Super Mario Bros. Wonder's announcement was full of details that excited Mario fans. The reveal that fan-favorite character Daisy will at long last be playable in a mainline Mario game arguably won the most cheers. Fans have wanted to see Daisy win that honor for a long time, and she’s not the only one.
The Mario franchise is full of unique and charming characters that players would love to play as in a mainline title. Whether they’re relegated solely to spinoffs, have only had a handful of playable appearances, or have never once been playable, these characters have fans who would love to see them take a starring role in a mainline game. A Mario game would benefit greatly from the inclusion of any of these characters, whether in 2D or 3D.
10 Professor E. Gadd
The Mushroom Kingdom’s greatest scientific mind, Professor E. Gadd appeared most famously in the Luigi’s Mansion series. He created the incredibly useful Poltergust device, as well as many other inventions that have appeared in games like Super Mario Sunshine. Despite his age and penchant for relying on Luigi, one can’t help but wonder how a Mario game would feel from E. Gadd’s perspective.
In order to keep up with Mario and company, E. Gadd would need help to perform the same platforming feats as them. Luckily, history has proven that the Professor has a gadget for nearly every occasion. With his vast genius, E. Gadd could conjure wild contraptions that could bring all manner of gameplay changes to the Mario formula.
9 Polterpup
Another character from Luigi’s Mansion, Polterpup is an adorable and friendly ghost dog. He’s such a good boy that even the famously phasmophobic Luigi adopted him as his pet. He hasn’t appeared outside of Luigi’s Mansion yet, but fans would love to see him do so.
With Yoshi being playable in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, there are no longer any limits on “pet” characters being playable in mainline games. Besides, games like Luigi’s Mansion 3 have shown that Polterpup possesses a nearly human-level of intelligence. With that, and his unique ghost abilities, Polterpup is sure to bring some interesting gameplay to a Mario game.
8 Prince Peasly
Prince Peasly made his debut in the RPG spinoff Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga as the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom. Peasly is the hero of his kingdom, essentially acting as Mario and Luigi’s Beanish counterpart. While characters introduced in the Mario & Luigi spinoff games generally don’t appear in the mainline series, fans would love to see that tradition be broken.
As a foil to Mario and Luigi, seeing Prince Peasly embarking with them on their usual brand of adventure would be exciting. With his flying bean and sword, Peasly has the potential to offer a different style of gameplay in both 3D and 2D titles. Even without these different abilities, it would still be fun to see how Mushroom Kingdom powerups affect the Beanbean Prince.
7 Vivian
Another RPG spinoff character, Vivian made her first and only appearance in the legendary Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. A member of the villainous Shadow Sirens, Vivian joined Mario due to her inherent kindness and her older sister’s incessant bullying. Vivian is one of the Paper Mario series’ most popular characters, and fans would love to see her in the main franchise.
With her ghost-like appearance and fire magic, Vivian is definitely a different beast than the usual Mario character. Her abilities could make for a fun and challenging experience either in 2D or 3D. Whether she remains being made of paper or transitions to a 3D model, Vivian’s fans would love to see her again.
6 Pauline
First appearing in the original Donkey Kong game, Pauline was Mario’s original leading lady who fell out of the spotlight when Peach arrived. With her returning in games like Super Mario Odyssey, Pauline has gained a massive resurgence in popularity. Aside from being a major NPC in that game, she has appeared in various spinoffs like Mario Golf: Super Rush.
Despite being a mayor, Pauline is considered an honorary Princess alongside Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina. With those characters being playable in more mainline games, many believe it’s Pauline’s turn. Even if she doesn’t offer any new gameplay mechanics, fans would love to see how her costume changes with powerups.
5 Rosalina
Ever since her debut in Super Mario Galaxy, Rosalina has been one of the Mario series’ most popular characters. Her striking looks, kind personality, and mysterious cosmic air have won her plenty of fans. Nintendo has responded to her popularity by putting her in many spinoff games like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart.
She has also appeared in Super Mario 3D World, but that has been her sole playable appearance outside of spinoffs. Considering her popularity, many fans would like to see her become a mainstay of the franchise alongside Peach. With her great cosmic power, Rosalina could bring many new gameplay elements to both 3D and 2D installments.
4 Donkey Kong
Apart from spinoffs like Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong stays largely absent from the mainline Mario games. But considering the history that the two share, many would like to see Donkey Kong appear in a Mario game. These desires have increased after The Super Mario Bros. Movie had Donkey Kong using Mario power-ups for the first time.
As the star of his own successful series of 2D platformer games, Donkey Kong would be a perfect fit for Mario’s gameplay. Even a 3D Mario game would benefit from DK’s unique swinging and brawling abilities. If nothing else, fans would love to see what Donkey Kong would look like using other Mario power-ups.
3 Bowser
Though Bowser is normally Mario’s most iconic archnemesis, games like Super Mario RPG have seen the Koopa King team up with the heroes against a greater foe. That sets a precedent for Bowser to become a playable character in a Mario game. With his massive strength, sharp claws, and fiery breath, Bowser would make for an excellent asset to players.
Aside from spinoffs, the closest thing to a playable Bowser in the mainline Mario games was when Mario took over his body in the final section of Super Mario Odyssey. While it was a brief section, many fans called it their favorite part of Odyssey. A game that capitalizes on that enjoyment with a fully playable Bowser is sure to do well.
2 Wario
Appearing first as the primary antagonist of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario has been so popular that he got his own spinoff series of 2D platformers. While he has moved away from that with the beloved WarioWare series, many fans would love to see him return to his roots.
There are few better ways to do that then have Mario’s rival return to a mainline title. With Wario having a more aggressive platforming style compared to Mario’s acrobatic one, the two could make even the same levels feel vastly different. And with Wario’s hilarious history with powerups from the Wario Land games, gamers can only imagine how he’d interact with Mario’s powerups.
1 Waluigi
First appearing in Mario Tennis, internet darling Waluigi has never once appeared in a mainline Mario game. As a result of all his appearances being “non-canon,” Waluigi is mostly shrouded in mystery. Despite him and Wario being joined at the hip, many fans still aren’t 100% sure if they’re brothers despite that being the developers original intention.
Waluigi appearing in a mainline Mario game would both clear up some of these mysteries and break the internet with how ecstatic his fans would be. Waluigi has exhibited many abilities in spinoff games from the ability to create tornadoes, to the ability to control thorny vines. Any of these abilities would make him a blast to play as in a Mario title.