The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s New Villain Is Perfect (But I Didn’t Expect That Game Choice)

by

After the huge success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which became the highest-earning video game movie ever, fans have been excited for the next installment. Nintendo officially announced it would be called The Super Mario Galaxy Movie last September, but kept the story secret. This week, the first full trailer was released, giving audiences a good look at what’s coming. The trailer revealed that Brie Larson will voice Rosalina, a popular character. Even more surprising, it showed the sequel’s main villain – a well-known character with a fresh, updated look based on an unexpected game.

The latest trailer reveals Bowser (voiced by Jack Black) is still small and imprisoned after losing the first film’s battle. That changes when Bowser Jr. attacks Princess Peach’s (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) castle to free his father. He arrives with the magical paintbrush fans will remember from the 2002 game Super Mario Sunshine. Interestingly, while the paintbrush is a nod to the past, Bowser Jr.’s overall look isn’t. The creators at Illumination designed his appearance based on a more powerful version of the character from a recent game, showing a clever and detailed approach to the sequel.

Bowser Jr.’s Design in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Comes from Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Okay, so the trailer for the Super Mario Galaxy movie totally blew my mind! They showed Bowser Jr. in his Wonder form – you know, that super powerful transformation from Super Mario Bros. Wonder? It looks awesome and kinda scary. He turns this dark blue color, and his bib’s mouth actually changes into this glowing, jagged bear trap! Honestly, I didn’t expect them to pull from the newer games like Wonder – I figured they’d stick to the original Super Mario Galaxy games since those just came out again on the Switch. It’s a really cool surprise!

So, in the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder game, Bowser Jr. gets a power-up by soaking up this stuff called Wonder Energy, which can totally change how the levels look and play. I don’t think we’ll see that in The Super Mario Bros. Movie though. It feels like they’re steering clear of that whole Wonder Flower thing because it’s separate from Rosalina’s story with the Lumas and the Comet Observatory. Actually, in the trailer, Bowser Jr. transforms using the magic paintbrush itself! It looks like Illumination isn’t sticking strictly to the game’s story; they’re borrowing cool ideas and mixing things up, which is fine by me!

The new trailer showcases the Sand Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey, immediately identifiable by its giant, floating pyramid in the desert. It’s clear Illumination isn’t focusing on just one Mario game, but is drawing inspiration from the entire franchise. This approach – building a world from many different games – worked really well in the first movie, which successfully included characters from Donkey Kong Country and a thrilling race on Rainbow Road from Mario Kart. By carefully choosing memorable and visually appealing elements from across dozens of games, the studio is creating a Mario universe that feels both true to the original and refreshingly new.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set to be released on April 3, 2026. 

We’re curious – what characters and places from the game would you love to see featured in the next movie? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/every-3d-mario-game-ranked-by-replayability/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-13 22:41