Oh no, the Mario movie poster is quickly becoming the next Buttgate

A close-up of Mario from the Super Mario movie poster
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo got everyone talking with the reveal of the first Super Mario movie poster, but probably not about what it was expecting.

In case you missed it, today Nintendo announced a new Direct for this Thursday all about the Mario movie, and in doing so revealed our very first look at the adaptation. The image shows a town of Toads and mushrooms and Cheep Cheeps and all sorts of Nintendoness, and front in center is an ass so flat it looks concave. You can just make out the pouch of air in the back of Mario's jeans where a vacuum of space exists in place of his derrière.

If there's one thing that never goes unnoticed on the internet, it's an ass of disagreeable proportions. Overwatch's Tracer ushered in the original "Buttgate" back in 2016, drawing valid criticism around the sexualization of a female video game character, but the 2022 version of this caboose-centered controversy is a lot more silly, thankfully.

Behold, Buttgate '22.

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As you can see, some folks are simply poking fun at the plump-less plumber, while others are arguing against Nintendo's logic here. It's true that you'd expect a far more robust ass from someone that does as much legwork as Mario, but you also have to keep in mind that he's been butt-stomping hard surfaces for like, 26 years. I can only imagine the kind of damage that's done to his ischial tuberosity.

Anyway, hopefully we'll see if Chris Pratt's take on the character is any less or more flattering when the first Mario movie trailer debuts at New York Comic Con on Thursday.

The Mario movie is set to premiere in April 2023.

In the meantime, check out the best video game movies ever made.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.