The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is The Perfect Way To Build A Nintendo Cinematic Universe

Everyone wants their own cinematic universe these days, and it goes well beyond superhero franchises. Really, it only makes sense that studios would try to find ways of expanding their IPs by creating connected movies that force audiences to keep track of their continuity. That way, whenever a major crossover event takes place, they understand the film is considerably massive and turn out accordingly.

As such, when "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" made an absurd amount of money at the box office in 2023, fans quickly started speculating about how, exactly, all concerned parties would go about trying to build on the film's success. Cut to 2025, and we now have our answer in the form of an announcement that Illumination is adapting the perfect Nintendo game for its sequel: "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie."

The "Super Mario" video game property is full of exciting stories and dozens of characters, so it only makes sense for Illumination and Nintendo to bring even more of that to the screen. But what if that was just the tip of the iceberg? After all, Nintendo has hundreds of other beloved games, many of which aren't connected to the Mario universe. In fact, many of them are part of a singular series of video games that bring some of the biggest video game characters of all time together: "Super Smash Bros.

Yes, the idea of a cinematic universe that builds up to a "Mortal Kombat"-style tournament is inherently silly, and it might be absurd to expect that from Nintendo and Illumination, but the basic idea of introducing more than just Yoshi and Donkey Kong into the fold is too tempting to pass up. Nintendo is already going all-in on feature film adaptations of its beloved games, with a live-action "The Legend of Zelda" film moving forward alongside the "Super Mario Bros. Movie" follow-up. Hence, it would make sense for the company to bring even more titles to the screen going forward. That's why "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" is the perfect way to jumpstart a shared universe, because it directly paves the way for all sorts of galactic mayhem and weird little guys to join the story in the foreseeable future.

"Super Mario Galaxy" is truly one of the best Mario video games ever made. It redefined what "Super Mario" games could be, expanding their scope and visuals. In the game, the player (as Mario) embarks on a mission through the cosmos to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and prevent him from ruining the universe. Along the way, you travel to different galaxies filled with entire planets and asteroids.

The most obvious character that "The Super Mario Galaxy" movie needs to introduce is Rosalina, who could make for some interesting casting. For those who are not familiar, she's a space princess and mother figure to the Lumas (i.e. the adorably depressed star character from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"), in addition to someone with a mysterious backstory heavily speculated to be connected to Princess Peach.

The space setting and multitude of worlds explored in the original game suggest "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" could make for a perfect gateway into the larger Nintendo cinematic universe. The movie can easily have Mario go on a sort of multiversal journey (à la "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse") where he comes across all sorts of different characters. As a result, it could end up introducing the likes of Fox McCloud and the rest of the "Star Fox" characters in their spaceships while Mario is flying by (or even have Mario be chased by Samus from "Metroid"). Having those characters make cameos or play small supporting roles — in the event that Nintendo isn't confident enough to give them full-fledged feature-length spin-off films — would be the perfect way to expand the world of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in a way that doesn't feel entirely out of place.

For that matter, even the likes of Wario and Waluigi (as well as the alternate Mario and Luigi from another galaxy) could conceivably show up. 

Does Nintendo need to have its own cinematic universe? Absolutely not, but if it's going there, using "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" as a launchpad isn't a bad idea. We'll see if that's what the company does when the film opens in theaters on April 3, 2026.