So what are people's thoughts on Dixie potentially being this supposed bonus character? If this rumor of a new DK game were to be true, combined with the planned DK area for the Super Nintendo World amusement park it seems like she could be a logical choice. I also seem to recall seeing something about Nintendo wanting to bring DK back into the spotlight and try and make it one of their pillar series, but I'd have to look to see if I can find a source for that.
On another note, have we discussed the possibility of a Monster Hunter Stories character in Smash? I seem to recall people talking about the creators of Monster Hunter not liking the Monster Hunter avatar character being playable in Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. But perhaps that wouldn't be a problem for a Stories character?
Smash aside, we have to see how EPD even opts to treat the DK series. They've never been gung-ho on stuff they didn't create, with exceptions being scant and usually relegated to spin-offs like Diddy and Waluigi. And most of the DK series as we know it stems from Rare.
That said, they seem a bit more willing to acknowledge external influences than they used to be, if all the nods in Odyssey are anything to go by. And this would be the same team. So who knows. As it is now, it's not like Dixie's problem was a lack of appearances in main titles - I mean she was prominently featured in the last one.
As for Monster Hunter, I think the stories protag (Lute? I think) would make for a very interesting character considering he could ride around on the little Rathalos, but I think the fact that those games are spin-offs would be detrimental for their chances. Plus, within Ultimate, it seems like Monster Hunter has very much shot its shot at this point.