Nintendo and Illumination’sSuper Mario Bros. Moviehas released to huge commercial success. While its reception is divided between critics and audiences, it’s been breaking all sorts of records. This includes being the highest-grossing video game movie, but most impressively, it has the honor of breaking the record for biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated film previously held by Frozen 2.
RELATED:Super Mario: Which Games Are Co-Op?
With all this success, a sequel is almost a certainty. Many of the great Mario characters were in the movie, but plenty of fan favorites were also absent. It would be great for these beloved characters to appear in the Mario Movie sequel.
10Wiggler
Not one of the more iconic enemies, but a fan favorite for many is the Wigglers.
Debuting inSuper Mario World, these caterpillar-likeenemies are pretty cutein their normal state, but their unique feature is what happens when they get hurt. They’ll often turn red and run rampant like a raging bull.
This could lead to some great comic relief in the movie and make them a more beneficial addition than other enemies in the Mario roster. It’s also important for the people running the sequel’s social media to correctly spell the enemy’s name and not make the same disastrous mistake Nintendo of America did.
9Birdo
Debuting in the American Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is one of the more fan-favorite allies throughout the series. A feminine pink dinosaur, she definitely stands out compared to other female characters. Many hardcoreMario Partyfans were peeved when Birdo was cut as a playable character in Mario Party 10, as they preferred to use her in the previous three games.
The character is also infamous for its possible transgender status. The American localization team for Mario 2 pretty bluntly described Birdo as transgender in the original manual, but Nintendo seemed to have backpedaled ever since. It would be a nice inclusion in the sequel for diversity’s sake, but even if they don’t want to go that route, she would still be beneficial as a supporting character.
8Bowser’s Kids
In a Hollywood movie sequel, you typically have to raise the stakes, and that often means more villains. Superhero films do this a lot, and Mario should follow suit with Bowser’s Kids, or their actual name, the Koopalings, who would be a great choice for this.
Not only does Mario have to defeat Bowser again, but has to deal with his seven children to boo, which is a big step up. The filmmakers can give each child their own personality, leading to some neat banter, and overall be an incredibly beneficial addition to the Mario Movie sequel.
7King K. Rool
The Mario Movie featured many characters from theDonkey Kongseries, more than what was expected.
However, there was a character notably absent, King K. Rool, the primary villain. He’s a dastardly crocodile that works as a great foil to DK and friends.
RELATED:Best Recurring Villains In Gaming
A spin-off Donkey Kong animated movie is a possibility in the future, but the standout villain should still make an appearance somewhere. Perhaps be in one small scene, or show up in either the mid-creditsor post-credits scene, similar to Yoshi in the first film.
6Goomboss
Dialing back from the major characters, here is a boss featured in not one but two different Mario titles. Goombas are the most common and iconic Mario enemy, but Goomboss, as his name suggests, is the boss among them.
Appearing inPaper Marioand Super Mario 64 DS, he’s one of the best tougher variants of a traditional enemy.
It would be neat to place him in a scene similar to the wedding that featured appearances from King Bob-omb and King Boo. The character is more obscure than those two, which would make it feel even better for fans to recognize him.
5Petey Piranha
Another tougher variant of a traditional enemy is Petey Piranha, debuting inSuper Mario Sunshine.
While Piranha Plants are featured heavily in the film, Petey is nowhere to be seen. He has a very distinct design with a nice flower-style head. His most interesting feature is, unfortunately, only in Super Mario Sunshine.
With Bowser Jr. filling the island with goop, Petey sure digests a lot of it, as one of his core attacks is spraying goop around him. While his mouth is open, Mario has to shoot water until he’s all full and then follow it up with a slam on his belly.
If Bowser’s Kids are going to be involved in the sequel, this dynamic can surely come back and lead to some comic relief.
4Whomp King
The last tougher variant that should be in the Mario Movie sequel is the Whomp King. Whomps already don’t appear in the Mario Movie, which makes it more fitting for them and their King to come into the sequel.
The Whomp King appears in bothSuper Mario 64andSuper Mario Galaxy 2as a boss fight, although he got noticeably taller in the latter.
With how much the King weighs, it could lead to a nice comic relief moment, where perhaps the ground shakes, leading to him falling off. Whether it’s an actual character for Mario to fight or a background one, the Whomp King would be great to see in the next film.
3Cappy
Time for another supporting character, as Cappy is almost of the same caliber as Yoshi in terms of Mario’s companions. He completely transformsSuper Mario Odysseywith the ability to control others, which would be the same for the next Mario Movie.
RELATED:The Most Memorable Hats Ever Seen In Video Games, Ranked
The Cappy store already appears asan Easter egg in the film. He definitely exists in-universe, so for him to appear in the sequel would be the natural next step. If Bowser’s Kids are included, Mario’s going to need all the help he can get, and Cappy would be a major supporting player.
2Wario
There are not many anti-heroes in the Mario series or Nintendo games in general, but the best has to be Wario. His tremendous greed to get as much money as possible makes him a very likable character, similar to Mr. Krabs fromSpongeBob SquarePants.
Wario’s anti-hero status could bring an interesting dynamic to the film in terms of whether or not Mario and the gang can trust him. Plus, he’s hands down one of thebest bikers in games, and his sweet ride can have some use in the next movie.
1Rosalina
Rosalina not only needs to be in the Mario Movie sequel, but she should have been in the first film. The movie had the roles of Luigi and Peach reversed so that Peach had more to do and was more of a leader of the mushroom kingdom.
The thing is, there’s already a powerful female character in the Mario universe that doesn’t rule a kingdom but is the protector of the whole cosmos.
Rosalina is notable for being the first strong female character in the franchise. She actually saves Mario at the beginning of Mario Galaxy, and her powers are crucial to defeating Bowser in that game.
With how important she is to the overall mythos as well, Rosalina absolutely has to be in the next film.
