The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a fantastic start to the movie franchise, setting up these eight characters who could easily carry their own spin-offs. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a massive hit at the box office, meaning that a litany of sequels and spin-offs are most likely on the way. Due to the history and sheer amount of games in the Super Mario Bros. franchise, many of the film’s characters have had entire games dedicated to fleshing their characters out. Because of this, plenty of characters from The Super Mario Bros. Movie could get their own spin-off movies, and here are the eight most likely candidates.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the first collaboration between Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment, with the gaming titan and animation company coming together to bring the beloved Italian plumber to the big screen. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a pretty generic start to the franchise, telling the typical story of Mario and Luigi getting sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom and having to stop Bowser from taking over. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the highest-grossing movie of 2023, and with The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 already on the way, it seems likely that spin-offs won’t be too far behind.
8 Luigi
The most obvious choice for a The Super Mario Bros. Movie spin-off is Luigi. As Mario’s brother and right-hand man, Luigi is playable in all kinds of mainline Mario games as well as most of the spin-offs. Luigi has also starred in his own spin-off series, Luigi’s Mansion, and the setting of a spooky haunted mansion would be perfect for making a spin-off feel distinct. One scene even teases a Luigi’s Mansion movie! Luigi is pretty underdeveloped in The Super Mario Bros. Movie due to him being in Bowser’s captivity for most of the film, but a Luigi spin-off movie would be the perfect way to flesh out his character.
7 Donkey Kong
Another fantastic choice for a spin-off of The Super Mario Bros. Movie is Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong has been the star of his own series of platformers for a long time, with the Donkey Kong games being nearly as popular as the Super Mario Bros. series. After all, Mario first appeared in a game called Donkey Kong, meaning that the ape’s legacy has earned him his own spin-off. An entire film centered around the Jungle Kingdom could easily work, showing Donkey Kong as he works alongside characters like Cranky, Diddy, and Dixie. Seth Rogen is a big enough star to carry this project, making it a no-brainer.
6 Princess Peach
Princess Peach would also be a great choice for headlining a spin-off of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Peach is one of the main characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and her role as the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom creates the potential for all kinds of stories. A Peach prequel that explores the Mushroom Kingdom before Mario’s arrival could work, or simply a side adventure with Peach would also be a great choice. Princess Peach got her own spin-off with Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS, and with another Peach-centric game on the way, now’s the perfect time for a Peach movie.
5 Bowser
Bowser may be the villain of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t get his own spin-off. Bowser is one of the most hilarious characters in the film, with his character taking inspiration from the Bowser iterations seen in the various Mario RPG series. Bowser has played the role of a protagonist in games like Super Mario RPG, Super Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, showing that he can take on a leading role in a spin-off film. Jack Black has headlined the incredibly successful Kung Fu Panda franchise, so he could recreate this success with a Bowser movie.
4 Captain Toad
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad, the trusted guide of Mario throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. While the Mario franchise is full of Toads, Key’s Toad seems to take inspiration from one specific iteration of the character: Captain Toad. First seen in Super Mario Galaxy, Captain Toad is a courageous and adventurous Toad armed with a headlamp, pickaxe, and backpack who goes on all kinds of adventures. A Captain Toad movie could follow the titular mushroom as he adventures through the galaxy with the Toad Brigade, or it could simply adapt the story of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
3 Yoshi
The post-credits scene of The Super Mario Bros. Movie shows a lone Yoshi egg, teasing that the green dinosaur will play a big role in the sequel. While this may be the case, Yoshi could easily carry his own spin-off movie as well. After all, Yoshi has headlined his own series of spin-offs since Yoshi was released on the NES in 1991, but he is more famous for starring in the Yoshi’s Island platformer series. A film inspired by Yoshi’s Island would be great for a spin-off, especially because there is a Yoshi ride at Universal Studios’ Super Nintendo World.
2 Diddy Kong
Although Donkey Kong would be the most likely character from the Donkey Kong series to get his own The Super Mario Bros. Movie spin-off, another great choice would be Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong is one of the many Kong characters to cameo in the Mario movie, and although he is usually depicted as DK’s sidekick, he’s not a stranger to taking the leading role. Diddy Kong was the main character in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, and a movie exploring Diddy’s journey to save Donkey Kong would work great as a spin-off.
1 Dixie Kong
The final potential spin-off character that The Super Mario Bros. Movie sets up is Dixie Kong. Although Dixie Kong started out as Diddy’s sidekick in the second Donkey Kong Country game, she too took on the leading role in its sequel, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! Dixie Kong has a brief cameo in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, meaning that she could have a bigger role in the franchise’s future. While she would most likely appear in a Donkey Kong spin-off movie, she could end up getting her own film as a follow-up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
