The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Things We Desperately Want To See In The Sequel
Video game media spin-offs have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with properties like "The Last of Us" and "Detective Pikachu" both enjoying popular and critical praise. Now, Nintendo's iconic "Super Mario Bros." series has received an animated adaptation in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," made in collaboration with Illumination Entertainment. While the movie has not performed as well with mainstream critics, it has done very well with audiences and is expected to reach more than a billion dollars worldwide over the course of its theatrical run.
There are many factors that contribute to the film's success, but a couple of them are its whimsical story and the countless references and easter eggs for fans of the platforming series to find throughout its runtime. From nods to previous adaptations to characters hidden in the background of scenes, fans have had a lot of fun picking out the aspects of the video game series that managed to make it into the final film.
The movie seems extremely likely to receive a sequel, which could do even more with the series' wild history. So, here is everything that we would desperately want to see in a sequel to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
King Boo
Eagle-eyed fans likely noticed that King Boo can be spotted during the wedding between Bowser and Princess Peach. There are numerous villains from throughout the series in attendance, but King Boo would be the most exciting to see return in the sequel in some form.
In fact, King Boo might work perfectly as a new primary antagonist for the sequel after Bowser's defeat. This would help the sequel distinguish itself from the first movie while still keeping inside the established boundaries of the "Super Mario" franchise. Seeing a comedic take on King Boo's personality, similar to what was done for Bowser in the first movie, could make for some eerily hilarious moments, especially if he was paired with an appropriate voice actor.
Featuring King Boo in the sequel would also present an excellent opportunity to incorporate some of the franchise's haunted mansion levels. Outside of Luigi's run through the Dark Lands, this tone and level archetype was sorely missed in the movie, and the sequel should take advantage of them to have add some comedically spooky scenes. King Boo's presence could even be used to give Luigi something more to do, incorporating a bit of "Luigi's Mansion" into the film series.
Super Mario Galaxies
There are at least three nods to the "Super Mario Galaxy" games in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." The first comes from Princess Peach, who expresses a desire to go out into space and explore the numerous galaxies out there. At one point, another character can be seen reading a book about those very galaxies. The third is in the form of Lumalee, who is a small star character from the games known as a Luma. With these small details hinting toward the "Galaxy" games already present in the first movie, it makes sense for the sequel to take to the stars. Both of the games are beloved by the "Super Mario" fanbase, so giving the sequel a similar premise would be a prime way to satisfy fans and expand the scope of what a "Mario" movie can be.
The structure present in the first movie allowed it to visit different lands, each with their own inspiration from the games' gimmicks and environments. This same structure would work excellently for an interstellar sequel, as each planet could incorporate its own rules, characters, and themes for our heroes to interact with before moving on. This opens up the door for more references and easter eggs, but also for a broader spectrum of scenes with different tones and visuals.
Paper Mario
The "Paper Mario" series is a spin-off with a complicated past. The first two games in the series are largely beloved by "Mario" fans, but following releases have proven to be much more divisive. Despite its more recent trouble with connecting to fans, "Paper Mario" is full of potential for a second "Mario" movie to explore.
The first "Mario" movie is, above all else, an animated comedy. The "Paper Mario" games are well known for their comedic chops and strange elements that would allow them to add tons of potential jokes and gags to the sequel. The first two games are also responsible for some of the more adult moments found in the franchise, and seeing some of them pop up in the sequel — such as the deadly city of Rogueport — would surely deliver some great laughs.
Adding "Paper Mario" elements to the sequel would also undoubtedly bring some fun visual flair. As its name suggests, the series has always been presented with every character and element being composed entirely of paper. Seeing the second movie either switch entirely to this style momentarily or watching the movie's 3D cast interacting with paper characters would help the scene stand out. The sequel's when you're allowed to get extra-weird, right?
Mario Party
One of the most talked-about scenes in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is its extensive nod to the "Mario Kart" series. The action sequence features multiple references to items from the games, incorporates different customization options players are familiar with, and even utilizes the series' infamous Rainbow Road course. It would be wonderful to see a possible sequel take a similar approach for another one of Nintendo's major "Mario" franchises, and "Mario Party" would be perfect for such an opportunity.
"Mario Party" is a massively popular party game that sees up to four players challenging each other in a digital board game where they race to collect stars, use items to interfere with one another, and play dozens of mini-games along the way. Even casual players have likely given "Mario Party" a spin, so it would undoubtedly be instantly recognized if it was represented in the sequel.
The series' format would also translate nicely to a movie, with the characters either competing against one another or a team of antagonists to get a star or another object of importance in the movie's plot. The scene could fully embrace absurdity and play out on one of the many iconic boards found throughout the series, even showing the characters using candies for power ups and competing in bizarre competitions.
Super Smash Bros.
"Super Smash Bros." is a massive series at this point, pitting dozens of Nintendo's most iconic characters against one another in genre-defining platform fighter matches. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" does feature some subtle nods to the game by having characters perform attacks from the fighting series, but the sequel has the potential to take it up a notch.
