Thirty years after 1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. scared Nintendo away from the adaptation process, it partnered with Illumination to bring the familiar faces and locations from The Mushroom Kingdom back to the big screen with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The film is overflowing with clever references to Nintendo's past and contains a lighthearted yet exhilarating adventure packed with memorable characters and moments.

Related: Every Mainline Super Mario Game In Chronological Order

The Super Mario Bros. Movie introduces many of the core mechanics and characters from the video games, but there are still so many other things from the series that could appear in a possible sequel. The film builds an excellent foundation for the next Mario movie, and these are a few things that should certainly be included.

10 Captain Toad

Toadette watches over Captain Toad as he heads toward treasure

The Mushroom Kingdom is full of Toads, and one of them - voiced by Keegan-Michael Key - joins Mario and Princess Peach on their quest to defeat Bowser. While he doesn't wear a headlamp or go by the name Captain Toad, a few not-so-subtle hints indicate Toad might be on the path to becoming the infamous hero.

The biggest clue towards Toad becoming Captain Toad is an audio cue in the credits. When Toad's name appears, a few notes from "Plucky Pass Beginnings" from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker can be heard, which might hint toward a new role for the character. Toad also has some travel stickers from Super Mario Odyssey on his backpack, proving he has a taste for adventure.

9 A Competent Mario

A Bullet Bill carries Mario through the air at night in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie introduces the titular plumber and his brother as ordinary men from Brooklyn that accidentally find themselves stuck in the Mushroom Kingdom after discovering a Warp Pipe. The games have never explored what Mario's first encounters in this world were like, so it's a bit jarring watching him stumble his way through the movie.

Now that Mario has defeated Bowser and found a new home in the Mushroom Kingdom, he should hopefully be more competent and similar to the Mario you know from the video games. It makes sense that he wouldn't know what a Super Mushroom or Goomba is after first arriving, but the next time we see Mario, he should have a better understanding of the culture and know how to use his abilities more efficiently.

8 More Luigi

Luigi sits in a cell in a dark room in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Charlie Day's portrayal of Luigi is one of the stand-out performances in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but the character spends most of his screen time locked in a cage. While it's a fun twist to have Mario rescue Luigi instead of Princess Peach, it would've been nice to see the man in green have more time to shine.

Luigi and Mario move to the Mushroom Kingdom at the end of the movie, and hopefully, Luigi spends some of his time conquering his fears and learning how to use power-ups like Fire Flowers and Super Mushrooms. Many games like the Mario and Luigi RPG series feature the two brothers working together, so the sequel should allow them to team up to show what they're capable of.

7 A Better Story

Princess Peach talks to Mario inside her castle in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a blast to watch, but the story itself doesn't have any meaningful twists or depth beyond expanding on more of Mario and Luigi's backstories. There are a few surprises, but the plot is predictable and easily one of the weakest elements of the entire film.

Related: The Best Story-Driven Video Games

A sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie could do a few things to create a more engaging narrative. The first option would be to write an original story that introduces new concepts and storylines that haven't appeared in the games. The other option would be to adapt one of the more plot-driven Mario games - such as Super Mario Galaxy - to add more structure to the script.

6 Cappy

Goomba Mario runs away from other Goombas at Steam Gardens in Super Mario Odyssey

Some of the most iconic power-ups from the series appear throughout the movie, like the Cat Suit and Fire Flower, but one of the plumber's newest abilities is nowhere to be found. It might have been too much to introduce Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey in this film, but he could be an amazing ally for Mario during his next big screen adventure.

Cappy teams up with Mario to rescue his sister, who has been kidnaped alongside Princess Peach by Bowser. Not only does Cappy allow Mario to reach new heights with a plethora of platforming capabilities, but he can also be used to allow Mario to control enemies and objects scattered throughout an area.

5 More Cameos

Toad and Princess Peach flinch while Cranky Kong looks away in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The movie is filled with Easter eggs and subtle nods to other Nintendo titles, including cameos by iconic characters like Diddy Kong and lesser-known villains like Spike from the Wrecking Crew game. The film features appearances from a range of enemies and allies from the games, but there are dozens more that could show up in a sequel.

From Princess Daisy to more obscure creatures like the Buzzy Beetle, the Super Mario Bros. universe is rich with fascinating characters that would be great to see on the big screen. Toadsworth, Professor E. Gadd, and Rawk Hawk are just a few examples of cameos that would be delightful to see sooner than later.

4 Mario & Bowser Working Together

Mario jumps and kicks Bowser while Bowser tries to punch Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Bowser is typically Mario's rival, but occasionally the two must work together to stop another force of evil from taking Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom away from them. Whether they're taking down Count Bleck in Super Paper Mario or Smithy in Super Mario RPG, the reluctant duo make a surprisingly good team when they have to.

The next Super Mario Bros. Movie could feature another battle between Mario and Bowser, but it would be more interesting to see them team up to take down another antagonist from the series. The two barely spend any screen time together, so it would be great to see them interact more and set aside their differences for a temporary alliance.

3 More Iconic Locations

Mario looks up at the Mushroom Kingdom in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Mushroom Kingdom is a boundless region full of diverse locations seen in games like Mario Kart and Paper Mario, but you only get to see a sliver of it in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. There are quick shots of memorable locations like the Sand Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey and World 2-3 from Super Mario Bros., but there are many more iconic locations that could appear in a sequel.

Related: The Mushroom Kingdom, Explained

From the original NES games to more recent entries, the Super Mario Bros. series has been full of memorable areas like Bob-Omb Battlefield and New Donk City. Even if it's for just a moment, it would be excellent to see more of these places recreated for Mario's next adventure.

2 Mario Party Sequence

Mario prepares to roll a dice while Luigi and Princess Peach stand on the board beneath him in Super Mario Party

One of the most prominent sequences in The Super Mario Bros. Movie takes place on Rainbow Road after the main crew assembles karts for themselves to face Bowser's army. It's an exhilarating scene stuffed with references to one of the plumber's most popular spin-offs, but the sequel should feature an entire segment focused on the series that tore apart childhood friendships - Mario Party.

Instead of taking place toward the end of the adventure, the next movie could open with a Mario Party sequence starring the characters we met during the first adventure. The crew could be busy playing while Bowser makes his escape, or maybe he could be refereeing the event to make sure Donkey Kong doesn't cheat.

1 Wario & Waluigi

Wario and Waluigi stand outside a tennis court together in Mario Tennis Aces

Of all the characters that need to appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel, Wario and Waluigi are on top of the list. These fan favorites love to cause trouble wherever they go, especially whenever it involves Mario and Luigi. The sooner they are introduced to the Mario Cinematic Universe, the better.

Since Mario and Luigi moved to the Mushroom Kingdom at the end of the movie, they likely have a monopoly on the plumbing business there. It would be great to see Wario and Waluigi open a competing business or tamper with their work to hurt their reputation and create conflict between Mario and Luigi. Even if it's a smaller role than that, it would be great to see the nefarious duo make their big screen debuts in the sequel.

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