Nintendo and Illumination are taking their time making a Super Smash Bros. movie, even as more fighters have been introduced to the blossoming cinematic universe. The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought regular participants in the brawling video games to the screen, thanks to Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong’s major roles.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now responsible for increasing the number of Smash Bros. characters in Nintendo’s shared universe. The introductions of Yoshi, Rosalina, Bowser Jr., and Fox McCloud are front and center, while the movie even includes cameos from Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Little Mac, and Falco Lombardi.
Yet, there are still some massive characters from the Smash Bros. games who haven’t appeared or been teased to exist in this universe. Considering there have been 89 fighters across all the games, Nintendo’s animated movies have barely scratched the surface at including them all, or even a majority of them.
That said, the Super Mario movies have introduced a good portion of the characters who have been part of Smash Bros. since the early years. In addition to the likes of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Yoshi, and Mr. Game & Watch, who have been in practically every game, there have been Easter eggs for Samus Aran, Captain Falcon, and the Ice Climbers.
This leaves some big fighters still missing from the cinematic universe, even if Nintendo is downplaying the inevitability of a Smash Bros. movie.
Link
The hero of Hyrule is one of the biggest Smash Bros. characters absent from this universe, for now. Link has been a staple of Nintendo’s fighting franchise, appearing in all five video games. The Legend of Zelda‘s protagonist has even been featured repeatedly in additional forms: Toon Link and Young Link.
Toon Link has been in every game since Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Meanwhile, Young Link debuted in Super Smash Bros. Melee but was absent from the next two installments before being included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
While Link hasn’t been featured in Illumination’s Super Mario movies, he is heading to the big screen in 2027 as part of Nintendo and Sony’s live-action The Legend of Zelda. With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie establishing a multiverse, perhaps Benjamin Evan Ainsworth’s Link could join a future Smash Bros. feature.
Pikachu
The world’s most recognizable Pokémon is still waiting to leap into Nintendo’s universe. While Legendary and Warner Bros. made a live-action Detective Pikachu in 2019, Ryan Reynolds’ version of the lightning-powered Pokémon is not firmly part of this franchise.
As the icon of the Pokémon franchise, Pikachu has appeared in every single Smash Bros. video game. Melee and Ultimate even included his baby form, Pichu, as a playable character. So long as movie rights don’t get in the way, there’s every expectation that Pikachu would be part of a Smash Bros. movie.
Ness
The protagonist of Mother/Earthbound is another mainstay of the Smash Bros. franchise. Ness has brought his psychic abilities and baseball bat to every installment, as he was one of the original 12 fighters in N64’s Super Smash Bros.
There are no immediate plans for Ness to make his movie debut, but that could change in future Nintendo movies. It would not be that far-fetched for him to be introduced as another human from Mario and Luigi’s world if the universe wanted to avoid using the multiverse to include him.
Kirby
Nintendo’s floating pink hero, Kirby, is another massive character the shared universe still needs to introduce ahead of a Smash Bros. movie. Kirby has been included in every game and remains one of the most popular characters across Nintendo’s video game empire. It’d be a shock if he were absent from movies much longer.
While The Super Mario Galaxy Movie includes a cheeky Kirby reference, it’s not enough to confirm that the kingdom of Dream Land or Planet Popstar exists in this universe. There is an entire galaxy still worth exploring, though, which could help pave the way for Kirby’s introduction in a future Super Mario film or standalone adventure to set the stage more for the epic crossover.
Jigglypuff
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The pink lullaby-singing creature has long been one of the most popular Pokémon characters over the years…
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Mewtwo
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Mewtwo is also a major character…
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Zelda
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Zelda might not be in…
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Ganondorf
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Simiarly…
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Marth
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Marth is one of Smash Bros.’s longest tenured characters…
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Pit
