Super Mario Sunshine may hold the key to Bowser Jr.’s defeat in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Released in 2002 for the Gabecube, Super Mario Sunshine is a beloved entry into the Super Mario franchise, and one that’s notable for a number of reasons, one of which being the fact that it features the debut of Bowser Jr.
Aside from that, it seems other elements of Super Mario Sunshine will be incorporated into the story. The marketing has confirmed that he’ll be bringing to the fight the Magic Paintbrush, the same weapon he used to wreak havoc in Super Mario Sunshine.
Having disguised himself as Shadow Mario in Super Mario Sunshine, he used the Magic Paintbrush to spread a dark substance called “goop” all over the tropical island known as Delfino Square, forcing Mario to go on a long journey to quite literally clean up the island and prove his innocence.
Why Super Mario Sunshine May Play An Important Role In Mario’s Battle With Bowser Jr.
So far, there isn’t any evidence that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is telling that story, as it’s instead following along with Super Mario Galaxy and sending Mario and his allies on a cosmic adventure.
But, there are indications that even if it doesn’t share the plot of Super Mario Sunshine, its core game mechanic may be integral to Mario’s efforts to beat Bowser Jr. In the game, Mario comes into possession of a robotic device called F.L.U.D.D, which emits blasts of water. With F.L.U.D.D., Mario is able to eliminate the goop, various bosses, and ultimately, Bowser Jr. himself.
In the final trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Bowser Jr. can be seen attacking Rosalina with a Piranha Plant made up of the same substance that he uses to transform into his “Wonder” form. This could make the creature the movie’s interpretation of the Piranhabons, which were Piranha Plants created from goop in Super Mario Sunshine.
If that’s the case, Wonder Bowser Jr. may be a replacement for his Shadow Mario disguise, since the goop from Super Mario Sunshine is what it’s made from in the first place. With the goop from the Magic Paintbrush possibly being the way in which Bowser Jr. menaces the main characters, it would stand to reason that F.L.U.D.D. is the best way of dealing with him.
It’s known from Super Mario Sunshine that F.L.U.D.D. can disperse the goop, so if Mario were to acquire it, he could theoretically defeat any goop constructs and possibly even revert Wonder Bowser Jr. back to his original form. If F.L.U.D.D. can really turn the tide, getting his hands on it may be one of Mario’s goals in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
As for how that happens, it’s important to note that both the Magic Paintbrush and F.L.U.D.D. come from the same source, so the same may hold true in the movie. In the case of the games, they were designed by a scientist named Professor E. Gadd. It may be that the movie version of E. Gadd gives Mario F.L.U.D.D. after Bowser Jr. steals the paintbrush.
Regardless of how it all comes together, bringing in F.L.U.D.D. for the final battle would be a great way to pay tribute to a classic Mario game that’s unlikely to get its own film adaptation. After all, the film is shaping up to take that sort of approach to a handful of games already.
The casino sequence is clearly modeled after Super Mario Bros. 2, and Yoshi protecting Baby Mario and Baby Luigi is lifted straight from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. All things considered, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looks to be roping multiple Super Mario storylines into one, and Super Mario Sunshine certainly seems to be one of them.