Cosmic Mario

Cosmic Mario (sometimes appearing as Cosmic Luigi or generally known as Cosmic Clones) is a silent and mysterious doppleganger of Mario who physically resembles Shadow Mario but seems to be composed of cosmic energy. Seemingly produced by different types of interstellar phenomena, the Cosmic doppleganger usually acts as some type of rival for races or functioning like ghost data following the player's movements.

Background

Cosmic Mario originally appeared in four levels of Super Mario Galaxy whenever a Cosmic Comet was flying over the level. These areas were the Honeyhive, Freezeflame, Gold Leaf and Sea Slide Galaxies. During these missions, Mario had to race Cosmic Mario to Power Star at the end of a short course, and Mario would lose a life if Cosmic Mario won. Cosmic Luigi appeared instead if the player used Luigi for these missions, and Cosmic Luigi had advantages similar to Luigi in that he moved faster and could perform long jumps to advance himself. Unlike in later appearances, Mario or Luigi would not be hurt if they touched the Cosmic doppleganger.

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, there were levels were multiple versions of Cosmic Mario would appear, known as Cosmic Clones. They are associated with Clone Comets, and while they are similar to the original version of Cosmic Mario, they have more of a shadowy appearance and will follow the player's movements precisely, to the point of jumping off of platforms that are gone. This forces the player to keep moving in order to avoid a Cosmic Clone running or jumping into them. They are also not a singular threat, as they will constantly multiply over the course of a level. Once Mario or Luigi completes a level, the Cosmic Clones will scream and be destroyed. In some cases, their presence is temporary until Mario performs a certain task.

Another variation on Cosmic Mario appeared within the Special Worlds of Super Mario 3D Land. It resembled the original version of Cosmic Mario, but in Small Mario form. This version of Cosmic Mario mostly acted like the Cosmic Clones (but never producing duplicates) in that it would follow Mario throughout the level. This version could be temporarily destroyed while invincible and in most cases they will disappear when reaching the exit of a given area within a level (but will usually return in the next area). The latter portion of the Special Worlds feature giant versions of the Cosmic Mario.

Trivia

• In all appearances, they speak in high-pitched versions of Mario or Luigi's voices.
• Despite the hostile nature of the Cosmic Marios and Luigis, Super Mario Galaxy 2 also features a character called the Cosmic Spirit who resembles a Cosmic version of Rosalina and acts as a helpful guide.

See Also

• Bosses in Super Mario Galaxy
• Shadow Mario