Bowser

Image used is from Kade's Instagram

> I hope she looks at me and sees more than just a beast.
>
> -Bowser

**Bowser** is a main character in the Mario Lore series and the current reigning monarch of the Koopa Kingdom. He is based on Bowser from the Mario franchise.

**Backstory**

Bowser was born 13 years after his brother, Boo, as a prince of the Mushroom Kingdom, second in line for the throne. He is an illegitimate child, conceived between a Koopa diplomat and his mother, the queen, who was Human. His status as a bastard covered up by the king and queen, and later his brother, to avoid scandal. Instead, it was claimed that he had been cursed to share features with the Koopa. Queen Morel showered Bowser in love and affection. The king seems to mostly ignore Bowser.

His parents passed away when he was still very young, and his brother, 18 at the time of their death, took the throne. Boo seemed rather protective of his brother when they were younger, though at some point the relationship between the two seemed to have grown more distant.

Bowser dealt with self-loathing and anger issues most of his life, likely to the fear and scorn he received because of his Koopa traits,

**Role in the Mario Lore series**

At the beginning of the main story, Bowser is the prince of the Mushroom Kingdom and younger brother to King Boo. He met the beautiful and charming Princess Peach at a ball, and was smitten with her ever since. The two were arranged to be married. Bowser knew she didn’t love him yet and it was a political marriage, but hoped she’d grow to love him.

Though Peach did grow to love him back, their relationship quickly became toxic due to both Bowser's insecurities and anger issues as well as Peach's manipulative nature. Bowser refuses to go to social events with Peach or get to know her friends. Peach starts attending parties alone.

Things quickly took a turn for the worse when Bowser discovers that Peach and his brother have been having an affair. He was furious when he found out, and Peach quickly shifted the blame, saying Boo led her on and manipulated her, and also blaming Bowser for not protecting her from his brother. This seemed to work, as Bowser apologized to her, and when Bowser confronted Boo about the affair, it's implied Bowser got into a physical altercation with him.

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Some time after the affair was discovered, Boo revealed his plans to reclaim Koopa territory. Prior to Boo’s reign, the Koopas signed away part of their territory is a treaty. They later protest this agreement, causing ongoing conflict over the area.

Bowser's protests that this would result in the deaths of many Koopas because they won’t surrender. He confided in Peach that he knew his brother needed to be stopped to prevent this from happening, and she encouraged him to get rid of the king, saying he would make a far better one anyway. He initially refused outright, saying he could never kill his brother, but he later came up with a plan to give him a quick and entirely painless death via a special poison obtained from the Shy Guy organization.

Despite being the one to come up with the idea to kill Boo and purchasing the poison to do so, Bowser changed his mind about it repeatedly. He was utterly torn between wanting to prevent the atrocities his brother planned to commit and convincing himself that he could simply talk to him and convince him not carry out his plans. After it seemed he had finally resigned to carry out the murder, Bowser backed out and disposed of the poison at the last minute, infuriating Peach. Unbeknownst to him, however, Peach kept a small vial of the poison with her because she knew he would call off the plan, and proceeded to slip it into Boo's drink while meeting with him- though this was not enough to kill him and she ended up having to finish him off by strangling him.

Regardless of his complicated relationship with his brother, Bowser was deeply affected by his death, racked with guilt and considering the murder just as much his own fault as it was Peach's. Not long after they acsended to the throne, the investigation to discover Boo's killer became centered on Bowser and Peach. Due to his Koopa blood and the "curse" that was said to cause it making others distrustful of him, Toadette spreading rumors he was the one to commit the murder to protect Peach, and his difficulty hiding his involvement during questioning, Bowser was widely thought to have murdered his brother for the throne. Eventually, consumed with guilt and resigned to his fate, Bowser "confessed", saying Boo's death was his fault. Peach, now the sole ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, declared that his punishment would be banishment.

Upon his banishment, he was asked where he would like to go, and requested to be taken to Koopa territory despite being warned of the dangers. When he arrived, he was shocked to find that he fit the description of a prophesized king of the Koopas who would be "born of the enemy" and slay the tyrant who was plotting to kill them and steal their land. He was named King Koopa, and worshipped by his new subjects, uniting them all beneath his banner. Despite taking some level of satisfaction in feeling accepted for the first time in his life, he secretly struggled with the fact that the Koopas adored him only because of a murder he did not actually commit and put him on a pedestal that made them blind to his flaws. This led to him growing cold towards his subjects over time.

After his banishment and ascension to the throne of the Koopa Kingdom, Mario and Luigi offer their services as hired muscle to assist him in reclaiming the Mushroom Kingdom. He refuses, having the Koopas turn their weapons on the mercenaries.

Despite all they had been through, Bowser found himself missing his wife deeply after becoming King Koopa, and he began to write letters to her. She returned his sentiment, and the two exchanged letters for some time, with Peach assuring him that she would come to see him in person when she was able to. She made good on her promise, coming to stay with him for a few nights in his new castle. Knowing that Peach was attracted to power more than anything else, Bowser made a show of his new position and the power than came of it, proposing that she stay with him and they unite their kingdoms so they can rule together as king and queen.

Like his ex-wife, Bowser was tormented by the vengeful spirit of his brother, who also blamed him for his death. However, unlike with Peach, Bowser initially dismissed the spirit as a figment of his imagination, a manifestation of his own guilt. His initial thought that Boo's ghost was just in his head is proved to be false; the spirit was the one to inform him that Peach had claimed he kidnapped her after being spotted in his territory. When he heard of this, he was understandably furious, confronting Peach about her lies, and their newly rejuvinated relationship crumbled once again. After this, he grows tired of dealing with his brother's vengeful spirit and reaches out to Luigi, an exorcist, for assistance- however, it's currently unknown how Luigi responded to this.

At some point after finding out she was claiming he had kidnapped her, Bowser confronted Peach on Mushroom Kingdom territory. In response, Peach hired Mario to threaten Bowser into leaving her alone. Mario, however, misinterpreted her request as being hired to kill Bowser, but it is currently unknown how this played out other than that he was unsuccessful in killing him. Mario and Bowser seem to eventually form a rivalry, with Mario wanting to kill him and portraying him as a villain despite knowing he did not actually kidnap Peach. It is likely Bowser's rivalry with Mario began because of what transpired between them after Peach hired him, and the fact that Mario develops feelings for Peach after he begins working for her.

**Gallery**