With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie now in theaters for Easter weekend, the lingering questions that follow every video game movie of this era have less to do with where the story will go than which shiny new toy (character) will be presented next. As teased in the film’s advertising, Fox McCloud’s presence alone has spawned the question in every Nintendo fan’s mind after leaving the theater: Is a Smash Bros. movie in the future?

There’s no definitive answer yet, but all signs point to no. As much as the Star Fox cameo feels like an indicator on the surface, Illumination’s current model for crafting Nintendo’s theatrical animation isn’t built for that kind of movie. Consider the scene in the movie where Fox and Mario meet for the first time. Mario has been wanting to ask Peach out on a date, and onto the scene comes this cool pilot that might be a real catch for someone like Peach. The two briefly glare at each other. The stage is set for jealousy and a rivalry, some tension between the characters that they must overcome. And then it’s gone. The glare is wiped away by a smile, and the two are instant friends. There will be no Smash-style skirmish between the two. I hope you got a refund on those ringside seats.

This is the biggest problem with Illumination’s animated films in general. They’re not assembled in a way that lets their characters have arcs and development, acting more like vessels for slapstick. That might sound like a ringing endorsement for a Smash Bros. movie if the desire is only for mindless carnage between an onslaught of Nintendo characters. But Nintendo is far too precious with their beloved Mario property to ever place him in such a scenario. If Mario has absolutely no conflict with Fox, what hope is there to see him trade fists with Link or Samus? Those are heroes, after all, and there’s no room for morally conflicted characters, given how Bowser’s redemption is teased and tossed aside. Good guys are good guys and bad guys are bad guys, a status quo far too neat and tidy for a battle royale.

You don’t even need to take Shigeru Miyamoto’s word for it from an interview he had with Polygon. A Smash Bros. movie won’t be in the works unless Nintendo and Illumination are willing to take some dramatic swings with their characters like they haven’t before. And given how Mario has been a surefire box office juggernaut thus far, why rock this profitable boat? The future looks dim for that long-desired Nintendo action movie, where the most you can hope for is another Nintendo character to grace Mario’s next theatrical picture. And given how lacking Mario’s first two animated films have been in character, maybe it’s best to keep these character conflicts relegated to their console matches rather than a big-screen Machinima-style fight sequence.