The setup for Yoshi in The Super Mario Bros. Movie supports a major theory about the sequel’s villains. The post-credits scene confirmed that a large, spotted egg made its way into Mario and Luigi’s world, thus paving the way for a fan-favorite Nintendo hero to enter the fold. As a faithful companion to Mario and the protagonist of his own spinoff series, the friendly green dinosaur looks set to hatch from his egg and join the Super Mario Bros. characters on their next adventure.

As things stand, there are no concrete details on how Yoshi will fit into the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel. But with his introduction being the biggest tease from The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s ending, chances are high that Yoshi will factor heavily into what comes next. The most obvious possibility is that he’ll help Mario take on Bowser, but his part in the narrative could actually go much deeper than that. In fact, he could have his archenemy to fight, an idea that goes hand-in-hand with a popular theory about Bowser’s future in the franchise.

Why Bowser Jr. Is A Likely Addition To The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Bowser Jr. Could Rescue Bowser In The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Of all the villains in Mario and Luigi’s rogues’ gallery, perhaps none of the possible new characters make more sense for the sequel than Bowser Jr. The son of the Koopa King, Bowser Jr. is a frequent nemesis to Mario and Bowser’s top subordinate. Alongside a team of Super Mario villains known as the Koopalings, Bowser Jr. regularly serves as a boss in Mario’s games, usually one that he has to beat before he can beat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach. As Bowser’s son, he’s often regarded as his most trusted ally, hence why he’d also be the top candidate to serve as his rescuer if Bowser’s minions ever plan to break him out of captivity.

With that in mind, Bowser Jr. is in an excellent position to act as a secondary antagonist in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. It’s hard to imagine him being fearsome enough to fully replace Bowser as the main villain, but the movie has a place for him regardless. Through him, The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 can set up Bowser’s retaliation against Mario and a second scheme against the Mushroom Kingdom. If that happens, Bowser Jr.’s role in Bowser’s escape can be followed by one that honors the roles typically followed by his game counterpart. After saving his father, he can serve as the biggest obstacle the heroes have to overcome before they can face off with Bowser himself.

Why Yoshi Could Be Bowser Jr.’s Biggest Rival In The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Yoshi vs. Bowser Jr. Could Be A Major Storyline In The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Rather than make Bowser Jr. an additional adversary for Mario, The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 may elect to pit him against Yoshi instead. In light of Yoshi’s history, such a move would make sense for the character. While Bowser Jr. doesn’t have a reputation as an opponent to Yoshi, Baby Bowser does. Easily mistaken for each other, Baby Bowser and Bowser Jr. are separate characters in Mario’s world despite having similar personalities and appearances. Introduced in the 1990s, Baby Bowser is actually the real Bowser, albeit a much younger version of the classic villain.

His adversarial relationship with Yoshi started in his first video game appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. A game in which Yoshi was made the main hero for the first time ever, Super Mario World 2 saw the dinosaur protect an infant version of Mario – known as Baby Mario – and work his way through a series of levels in an effort to defeat Baby Bowser. This solidified Baby Bowser’s status as a Yoshi villain, with the two battling each other again in Yoshi’s Story, Yoshi’s Wooly World, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and more.

Due to the similarity in likeness between the two villains, it wouldn’t be difficult for Baby Bowser’s dynamic with Yoshi to be handed off to Bowser Jr. Given that they’re commonly confused anyway, Bowser. Jr. would be a seamless substitute for Baby Bowser in a Yoshi-driven arc in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. Similar to how The Super Mario Bros. Movie worked in Baby Mario via a flashback, the sequel could technically do the same with Baby Bowser, but this couldn’t become much more than an Easter Egg in a narrative sense. For that reason, replacing him with Bowser Jr. may be the only way for this classic Nintendo rivalry to be represented on the big screen.

Why Yoshi Vs. Bowser Jr. Would Be Perfect For The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Creating room for a Yoshi-Bowser Jr. subplot could be of great benefit to the sequel’s overarching story. First and foremost, Bowser will always be Mario’s nemesis, which is exactly why their rivalry should be at the heart of Mario’s struggles in the movie. Letting him focus on Bowser and allowing someone else to deal with Bowser Jr. will help the film not distract from Mario’s greatest challenge. After all, Bowser is meant to be the greater threat between the two, so Bowser Jr. shouldn’t be portrayed as a serious threat to Mario in the same way that Bowser does.

For that reason, it would be better for Bowser Jr. to serve as a foil to a different character, and there’s no better option for that than Yoshi. As Mario’s sidekick and Bowser’s go-to minion respectively, Yoshi and Bowser Jr. are suitable foils to one another. If, as expected, Mario battles Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2’s ending, Yoshi can be busy fighting his “final boss” in Bowser Jr. Taking this course and giving Yoshi his own villain would adequately pay off the first movie’s post-credits scene, as it did indeed imply that Yoshi would be crucial to the sequel.

Bowser Jr. Can Help Set Up A Yoshi Spinoff

Bowser. Jr. Could Fight Yoshi Again In A Yoshi’s Island Or Yoshi’s Story Adaptation

Establishing Bowser Jr. as an adversary for Yoshi can be advantageous to the franchise even beyond the events of The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel. Depending on where it goes with that story, there could be an opportunity for it to be explored in greater depth, especially if the Yoshi character is well-recieved. If his game history is any indication, he could be in line for a spinoff, perhaps one that unites him with all the other colored Yoshis, ala the Nintendo 64 classic from 1997, Yoshi’s Story. In which case, a potential spinoff could use an existing conflict with Bowser Jr. as setup for the story and utilize the later as its central antagonist.