Mario's very first appearance wasn't in a Mario game at all — here's the real origin story.
Mario's actual debut predates any Mario-titled game. In 1981, he appeared in Donkey Kong, an arcade game where he was simply known as "Jumpman" — a carpenter trying to rescue a woman from a giant ape.
Jumpman was later renamed Mario, reportedly after the landlord of Nintendo of America's warehouse, and the character was given his own spin-off, Mario Bros., in 1983, before starring in Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Donkey Kong went on to headline his own separate franchise, and the original antagonist relationship between Mario and Donkey Kong has occasionally been revisited in later crossover titles and spin-offs, even as both characters built out distinct series of their own.
Because Donkey Kong (1981) technically came before either Mario Bros. (1983) or Super Mario Bros. (1985), it's sometimes considered Mario's true "game one" — even though it isn't a Mario-titled game at all.
Mario was originally called “Jumpman” in his 1981 debut in Donkey Kong.
Yes, in the original 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game, Donkey Kong is the antagonist that Jumpman (later Mario) must overcome.
Yes, Donkey Kong has appeared in various Mario spin-off titles over the years, alongside starring in his own separate franchise.
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