Summary
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2has the perfect opportunity to fix a major Luigi injustice thanks to two classic villains. The spectacular success ofThe Super Mario Bros. Moviemade it the secondhighest-grossing movie of 2023, with the movie making over $1 billion at the box office. Alongside its financial success, the film was well-received by audiences, even if its critical score proved to be fairly mixed. This cemented the movie’s status as a huge hit, but despite its popularity,The Super Mario Bros. Moviedid have one crucial issue that the sequel could make up for.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2will be released in theaters on August 20, 2025.
While the movie had a large roster ofcharacters capable of a Super Mario spinoff,Luigi suffered as a result. Luigi was somewhat sidelined inThe Super Mario Bros. Movieas he was captured by Bowser and didn’t really have a chance to shine until the end of the film. The likes of Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad all got elevated roles as a result, but Luigi is one of the franchise’s most important characters who deserved a bigger part. Luckily, the sequel could fix this problem by introducing Wario and Waluigi as the movie’s main villains.
What Wario & Waluigi Being Super Mario Bros. Movie 2’s Villains Would Mean For Luigi
Wario & Waluigi Would Allow Luigi To Have His Own Personal Villain
Wario and Waluigi being introduced inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2would be great for Luigi as it would give him a much bigger purpose in the sequel. Rather than being sidelined again or being reduced to a supporting role,Luigi can share the spotlight with Mario as they try to stop the dastardly duo. While Bowser will always be Mario’s enemy, Wario and Waluigi give the protagonists a villain each, allowing all four characters to shine in their own way. This means the two duos can face off and Luigi can have a more personal story with Waluigi.
The first film focused more on Mario becoming a hero and while Luigi helped save the day at the end, he needed to be more involved.
This would allow Luigi to have far more screen time the second time around and avoid being a mostly passive character. While his role did solve the damsel in distress problem with Princess Peach, it created a new one since one of the franchise’s most crucial characters was waiting to be rescued. The first film focused more on Mario becoming a hero and while Luigi helped save the day at the end, he needed to be more involved. However, having a villain that perfectly contrasts him solves this issue, especially as it wouldn’t sideline Mario in the process.
If the next movie wants to improve on the original, it has to address its problems, and the lack of Luigi was one of its biggest. Therefore,Waluigi’s involvement is the best way to give Luigi his first personal villain, and it would even allow them to fight one-on-one, which would pave the way for a potentialLuigi’s Mansionspinoff and give him a much larger role. After Bowser was defeated in the first film,The Super Mario Bros.sequel needs new villainsanyway, and Wario and Waluigi offer a fresh new vibe that will address the cinematic franchise’s greatest issue.
Luigi Was Sidelined For A Large Part Of The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Although the firstSuper Mario Bros. Moviethrived in a lot of ways, Luigi’s lack of impact on the story proves why two villains are needed. Luigi still had some funny moments in the first film, but he is capable of offering a lot more to the cinematic franchise and simply having one villain didn’t get the best out of him. Fortunately, there are plenty ofstorylines that would fix the Luigi complaintin the sequel, but having two villains is one of the best solutions as it would split the movie up more naturally.
Luigi’s role last time out was an important part of the overall narrative since it gave Mario the motivation to stop Bowser, but the majority of his scenes were there simply to provide some comedy while showcasing how menacing the antagonist was. Bowser’s dungeon was an interesting location in the film, and it allowed the movie to introduce some fun characters like Lumalee, butbeing more involved in the action is what Luigi needs in the sequel,and a second villain means Mario and Luigi can be split up again while still allowing them both to be among the action.
Having Wario and Waluigi both involved means the four can all share the screen towards the movie’s closing moments, but it would also allow Luigi to have some solo moments directly opposing Waluigi. Although the villainous duo are more minor threats, Wario could hatch a plan that involves Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, while Waluigi could be running an entirely different plan, forcing both brothers to step up. This would preventThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2from making the same mistake with Luigi’s story and give both protagonists something to do, making two villains a requirement for the sequel.
Wario & Waluigi Could Be The Perfect Replacements For Bowser
Wario & Waluigi Would Offer A Fresh Storyline For The Sequel
Although the antagonists may not pose the same threat,Wario and Waluigi should replace Bowserin the nextSuper Mario Bros. Movie. The duo would be the perfect substitute as they would maintain the humorous tone that the movie series has established while offering a completely different challenge for Mario and Luigi. Wario and Waluigi wouldn’t be as menacing as Bowser, but that could be a fun twist for the sequel. Rather than trying to take down an enemy threatening multiple kingdoms, the protagonists would be trying to foil more petty crimes from fun and mischievous villains.
This may risk lowering the stakes slightly, but Wario and Waluigi are still capable of putting together some bold plans that could make them more of a problem than their silly personalities suggest. Despite being antagonists, they would still provide a lot of fun to the movie, and they could become fan favorites if played by the right acting duo.The villains also offer some spinoff potential, as it could be hilarious to follow their schemes in the form of a TV show, or they could make the shift towards being anti-heroes like they are frequently presented in the games.
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Bowser’s ending in the original film means he shouldn’t be back right away, and Wario and Waluigi would only help make his return bigger. They may be fairly incompetent, but having the duo running around and causing the central characters a headache would be entertaining without stealing Bowser’s spotlight. When Bowser does return, he will be looking for revenge, meaning Luigi needs to be ready. Therefore,having Waluigi be his villain to overcome inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2would help prepare Luigi for Bowser’s next appearance, making Wario and Waluigi the perfect replacements in the meantime.
Super Mario World
Announced during Nintendo’s 2024 MAR10 day celebration, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel is the follow-up to the 2023 animated adventure film starring Nintendo’s famous plumber mascot.
