Highlights
- The main villain in Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be Bowser, as expected, and fans can expect the typical 2D Super Mario experience.
- The initial trailer hinted at Bowser's presence, with a glimpse of a high-tech Bowser warship on the world map.
- Bowser is a popular and recognizable character, so it's no surprise he's coming back for Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
To the surprise of no one, the main villain in Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be longtime Mario nemesis Bowser. Super Mario Bros. Wonder was announced at the latest Nintendo Direct presentation. It gave fans a glimpse at what they can expect from the first original 2D Mario adventure in over a decade, revealing new animations, power-ups, and enemies.
The Super Mario Bros. Wonder announcement trailer featured both old-school enemies and some new faces, as Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Peach, and Toad made their way through some of the game's stages. One character who did not appear in the trailer was Bowser, but as many fans likely guessed, King Koopa will indeed be the bad guy in Super Mario Bros. Wonder when it launches for Switch in October.
In case anyone was in doubt, the Super Mario Bros. Wonder ESRB rating recently surfaced, confirming some details about Mario's latest platforming adventure, including the fact that Bowser will be the villain. It also talks about how the characters jump on enemy heads, throw fireballs, and engage in boss battles against "giant enemies" that "breathe fire and smash parts of the scenery." Basically, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is going to provide the typical 2D Super Mario experience.
While Bowser himself was nowhere to be seen in the initial Super Mario Bros. Wonder trailer, it still did hint that he would yet again be the main villain of the game. Fans can see what appears to be a high-tech Bowser warship floating across the Super Mario Bros. Wonder world map at one point in the trailer, plus there's a boss fight against what appears to be a new take on Bowser Jr. Even so, there may still have been some fans who were open to the possibility of there being a different villain in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Bowser has been the main villain in the vast majority of Super Mario games, but there have also been times when he's been made an ally or another villain has taken the spotlight instead. However, Bowser is one of the most recognizable and popular characters in all of gaming, so it's really no surprise that Nintendo has decided to bring him back yet again for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. After all, one could argue that Bowser is more popular now than ever before thanks to the significant presence he had in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Jack Black's portrayal of Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie has frequently been pointed to as a highlight of the film. Bowser's song "Peaches" even became a surprise hit, elevating Bowser to heights he's never seen before. So while there was always the off-chance that Nintendo would go with a different baddie for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it's always been the most likely scenario that Bowser would be back yet again.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches October 20, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
