Pauline’s Thing
Pauline’s been in this universe longer than most people remember. The original arcade cabinets, perched on her platform, waiting to be rescued—that was the whole point of her for decades. But somewhere along the way, the games stopped treating her like a prize and started treating her like an actual person. She showed up in Donkey Kong Country with an attitude, in Mario games with a career, in the recent movie with a voice and something close to agency. There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a character stop being decorative and just exist. She’s not fighting for the spotlight anymore. She’s just there, doing her thing, which is maybe the most revolutionary thing a supporting character can do.