Japanese flyer for Super Mario Maker 2 showcases Super Luigi 8-bit sprite

This flyer for Super Mario Maker 2 might not look like anything special at first glance, but there's one particular portion of the image that's intriguing. Down on the bottom-right corner, we get a look at a Super Luigi 8-bit sprite. That sprite actually comes from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, where Nintendo updated the Luigi's look from Super Mario Bros..

In the original game, Mario and Luigi looked identical when they grabbed a Fire Flower. In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Luigi was given a color change so that he looked different from Mario when grabbing the Fire Flower. Check out the image below to see Super Luigi and Fire Flower Luigi from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe below.

Why would Nintendo include the Super Mario Bros. Deluxe 8-bit Super Luigi sprite in Super Mario Maker 2? While there's no official reason yet, it would certainly play into the discussion of 2-player and co-op. Many believe Super Mario Maker 2 will feature some sort of two-player mode. If that's the case, the inclusion of Super Luigi's coloring from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe makes sense. This would be an easy way to differentiate between Mario and Luigi when they both pick up the Fire Flower power-up. If Nintendo stuck with how things were in the original Super Mario Bros., both characters would look exactly the same!