Fortresses are a recurring type of location in the Mario franchise. They first appear in Super Mario Bros..
In Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.

A fortress is placed behind a Flag Pole in most levels. They are made up of brown bricks. When Mario or Luigi enter into a Fortress, the remaining time counts down, adding to the score. They can then progress to the next level.
In the third level of a world, a castle instead appears behind the Flag Pole, as the last level of a world takes place within a castle. From the outside, a castle is shown to be made up of the same brown bricks as fortresses, but are a lot larger than them.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Fortresses have the same role as in Super Mario Bros., but with a slight graphical enhancement.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Specific fortresses known as Mini-Fortresses appear in several of the worlds, all featuring a boss fight against Boom Boom at the end.
Super Mario World
Fortress levels make an appearance like in Super Mario Bros. 3, but there are fewer of them. Mario or Luigi now have to fight Reznors at the end of a fortress level.
New Super Mario Bros. series
Like in Super Mario Bros., a fortress appears after the Flag Pole at the end of each level. Meanwhile, Towers fill in for the fortress levels in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A Fortress once again appears in the movie, where Mario finds himself from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Forest.
Gallery
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To view Fortress's image gallery, click here.
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Characters | Protagonists | Mario • Luigi |
Other characters | Kings • Princess Toadstool | |
Bosses | Boom Boom • Bowser • Koopalings (Larry Koopa • Iggy Koopa • Lemmy Koopa • Ludwig von Koopa • Morton Koopa • Roy Koopa • Wendy Koopa) | |
Enemies | Enemies | Angry Sun • Baby Cheep • Big Bertha • Blooper • Baby Blooper • Blooper Nanny • Bob-omb • Boo Buddy • Boomerang Bro • Boss Bass • Bullet Bill • Buster Beetle • Buzzy Beetle • Chain Chomp • Cheep-Cheep • Colossal Koopa Paratroopa • Dry Bones • Fiery Walking Piranha • Fire Bro • Fire Chomp • Fire Snake • Gargantuan Koopa Troopa • Goomba • Grand Goomba • Hammer Bro • Hanging Piranha Plant • Hot Foot • Jelectro • Koopa Paratroopa • Koopa Troopa • Kuribo's Goomba • Lakitu • Lava Lotus • Micro-Goomba • Missile Bill • Muncher • Nipper Plant • Para-Beetle • Para-Goomba • Pile Driver Micro-Goomba • Piranha Plant • Piranhacus Giganticus • Podoboo • Ptooie • Rocky Wrench • Scattering Blooper • Sledge Brother • Spike • Spiny Cheep-Cheep • Spiny • Spiny Egg • Stretch • Thwomp • Venus Fire Trap |
Items | Power-ups | Fire Flower • Frog Suit • Hammer Suit • Kuribo Shoe • Mushroom Coin* • Starman • Super Mushroom • Super Leaf • Tanooki Suit |
Map | Anchor • Hammer • Lakitu's Cloud • Music Box • P-Wing • Warp Whistle | |
Level | 1-Up Mushroom • Coin • Magic Ball • Magic Wand • Silver Coin | |
Worlds | World 1 | World 1-1 • World 1-2 • World 1-3 • World 1-4 • World 1-![]() ![]() |
World 2 | World 2-1 • World 2-2 • World 2-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 3 | World 3-1 • World 3-2 • World 3-3 • World 3-![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 4 | World 4-1 • World 4-2 • World 4-3 • World 4-![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 5 | World 5-1 • World 5-2 • World 5-3 • World 5-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 6 | World 6-1 • World 6-2 • World 6-3 • World 6-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 7 | World 7-1 • World 7-2 • World 7-3 • World 7-4 • World 7-5 • World 7-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 8 | World 8-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Other locations | Other locations | Enemy Course • Panel (N-Mark Spade Panel · Spade Panel · Start Panel) • Toad House • Treasure Ship |
