Mario & Luigi - Brotherly Boundaries & Hero Complexes

• Dynamic Archetype: Hero + Shadow Sibling
   
• Main Issues: Identity imbalance, emotional dependency, competitive insecurity
   
• Shared Defense Mechanisms:
   
• Humor-as-shield (catchphrases instead of vulnerability)
   
• External focus (“Let’s save the Princess” instead of “Let’s talk about us”)

• Traits: Assertive, high-functioning, emotionally repressed
   
• Pattern: Takes charge, never slows down long enough to reflect. Over-identified with role as "the hero.”
   
• Blind Spot: Fails to acknowledge how his dominance impacts Luigi’s sense of worth.
   

• Traits: Anxious, loyal, deeply empathetic
   
• Pattern: Fades into the background, overcompensates with “comic relief” or reluctant bravery.
   
• Blind Spot: Avoids confrontation, suppresses resentment until it leaks through in passive-aggression… or ghost-hunting.

These brothers love each other deeply—but their partnership is built on unspoken expectations. Mario’s heroism often erases Luigi’s presence. Luigi’s humility often hides his pain. They need to decouple their identities from their roles—and learn to see each other beyond the fireballs and flagpoles.

• Weekly sibling sessions focused on equal voice dynamics
   
• Individual therapy:
   
• Mario – emotional openness & hero detachment
   
• Luigi – self-assertion & narrative reframing
   
• Role-reversal retreat: Luigi leads, Mario follows
   
• Group exercise: “What’s your story without the Princess?”