The Super Mario Bros. Moviewas one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, and according to Deadline, it was themost profitable blockbuster of that year, even beating out domestic and worldwide box office championBarbie.
Despite the classic video game being adapted into a live-action feature film in 1993,The Super Mario Bros. Moviewas the film version of the game that fans had spent their whole lives waiting for. The movie perfectly captured the spirit of the video game, taking the classic story of Mario and Luigi going into the Mushroom Kingdom to battle Bowser.
Super Mario World
The film was filled with many beloved characters from the games, from well-known names like Princess Peach and Donkey Kong to even the obscure Foreman Spike. Fans even caught a glimpse of King Boo in the background. Yet the film did not feature every major character from the Mario video games, leaving fans excited about who could appear in a sequel.
With theofficial announcement thatThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2would be arriving in theaters on July 29, 2025, here are ten characters that did not appear in the first film but could (and should) appear in the sequel.
10Professor E. Gadd
Professor E. Gadd, full name Elvin Gadd, is a friendly gadget-inventing scientist who first appeared inLuigi’s Mansion. His best-known creation is the vacuum that allows Luigi to suck up ghosts and, while not appearing in the game, is hinted at being the creator of Mario’s Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device (FLUDD) fromSuper Mario Sunshine. He is a kind, if at times absent-minded, mad scientist figure.
Luigi’s Mansion Set Up
The Super Mario Bros. Moviefeatured a few nods toLuigi’s Mansion, as when Luigi landed in the Mushroom Kingdom, he was chased into an old abandoned house very similar to the mansion.
With King Boo also appearing as a background character at Bowser’s planned wedding for Peach, the seeds have been planted for the sequel to bring in many elements from the popular video game into the feature film.
Luigi voice actorCharlie Day has expressed interest in aLuigi’s Mansionspin-offfilm and E. Gadd could make for a wonderful supporting character.
Toadettefirst appeared inSuper Mario Double Dashin 2003 as a partner character for Toad due to the game’s mechanics of needing to have pairs of riders.With Mario and Luigi having Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, respectively, it made sense for Nintendo to give Toad a female counterpart.
Since then, Toadette has become a fan favorite, with her bright pink colors and pigtails being very popular among young kids.
Cut from the First Film
Toadette was originally supposed to appear inThe Super Mario Bros. Moviebut was cut from the film, yet a hint of her can be seen on a banner in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Adding her to the sequel makes a certain amount of sense, as she would match the bright, vibrant color palette of characters thatIllumination Entertainment loves to do, but also possibly add more dimension for Toad.
Toad in the first film is a loyal, brave companion to Mario and Peach, but outside of that wasn’t given much to do. Toadette could be either a friend or even a fun rival for Toad.
Related:10 Deep Cut Super Mario Bros. Movie Easter Eggs Only Die Hard Fans Noticed
8The Koopalings
The Koopalingswere the main villains ofSuper Mario Bros. 3, with each member of the group being a boss for a major level until Bowser. The seven Koopalings, sometimes known as the Koopa Gang, are named Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig.
Fun fact: all of them are named afterfamous musicians. While originally depicted as Boswer’s children, later games have established Boswer Jr. as his only kids, with the Koopalings being a separate group that works for the Bowser family, similar to high-ranking generals.
A Colorful Cast of Characters
With seven distinct characters, Illumination Entertainment has the chance to have some real fun when it comes to casting their voices. The seven characters are featured in the Universal Studios Hollywood and Japan ride Mario Kart: Bowswer’s Challenge, so there is a clear-vested interest in these characters from both Nintendo and Universal Pictures.
Seven new villains for the sequel is a strong pitch for audiences and could allow the creators to adapt many elements fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
7Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr.first appeared in 2002’sSuper Mario Sunshineand is now Bowser’s only child. Often referred to as Junior, the character has appeared inSuper Mario GalaxyandSuper Mario Odyessas a supporting antagonist to Bowser.
He also helps give a new dimension to the classic Nintendo villain as a dad who wants to do semi-right by his kid. He is also part of the Mario franchise’s grand tradition of introducing “baby” versions of characters, like Baby Mario and Luigi.
Developing Bowser
One of the biggest surprises ofThe Super Mario Bros. MoviewasJack Black’s depiction of Bowser. The villain was reimagined as a love-sick puppy dog obsessed with Princess Peach, who looked to do whatever it took to win her hand, even if it was by force.
Bringing Bowser Jr. to the film could help develop Bowser’s character, wanting to give a family for his son, and also provide for a great buddy duo act between Jack Black and whatever voice actor is brought in for Bowser Jr.
Birdofirst appeared as a villain inSuper Mario Bros. 2and was largely forgotten about until she appeared inMario Tennis 64, as they needed a double partner for Yoshi.
She then appeared inSuper Mario Kart: Double Dashand has been seen a major supporting character in the franchise. Birdo, the pink dinosaur with a snout that shoots egg projectiles and wears a diamond ring, is also notable as she is often seen as one of thefirst transgender charactersin video games.
