The upcoming Super Mario Galaxy movie looks like it’s pulling inspiration from all over Nintendo’s history. While fans already expected to see familiar faces like Bowser and newcomers such as Yoshi in the animated sequel, a newly released poster may have revealed a much deeper cut from the franchise’s past. And, if you look closely, it’s a villain hiding in plain sight that many fans probably haven’t thought about in decades.
In a post shared by Nintendo of America on X, the studio unveiled a new poster for the film. If you look closely at the bottom-left corner, which you can see below, longtime Mario fans believe they’ve spotted Wart, the strange frog-like tyrant who served as the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2. Casual audiences might not recognize the name. Still, players who grew up during the Nintendo Entertainment System era or the game's rerelease on the Super NES will remember Wart as one of the franchise’s most obscure villains. Check out the poster:
Join us on Monday, Mar 9, at 2pm PT for the #NintendoDirect featuring the final trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Please note that no game information will be included in this presentation.Watch here: https://t.co/ERYYNEf9az pic.twitter.com/wKVBQ7ozN5March 6, 2026
Super Mario Bros. 2 has one of the strangest backstories in the franchise. Unlike most Mario games, it didn’t actually start out as a Mario title at all. In Japan, the real Super Mario Bros. 2 was released as a direct sequel to the original game. It looked nearly identical and reused many of the same graphics, but it was designed to be much more difficult. Nintendo worried that Western audiences might not respond well to what essentially felt like the same game again, just harder.
So, instead, the company took a completely different game that had already been released in Japan called Doki Doki Panic and reworked it into a Mario game for Western audiences. Nintendo replaced the original characters with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad, transforming it into a new entry in the series. The result was a Mario game that didn’t look or play quite like anything else in the franchise.
Instead of jumping on enemies to defeat them, players picked them up and threw them. Familiar Mushroom Kingdom foes like Goombas and Koopas were nowhere to be found. And instead of battling Bowser, the game’s heroes faced Wart, the ruler of the dreamlike land of Subcon. The character was a massive frog tyrant who could spit bubbles at Mario and his friends during the final battle. Defeating him required tossing vegetables into his mouth until he was finally overwhelmed, making for one of the weirdest boss fights in Mario history.
Despite headlining the game as its main villain, Wart didn’t exactly become a regular part of the franchise afterward. While other Super Mario Bros. 2 characters stuck around, Wart largely disappeared. Birdo, for example, debuted in the same game and has since become a recurring character in spinoffs ranging from sports titles to party games. Wart, on the other hand, mostly faded into obscurity outside of occasional cameos or references.
That’s why Wart's apparent appearance in the movie’s poster has caught so much attention. The image features a crowded lineup of heroes and villains from across the Mario universe, and tucked among them are several characters tied to Super Mario Bros. 2, including Wart, Birdo, and the bomb-throwing enemy Mouser, suggesting the film may be delving deeper into the series’ stranger corners.
Of course, it’s still unclear how big a role Wart might actually play in the story. With a cast that already includes major characters like fan-favorite Princess Rosalina, Yoshi, and rumored additions like Wario, the frog tyrant could simply appear as a minor antagonist or background cameo. Still, even a small appearance would be a big deal for a character who hasn’t had much spotlight since the late 1980s.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters and the 2026 movie schedule on April 1. Be sure to check your local listings. And while you get ready for the sequel, the first movie is streaming with a Peacock Subscription.
