He’s the guy in the green hat. The taller, lankier brother who always seems to be shaking in his boots while Mario leaps headfirst into lava pits without a second thought. For decades, we’ve known him as the "Player 2" archetype. But if you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you might have seen some pretty grim rumors floating around about what happened to Luigi.
People love a good conspiracy. Especially when it involves a beloved childhood icon getting absolutely wrecked on live television—or, well, a Nintendo Direct.
The internet practically melted down a few years ago. It started with a scythe. A literal Grim Reaper. During a teaser for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate featuring the Castlevania universe, Luigi was seen exploring a spooky castle. Standard stuff, right? Except then, Death itself showed up and ripped Luigi’s soul straight out of his body. His lifeless corpse hit the floor. The screen went black.
Social media didn't just react; it mourned. "Luigi is dead" started trending. Nintendo UK actually had to step in on Twitter (now X) to clarify that Luigi was, in fact, "okay."
But the obsession with Luigi’s fate goes deeper than a single trailer. It’s about the shift in his identity from a palette swap to the internet’s favorite underdog.
The Year of Luigi and the Financial Fallout
To understand what happened to Luigi, you have to look back at 2013. Nintendo officially dubbed it the "Year of Luigi" to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut in Mario Bros. (1983). They went all out. We got Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, New Super Luigi U, and even a special themed 3DS XL.
It was supposed to be a triumph. Honestly, it was a bit of a disaster for the company’s bottom line.
👉 See also: Why 4 in a row online 2 player Games Still Hook Us After 50 Years
Nintendo reported a massive operating loss of about $457 million that fiscal year. While it wasn't strictly Luigi’s fault—the Wii U was struggling to find its footing against the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One—the "Year of Luigi" became synonymous with a period of financial struggle for the gaming giant. Fans joked that Luigi was so unlucky he nearly bankrupted the company that created him. Shigeru Miyamoto eventually declared the year over in early 2014, basically signaling a return to the status quo where Mario takes the spotlight.
The "L is Real 2401" Mystery Finally Solved
For 24 years, fans obsessed over a blurry texture in Super Mario 64. In the castle courtyard, there’s a fountain with a plaque. It looked like it said "L is Real 2401." This sparked a decades-long hunt. Players thought it was a hint that Luigi was unlockable if you collected 2,401 coins or ran around the fountain a certain number of times.
It was the original gaming creepypasta.
Then, the "GigaLeak" happened in 2020. A massive trove of Nintendo’s internal data from the 90s leaked online, and buried in the source code for Super Mario 64 was the actual model for Luigi. He was supposed to be in the game. Developers originally planned a split-screen multiplayer mode, but they had to cut it because of hardware limitations on the Nintendo 64.
Seeing that low-poly, discolored Luigi model after twenty years of theories felt like a ghost coming home. It confirmed that Luigi wasn't just a figment of our imagination or a "what if"—he was a casualty of technical constraints.
Why the "Luigi's Mansion" Series Changed Him
If you want to know what happened to Luigi in terms of character development, look at Next Level Games. When they took over the Luigi’s Mansion franchise, they leaned hard into his cowardice. But it’s a specific kind of cowardice. He’s terrified, his teeth are chattering, he’s literally calling out "M-m-m-mario?" every five seconds.
✨ Don't miss: Lust Academy Season 1: Why This Visual Novel Actually Works
Yet, he stays in the house.
Psychologically, that makes him way more relatable than Mario. Mario is a vacuum of personality; he’s a vessel for the player. Luigi has anxiety. Luigi has a dog (Polterpup). Luigi feels like a person. This shift in characterization turned him from a secondary character into a cult hero. He isn't just "Green Mario" anymore. He's the guy who does the job even though he's scared to death.
The "Death" of Luigi in Popular Culture
Beyond the Smash Bros. trailer, Luigi has "died" multiple times in the eyes of fans. Remember the "Luigi's Death Stare" meme from Mario Kart 8? That wasn't about him dying, but it was about a dark side we hadn't seen. The cold, calculated look he gave opponents as he passed them suggested a man who had finally snapped after years of being second best.
Then there’s the theory that Luigi is actually dead in Luigi's Mansion. Some fans point to a specific shadow glitch in the first game. In the Telephone Room, when lightning flashes, Luigi's shadow appears to be hanging from the ceiling. It’s creepy. It’s dark. It’s also just a lighting bug caused by the way the game renders shadows on a non-static floor, but try telling that to the millions of people who watched "Theory" videos on YouTube in 2012.
The truth is, Nintendo keeps "killing" Luigi because it generates engagement. They know we love him. They know we'll protect him.
The Reality of His Role in 2026
Where is he now? Luigi has moved into a space where he's the face of Nintendo's experimental gameplay. When Nintendo wants to try something weird—like the AR technology in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit or the specialized mechanics of Luigi's Mansion 3—they often use Luigi.
🔗 Read more: OG John Wick Skin: Why Everyone Still Calls The Reaper by the Wrong Name
He’s a safety net.
He’s also become a fashion icon in a weird way. The "L" hat and green aesthetic have been co-opted by streetwear brands and irony-poisoned Gen Z fashionistas. He’s the underdog king.
Actionable Insights for the Luigi Fan
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore or just want to appreciate the younger Mario brother properly, here's what you should actually do:
- Play the "New Super Luigi U" DLC. It’s significantly harder than the base game and shows off his unique physics—he jumps higher but has way less traction, which is a perfect metaphor for his chaotic life.
- Ignore the "L is Real" fake tutorials. You cannot unlock him in the original N64 cartridge. If you want to play as him in that world, you have to play Super Mario 64 DS or use the fan-made PC ports that utilize the leaked source code.
- Watch the 1993 Super Mario Bros. Movie. Seriously. John Leguizamo’s portrayal of Luigi as a street-smart kid from Brooklyn is a wild departure from the games, but it’s a fascinating look at how the character was viewed before his personality was standardized.
- Check out the "Year of Luigi" soundtrack. It was a Club Nintendo exclusive, but the arrangements are some of the best jazz-fusion tracks Nintendo has ever produced.
Luigi didn't go anywhere. He didn't die in a spooky castle, and he didn't bankrupt Nintendo by himself. He just evolved. He’s the most human character in a world of mushrooms and flying turtles, and that’s why we’re still talking about him forty years later.
The green hat stays on.
Next Steps for Research
To see the actual "GigaLeak" assets for yourself, search for the "Nintendo 2020 source code archives." You can find side-by-side comparisons of the reconstructed Luigi model versus the original Mario model, which proves exactly how he was supposed to function in the first 3D Mario adventure.