Imagine if a sequel used a tournament of some kind to feature fights similar to those found in "Super Smash Bros." It would allow the movie to offer more flashy action that could be punctuated with jokes, cameos, and references. Perhaps the biggest benefit of a more comprehensive "Super Smash Bros." section in the sequel, however, would be how easily it would allow the movie to incorporate some more of Nintendo's massive library of iconic properties.
Fans already spotted small nods to "Star Fox" and "Pikmin" in the first movie, but seeing the likes of Captain Falcon, Ice Climbers, or even R.O.B. actually popping up in person would be a real treat — especially if Nintendo isn't planning to give them solo movies of their own.
Daisy
One of the best elements of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is how it redefined Princess Peach and expanded the character to be more than a damsel in distress. Instead, she is one of the most influential and capable characters in the entire movie. She consistently demonstrates her agency and is needed throughout much of the movie's plot to solve problems and keep things moving forward.
With that in mind, it would be great to see the sequel give a similar treatment to another of the series' princesses, Daisy. Featuring Daisy in the sequel would allow its cast to feature more independent and interesting female characters while possibly exploring more sides of female heroism than what was shown through Princess Peach. Daisy's inclusion could also help give Luigi more to do in the sequel, since the two are typically portrayed as a couple. Lastly, the introduction of Daisy might also mean a trip to her home kingdom of Sarasaland.
Wario and Waluigi
Wario was originally introduced to "Mario" fans as the antagonist of 1992's "Super Mario Land 2," then Waluigi eventually joined him to act as a counter to Luigi in "Mario Tennis" in 2000. Thus began one of the greatest double acts in video games, with these two weirdos functioning perfectly as Bizarro Mario and Luigi.
Given how popular both of the characters are with the "Mario" fanbase (just look at the movement to feature Waluigi in "Super Smash Bros."), it would be great to see them appear in the second "Mario" movie. While they could be used as the primary antagonists of the movie, they would likely work better as underlings of a bigger bad guy who are sent out to follow Mario and Luigi. This would allow them to pop up in multiple scenes to be thwarted by the protagonists in a comedic fashion. That's kind of their deal.
The duo would translate especially well to film, thanks to their exaggerated character designs and over the top personalities. With Wario being a gruff and vulgar character and Waluigi being a conniving schemer and hopeless romantic, the two characters are naturally entertaining. Plus, if Jack Black gets his wish of Pedro Pascal as Wario, audiences simply can't lose.
Bowser Jr.
With Bowser being defeated at the end of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," his son would work perfectly as the antagonist of the sequel. It would feel completely natural for Bowser Jr. to pursue some form of revenge on the Mario Bros., and his youthful personality and love for machinery could do plenty to differentiate the threat he poses from Bowser's plans in the original.
Having Bowser Jr. act as the antagonist of the movie would be a ton of fun because of how young he is. It's easy to see the comedic potential in the Mario Bros. and their friends doing battle against a petulant and sinister child. The sequel could also take the opportunity to really explore the origins of Bowser Jr. and even reveal his lineage. The mother of Bowser Jr. has never been fully revealed by Nintendo, leaving it a mystery that fans would undoubtedly love to see revealed in the sequel.
Yoshi
The friendly green dinosaur Yoshi is one of the most recognizable characters in all of the "Super Mario Bros." series, so his absence in the movie was a bit surprising. Sure, the movie does show various colored Yoshis, but none of them are the Yoshi. The sequel should definitely use the opportunity to introduce Yoshi to the movie universe. This is looking pretty likely, since a Yoshi egg is seen to be hatching at the end of the first film.
Including the most well-known version of Yoshi in the sequel would work well to expand its cast of protagonists. Children's animated movies have a long and storied history of including animal characters accompanying their protagonists. Yoshi would fit this role in the cast perfectly, giving the main characters a fun and naive sidekick to travel alongside them. Adding Yoshi to the sequel's cast would also open up the movie to a plethora of more references and series nods. There are nearly countless possibilities, including the "Yoshi's Island" series, "Yoshi's Wooly World," or jokes built on his abilities showcased in the series.
Hopefully Mario doesn't punch Yoshi in the side of the head like he does in the games — but it could be fun to see the plumber get his comeuppance for it.
Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario is a classic character from his own spin-off series that features gameplay similar to "Tetris." Featuring Dr. Mario for a segment of the movie would be a fun nod for fans that would recognize him, while also potentially leading to some great jokes and funny situations for Mario to find himself in.
One possible way to incorporate Dr. Mario in the movie would be for Mario to have to don a doctor disguise for some reason. Given how bumbling and awkward the movie's rendition of Mario is, seeing him trying to impersonate a doctor in the Mushroom Kingdom could be hilarious, particularly thanks to all of the weird residents of the strange world. How long could Mario possibly keep up the fake doctor act?
Otherwise, the movie could also treat Dr. Mario as his own character. Seeing regular Mario and Dr. Mario interacting with one another could also be interesting, especially since it's not something that happens often outside of crossover games like "Super Smash Bros." Whether he is a long lost relative of Mario's or a Mario from an alternate universe, seeing Dr. Mario making appointments for Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach offers a ton of hilarious potential.