros. 2 adventure takes place.
• Does Wart show up anywhere else?
  His returns in the main Mario series are rare. His most famous cameo is in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993), under the name Mamu, where he is this time a friendly ally who teaches Link a song.
• Should Wart be confused with Bowser?
  No, definitely not. Wart is a completely separate villain, specific to Super Mario Bros. 2, with no connection to Bowser or the Koopas. He is in fact often cited as Mario's first major antagonist outside Bowser.

In short

A tyrannical toad straight out of a dream, brought down by a hail of turnips, Wart remains one of the most improbable and endearing villains in Mario history. The first major antagonist outside Bowser, he proves that the Koopas are not the only ones capable of giving the mustachioed plumber a hard time.