The Super Mario Bros. franchise should copy a trick from the Sonic the Hedgehog films going forward after the latter trilogy’s success. Since the ending of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, audiences have been patiently waiting for information on a sequel. After all, a sequel was always guaranteed given the immense profits garnered by The Super Mario Bros. Movie​​​​​​, which earned a mᴀssive $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office.

For the remainder of 2023 and the start of 2024, however, updates about The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 were somewhat sparse. Then came Mario Day on March 10, 2024, during which Nintendo confirmed that a follow-up to the highly successful movie is to be released on April 3, 2026. Now that a sequel is confirmed, The Super Mario Bros. franchise should copy a specific trick from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, especially after the impressive box office numbers of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which recently saw a fourth film confirmed for 2027.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequels Can Each Focus On A New Character (Like Sonic Has Done)

The Sonic Series Has Set The Blueprint For Mario

The trend in question is introducing one or two new characters per movie, and spending the necessary time fleshing them out. The Sonic and Mario franchises are very similar in that they each have a vast selection of iconic characters. Sonic the Hedgehog focuses primarily on the тιтular hero and Dr. Robotnik, while the second film allowed Tails and Knuckles to shine. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 then introduced Shadow the Hedgehog, giving him a central story, before Sonic 4 is expected to focus on Amy Rose.

This format allows each character to receive their share of the spotlight and does not result in characters being pushed to the side in favor of others. With that in mind, The Super Mario Bros. Movie series should follow suit. Each sequel could introduce a new, iconic game character that joins – or opposes – the crew from the first movie, allowing a greater focus on that specific character before moving to others in subsequent sequels. The Sonic movies have been better received overall than the Mario movie was, potentially due to the latter being overstuffed. Adopting this formula could change that.

Which Super Mario Bros. Characters Can Take Center Stage In The Next Movies

One Has Seemingly Been Confirmed Already

If The Super Mario Bros. franchise was to take this Sonic formula and run with it, the question becomes which characters could be focused on. This character for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 has already been confirmed by the post-credit scene of the first movie. This scene showed a familiar dinosaur egg cracking before the familiar cry of “Yoshi!” rang out. As such, it seems as though the sequel will feature the iconic dinosaur ally of Mario and Luigi.

Beyond that, several other characters could play a prominent role in future movies. Two are Wario and Waluigi, the counterparts to Mario and Luigi, who could serve as antagonists against the two brothers. Another is Daisy, a princess from another kingdom who could form a relationship with Luigi just as Mario did with Peach. A character like Diddy Kong could appear, which would make sense after his cameo in the first movie. Overall, The Super Mario Bros. franchise has a lot of characters to pick from, but showing restraint in using them like the Sonic the Hedgehog movies is the right move.