Although Bowser was a great villain in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, there are 12 other villains who could replace him in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. Bowser is easily the most iconic villain of Nintendo's most iconic franchise, with him appearing in many of the mainline Mario games as well as nearly every spin-off. While Bowser will surely still be around in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, the sequel has a large pool of video game villains that it can pull from, meaning that one of these 12 baddies needs to replace Bowser in Illumination's upcoming sequel.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the long-awaited adaptation of Nintendo's beloved platforming franchise, with it finally bringing Mario to the big screen in animated form. Unsurprisingly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie's box office has been huge, with the film already making over $1 billion worldwide. Because of this, a litany of Mario spin-offs and sequels can be expected, meaning that future films can tap into the broader Mario universe. Across the hundreds of games in the Mario franchise, plenty of fantastic villains have been introduced and developed, and these 12 deserve a spot in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
12 Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is often portrayed as Bowser's right-hand man, although Bowser Jr. is actually the son of the King of the Koopas. First introduced in Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. has become a staple of the Mario franchise, with him often appearing alongside his dad as a secondary antagonist. However, Bowser Jr. has been the main villain in several Mario games, including New Super Mario Bros. and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Bowser Jr. could easily carry The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 by himself, and his plan could involve saving Bowser from the prisons of Peach's Castle.
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11 The Koopalings
Similarly to Bowser Jr., the Koopalings are sometimes portrayed as higher-ups in Bowser's army, although they do take on the role of main antagonists from time to time. Interestingly, the seven Koopalings have actually been around longer than Bowser Jr., with them debuting in Super Mario Bros. 3. An ensemble of villains could be an interesting way to differentiate The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 from its predecessor, making the Koopalings ideal replacements for Bowser.
10 Wario & Waluigi
If The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 wanted to completely move away from having Bowser's army as the main antagonists, the sequel could introduce Wario and Waluigi. Although they are now more often portrayed as greedy antiheroes, the duo actually started out as villains. Wario was the main antagonist of his first game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, as well as a few other spin-off titles. Wario and Waluigi's iconic status would make the duo a huge draw for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, and they would be some pretty fun antagonists.
9 King Boo
While King Boo does make a cameo in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, he could actually be the main antagonist of the sequel. Although he doesn't often face off against Mario, King Boo has been the main villain of all three games in the Luigi's Mansion series. The Super Mario Bros. Movie already teased a Luigi's Mansion sequence, meaning that King Boo would be a fantastic fit if The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 decided to expand on this element.
8 Wart
Although he's only appeared in cameos in recent years, Wart was the Mario franchise's second main villain, debuting in Super Mario Bros. 2. In the game, Wart is a conqueror that wants to take over the realm of dreams, with the events of Super Mario Bros. 2 being a dream that Mario is having. Having a villain like Wart could allow for some pretty trippy imagery in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, and since he was the villain of the original game sequel, he should be the villain of the movie sequel.
7 Cackletta
Cackletta is the main villain of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and although she hasn't reappeared since, she is still fondly remembered. Unlike the mainline games, the Mario & Luigi games are turn-based RPGs, meaning that they have much richer stories than most entries in the Mario series. Because of this, the Cackletta story would work well in the medium of film, with one of the criticisms of The Super Mario Bros. Movie being its simplistic storyline.
6 Fawful
Fawful originally started out as Cackletta's sidekick in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, with him later being promoted to the main villain of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Fawful is a downright hilarious character, with him having many of the best lines in the Mario franchise. He is easily the most recognizable original character from the Mario & Luigi series, and since he has appeared in several Mario games, he would be a great choice for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
5 The Shroobs
The Shroobs are a parasitic alien race that invades the Mushroom Kingdom in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Although they aren't as full of character, the Shroobs are powerful, deadly, and come in large numbers. The story of these purple mushrooms also involves time travel, which would be an interesting new twist for the formula of The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
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4 The Shadow Queen
Often cited as the Mario series' most powerful villain, The Shadow Queen is the main antagonist of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the game, The Shadow Queen possesses Princess Peach, turning her into an evil, mind-controlled version of herself. This would be a unique dynamic that The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 could play with, creating a more complex villain story.
3 Count Blek
Count Blek is the interdimensional antagonist of Super Paper Mario, and he'd also be a great choice. The story of Super Paper Mario is one of the franchise's most complex, meaning that it could address the criticisms of the first movie's story. On top of that, Count Blek is portrayed as a sympathetic villain, allowing him to stand out from characters like Bowser.
2 Wingo
Wingo is the main villain of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, the spin-off of Super Mario 3D World. Wingo is a large black bird that enjoys kidnapping Power Stars, making him similar to Bowser in that respect. Captain Toad was already introduced in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, so it would be fitting to introduce his enemy in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
1 King K. Rool
King K. Rool is the main villain of the Donkey Kong series of games, and he'd be perfect for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. K. Rool has been a pirate, a boxer, a mad scientist, and loads of other jobs, meaning that he could fit into almost any Mario story. K. Rool would lean more into the Donkey Kong side of the franchise, possibly setting up a Donkey Kong spin-off movie. K. Rool is easily one of the franchise's most popular villains, meaning that he completely deserves a spot in the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
