“ | I HAVE FURY!” |
— Fawful |
Fawful is a recurring villian in the Mario & Luigi games. He appears in the first three installments and is known for his maniacal tendencies and his odd speech pattern. He is a sworn enemy of the Mario Bros. and would do anything to get his revenge.
Despite being a bit of a lunatic, Fawful is a mechanical genius, a trait which he often uses to his advantage. Notable creations of his include the Vacuum Helmet and the Fawfulcopters.
In his first appearance, he is Cackletta's loyal lackey, aiding her with her dastardly scheme. The two wish to awaken the Beanstar so that they can conquer the Mushroom and Beanbean kingdoms. Fawful is extremely loyal to Cackletta, but his dialogue before his second battle evidences that he is uncontent with Cackletta's rise to power thanks to the former's mechanical genius while he simply remains a lackey. Ultimately, Fawful is defeated by the Mario Bros. and is blown out of Bowser's Castle and falls to the earth below.
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, he manages a shop called Fawful's Bean 'n' Badge. It is located in the sewers below Peach's Castle. It is only accessible by the baby Mario Bros. Fawful sells badges not for coins, but for beans. Upon the first time meeting him, he tells the babies about the events of the previous game.
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Fawful reappears as the main antagonist. His main goal is to awaken the Dark Star to absorb its power so that he can wreak havoc and achieve global domination.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga[]
“ | Now is the time where my true might shines, like many angry sunbeams of rage!” |
— Fawful • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga |
In the first installment of the Mario & Luigi series, Fawful is one of the two main villains. He is extremely loyal to his master, Cackletta, and will do what he must to help her. However, he does have mixed feelings about his loyalty.
In the game's introduction, he appears as an accomplice of the "Goodwill Ambassador." His master, disguised as Lady Lima claims that they are attempting to improve the relationship between the Mushroom and Beanbean kingdoms. In apparent good faith, Fawful present the princess with a gift box. Upon Peach opening it, it is revealed to be a Jack-in-the-Box that dispenses a green gas that steal's the former's voice. Cackletta and Fawful then escape the castle with Peach's voice in tow.
Once Mario and Luigi hear of the incident, the two immediately embark on a journey to retrieve the noble princess's voice. Shortly after, the bros. meet Fawful for the first time, and in an attempt to stall them, he enganges a battle with them (which he promptly loses).
When Cackletta is incapacitated as a result of her defeat by the Bros., Fawful absorbs her spirit with his Vacuum Helmet and transfers it into Bowser's body, thus creating Bowletta. Bowletta demands that the Bros. find all four pieces of the Beanstar in exchange for Princess Peach. The brothers return, but have a fake Beanstar. Fawful immediately notices this and steal the real one, which was hidden in a suitcase.
Later, Fawful is encountered in battle for the second and last time in Bowser's Castle, where he fights from a giant mecha resembling his head. At the end of the battle, however, the Bros. emerge triumphant while Fawful is blown down into the sewers.
During the battle with Cackletta's soul, one of her attacks involves generating ghost-like apparitions of Fawful.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[]
“ | I am here, merchant of badges, only sometimes with fury, but once I had fury at all times. I drizzled rage dressing on the country next door. Rage dressing on a salad of evil!” |
— Fawful • Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time |
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Fawful appears not as a villain, but as a merchant who sells badges in exchange for beans. His shop is only accessible by the baby Mario Bros., whom Fawful does not recognize as past versions of the two brothers he fought and lost against.
Upon talking to him for the first time, the baby Bros. are greeted with a speech about the events of the previous game. He claims that he will get revenge over his sworn enemies soon, foreshadowing his role in the next game.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[]
“ | I am having a goal! Mushroom Kingdom... WILL BE MINE!!!” |
— Fawful • Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
Fawful makes his final appearance in the third Mario & Luigi RPG, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story as the main antagonist. He wishes to rule the world, and has constructed an elaborate set of plans to do exactly that.
