See Mario Transform Into Homelander From The Boys
An Instagram artist created an amazing Super Mario Bros and The Boys mash-up.
In our current golden age of art and media, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of incredible crossover projects, mostly brought on by artistic fans flexing their skills online. Whether it’s AI art imaging used to make DC’s Gal Gadot appear in Star Trek, or the painstaking work of artists using VFX to deepfake performances online, there are a million ways to collide concepts, mixing and matching your favorite media. Such is the case for the Instagram artist Ryan Stark, who recently created art that sees a host of Mario Bros. characters reimagined as the cast of Amazon’s The Boys, such as Homelander.
With the recent arrival of The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the box office, many Nintendo fans may find their passion for the mustachio’d plumbers reinvigorated, with characters such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and more all getting new and updated looks for the 3D animated film. This was certainly the case for the Instagram account Starkhousecreative, run by the multitalented artist Ryan Stark, who spent hours conceptualizing the Mario Bros. cast as Vought’s superhero team, The Seven.
This is certainly a change of pace for the Mushroom Kingdom’s model citizens, as most members of The Seven are violent sociopaths whose powers prevent them from facing consequences for their actions, making them more akin to Bowser and his gang of miscreants than any of the pictured icons. The juxtaposition is likely intentional, as Chris Pratt‘s latest performance of the lovable Jumpman shows Mario to be a morally grounded hero, creating a clear opposition to his depiction as Antony Starr’s Homelander.
The Boys began airing on Amazon Prime Video back in 2019, with recent news confirming that they have just wrapped shooting their fourth season. The series has been lauded for its R-rated look into the dangers of corporations investing money in the military-industrial complex and depicting the dark reality of what Marvel superheroes could be capable of if gone unchecked. The legacy of Mario likely needs no elaboration, as the character’s appearances date back over four decades to 1981’s original Donkey Kong arcade game.
After spending over 35 hours creating the digital art, Stark produced a stunning lineup that includes Mario as Homelander, Luigi as The Deep, Daisy as Queen Maeve, Waluigi as A-Train, Princess Peach as Starlight, Toad as Black Noir, and Wario drawing the short end of the straw by appearing as Stormfront. The super-powered antagonists make for some of the most compelling characters on television, making this crossover worth hundreds of the Mushroom Kingdom’s patented gold coins.
At this time, Stark boasts a modest following of under a thousand, though his many artistic creations are sure to launch him into the public eye soon, especially as The Super Mario Bros. Movie continues to dominate the box office. Ryan Stark opened the year strong by publishing his first book, Or Maybe, which is available to purchase through Barnes and Noble or wherever books are sold. The Mario as The Boys‘ cast collection and the Pokemon as people collection are among just the most recent of the artist’s expansive catalog.