Trans Representation
When the Japanese manual ofSuper Mario Bros. 2was translated to English, says Birdo has a passage that states “he thinks he is a girl” and would “rather be called ‘Birdetta.'” While most games since have omitted this piece of history, making Birdo a cisgender woman, it is an important part of the character’s history.
Birdo has been seen as a positive representation of trans identity, particularly in how nobody seemed to care about this detail of the character when she first appeared, while other transgender writers have criticized the character as a joke about trans identity.
This is a delicate tightrope to walk, but if Nintendo and Illumination embraced Birdo as a trans character, it would be a big step for animated films.
Waluigi, the internet’s favorite character who, to quote Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect. The dark counterpart to Luigi and the ally of Wario, Waluigi was created forMario Tennis 64so that Wario would have a partner for doubles matches.
Since then, he has gone on to have a cult following among Nintendo fans, being the subject of memes, and is now seen as the Nintendo underdog.
Fans are still waiting to see him be added toSuper Smash Bros.as a main fighter, so it would be pretty funny if he made it into the films first.
Big Name Villain
While Bowser Jr. and The Koopalings would be strong villains to add toThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, they might be a bit repetitive following Bowser. Waluigi, on the other hand, is a big enough name to draw the audience’s attention as a new type of villain, as well as a chance to develop Luigi more as a character when compared to his relationship with his dark side counterpart.
Rosalina, a cosmic guardian who is the adopted mother of the star species Lumas, was introduced inSuper Mario Galaxy. While a relatively new character, she has become a fan-favorite and has appeared in a number of other games,includingSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The character has a rich depth of lore and mythology, one that would certainly expand the Mario film franchise. In fact, they might have already set her up in a number of ways through the first movie.
Lumalee Hinted at Her Arrival
One of the breakout characters ofThe Super Mario Bros. Moviewas the nihilistic Lumalee trapped in Bowswer’s castle. InSuper Mario Galaxy, Lumalee’s are shops where characters could buy items.
Combine that with Peach’s line about “other galaxies,” and it appeared that theSuper Mario Bros. Moviewanted to let audiences know that elements fromSuper Mario Galaxywould be making their way in future films, with Rosalina and her Luma’s possibly appearing in the sequel and setting up a cosmic adventure.
Related:The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Mario and Donkey Kong’s Family Dynamics, Explained
Wariooriginally began as a villain in the Mario franchise, introduced in 1992’sSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coinsas a greedy treasure hunter who was a dark inverse of Mario.
While he still is an antagonist in various Mario games, he has gone on to have a life of his own, leading his own spin-off series that has imagined him as an anti-hero. With his own version of Luigi in Waluigi, Wario is a character with plenty of rich potential that the films would be wise not to ignore.
The Next Big Bad
Next to Bowser, the most popular Mario villain is Wario. He is so popular that pretty much since the announcement ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, everyone assumed thatwhenever a sequel would come Wario would have to be included.
Danny DeVito, who stars alongside Luigi voice actor Charlie Day onIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,has expressed interest in voicing the character.
2Princess Daisy
Princess Peach is the most popular princess in the Mario franchise, but following close isPrincess Daisy. Originally fromSuper Mario Bros. 2, the character has since gone on to be a major supporting character in the franchise as both the best friend of Peach and the romantic interest of Luigi.
Daisy actually appeared in the live-action Super Mario Bros. Movie in 1993, played by Samantha Mathis, in a drastically reimagined role.
One of the Most Popular Characters
Princess Daisy’s inclusion in the sequel just makes sense from a storytelling perspective. She is the princess of her own kingdom, which could expand the world in terms of new locals for the heroes to visit. She provides a great chance to develop Luigi more after his role was largely reduced in the first film.
She is also one of the biggest characters in the franchise not in the first movie, so her inclusion would be a big deal. In terms of casting,we’ve got a few ideas for who could play Princess Daisy.
It just has to beYoshi. The lovable green dinosaur wasfirst introduced in the 1990sSuper Mario Worldand since then has been an integral part of the Mario Bros. franchise. He has appeared alongside the iconic plumber acrossMario Karts, various sports games, andSmash Bros.he even got his spin-off game series.
Yoshi is one of Nintendo’s most popular characters so his omission from the first film surprised many fans, but it was clear they wanted to save something big for the sequel.
Mid-Credit Surprise
While a herd of Yoshi’s was seen in the background of one shot, notably, none of them were green. A Yoshi egg did appear as a gift at Bowser’s wedding, but it at first just seemed like a fun Easter egg. That was until the film’s mid-credit scene, where the egg was seen in the sewers of New York.
The egg began to crack before cutting to black, and fans heard the character’s signature noise, setting him up for a big role in the sequel. Yoshi’s inclusion inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2is the only sure thing, and with the character being so popular and iconic, we wouldn’t be surprised if he got his own spin-off film.
