Certainly, the Nintendo executives anticipated Super Mario Bros. would be profitable, but I doubt anyone expected this. The film zoomed to over $1 billion in box office sales, and now that it’s hit streaming, the money will continue to roll in.
With profits like that, it’s easy to see why those same Nintendo execs are keen on bringing more of their intellectual properties to life, and these three should be at the top of their lists. At the same time, collectors and investors should be on the lookout for those all-important first appearances.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda #1
Is there any debate on which intellectual property fans want from Nintendo? As soon as the Super Mario Bros. flick was announced, fans immediately wondered when Link would make his way onto the silver screen.
Being one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises, it stands to reason that The Legend of Zelda would be one of the most likely properties to get the live-action treatment. In fact, Link and the gang made their first comic book appearance way back in 1990 under the Valiant banner.
METROID
First Appearance: Captain N: The Game Master #1
This would make for an excellent live-action movie. Samus Aran is a bounty hunter who fights off various foes looking to use the Metroid creatures for their personal gain. The video game series has become the stuff of legend, and it would make for a great sci-fi action film.
The first time readers saw Samus in a comic was in 1990’s Captain N: The Game Master. This was tied to the syndicated cartoon series of the same name. It followed teenager Kevin Keene and his dog, Duke, as they are swept into Videogameland, where the classic eight-bit NES games came to life. It just so happens that he encountered Samus during his first adventure.
PUNCH OUT!
Can’t you hear the music in your head just reading that name? First introduced as an arcade game, Nintendo later branded the game as Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. Players took on the role of Little Mac as he fought some of the zaniest (and sometimes a tad on the stereotypically racist side) cartoon boxers ever created.
At the end, you had to take on “Iron” Mike, though he was later replaced as “Mr. Dream” when the license agreement with the boxing legend expired. The game itself is both amazingly fun and hilarious. No doubt, Punch Out could translate to the screen for either a great animated or live-action comedy. As far as I am aware, Little Mac hasn’t appeared in a comic book, but it’s still worthy of noting in today’s post.
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
Now that Nintendo has struck gold in Hollywood, there’s so much more for them to explore. The gaming giant has so many franchises it can adapt for the movie screen. I’m wondering if we’ll eventually see a shared universe between the Nintendo properties.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
