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(SeaPRwire) –   After just two big-screen outings, the Mario franchise has already unlocked a full galaxy of new adventures (and massive profits for both Nintendo and Universal), so it’s all but guaranteed Mario and Luigi will get many more interplanetary, 3D platforming-style stories on the big screen. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie outdoes the first entry when it comes to both scale and how deep it dives into franchise lore — ranging from well-known cameos like Super Mario Galaxy’s Honey Queen to more obscure nods like an extended joke built around Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time — and it still barely scratches the surface of the ever-expanding library of games headlined by the two plumber brothers. It’s a world away from the bizarre, unrecognizable 1990s Mario film that’s become infamous. Spoilers ahead.

While the film ends with newly undead Dry Bowser (Jack Black) and his son Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) locked away in a Luma-guarded prison thanks to the work of Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Peach’s unexpected sister Rosalina (Brie Larson), and an MVP pilot performance from Fox McCloud (Glen Powell), the movie’s post-credits scene makes it clear that there’s far more story to tell outside the Mushroom Kingdom. In fact, when you account for an offhand plot reveal earlier in the runtime, there may even be more stories to explore beyond Mario’s own universe.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Post-Credits Scene Explained

Early in the film, when Princess Peach and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) first arrive at Gateway Galaxy — a hub for intergalactic travel in the movie, and the opening galaxy from the 2007 original game — they’re immediately robbed by a Ukiki, a monkey enemy type that first debuted in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. In the post-credits scene, we see this same Ukiki pulling the same scam on another unsuspecting victim, stealing her purse before getting quickly knocked out by none other than Princess Daisy. She has no lines in the scene, so the question of who will be cast in the full role is already a top talking point, but it’s extremely likely she’ll make her full official franchise debut in the next sequel.

Daisy first appeared in the original Super Mario Land, a 1989 Game Boy launch title. In that game, she is introduced as the princess of Sarasaland, a peaceful kingdom that gets invaded by Tatanga, a mysterious evil alien with hypnotic powers. Tatanga uses his abilities to hypnotize the people of Daisy’s kingdom, turning them into enemies for Mario to fight, all to force Daisy into marrying him — a plot that mirrors a certain King Koopa’s schemes in another Mario kingdom.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie loosely builds its plot around the core narrative of the original Super Mario Galaxy game, with several major changes, so it’s logical to assume that a Daisy-focused sequel would draw partial inspiration from Super Mario Land, which would mean Bowser could finally step back to let a new villain take the lead. There’s also a strong chance the film would incorporate other traits of Daisy’s character from later games, most notably her long-teased relationship with Luigi. But even before Daisy’s post-credits reveal, there’s a small plot thread earlier in the film that could end up being critical for future Mario films, or even other upcoming Nintendo adaptations.

A Shared Nintendo Multiverse?

Fans were extremely excited when it was announced that Star Fox’s Fox McCloud would appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, even though most fans initially assumed it would only be a quick cameo. Thankfully, that isn’t the case: Glen Powell’s take on the character gets a full supporting role, and is easily one of the film’s biggest highlights. He even gets an extended backstory sequence animated in a fresh, anime-inspired 2D art style, where we meet the other members of the Star Fox team: Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad.

But the most intriguing detail isn’t the Star Fox fan service (or the barrel roll jokes): it’s the reveal that Fox McCloud comes from an entirely separate universe, and ended up in Mario’s dimension after running into a wormhole anomaly while patrolling the Lylat system. The last time we see Fox in the movie, he flies back through a wormhole to return to his home, but the fact that the multiverse’s existence is confirmed so casually is more than enough to spark wild speculation from Nintendo fans about potential spin-offs.

The most obvious spin-off is a standalone Star Fox film, or even an animated series, and it makes perfect sense on paper: the IP is a widely beloved Nintendo staple, a popular A-list actor is already attached to the lead role, and the core basics of Fox’s story have already been introduced in an accessible way through his guest appearance. It could even use the same 2D animation style as Fox’s flashback sequence. A Star Fox spin-off that draws visual inspiration from classic space epics and animated hits like Voltron practically writes itself.

But of course, it’s impossible not to wonder what other projects could be waiting beyond Mario’s universe. Could an animated Kirby adventure be on the way? Could the brief Pikmin cameo in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie be the starting point for a family-friendly comedy based on the hit puzzle game series? Or, what is likely the most far-fetched fan dream, could Nintendo be laying the groundwork for a Super Smash Bros. on-screen crossover? While Nintendo has generally kept its separate game franchises disconnected outside of rare exceptions, that doesn’t have to be the case for its film adaptations. No matter whether Nintendo is building an interconnected universe behind the scenes or not, it’s all but guaranteed we’ll see more of Mario’s galaxy in the near future.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in theaters now.