5 More Super Mario Galaxy Movie Cameo Characters that Deserve New Games
5 More Super Mario Galaxy Movie Cameo Characters that Deserve New Games
Star Fox fans are eating well, but don't forget about Tatanga.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has made about 10 squazillion dollars since it hit the box office on April 1. Having seen the movie on opening day, I can confirm that watching it is like double-fisting two cones of cotton candy. The initial rush is euphoric, but in about an hour you're asking yourself "My God, what have I done?" As you stumble out into the light and blearily re-acclimate your eyes to the browns and greys of reality, you ask yourself why a Mario movie is making you think so much about Star Fox. Then Nintendo announces Star Fox for the Nintendo Switch 2, and you realize that everything is going according to keikaku. Then you realize "keikaku" means "plan."
I've been a Star Fox fan since I saw the badass commercial for the first game in 1993. I received Star Fox 64 as a birthday gift for the best summer of my life, i.e. the last summer before I was expected to get a job. Honestly, I've always loved the Foxster and his uncanny crew of flying animal friends and still stan the Benimaru Itoh Star Fox comic timeline wherein the evil ape Andross explodes Fox McCloud's mother with a car bomb. (It was supposed to be Fox's dad in that car!) I doubt Nintendo's on board with that particular background detail, though, so we’ll just have to be content with whatever new twists the Switch 2 game gives us for the Star Fox 64 canon.
Anyway, Fox McCloud's extended cameo in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and the subsequent Star Fox game announcement made me start thinking about other Galaxy cameo characters who deserve to be Warp Zone'd into "New Game" territory:
Super Mario 2's Subcon Crew
"Hey, did you know that Super Mario Bros. 2 is just a re-skin of a Japanese game called D–"
Yes, yes, we know. Like most movies these days, Mario Galaxy spoiled most of its fun character reveals before the film even hit theaters. It worked! The Wart reveal alone justified at least part of my ticket purchase. We get glimpses of Wart's slimy entourage, from beloved fan-favorite Birdo to lesser known mooks like Mouser. They initiate the wild chase of the moment, then give way to other cameos.
It's brief, but it's still more acknowledgement of Super Mario Bros. 2's Wart than we've seen since the Valiant Nintendo Comics System from the '80s. I love the weird dream kingdom of Subcon. Start putting these characters and other Subcon citizens into actual Mario games! Yeah, we make jokes about the Doki-Doki Panic switcheroo, but dropping Mario and pals into someone else’s world gave the game a vibe that's still unmatched.
Image credit: Supper Mario Broth
R.O.B.
The "Robotic Operating Buddy" that was packed into the earliest NES SKUs has a face that's difficult to hate, even if his showcase game, Stack-Up, is a waste of spinning plastic discs. R.O.B. still has a lot of potential as a Nintendo mascot, and he even showed up in Mario Galaxy to rip off the sloth bit from Zootopia. Speaking of Star Fox, R.O.B's far-flung descendant (?) R.O.B. 64 helps Fox and his crew in Star Fox 64 by delivering supplies. And with today's screen-raised kids being obsessed with tactile experiences, we can still find a ton of uses for R.O.B., both physically and digitally. There are always discs to stack somewhere.
Daisy (w/Tatanga)
Mario Galaxy is capped with a post-credits scene of (spoilers!!) Princess Daisy punching a dude, which is the proper way to introduce that bright-eyed sovereign. Obviously Luigi's (purported) squeeze will be in the spotlight for the inevitable third Mario movie, but will any Sarasaland baddies follow her? The tiny alien emperor Tatanga would make a great foil for Mario's third adventure, which should include a stop in the compellingly oddball kingdom of Sarasaland. To be honest, the flying saucer that shows up in the Mario Galaxy game and movie should've had Tatanga in the cockpit to begin with.
Dry Bowser
The birth of Dry Bowser in Mario Galaxy is less distressing to watch than his actual in-game debut, when Bowser boiled away in magma in New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo's "Dry" family of zombie turtles rank amongst my favorite Mario enemies, so I was chuffed to see Dry Bowser get his ten seconds on the big screen. Nintendo's not afraid to make Mario games a bit spooky (see: Luigi’s Mansion), and Dry Bowser would be a perfect capper for a lightly horror-themed Mario game.
Mr. Game & Watch
Is he a game, or is he a watch? He's a Mario Galaxy cameo, that's for sure. You might say "Who needs Game & Watch in the Year of Our Fox 2026?" but let me tell you, there's something healing about holding the cool, solid weight of one of those little overachieving pocket clocks. And the way your thumbs catch on the red buttons? Ahhh. Magic. We don't even have to get Mr. Game & Watch directly involved, if his sausage-flipping bothers you that much. Mario and Link have had their own Game & Watch games, and I'd love to see a world where they still thrive in those liquid crystal aquariums. Any excuse to hold a Game & Watch, really.