The tools to make a Luigi’s Mansion spinoff are already in place, thanks in large part to one of the many Nintendo character cameos in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In addition to a cast of beloved Nintendo icons ranging from Mario and Luigi to Donkey Kong, The Super Mario Bros. Movie featured a host of Nintendo characters in non-speaking roles. Though not everyone seen in the movie was able to leave an impact on the story, the movie’s devotion to Easter eggs and cameos ensured a multitude of Nintendo favorites received some level of acknowledgment.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie didn’t hold back when it came to making room for classic Nintendo heroes and villains, as it even carved out a world for Donkey Kong with characters like Chunky Kong and Diddy Kong. Also on hand were a number of major and minor villains from Mario and Luigi’s classic video games. Most, like the Goombas and the Shy Guys, were nameless minions whose heads are often jumped on by Mario and Luigi while on their way to the end of a level. Some, though, are considerably more important. One, in fact, goes hand-in-hand with the film’s setup for a Luigi spinoff.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Quietly Introduced Luigi’s Biggest Villain
One of the movie’s hardest-to-spot cameos came in the form of King Boo, who made an extremely brief appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s ending. At the start of Bowser and Peach’s wedding at Bowser’s Castle, a ghost with a crown on its head could be seen among the arriving guests. The crown clearly identifies him as King Boo, the leader of the ghost minions – better known as Boos – in Nintendo’s games. While the Boos are a staple of the Super Mario video game franchise, King Boo is associated specifically with Luigi due to his ties to the Luigi’s Mansion series.
As opposed to the Super Mario games, which typically involve Mario batting Bowser and his Koopa family, Luigi’s Mansion deals with supernatural threats, hence why a different antagonist felt appropriate for the game. The 2001 Gamecube game featured King Boo’s first appearance, where he served as the main villain. King Boo was depicted as the primary source of all the troubles plaguing the haunted house, as well as the mastermind behind Mario’s mysterious disappearance. King Boo returned as the central antagonist in both sequels, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and Luigi’s Mansion 3.
If A Luigi’s Mansion Movie Happens, King Boo Would Most Likely Be The Villain
King Boo’s video game history makes him intrinsic to any potential plans for a Luigi’s Mansion spinoff movie. In a sense, the ghostly villain is Luigi’s very own Bowser. After all, it was King Boo who menaced Luigi in not one, but all three installments in the Luigi’s Mansion trilogy. As Luigi’s biggest villain and the reason why any of Luigi’s haunted house shenanigans happen in the first place, it’s hard to imagine Illumination making a Luigi’s Mansion movie without him. After Luigi himself, King Boo would be the spinoff’s most important ingredient. And because of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s wedding scene, King Boo is already confirmed to exist in Mario and Luigi’s animated world.
The basic formula of a Luigi’s Mansion game provides a blueprint for how The Super Mario Bros Movie’s King Boo would return in a Luigi-centric storyline. Typically, Luigi enters a haunted house and has to use ghost-hunting equipment ala Ghostbusters to combat the supernatural presence in the building. Since the movie has already established Mario and Luigi as plumbers, it’s possible that Luigi will visit the titular mansion as part of a job or to look for Mario who could have gone there for that reason instead. Either way could result in Luigi encountering King Boo, who most likely survived the battle that took place at Bowser’s Castle.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Dropped Several Luigi’s Mansion Spinoff Hints
It’s worth noting that King Boo isn’t the only part of the Luigi’s Mansion setup found in The Super Mario Bros Movie. The scene of a frightened Luigi trudging around in a spooky forest and coming across what was made to look like a haunted house carried the same tone as a Luigi’s Mansion game. Not only that, but its original theme music could even be heard briefly in the sequence. Luigi’s demeanor, combined with the atmosphere, helped provide an accurate taste of what a solo Luigi adventure would look like on the big screen. King Boo’s inclusion further reinforced the notion that a Luigi’s Mansion spinoff is a real possibility for the future.
