Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releases in theaters today with immense anticipation from audiences. The new movie promises a space adventure, but one fused with Mario’s world.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie levels up the story and stakes from the first film, with plenty of recognizable characters, power-ups, lore nods, surprises, and overall universe expansions.

The Biggest Cameos In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Fox McCloud (And His Team)

Fox McCloud leads the space pilot group known as Star Fox. The team defends the Lylat System in the Galaxy, and Fox McCloud himself first appeared in the game Star Fox, which was released in 1993. Now, in 2026, Fox makes his big screen debut.

The character, voiced by Glen Powell, arrives in the second act of the movie to help Mario, Princess Peach, and the rest of the team travel to rescue Rosalina. Surprisingly, Fox plays a sizable role in the film’s story, moving the plot along to the third act and pushing the characters closer towards Rosalina.

In the film, Fox introduces himself in typical charismatic fashion, discussing how he ended up in Mario’s galaxy. He also brings up his classic team, with audiences getting a brief look at Falco, Slippy, and Peppy, a nod to the Star Fox games (and potentially leaving the door open for future stories with them).

Mr. Game & Watch

Mr. Game & Watch is among the most unique characters in Nintendo, and he makes his film debut in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Nintendo fans were first introduced to the character in the company’s Game & Watch line of handhelds from 1980, and later went on to gain recognition for being a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

In the Galaxy movie, Mr. Game & Watch appears in the third act as Mario and Luigi are battling against the Bowser father and son duo. Luigi, commenting on his lack of drawing abilities, uses a magic pen to bring Mr. Game & Watch to life, and the character then helps them defeat the Bowsers.

Although not originally part of the Mario world, the character’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros., and subsequent popularity from that appearance paved the way for him to appear in the new film in what is a delightful cameo.

Baby Mario And Luigi

Nintendo has frequently shown fans a look at the toddler versions of Mario and Luigi, and this tradition carries over into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. After appearing in titles like Mario Kart Wii and Mario Super Sluggers, these iterations of the characters arrive on the big screen in the second act of the film.

In the film, Bowser Jr. uses a de-aging gun to turn his arch enemies into baby versions of themselves in what is a fun callback to Nintendo gaming history.

Daisy

The leader of Sarasaland, Princess Daisy, debuted in Nintendo’s Super Mario Land in the year 1989. The character went on to become Luigi’s primary love interest, thus pairing him with a princess in the same way as Mario and Princess Peach.

Since she didn’t appear in the first film, speculation has been rampant that Daisy would come to the big screen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. She does arrive in the new movie, but only in the post-credits scene, as fans get a brief tease of her taking down a mischievous monkey character.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s Biggest Game References

Bowser And Bowser Jr. Team Up

Bowser and Bowser Jr. are two longstanding antagonists in Mario video games. Bowser has been Mario’s main rival since his first appearance in the SNES game Super Mario Bros. Bowser Jr., meanwhile, made his debut in Super Mario Sunshine (2002).

Their appearance together on screen leans into that gaming history, recreating their father-son dynamic for the big screen.

Mario’s Drill Powers Come To The Big Screen

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie also features the drill mushroom from the game Super Mario Galaxy 2. This power gives Mario the ability to drill deep into surfaces and carve out new paths toward his enemies, allowing him to do sneak attacks and make his combat unpredictable.

Mario uses this as he fights against Bowser and Bowser Jr. in the new movie. Seeing this ability from one of the Galaxy games brought to life on the big screen is one of the movie’s best game references.

Luigi’s Cloud Flower From Super Mario Galaxy Game

Just like Mario, Luigi also gets his very own unique ability in the final battle. He calls upon the cloud flower as he fights the Bowser team, which gives him the ability to stand on clouds and use them as weapons in combat. Although maybe not as memorable as Drill Mario, Luigi and his cloud abilities highlight another callback to the Mario Galaxy games.

