Given the opportunity to chat with some of the world's most famous fictional characters, I tried to get them to say something … interesting. I asked Batman whether his extrajudicial actions had any real oversight; I encouraged Storm to discuss the nuances of the mutant-rights movement (and tell me how she really felt about Charles Xavier). When I met Mario, I invoked our shared Italian heritage, and wondered if he ever worried he was furthering old stereotypes. "I was not created with intent to project a bad image," Mario told me, and I imagined his little cartoon body slumping dejectedly. "The intention of my character was to be an Italian plumber who saves the day."