Unmade Metroid Cartoon Almost Featured A Male Samus Aran
Going back to the classic Nintendo NES console, Metroid has always been one of Big N’s most standout series not only for its challenging and atmospheric gameplay, but also for starring a well-known female hero in Samus Aran. However, it appears that the character was at one point set to be portrayed as a male character in an apparent Metroid animated series.
This revelation comes from a set of promo artwork making the rounds on social media, each depicting several would-be Nintendo cartoons that never officially saw the light of day. From the looks of these surfaced images, series’ based on Double Dragon, California Games, Castlevania, and (of course) Metroid were all in development at one time or another. The art for Metroid is especially interesting as it depicts a male version of Samus in the midst of battling a large bug creature.
Holy shit. Someone just put up promo art for The Super Mario Bros Power Hour on eBay! These were concepts for other video game based cartoons to run along side Super Mario Bros 3. None of these ever got past the concept phase. pic.twitter.com/eIFft21T3u
— Tanooki Joe™️ (@TanookiKuribo) May 7, 2019
The images are sourced from a recent eBay listing, where numerous Nintendo promo materials were acquired from an estate sale for a former DIC Animation City employee. This particular studio was notable in the late 80s/early 90s for Nintendo-themed cartoons The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and its follow-up The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. As the newly-surfaced images noticeably reference “The Super Mario Bros Power Hour,” it’s suggested that these batch of toons were at the very least considered for adaptation alongside either of these Mario shows.
Also, I’ve only seen that art in black and white, usually with the Power Hour logo cropped out of the shot. Whenever I saw the full image with the logo I didn’t understand what that logo was for. When I saw that auction, it all came together and I figured it was for that. ??♂️ pic.twitter.com/44AdQH13hm
— Tanooki Joe™️ (@TanookiKuribo) May 8, 2019
Ever since Samus Aran’s famous unveiling at the end of the original 1987 Metroid, most anyone and their grandma have known the character was very much a female. However, it appears that DIC Animation City didn’t get the memo (or never made it to the end of the game), as depicting Samus as a man would’ve been a pretty strange decision, one that fans may not have been on board with. Either way, we won’t get to find out, as this altered incarnation looks to have never made it past the concept stages.
Questionable as this artwork may seem, it should be noted that Nintendo DIC adaptations weren’t particularly known for keeping with video game lore. As many may remember, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! confused a whole generation of fans with the idea that Toad’s mushroom head was actually a hat. Though Nintendo would eventually publicly dispute this claim, we can’t say it’s been the most disturbing revelation to ever center around the character.
What do you think? Are you glad Samus Aran has always remained a woman, or are you morbidly curious about the dude-bro adventures of “Manus Aran”? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
