Spike Lee ‘cosplayed’ as Waluigi at the Oscars 2019

Spike Lee missed out on top honors at the Oscars 2019 last night, with his critically acclaimed film BlacKkKlansman controversially being overlooked by the Academy in favor of Green Book. However, he certainly won the internet’s approval during the ceremony, with viewers drawing comparisons between his purple suit and a similarly underrated, eccentric character: Waluigi.

Lee attended the Oscars wearing a bright purple suit complete with a matching hat, and his commitment to the color drew comparisons with the Mario villain. It wasn’t long before Twitter was filled with users pointing out the similarities between Lee’s and Waluigi’s attire, with one artist even drawing up the blessed image below:

Others joined in, with Spike Lee’s purple suit being roundly appreciated by Mario fans:

https://twitter.com/loganrhayes/status/1099833670930759682

While Spike Lee may have looked the part, the director had a bittersweet evening. Though he picked up his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, he missed out on Best Director and Best Picture. After BlacKkKlansman was snubbed and Green Book picked up the biggest award, Lee reportedly attempted to exit the building in anger. Talking to press about Green Book‘s win after the ceremony, Lee said: “I thought I was courtside at the (Madison Square) Garden, and the ref made a bad call.”

Elsewhere during the ceremony, comic book fans had a lot to celebrate after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse picked up the win for Best Animated Film. Directors Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman, and Peter Ramsey were cut short by the Academy when attempting to thank the late Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, though later expressed their thoughts on the Marvel legends.

Speaking to press after the Oscars, Pesischetti said: “We were just going to thank Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for inspiring this whole thing and for being a force of believing that all of us, human beings, have the potential, the capacity, to be heroes.”

Featured Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images