#(would mario tell luigi about that threat or no??? hmmmMMMM)

[chloecherrysip]

Would getting beaten up by Bowser cause Mario some trauma too? Those injuries seemed pretty bad. Bowser could have easily killed him right then and there, and that alone would be enough to cause nightmares I would think.

(Here is the Mario Trauma Conga Line of posts in this thread, lol -> here and here and also here)

Ohhhhhh boy, yes. I would imagine so!! I've thought at times that I'm not sure if I like the movie's decision to have Bowser and Mario only come face-to-face at the very end of the movie. Besides that cartoonish cutout on the training course, Mario never really has to grapple with who exactly Bowser is, the strength/power he has, or the depths of his viciousness (maybe Peach/Toad told him more details that weren't shown, but we just have to assume he was left a little in the dark) -- he was just focused on reaching his brother, and everything else came second. But goodness gracious, you can't deny the impact of that first interaction and how absolutely TERRIFIED Mario looks, especially as Bowser just instantly and brutally overwhelms him. And yes, he seemed pretty badly hurt, with so many bruises and maybe even a fractured arm and/or shoulder with the way he was holding it. Just thinking about him desperately trying to hide in the pizzeria, gasping and in clear pain...man, it hit hard. ;_; That would be traumatizing for anyone!!

I think it's pretty easy for Mario to ride high on the adrenaline rush of having beaten down Bowser alongside Luigi for a good, long while, but those memories of helplessness and fear would creep back in eventually for him, especially once he starts thinking about what would have happened if the star haven't been an option and things had played out differently. Is there any scenario (excluding the one where he and Luigi get roasted when the manhole cover gives out) where he would have had enough strength left to stop Bowser? Could he have prevented him from hurting Luigi, hurting Peach and Toad and DK, hurting everyone else in Brooklyn, including his parents if Bowser wanted to? (And maybe that's what he has nightmares about, alternative scenarios where the star is taken out of play from the start, because it's a cold, dark fear that comes over him when he realizes that the answer to that question is an almost certain no.)

I definitely think Mario trains hard in the Mushroom Kingdom to become even stronger and more capable, both with powerups and without, so that he's much more ready for a rematch if it ever comes - and he probably overdoes it too, despite Luigi and Peach's best efforts to keep an eye on him. He doesn't ever want to feel like he has no chance without a fancy powerup again against Bowser. He wants to be able to protect everyone he loves and feel confident in that ability. It probably starts out at a slightly unhealthy place for him, but with the support around him, it gets better and more manageable. :)

(And dang, I cannot track this fic down, I swear I read something like this on AO3 and I want to give that person full credit for the idea (update: here it is!), but someone wrote about the concept of Mario checking in on Bowser in jail and Bowser promising Mario that when - not if but WHEN - he gets out of prison and regains his power, he's going to destroy everything Mario cares about, starting with Luigi, and uh, wow, that would REALLY not be good for Mario's mental state either, huh? Huh?????)