From the very first trailer, it was clear that Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie was going to include a lot of characters and Easter eggs from the beloved Mario video game franchise. The movie, which is now playing in theaters, is packed with appearances from popular Super Mario characters. The character lineup in the games is so vast, however, that there are still a ton of names that didn’t make it into the movie.
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Given how well The Super Mario Bros. Movie is already doing in theaters, a sequel seems almost guaranteed, which makes you wonder how many more Mario characters will be added to the franchise in the next movie.
From Yoshi to Wario to Rosalina, and everywhere in between, there are plenty of characters Mario fans would love to see in The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel. There’s no way to cram all of them in there, so this article narrows the wishlist down to 10 (okay, technically 11) of the best Mario characters that would be most beneficial for the franchise to add.
Let’s start out with a character most people expected to see in this first Mario movie…
Yoshi
Okay, let’s go ahead and get the obvious one out of the way. Assuming there is a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we know that Yoshi is going to be involved. The beloved dinosaur is teased on more than one occasion in the new film, including in an end-credits scene that all-but guarantees involvement in the follow-up.
The only real reason for including Yoshi on this list is to express the disappointment that he isn’t in the first movie at all. We all need some more Yoshi in our lives.
Wario & Waluigi
This one doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation, does it? Wario and Waluigi are two of the most popular characters in Super Mario lore, aside from the titular brothers themselves.
There’s a lot a comedy like The Super Mario Bros. Movie could do with evil versions of its main characters. They’d be great as the next villains or as characters that just appear in a couple of scenes. This could also provide an opportunity for some more excellent casting, like our own Evan Valentine brilliantly pointed out on Twitter.
Let’s just hope the movies don’t make the same mistake as Super Smash Bros. and keep Waluigi on the sideline.
Rosalina
Rosalina is awesome, there’s no doubt about that, and she’s already got a foot in the door when it comes to these movies. Lunalee is one of the clear scene-stealers in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and fans will certainly want to see the dark and gloomy star return in the sequel. Rosalina gives Lunalee an origin and more of a story, allowing them to take on an even bigger role next time around.
Honestly, leaning more into the elements of Super Mario Galaxy wouldn’t be a bad idea for these big screen adventures.
Diddy Kong
Yes, Diddy Kong does technically appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but he’s only around for a second or two and isn’t given anything to do. It’s especially tragic that the film has an entire racing sequence and the namesake of Nintendo’s real best kart racer is left on the sidelines (Diddy Kong Racing fans, make yourselves heard).
Diddy’s role needs a course-correct in the sequel, especially if the Kong characters are going to play a substantial role in the big screen Mario franchise. He’s such an exciting contrast to Donkey Kong and is able to bring a completely different presence to the screen.
Most importantly, Diddy Kong in a movie means we’re one step closer to Banjo-Kazooie in a movie, and that’s something the world desperately needs.
King Boo
Like Diddy Kong, King Boo is the other character on this list that does appear briefly in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He doesn’t have a role and isn’t mentioned by name, but he’s placed prominently in a scene in the film’s third act, letting fans know he’s around in this universe.
Some of the best scenes in the new Mario movie are the spooky sequences with Luigi in the Darklands. There should be more of that in the sequel, whether it be in the form of the beloved Big Boo’s Haunt house or some type of Luigi’s Mansion story/spinoff. It’s hard to do more of that without the king of spooky.
Professor E. Gadd
Speaking of Luigi’s Mansion, that’s the one spinoff idea that might be even more exciting than a direct sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Luigi doesn’t get a ton of time to shine in this first film, but it’s very clear that Charlie Day’s take on the character is one that deserves a lot more screen time. What better way to do that than an entire Luigi’s Mansion movie?
If a Luigi’s Mansion spinoff comes to fruition, there will need to be some seeds planted in the main Mario movies. Bringing in Professor E. Gadd to tease the story and set the stage for a Luigi adventure would be a great way to get the ball rolling.
Chain Chomp
This one is pretty straight-forward. Chain Chomps don’t have any dialogue, but they’ve provided a ton of great story moments throughout the Mario games.
Having these characters act like the pets of the Mario Bros. world would be a great way for the next movie to squeeze in some more comedy.
King K. Rool
The Super Mario Bros. Movie does a lot to establish Kong Country, making it clear that the world of the Kongs has a substantial role to play in the franchise. Whether there’s a Donkey Kong Country spinoff or just a direct Mario sequel, there’s a good chance King K. Rool is going to play a role at some point.
Bowser will obviously always be a part of what Illumination is doing with this Mario franchise, but if the creative team wants another big bad in the next movie that’s equally as intimidating as Bowser, King K. Rool is their guy.
Koopalings
Bowser will stop at nothing to get Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom, but his Koopa army isn’t quite up to the task, as is often the case when Mario is involved. If Bowser wants to be more successful next time, he may want to recruit some different goons.
Enter the Koopalings. Favorites among Mario Kart players everywhere, these rascally characters could be used in a variety of different ways in the second Mario movie. Each of them has a distinct style and personality, and their high energy could play really well off of Jack Black’s diabolical Bowser.
Lakitu
On the surface, Lakitus don’t seem like they could add much to the story of a Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel, but the franchise’s focus on comedy would make them a natural fit, especially if there was one Lakitu that played a substantial role.
The camera holding, cloud floating, off-track rescuing Koopas serve a variety of different purposes throughout Mario lore, any number of which could be used in a new movie. A Lakitu could be hired to follow Mario around with a camera since he’s the new hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, which would allow for some great jokes about camera angles, a la Super Mario 64. One specific Lakitu could pop up time and again every time Mario fails at something, making for a good running gag.
There’s no limit to what the versatile Lakitu could bring to the Mario sequel if they’re given a chance to really shine.
