If a Super Smash Bros. Crossover Movie is Coming, Who Will Be Thanos?

The posters for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie have confirmed that it will feature cameos from non-Mario Nintendo characters, including Fox McCloud from Star Fox, and Pikmin. This has fueled speculation that a Nintendo Cinematic Universe is in the cards, perhaps culminating in a Super Smash Bros. Movie.

There's one big question surrounding a Super Smash Bros. Movie: who will be the villain? Marvel had no shortage of multiverse-shattering ancients who could pose a threat to The Avengers, but does Nintendo have that same roster of bad guys who can fill the role?

The Super Mario Bros. movies are already using Bowser and Bowser Jr. as foes, so they aren't likely to be repurposed as the enemies in a Super Smash Bros. Movie. Who does that leave to become the Thanos of the Nintendo multiverse?

Tabuu is the Most Likely Villain of the Super Smash Bros. Movie

The Super Smash Bros. franchise does have a handful of villains, but they're seriously lacking in character. When it comes to being the end boss of a fighting game story mode, Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Master Core, Galeem, and Dharkon are certainly imposing, but they're not exactly brimming with personality.

Of all the Super Smash Bros. villains, the one most likely to be the villain of the movie is Tabuu from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While still not fully developed, Tabuu is presented as a greater threat, transforming fighters into trophies and leading his Subspace Army into battle.

Tabuu invading the worlds of the Nintendo characters is a great premise for a Super Smash Bros. Movie, as it gives the characters a reason to team up, especially if The Super Mario Galaxy Movie presents them as unfriendly toward each other and as needing to win each other's trust by fighting a shared enemy.

What Other Nintendo Character Could Take the Thanos Role?

While a Super Smash Bros. villain seems like the natural fit for a film, it's not like Nintendo is lacking for enemies. Tabuu is someone who could be saved for an even bigger threat further down the road.

So, who else would fit the role? In terms of power, Giygas from EarthBound fits the bill, but he's more of an uncontrollable eldritch god than a master manipulator. If EarthBound received a movie, then he would also be saved for that, unless the movie started him out in his alien form from EarthBound Beginnings, showing his transformation into an unthinking monstrosity.

Ganondorf would have been an incredible Super Smash Bros. Movie villain, combining power and planning skills. Unfortunately, Sony is currently making a live-action movie based on The Legend of Zelda series, so that character's rights are tied up right now. Similarly, there are plenty of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that could fit the bill, but Nintendo doesn't fully own those characters, and there's no guarantee they can be used.

The Kirby franchise has plenty of creepy villains, like Void Termina and Zero, but like Tabuu, they'd need a lot more personality injected into them, essentially turning them into new characters.

Fox McCloud is confirmed for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, so it's possible that Andross could take the role. Like Ganondorf, he's got the smarts to bring people under his banner. Mother Brain from Metroid or Hades from Kid Icarus could also fit that similar role.

It's likely that the Super Smash Bros. Movie could feature a team of antagonists who wouldn't serve as the central antagonist, such as Ridley, King Dedede, King K. Rool, and King Hippo, who have been brought together as part of the same organization. If the first movie has only a small roster of heroes, this could be the ideal solution, filling the story with iconic characters without having to throw in all the protagonists in one flick.