Forms | Forms | Small Mario • Super Mario • Fire Mario • Raccoon Mario • Frog Mario • Tanooki Mario (Statue Mario) • Hammer Mario • Invincible Mario |
Objects | Regular | ? Block • Big Block • Bolt Lift • Brick Block • Buzzy Beetle Shell • Card • Cloud Block • Cloud Lift • Coin Block • Coral • Directional Lift • Donut Lift • Empty Block • Flimsy Lift • Frozen Coin • Giant Green Shell • Giant Red Shell • Goal • Green Shell • Hidden Block • Ice Block • Jump Block • Lift • Magic Ball • Magic Door • Magic Note Block • Mega ? Block • P Warp Door • Quicksand • Red Shell • Rotary Lift • Semisolid Platform • Spiny Shell • Switch Block • Tank • Track • Treasure box • Vine • Warp Door • Warp Pipe • Wood Block |
Obstacles | Bowser Statue • Candy Ring • Cannon • Cannonball • Giant Cannonball • Lava • Pit • Rocket Engine • Roto-Disc • Spike • Tornado • Turtle Cannon | |
World-e-exclusive | Levels | 01: Classic World 1-1 • 02: Classic World 1-2 • 03: Classic World 1-3 • 04: Classic World 1-4 • 05: Classic World 2-2 • 01: Wild Ride in the Sky • 02: Slidin' the Slopes • 03: Vegetable Volley • 04: Doors o' Plenty • 05: Bombarded by Bob-ombs • 06: Magical Note Blocks • 07: The ol' Switcheroo • 08: Piped Full of Plants • 09: Swinging Bars of Doom • 10: Para Beetle Challenge • 11: A Musical Trek • 12: Armored Airship • 13: Ice Dungeon • 14: A Sky-High Adventure • 15: Sea to Sky • 16: It's a Shoe-In • 17: Slip Slidin' Away • 18: Ice Cubed • 19: Puzzling Pipe Maze • 20: A Towering Tour • 21: Castle Dash • 22: Rich with Ropes • 23: Vexing Doors • 24: Caped Escape • 25: Ground Work • 26: An Aqueous Adventure • 27: Bowser's Last Stand • 28: Koopaling Confusion • 29: Bowser's Airship 1 • 30: Bowser's Airship 2 • Airship's Revenge • No Time to Dawdle • Treacherous Halls |
Enemies and obstacles | Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brother • Big Boo • Bony Beetle • Bowser Statue (Super Mario World) • Bumpty • Chargin' Chuck • Fake Bowser (boss) • Falling spike • Fire-Bar • Flurry • Goomba (Super Mario World) • Hoopster • Hothead • Jumping Piranha Plant • Lil Sparky • Magikoopa • Monty Mole • Para-Goomba (Super Mario World) • Porcupo • Rip Van Fish • Spike Top • Thwimp • Wiggler | |
Items | 3-Up Moon • Advance Coin • Boomerang • Cape Feather • e-Coin • Poisonous Mushroom | |
Objects | ! Switch • Axe • Balance Lift • Bubble • Control Coin • Dotted-Line Block • Flagpole • Flipper • Giant Gate • Grass • Gray Brick Block • Key • Key Door • Power Meter Block • Rotating Block • Roulette Block • Seesaw • Snake Block • Soft sand • Springboard • Stretch Block • Triangular Block • Vanishing Block • Vegetable | |
Switch Cards | 1UP Kinoko ga 3UP Moon ni kawaru! • Blue Green Switch • Luigi Power Up! • Orange Switch • Sugu ni mantan! Power Meter!! • Teki Power Up! Tokuten x2!! • Timer yukkuri! | |
Minigames | Blue Mushroom House • Orange Mushroom House • Red Mushroom House | |
Other | Caped Mario • e-Coin Castle | |
Terms | Terms | Completion • Game Over • Extra life • P-Meter • Time limit • Unwinnable state |
Other | Other | Gallery (Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3) • Matching Game |