Super Macho Man

Super Macho Man
Punch-Out!! character
Super Macho Man, as depicted in Punch-Out!! for Wii.
First game	Super Punch-Out!! (arcades)
Designed by	Makoto Wada (Punch-Out!!, 1987) Eddie Viser (Punch-Out!!, 2009)
Voiced by	Mike Inglehart (Punch-Out!! (Wii)) Diedrich Bader (Punch Out!! (anime)

Super Macho Man (スーパー・マッチョマン, Sūpā Macchoman) is a fictional character in the Nintendo-produced Punch-Out!! series of video games. He is an American boxer, hailing from Hollywood, California. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcades, and again in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES, and Punch-Out!! for the Wii. He was designed by Makoto Wada for the NES version, and by Eddie Viser for the Wii version. He was voiced by Mike Inglehart for the Wii version as well. He is a professional bodybuilder, as well as a Hollywood celebrity. He is tanned, handsome and very muscular, often showing this off by flexing his pectoral muscles or his arms. He wears gold earrings, a gold necklace, sunglasses, and has a gold tooth. He also wears a speedo that says his name on them.

Reception

Since appearing in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcades, Super Macho Man has received mostly positive reception. He has been featured in multiple sets of merchandise, including a series of Punch-Out!!-themed Topps trading cards and a series of Punch-Out!!-themed action figures.^[1][2] Both G4TV and Sports Illustrated called him a memorable character.^[3][4] Super Macho Man was featured on the cover of Gamefan as part of the cover story on Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES. GamesRadar editor Chris Antista listed it as one of the greatest video game covers, owing its quality to Super Mahco Man's "iconic pose" featured on the cover.^[5] While 1UP.com found issue with Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES replacing King Hippo, Glass Joe, and Piston Honda with Gabby Jay, Piston Hurricane, and Bear Hugger, they found solace in the fact that Super Macho Man returned for it.^[6]

IGN editor Jesse Schedeen named Super Macho Man one of the series' top fighters, describing him as a "thinly veiled parody mash-up of "Superstar" Billy Graham and another famous fighter who goes by the nickname "Macho Man"."^[7] Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod compared Super Macho Man with Macho Man Randy Savage, stating that they both utilize the same wrestling clothesline attack.^[8] In discussing the name change of Piston Honda to Piston Hondo, Bit Mob editor Andrew Fitch commented that "Randy Savage has a more legitimate legal beef with Super Macho Man."^[9] GamePro Germany described Super Macho Man as an "arrogant pretty boy."^[10] In describing an image of Super Macho Man leaving the ring by a rope ladder from a helicopter, GameSpot editor Tom Mc Shea stated that Super Macho Man is "just asking for a beating."^[11] Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon commented that fighting Super Macho Man in the NES Punch-Out!! still poses a challenge.^[12] GameSpy editor Ryan Scott described Super Macho Man as a "rightly feared powerhouse."^[13] UGO Networks editor Chris Plante commented that while people remember seeing the end of Punch-Out!! for the NES, he was never able to get past Super Macho Man.^[14]

Controversy

Humour web site The Onion wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson and other Punch-Out!! characters, including Super Macho Man. In the parody article, they depict Super Macho Man as "clinically depressed" and "confined to a wheelchair, the result of medical complications arising from the weight of his enormous upper torso bearing down upon his tiny legs."^[15] In a humour article, ESPN created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas," including one of Super Macho Man called "Super Madoff Man," based on Bernard Madoff.^[16] MTV editor Jason Cipriano jokingly questioned whether or not Super Macho Man was "not only the President of Steroid Club for Men, but also a client."^[17]

In discussing stereotyping in the Punch-Out!! series, GamesRadar editor Brett Elston states that Super Macho Man embodies the stereotypes of American celebrities, namely that they are "overly tan, materialistic narcissists obsessed with fame, money and appearance." He added that Super Macho Man was not just a parody of celebrities, but "Hollywood and American's fascination with celebrities." He cites images depicting "money-grubbing models" surrounding him as he poses for pictures. He calls this a comment on "both on Americans’ personal priorities and how we constantly reward people who engage in this behavior."^[18] An IGN review for the video game Cho Aniki, a video game with several homosexual undertones, made reference to Super Macho Man to demonstrate these undertones, stating that players may have looked away from him "flexing his pecs."^[19]

References