Fire Mario And Luigi

© Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

The fire flower is one of the most iconic power-ups in all of Nintendo, and the Mario bros. use it early on in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. While entering a mysterious cave, the duo use the fire flower to give themselves extra strength, as they didn’t know what they would come up against.

This is a reference that ties back to the very heart of the Mario games. It’s pure nostalgia, but also integrated into the story in a way that feels natural.

The Biggest Reveals & Spoilers In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Bowser’s Redemption Arc

After being one of the standouts of the first film, Bowser has one of the strongest and most surprising character arcs in the new movie. The Jack Black-voiced character undergoes a partial redemption, aligning himself with Mario and Luigi in the second act before succumbing to evil once again after reuniting with his son.

This arc adds new layers to Bowser as a character. In the games, and in the first movie, he’s portrayed as a straightforward, irredeemable villain. His evil nature isn’t in question, but in this new story, all of that changes.

For a moment, Bowser enters antihero territory as a result, making him a more complex character than he ever has been before, as well as introducing brand-new dynamics between him, Mario, and Luigi.

Daisy’s Role Teased

As stated, Daisy is briefly seen in the post credits scene of the new film. Despite the blink and you’ll miss it, extremely limited screen time, Daisy’s appearance signals a huge callback to the games and a sign of things to come in this growing franchise.

In the post credits scene for the first film, Yoshi is teased in a similar fashion, meaning that the next movie may feature Daisy in a prominent role. It’s unclear exactly where Daisy’s story in the series will go, but her role will almost certainly continue to grow bigger from here.

Every Spinoff The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Sets Up

Star Fox

The introduction of Fox McCloud is a clear sign of intent from Universal and Nintendo. A surprise appearance turns into a sizable role for the character whose backstory is teased just enough to set up a spin-off film.

That spin-off feels very possible, if not likely, after his role in the new movie. The character, who feels at times like Nintendo’s version of Han Solo, has huge potential, and it would be surprising if Universal didn’t dive deeper into that.

Adding to spin-off speculation is the casting of Glen Powell. Hiring an actor like this is a huge sign of intent from the studio, and Powell is a marketable enough star to lead his own film in the franchise.

Luigi (Luigi’s Mansion?)

Luigi’s role in the Super Mario Bros. movies differs from the games. In the latter, Luigi is firmly Mario’s sidekick, acting as second fiddle to Nintendo’s main man. However, in the films, Luigi is a second leading man alongside Mario.

The character’s relationship with his brother is expanded upon greatly in both films, and more focus goes into Luigi’s emotional side. All of these are signs that Nintendo may be planning on giving Luigi his own spin-off film.

Like Fox McCloud, the studio hired a marketable star to voice Luigi in the form of Charlie Day. His equal relationship with Mario also pushes the character towards a spin-off, which has some precedent in the games as well.

Several Luigi’s Mansion games have been made over the years, telling the story of Luigi as he attempts to escape a haunted house filled with ghosts and skeletons. The first movie teased this in a horror-like sequence showing Luigi in a spooky-looking forest running away from walking skeletons.

It’s possible, then, that the studio adapts Luigi’s Mansion for the character’s spin-off film. This would make sense, especially as it’s the character’s most famous solo story (and a series of beloved games).

Yoshi

Like Fox, Yoshi is introduced in the new movie and has a prominent role in the story. The character, voiced by Donald Glover, accompanies Mario and Luigi on their entire journey, giving him plenty of screen time.

As one of Nintendo’s most popular characters, Yoshi would be one of the first in line to get their own spin-off film, and the new movie may have set this story up. The character has a strong amount of screen time, but not enough to be considered a main character.

This then leaves plenty of room for the story of a Yoshi movie. Again, there is precedent for a Yoshi solo adventure, with games like Yoshi’s Island and multiple other spin-offs. Yoshi’s world is full of rich and interesting stories, which paves the way for a future spin-off film.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in theaters now.

Release Date

April 1, 2026

Runtime

98 Minutes

Director

Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Polack

Writers

Matthew Fogel

Producers

Chris Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto