Mario smiles and jumps with his fist in the air. Nintendo

Voice Actor Charles Martinet Will Still Perform Mario Voice for Fans, Despite Rumors

Originally posted on Nerdist | By Eric Diaz | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 8:32 PM ET

For three decades, Charles Martinet was the voice of Mario in a metric ton of Nintendo games. After his retirement as the voice of Mario in 2023, replaced by Kevin Afghani, he became recognized by Nintendo as an official Mario Ambassador. Fans love Martinet, thanks to his often performing his Mario voice when greeting fans in person. However, via IGN, we learned there were some concerns raised recently that Martinet was restricted from going full Mario at conventions by the folks at Nintendo. But apparently, that’s not exactly the case. But Martinet has simply chosen to not go “off script” when doing his Mario voice in public.

In a post, Martinet said “I do the voice for every fan I meet. I just don’t improvise non-Mario phrases or dialogue.” He made it a point to say that this was entirely his choice as a performer, and not some kind of mandate forced on him by Nintendo. He just felt it was best to not have the Mario character say things that weren’t in the games. “That’s my choice to be sure. I always maintain the integrity of the character. But come and visit me at any Comic Con or fan expo and you’ll hear Super Mario for sure!”

Oh Ricky. I do the Voice for every Fan I meet. I just don’t improvise non-Mario phrases or dialogue. That’s my choice to be sure. I always maintain the integrity of the character.
But come and visit me at any Comic Con or Fan expo and you’ll hear super Mario for sure! #woohoo
— Charles Martinet (@CharlesMartinet) June 10, 2025

Martinet wasn’t only voice acting for Mario, of course. He also voiced Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, among others. He really is the primary voice talent of that entire Mario universe. But fans shouldn’t fret if they meet Martinet at a convention appearance. Just expect him to only say the things fans are used to Mario saying already. Which is kind of what a Super Mario fan would probably want anyway. But if you were hoping to hear Martinet drop some f-bombs in his Mario voice, we suggest not holding your breath.

This article first appeared on Nerdist and was syndicated with permission.

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