Mario is Missing Enemies: Which of Mario's Foes Deserve to be in Super Mario Maker

It's been almost a month since Super Mario Maker hit the Wii U, with Nintendo already selling over one million units worldwide. There have been over 2.2 million courses created, many of which utilize classic Mario mechanics in unique and inventive ways. Some even manage to cleverly utilize the classic Mario rogues gallery in some ways never been seen.

Well, they use the available Mario rogues, anyway. There are actually quite a few baddies that are currently missing from Super Mario Maker. There's a good chance that Nintendo is planning to add these foes later down the line or there are probably other reasons they're not available. Perhaps it's a little too difficult to downgrade a 16-bit polygon into an 8-bit sprite. Nonetheless, let's take a look at some of the foes that have yet to make the Super Mario Maker cut.

Chargin' Chuck

It was strange to see Chargin' Chuck make his debut in Super Mario World back in 1991. One wouldn't have expected to see an American football-themed enemy pop up in a Japanese game. But Chuck slid right into his role as a Mario foe, adding some interesting twists that hadn't been seen to that point. He was a burly bruiser that would charge Mario on sight and withstand up to three hits.

On top of being durable, Chuck also came in different varieties. Some Chucks would throw baseballs (while curiously still wearing their football gear), others would dig up rocks, and others would act as a watchdog to trigger a certain other enemy that we'll cover in just a moment. The challenge in bringing in Chuck likely involves bringing him down to the NES-level of graphics. What would a Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros. 3 Chuck even look like?

But there's still hope that Chuck can take the field, since Nintendo hasn't exactly forgotten him. Chargin' Chuck was most recently seen in Super Mario 3D World and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, so he isn't exactly a permanent benchwarmer.

Spike

Spike first debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3 as a pesky little reptile that would spit up a spiked ball and toss it in a straight line forward. He's evolved quite a bit since then, changing up his moveset so that he throws his spiked ball, more like a soccer goalkeeper.

Spike would be an interesting addition, because taking care of him involves a degree of timing. Mario has to be careful to not step on him while he's holding his ball over his head. What makes Spike an interesting foe is that his patterns have changed over the course of each Mario game. He actually moves back and forth in Super Mario Bros. 3, whereas he stays in one spot in New Super Mario Bros. Adding him to Super Mario Maker would involve setting up some differing movement patterns for Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World counterparts, but Spike would fit nicely on the roster of enemies.

Rip Van Fish

Super Mario World players remember this little guy all too well. Rip Van Fish was a terrifying underwater foe that would sleep in various corners, but would quickly spring into action if awakened. He would chase Mario relentlessly and home in quickly, with a player's only hope often being that Rip Van Fish would eventually get tired and fall back asleep. Alone, he was a formidable foe, but in numbers, he was downright terrifying. Super Mario World underwater stages didn't get much scarier than when a school of Rip Van Fishes were awakened by a whistling Chargin' Chuck.

Super Mario Maker underwater stages are arguably some of the game's weaker offerings, just because there's only so much creativity that can be exercised with the underwater formula. That's mostly because it takes away the central mechanic that makes Mario who he is: jumping. Rip Van Fish can add some much-needed intensity and a fresh difficulty factor to underwater levels and he would fit in just fine across all game types. Imagine a Bullet Bill cannon shooting out schools of these guys, all just dying to chase Mario to the bitter end.

Pokey

Pokey's first claim to fame was in Super Mario Bros. 2, but he would eventually find a home as a standard Mario foe with Super Mario World. Sure, he was mostly just there to show off Yoshi's bottomless appetite, but he was still quite a threat, nevertheless.

Pokey's appeal would be in creating new (literal) hurdles for Mario to clear, challenging players to jump over his lanky, spiny body without hitting it. He would be a wonderful addition to jumping puzzles, fitting in well with trampolines and music blocks. He could even be made into an impassable obstacle by growing to giant size. Pokey deserves more time in the sun and would add plenty to the Mario Maker formula.

Fire/Ice/Boomerang Bros.

Hammer Bros. remain the peskiest of Mario's enemies, often spelling death at a moment's notice. They are a constant thorn at his side, so it was obvious that they (and their larger counterparts, the Sledge Bros.) needed to be in Super Mario Maker. But what about the other variety of Bros. that were introduced over subsequent installments of 2D Mario games?

The Bros. gradually evolved to throw more than just hammers. Boomerang Bros. first debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3 and were quite common to the game, mostly seen as wandering encounters or as occasional bosses. The game also added the much rarer Fire Bros., who could duplicate Fire Mario's pyro-tossing powers. The Fire Bros. would become much more prominent in later Mario games, particularly New Super Mario Bros., which is where the Ice Bros. would also debut. The Ice Bros. were a double whammy that their snowballs would not only register as a hit, but would also freeze Mario in an ice block for a short period.

New Bro varieties would go a long way towards shaking up level variety. Fire and Boomerang Bros. would translate easily enough across all four game styles, while Ice Bros. could add new nightmare scenarios for masochistic level designers. Imagine trying to make a long jump, only to get hit by a snowball. Picture tossing your controller as you could only watch Mario sink into the abyss below as a helpless block of ice. The possibilities for masochism are there and they'll hopefully be realized soon.

Boom Boom

Boss selections in Super Mario Maker are pretty scant. There's Bowser, Bowser Jr., and... er... bigger Bowser and Bowser Jr. Oh, and I guess there's Clown Car Bowser and Bowser Jr. Alright, the point's been made. There just aren't enough boss characters, which begs the question? Where's Boom Boom?

Boom Boom has been dwelling in castles since Super Mario Bros. 3 and has been the mid-boss of choice for so many Mario games since the 2D revival almost ten years ago. So it's somewhat of a shock that he didn't make the Super Mario Maker cut. Tossing in new twists to a Boom Boom room would be really interesting and go a long way towards mixing up the increasingly-stale Bowser fights. This is especially true if players can choose from the standard boss and the fiend that sprouts wings and hovers around the room before swooping down.

Boom Boom is Mario's most memorable mid-tier fiend this side of Birdo, so why not let him haunt castles again? He'd certainly make for a nice change of pace.

Super Mario Maker could always use more foes, so who would you like to see added to the enemy list? Let us know in the comments.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?