Latest ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Character Reveal Has Fans Thinking a ‘Smash Bros’ Movie Is Next

Could Nintendo’s big screen universe be expanding? That’s what some fans are convinced is happening after the reveal of a brand new character in the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy movie.

On Thursday, March 26, Universal Studios released another poster for the film (below), confirming the animated feature will also include some kind of appearance from Fox McCloud, star of the Star Fox games.

His reveal comes after the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie added both Yoshi (voiced by Donald Glover), Rosalina (Brie Larson) and Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) to the film franchise. Returning after making their debut in the first movie are Mario (Chris Pratt), Charlie Day (Luigi), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Bowser (Jack Black) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key).

What Does It Mean?

Fox McCloud's inclusion in the new Mario movie could have some pretty big implications for the project and future Nintendo films.

The Super Mario Galaxy games are the “core inspiration” for the new movie, Illumination’s Chris Meledandri has said in past interviews. He also, however, said the film “holds surprises for fans of every Mario era.”

McCloud, however, is not featured in the Super Mario Galaxy games or any Mario games... outside of the Super Smash Bros. games. In Super Smash Bros., characters from across the Nintendo universe—including Donkey Kong, Kirby, Zelda and Pokémon—battle against each other.

So, with McCloud appearing here (plus a recent appearance from Pikmin), it’s led quite a few fans to make the assumption something bigger is coming down the (warp) pipe.

Fans React to Fox McCloud

After the movie's official Instagram account shared to poster on Thursday morning, fans flooded the comments. While others were excited about Star Fox's appearance and what it could mean, others felt it should have been kept a surprise.

“SMASH MOVIE CONFIRMED???” exclaimed one follower in a comment that's generated a lot of likes.

“So we getting a smash bros movie after this im guessing?” wrote someone else, as another fan demanded, “GIVE US THE SMASHBROS MOVIE!!!!”

“Kirby cameo keeps getting more and more possible ????” read one comment, while another read, “Okay Super Smash Bros movie is absolutely in the works now.”

While there’s been no confirmation other other Nintendo films just yet, the first movie featured a post-credits scene teasing Yoshi’s arrival in Galaxy. So audiences might want to stick around in theaters to see if something bigger is teased this time around.

Hopefully there are still some surprises to come, as there were also comments on the Instagram post wondering why Fox McCloud’s appearance was spoiled before release.

“Why couldn’t they wait until the movie released? There’s literally no secrets going into this,” read one popular comment. “WHY WOULD YOY REVEAL THIS!?!?” read another of many similar comments.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opens April 1, 2026.