The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already set up its best spin-off with a character from the first film. The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought the Nintendo game’s universe to life and featured some of its most iconic characters, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Toad, and Donkey Kong. Mario’s fight was against Bowser to save Luigi and the Mushroom Kingdom, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie did feature other recognizable worlds from the game, such as the Snow Kingdom and Jungle Kingdom. The Kongs, led by Cranky Kong, allied with the Mushroom Kingdom to help take down Bowser but struggled against the Koopa Army.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie profited over $1 billion and the box office making it one of the biggest movies of 2023, so it is no surprise a sequel is in high demand. Although the other Kingdoms were featured in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, they were not developed as much as the Mushroom Kingdom. The Super Mario Bros. Movie ending showing Mario and Luigi now living in the Mushroom Kingdom means there is a chance for the other Kingdoms to be explored and a sequel already as the perfect character from these to focus on, and it is not Yoshi.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Set Up A Spinoff Focused On The DK Crew
After some convincing, and Mario beating Donkey Kong in a fight, the Kongs allied with Mushroom Kingdom to take on Bowser and his Koopa army. Mario’s surprising victory over Donkey Kong set up a rivalry between the pair that continues throughout The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Mario and Donkey Kong do clash but are able to work together to escape the belly of a sea creature that swallowed them. They have a heart-warming heart-to-heart and bond over their equally tense relationships with their fathers which reveals a lot more about Donkey Kong’s character.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie tapped into Donkey Kong lore more than it did with other side characters, including racing karts and Mario’s iconic fights with Donkey Kong in the games. The Kongs were a lot more developed as characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie so have a strong foundation for their own spin-off movie. Donkey Kong already has a layered character with his own emotional problems that are left unsolved at the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, setting up a Donkey Kong and crew spin-off perfectly.
How A Donkey Kong Super Mario Bros. Spinoff Could Work
A Donkey Kong spin-off could work best by continuing The Super Mario Bros. Movie timeline but including flashbacks from Donkey Kong’s life as a child. The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already set up Donkey Kong’s emotional struggle with his father, Cranky, taking him as a joke and his inability to live up to Cranky’s expectations. Although Mario and Donkey Kong had a sentimental moment, Donkey Kong being beaten by Mario on his own turf would make him more of an embarrassment in Cranky Kong’s eyes and is sure to make Donkey Kong embarrassed.
A Donkey Kong spin-off should show Donkey Kong’s life growing up in the Jungle Kingdom and his inability to prove himself a worthy heir. The main focus should be on the aftermath of the defeat of the Dark Lands and Donkey Kong’s desperation to gain his father’s respect by becoming the best fighter again. Donkey Kong will definitely have some stored-up resentment for Mario and would need to beat him in a battle to prove he is a worthy Prince. The fight could raise tensions between the Jungle and Mushroom Kingdom but ultimately show Donkey Kong he is worth more than his father’s approval.
Why Donkey Kong Is The Best Character For Another Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already set up Donkey Kong as an established character with personal issues, but Donkey Kong is also one of the most popular characters in the Super Mario Bros. gaming universe. Donkey Kong has a host of games focused purely on him that do not even feature Mario. This means a Donkey Kong spin-off could include even more Donkey Kong lore that did not appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Jungle Kingdom has a history of being a solitary Kingdom means it could work as a stand-alone movie that does not feature Mushroom Kingdom or Mario too heavily.
The Jungle Kingdom has many of its own featured characters too, such as Diddy Kong, who is shown to be a major fan of Donkey Kong, Cranky, Dixie, and Chunky. These hidden Kong characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie would help to flesh out a Donkey Kong spin-off providing a complex story with familiar characters, settings, and features such as the karts. Donkey Kong may be portrayed as a villain in some Super Mario Bros. games, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie has set him up as a complex, likable character, making him the perfect spin-off movie focus that leaves space for plenty of side-character arcs.
