10 Video Game Sequels That Turned Wimps Into Total Badasses

7. Luigi - Mario Kart 8

Luigi has and surely always will play second fiddle to Mario, being his (slightly) younger brother and all.

But more than that, he's routinely depicted as a nervy wimp, as best evidenced by the Luigi’s Mansion games, where his well-noted fear of ghosts apparently makes him the right candidate for hunting them.

Clearly against his wishes, he's called upon time and time again to deal with ghosts, and that's not to ignore his genuinely cowardly demeanour as depicted across Mario games and associated media.

But then Mario Kart 8 happened and changed everything.

Mario Kart 8's most famous meme is the "Luigi death stare", where instant replays of Luigi's hilariously stern gaze during races were widely circulated online for players' amusement.

But given that these viral videos typically depicted Luigi destroying another racer with a shell and driving off in slow-mo while backed with rap music, it was a majorly badass upgrade from quaking in his little boots over a couple of ghosts.

Given that the cover art for the upcoming Luigi's Mansion 3 depicts a very scared-looking Luigi, though, it seems like his cool stint might be pretty much over.