The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Makes 1 Character One Of Nintendo’s Most Powerful Heroes

The following contains spoilers for The Super Mario Galaxy MovieThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie gives Princess Peach an upgrade that her video game counterpart could never match. Peach is one of the main characters in the Illumination adaptations of the classic Nintendo video games. She’s also a much more proactive figure in the movies, taking charge of the narrative in a way she rarely does in the games.

Even considering how much of a leader she is during the films, it’s the ending of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that really pushes her into a new space as a hero. This upgrade is something that never actually happened in the games, but could reshape Peach’s cinematic future by making her one of Nintendo’s most powerful characters.

Peach’s Power Boost In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Explained

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie gives Peach a massive power boost going forward, elevating her into one of the most important figures in her entire galaxy. The cinematic adaptation of the Nintendo characters had already recast the archetypal damsel in distress of gaming into a more proactive character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

That direction continues in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which sees Peach venture into deep space alongside Toad in an effort to help Princess Rosalina. Along the way, she discovers that she’s actually the long-lost sister of the cosmic leader, sent into hiding by her older sibling in an effort to protect her from an unseen threat.

Although Peach hasn’t shown any magical abilities on her own, her almost supernaturally natural physical skills could be a realization of her power. The abilities only really come out when she’s actively with Rosalina, as they’re able to summon a new reserve of star power and use it to reshape Bowser Jr.’s artificial world into a beautiful natural one.

How The Cinematic Peach Compares To The Game Peach

This is a quietly momentous change for the character, especially compared to her inspiration. Initially introduced as Princess Toadstool in the first Super Mario Bros. game, Peach has gone on to be one of gaming’s most enduring female characters. However, she’s often the target of the plot instead of an active participant in the story.

Although she was first playable in Super Mario Bros. 2, Peach has typically been used as a plot device instead of a character. Many games in the overarching series have shown Peach to be relatively human and few special powers of her own. Even in the first film, the more action-focused and dynamic Peach was a far cry from what gamers knew.

That doesn’t even compare to the power boost that comes with Peach’s connection to Rosalina. In the film alone, Rosalina is able to cast powerful spells, block massive attacks, and even create a means for Fox to travel through dimensions. In the games, Rosalina is even more powerful. Peach could soon gain access to that power as well.

What Could The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3 Do With Peach?

The inevitable third entry in the cinematic Mario adaptation will likely build on Peach’s discovery of her full power and her cosmic connection. It could give her an easy excuse to return to deep space, potentially setting her up to encounter and befriend Daisy after the latter was teased in the film’s post-credits scene.

If the movie wanted to give Peach a solo story, it could send her off into the greater galaxy alongside Rosalina to flesh out more corners of the setting. This could leave more room open for Mario and Luigi’s direct plot, while still having Peach do something important. She could even headline her own spin-off delving into that adventure.

Peach learning to use her abilities could also be a major factor in future films in the franchise, bringing in bigger threats who want to steal her power or creating new dangers that Peach uses her abilities to overcome. This could be a natural way to make Peach the main character and shift Mario into a supporting role.

Peach’s upgrade is an exciting development for Nintendo fans. It’s a chance to see Peach embrace her newfound power as one of Nintendo’s single most powerful characters. Especially if the Fox crossover is laying the seeds for bigger event stories adapting the Nintendo roster of characters, this turn in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might become a very big deal.