In Mario Kart 8, Mario and friends tend to let out a celebratory whoop when another racer goes down for the count — but not Luigi, whose stone-cold deadpan stare is enough to stop you in your tracks on its own.
Most characters in Mario Kart 8 do a little happy dance in their seats upon knocking down an opponent with shells or banana peels. The general atmosphere of the game is that of a fun competitive kart racer, the latest in a long line of Mario Kart games meant to bring people to one couch (or on internet conncetion, as Mario Kart 8 has online modes) to play together.
But it's not all fun and games for Luigi, and we're not entirely sure why he is so grumpy after landing a hit. His down-the-nose, over-the-mustache glare — already coined as the "Luigi death stare" by the denizens of the internet — is actually quite alarming to behold. He holds his victims in his icy gaze just long enough to down them with his bonus items, drive by and then coldly watch them suffer as he speeds away. He then turns his eye right back to the road like he didn't just fix Waluigi or Peach or his own brother with the gaze of death itself.
Is Luigi just in it to win it, or do we genuinely have to worry about the Mushroom Kingdom's green-clad plumber? We're not sure if he's bitter about the unceremonious end to the year of Luigi — but the videos above and below show that no one is immune to his impenetrable gaze of ruin. A quick YouTube search reveals a seemingly endless sea of Luigi's joyless visage.
Mario Kart 8 launched last Friday for Nintendo Wii U. Check out our review for more impressions.
