This article contains minor spoilers for The Super Mario Bros. MovieThe Super Mario Bros. Movie is out, and the world is currently experiencing renewed Mario fever. While critical reception of the movie has been mixed, audiences worldwide are flocking to theaters to see it, resulting in some impressive box office numbers in the film's first week. The Super Mario Bros. Movie includes plenty of easter eggs and nostalgia-inducing moments spread throughout its 92-minute run time. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe currently four waves into a planned six-wave release of new courses and characters, the game seems perfectly primed to unleash a new movie crossover character: The Blue Shell Koopa.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is seen by many as the ultimate evolution of Mario Kart, which is one of the most beloved franchises in the industry. As proof of this, fans only need to look for non-existent news of Mario Kart 9. Despite its release almost a decade ago on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 is still going strong, thanks to an improved Switch port in 2017 and the recent introduction of the Booster Course Pass, paid DLC that releases waves of new courses every couple of months. The most recent wave has also introduced the character of Birdo, and the remaining two waves could follow suit with new characters of their own. The Blue Shell Koopa, Bowser's henchman in the movie and a constant thorn in Mario's side throughout, seems the perfect candidate to be introduced next.
The Blue Shell Koopa is Perfect for Mario Kart
For lovers of the game, Mario Kart's blue shell item is likely to invoke memories. Whether these are good or bad memories likely depends on if the player was on the receiving end of the blue shell, or the one firing it. The item, which is pretty rare, will immediately track down the leader of the race when fired, hitting anything in its path. It rarely misses and is often the variable that is most likely to alter the course of a race, leaving a trail of heartbreak and chaos in its wake.
During the movie, in a huge nod to Mario Kart, Mario and his friends are tasked with returning to Super Mario's own Peach's kingdom and stopping Bowser from destroying it. To do this, they are able to choose their own karts and race back as quickly as possible. Bowser's army is hot on their heels though, led by a particularly devious Koopa with a spikey blue shell for a helmet. This character, never seen before in the games, drives a huge, spikey monster truck that is able to crush most vehicles in its path.
After some initial trouble, while Mario and Donkey Kong are driving down the Rainbow Road, the two foes are able to team up and dispose of the Blue Shell Koopa, and the character is assumed dead following the movie's climax. Whether this character pops up again in future movies is unknown at this stage, though, as many of the Koopas look identical in their appearance, and the Blue Shell Koopa could well be one of many.
The Blue Shell Koopa is a great new addition to the franchise and seems absolutely nailed-on to appear in Mario Kart in the not-so-distant future. Two more waves of eight courses are left to come in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass, so the Blue Shell Koopa still has ample time to make his debut, and fans of the series shouldn't bet against this coming in the Booster Pass' fifth wave when it releases later this year.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available on the Nintendo Switch.