At the beginning of the game, the player is told of a mysterious malady known as the Blorbs, which causes massive swelling, incapacitating the inflicted. Bowser is defeated by Mario and literally thrown out of the castle by Peach shortly after interrupting a meeting about the issue. During the meeting, it was mentioned that the cause of the illness may have been caused by Blorb Mushrooms, sold to all of the inflicted resident by a mysterious merchant.
Bowser lands in Dimble Wood, where he meets a curious merchant with broken speech and large blue eyes. The said merchant claims that Bowser has "won a jackpot" and offers him a "lucky shroom," who, the merchant claims, will give the former the power to defeat Mario. Overwhelmed by this offer, Bowser takes the mushroom and eats it. Upon eating this "luck shroom," Bowser inhales most of the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, including Peach and the Mario Bros., along with other junk that he inhaled by chance.
The merchant, of course, turned out to be none other than Fawful and this "lucky shroom" was actually a Vacuum Shroom! Soon, Fawful, along with his new minion Midbus proceeded to put the rest of their plans in action. He takes over Bowser's castle and brainwashes most of his minions.
As Bowser sets off on a journey to recover his castle, Fawful constantly sends Fawfulcopters to taunt him or other obstacles to block his path. Within time, the latter manages to construct many devious mechanisms into the castle, including giving it the ability to fly. Now redecorated and renamed "Fawful Theater," Fawful shows the true extent of his narcissism, as he regularly hosts shows and sells merchandise featuring himself. His minions also talk very highly of him.
Finally, Bowser encounters Fawful in his castle. In front of an audience, the former engages in a battle with Midbus. The latter loses, and, oddly enough, Fawful demands a victory banquet for Bowser. Bowser eats so much that he is rendered immobile, while the Mario Bros. rescue the princess. Their joy is limited, however, as Fawful steals Peach from Bowser's body in order to awaken the Dark Star, an ancient artifact of extreme evil that is said to bestow a terrible power upon one who awakens it.
After a chain of events, the Mario Bros. run into Fawful just as he is stealing the Dark Star. The Bros. realize that there is nothing they can do and leave the scene. Fawful then took over Princess Peach's Castle, a fairly easy feat, and upgrades it to Super Peach's Castle. The only thing he needs to do is wait for the Dark Star to awaken.
Eventually, Bowser makes his way into Peach's Castle. After fighting off Fawful's seemingly limitless mercenaries, mostly consisting of mechas, he winds up in the rooms where the Dark Star is held. After a battle with an upgraded Midbus, the Dark Star awakens. Madly excited, Fawful rushes over to absorb its power when Bowser promptly punches him out of the castle. That alone wouldn't stall him, however, as he made it back to the castle in a relatively short order.
Soon enough, Fawful returns to the castle so that he can make use of the rest of the Dark Star's power. He runs into Bowser, and after giving a short speech, proceeds to fight him. Fawful is a lot stronger in this form, and sports a few cosmetic differences.
At the end of the battle, Fawful is the one who tastes defeat. The collapse of his powers mutates him and turns him into a small skittery bug-like version of himself. Despite this form's diminutive size, it is actually a lot more powerful. Prior to the final battle, Dark Bowser inhales Fawful in order to increase his own powers.
When Dark Bowser's health is depleted in battle, the player must have Bowser inhale Fawful. Once he has been inhaled and is to be fought be the Mario Bros., he changes into a freakish new form, the Dark Star Core. This form, boasting more power than ever before, bears the intent of wiping out Mario and Luigi. Despite his new-found powers, the Bros. defeat him once and for all...
Upon Dark Bowser's defeat, it is revealed that Fawful survived his thrashing. Mangled and broken-spirited, Fawful delivers one final speech, before self-destructing as a last-ditch attempt to kill the Mario Bros. This explosion, however, did not even scratch the two, and even negated the effects of the Vacuum Shroom, releasing everyone who had been inhaled by Bowser.