Super Mario Galaxy Movie post-credit scenes: is Star Fox next?

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black, has two post-credit scenes. I think they point in two directions. The first sets up Fox McCloud and a Star Fox film. The second lays the groundwork for the next Mario movie, with Bowser Jr., Dry Bowser and Princess Daisy all in the mix.

Heavy spoilers follow for the film's ending and both scenes.

Fox McCloud's post-credit scene points to Glen Powell's own Star Fox movie

If you followed the marketing for the movie, you'll know it pushed Fox McCloud heavily. The Star Fox leader is voiced by Glen Powell, which was announced as part of the casting ahead of release. Along with that, we also know Powell will be leading his own film, and we'll see him do a barrel roll in his own movie. That was initially only a rumor. With this post-credit scene, though, a Star Fox film coming down the line makes a lot of sense.

In the scene, Fox flies into space in his Arwing, having left the prison Bowser was dropped at. He talks with Toad, who asks what he's doing next, and Fox tells him he's heading home. Fans did speculate that a Smash Brothers movie might come next. I think we at least have to get the other characters established first.

Why Star Fox, or Lylat Wars, is burned into my brain

Growing up, I played Lylat Wars all the time on my N64. Even calling it Lylat Wars rather than Star Fox is a deep cut I have to explain: that's what it was known as in the UK. When the internet came along and everyone was calling it Star Fox, I couldn't work out what was going on.

The Star Fox games originally centered on Fox and his team of Falco, Slippy and Peppy. They looked after the Lylat system and battled the evil Emperor Andross. In the game, you move from planet to planet, slowly heading toward the big bad. There are several diversions along the way, and you unlock certain paths by hitting certain objectives.

There's a bad ending where the Andross you face is only a machine, not the real one. The good ending comes from taking the harder path, where Fox is reunited with his father and you take down the real Andross for good. The whole game was incredible and completely burned into my brain. It was also heavily inspired by Star Wars and a blast to play through, and I can't wait to see what they do with it on the big screen.

Star Fox went dormant, and film rumors circled for a decade

I never played Dinosaur Planet, but I think it could be a good path to potentially take things as well, though it has to be said it isn't held in as high regard as the other games. Beyond that, there's Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox Assault, Star Fox Command and Star Fox Zero. The series has lain dormant since 2017. Star Fox 2 was canceled on the SNES in 1995, and fans were unsure if we'd ever see Fox again.

Rumors of a Star Fox film existed for over a decade, but nothing concrete was ever laid down. Giant Freakin Robot reported in 2023 that Chris Hemsworth was in talks to voice Fox. That came off the back of the success of the first Mario film, and it was clear they were looking for the right lead. Ryan Gosling was rumored as well, but it looks like they went with Powell instead. There were also rumors that the film would center on Fox taking down Andross, but beyond that, nothing has really leaked.

Former Star Fox designer Takaya Imamura publicly expressed enthusiasm in 2025. In an interview, he said he'd be up for consulting on any extra Nintendo films. He also said he believed Miyamoto would greenlight a new Star Fox movie, which might coincide with a game. A game was also leaked for the Switch 2, supposedly coming in summer 2026. It all hints at the franchise being brought back in a big way.

A Star Fox film could feed into a larger Nintendo plan

Alongside this, it has been rumored that other characters have films in development too. That includes Donkey Kong, Samus in a Metroid movie, one based on Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Yoshi and Kirby, all building toward a big Super Smash Brothers movie. It would lead to an Avengers style event where all the characters are brought together. This is also the 30th anniversary year of Pokémon, so I do wonder if something big will happen with that before the year is out.

While this isn't the Star Fox movie as such, it acts as a great launch pad to bring the characters back to the forefront. Along with a potential new game, it feels like Fox coming back in a big way is inevitable.

The prison scene teases Bowser Jr. and Dry Bowser

After the moment with Fox, we get a shot inside the prison itself, hinting at what's to come. There's a Luma, from the first Super Mario film, and then we see Bowser Jr. and the king of Dry Bones himself, Dry Bowser. The Luma nihilistically taunts them that they'll never escape. They insist they'll get out eventually, and the Luma tells them they won't. It's very scary, and if you don't like Lumas, that moment will terrify you.

To clarify, in case you haven't seen the movie, Bowser does turn into a skeletal form during it. That's probably where the next Mario movie will go, and the second post-credit scene gives further allusions to it.

Princess Daisy arrives in Gateway Galaxy

The second scene takes us to Gateway Galaxy, where we meet Daisy. A little monkey creature steals a bag and dashes through a crowd. It looks like it's getting away, until Princess Daisy smashes it. So she is here, and Daisy is coming to a movie soon.

Daisy first appeared in 1989's Super Mario Land, where Mario saved her. She was then mothballed until the 2000s, when she appeared in Mario Tennis. At the time of the film's release, no one had been cast in the role, and she doesn't speak in the scene, so clearly they hadn't got anyone yet. We saw how Brie Larson was brought on board for Rosalina, and I think they'll probably look for a big name for Daisy too.

Daisy is often portrayed as Luigi's love interest, while Mario tends to go with Peach. Peach is Daisy's best friend, and bringing her in could add a lot of dynamics. But Nintendo also friend zoned Mario in a statement, so who knows?

The next Mario movie could center on Dry Bowser, and maybe bring in Link

I think this latter scene is more about setting up the next Mario movie, probably centering on Dry Bones being the villain. Bowser Jr. will likely return as well, which would top off the trilogy heading in that direction.

I also wonder which other characters from the wider Nintendo universe they'll bring in. A Zelda movie was in development at the time, and an Ocarina of Time remake was on the horizon. So I do wonder if they'll lean into the brand synergy, and perhaps the next one will feature Link in some form. That's a long shot. But with the other titles I mentioned in development, we may see them create lots of solo movies with the Nintendo roster before bringing them all together for that big Smash Bros. movie.