What are your headcanons for Iggy and Ludwig respectively?
Ooh, excellent question! If there’s anything that I love about the Mario cast, it’s that the games give plenty of hints towards their personalities, but also leave a lot to interpretation.
Iggy
- The Koopalings call him “Hop” as a family nickname because he could never sit still, hopping from one task to the next with no second thought
- His hair is actually naturally green, but he used to dye it because he looked up to his older brother, Lemmy
- He and Lemmy share the same braincell. The main difference is that Lemmy is crazy in a “playful and friendly” way while Iggy is crazy in a “reckless but having fun” way
- He has 0 social skills, but treats everyone like his best friend. And when I say “best friend”, I mean “ropes everyone into his latest scheme that may or may not end in success”
- Iggy is widely considered the second smartest of the seven, not just because he’s a mechanical genius, but because he’s also the most observant of the Koopalings (see my Bowser Jr’s Journey/Mario Wonder post)
- Iggy used to be a bit more mild mannered (key words: a bit), but after being picked on by his siblings and dunked into lava one too many times, he lost his mind and became the hyper nerd turtle we all know and love today
Ludwig
- Ludwig is nicknamed “Kooky” by the other Koopalings. They know he hates it and love to take shots at his ego by addressing him as such
- Adding to the previous point, his portrayal in the Mario 3 cartoon is what he was like when he was younger. Since then, he’s worked on his hygiene, diet, and composure to become the classy lad he takes so much pride in
- Secretly, he’s a teensy bit jealous of Junior because he used to be Bowser’s second in command. However, his loyalty to Bowser allows him to brush that aside and act as a patient mentor towards the kid
- He and Larry have a bit of a rivalry when it comes to musical taste; Ludwig thinks electronic music is fake and loud while Larry thinks classical is uptight and boring
- He and Wendy have a close bond due to being the most responsible of their group
Headcanons featuring both
- Ludwig’s former primary interest in science and inventing rubbed off on Iggy. Ludwig eventually chose to spread his interests while Iggy went all in with the inventor role
- If Mario Kart is any indication, Iggy and Ludwig have a friendly rivalry for the title of “smartest Koopaling”
Aaand that’s about all I can think of atm. Thank you so much for your interest; I hope these were a fun read!