The long-discussed video game adaptation curse is well and truly a thing of the past now, and if shows and movies likeArcane,Castlevania, andSonic the Hedgehoghadn’t already proven that, thenThe Last of Usand the upcomingSuper Mario Bros. movie have. Hitting theaters on June 29, 2025, in just a few weeks now, theSuper Mario Bros.movie looks like the bright, vibrant, and lighthearted adaptation that fans have always wanted. Even though it looks like it isn’t taking itself too seriously, Nintendo may be planting some seeds for futureMariovideo game entries.
As fans should expect from a faithful adaptation, theSuper Mario Bros. movie looks like it’s packed to the brim with Easter eggs and references. Every trailer released so far takes great pleasure in showing fans iconic imagery from across theSuper Mariofranchise, whether it’s theMario Kartvehicle selector, Rainbow Road,Mario Galaxy’s Lumalee, orMario Maker-like obstacle courses. But there’s one Easter egg that might end up paving the way for futureMariotitles.
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Two of the most recentSuper Mario Bros.movie trailers have shown the iconic Fire Flower in action. First introduced all the way back in 1985 with the very firstSuper Mario Bros.game, the Fire Flower has been a staple ofMariovideo gamesfor decades. While other power-ups in theMarioseries come and go, the Fire Flower stays, and its function is always the same. Upon picking up the Fire Flower, Mario gains the ability to launch fireballs from the palm of his hand, capable of defeating enemies and bosses at range. Over the years, many characters have wielded the Fire Flower, but theSuper Mario Bros.movie might be about to take things one step further.
During a recentSuper Mario Bros.movie TV spot, Princess Peach is shown touching a Fire Flower and gaining its powers. Her dress changes from her usual pink to a white and red color, and she proceeds to throw a fireball into the camera. For long-time fans of theSuper Marioseries, this look will seem a little familiar. Fire Peach has made just one appearance before this, inSuper Mario 3D World, but the white and red look can be used as an alternate costume inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
In another recentSuper Mario Bros.trailer, the Fire Flower makes another appearance, this time coming out of an iconic yellow question block. But as opposed to Mario, Luigi, or even Peach,Donkey Kong is the recipient of the Fire Flower, giving the character a white tie and some white highlights on the top of his head, and across his body. Unlike Peach, Donkey Kong has never received the Fire Flower powers before, and that might suggest that Nintendo is planning on reimagining how power-ups work in theMariouniverse.
While many characters across theMarioseries can wield a plethora of different power-ups, most tend to be restricted to just the core cast of characters, in particular Mario and Luigi. With Donkey Kong and Peach freely wielding the Fire Flower in theSuper Mario Bros. movie, this might imply that futureSuper Mariogames will let all characters wield all abilities. This wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for theMariouniverse, as spinoff titles like theMario KartandMario Sportsseriesoften let every player wield every type of power-up, regardless of what character they are.
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