Why Nintendo Fans Think The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is Hiding Another Villain In Plain Sight

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, which makes its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, one of the most anticipated films on the 2026 movie schedule. We recently got to see the project's first trailer, which revealed a couple of new characters that will join the franchise, but many fans think that there may be more villains yet to be revealed.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer introduced Bowser Jr, voiced by Benny Safdie, who will apparently be the main villain of the story. In the movie, he will try to rescue his father, who is still tiny and imprisoned by Mario and Luigi, but are there other major Mario game characters yet to be revealed?

An Unknown Voice Could Signal Additional Villains For the Super Mario Galaxy Movie

The theory, as summarized by ScreenRant, points to the Megaleg, the giant mechanical monster that the new character Rosalina, voiced by Brie Larson, dispatches in the trailer. The voice of the person piloting the Megaleg does not appear to be Benny Safdie, so if it’s not Bowser Jr. attacking this key character, who is it?

There already seems to be a popular theory among fans that, if the voice isn't that of Bowser Jr., it's likely another important character, one that would also have ties to Bowser. Luckily, there is a character in the Mario video games that fits that description. In fact, there are many of them.

Could The Koopalings Appear In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?

First introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings were seven Koopas that Mario had to battle throughout the game. Named Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig, one was found at the end of each of Super Mario Bros. 3’s worlds as Mario progressed through the game.

The Koopalings have appeared in multiple games throughout the series. One of those titles was Super Mario World, which also included the first appearance of dinosaur Yoshi. The Super Mario Bros. Movie post-credit scene teased that Yoshi would appear in the sequel, and at one point, it was rumored that Super Mario World might be the title of the new film.

Interestingly, in Super Mario Bros. 3, it was said that the seven Koopalings were actually Bowser’s children. In subsequent games, this detail was changed so that Bowser Jr. was Bowser’s only child, and the Koopalings became merely trusted henchmen. Still, that connection, along with the other circumstantial evidence, may make the Koopalings' introduction alongside Bowser Jr. more likely.

There are almost certainly some secrets in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that the trailer did not reveal. What those are, however, is anybody’s guess. Introducing all the Koopalings alongside Bowser Jr. and Rosalina is certainly a lot of new characters, since we also expect Yoshi to make an appearance, too, but it could certainly happen. We’ll find out when the movie hits theaters next spring.