10 Features You Didn't Know Were Cut From Classic Video Games

Few characters embody Nintendo's squeaky-clean image better than Mario. His mortal enemy routinely kidnaps and tries to forcibly marry his girlfriend, and Mario still can't hate him long enough to turn down a go-karting invitation. But as it turns out, everybody's favorite plumber/doctor/Olympic athlete almost added a much unfriendlier occupation to his resumé: armed mercenary.

In an Iwata Asks interview, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that early versions of Super Mario Bros. allowed Mario to carry firearms, including a rifle and a "beam gun," with this version of the character less concerned about jumping on enemies and more focused on blasting them away Scarface-style.

If the idea of a goofy character like Mario packing heat seems like a strange contrast, now imagine that he's flying through the skies in a cartoon cloud, opening fire on the helpless enemies below - that was another concept from these early versions of the game.

Eventually, the development team abandoned the idea of a gun-toting Mario, replacing the rifle attacks with a much more family-friendly maneuver: stomping his enemies to death mercilessly.