The premiere of the Super Mario Bros movie was one of the most anticipated of 2023, and Bowser was one of the favorite characters. Video game lovers were delighted with the film directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. But not everything was satisfying, as users seek to cancel Bowser, and not for being the villain of the movie, but for being a harasser and misogynist.
Toxic and Misogynist: Bowser from Super Mario Bros
Bowser, the villain of the story, wants nothing more than to marry Princess Peach, but seeing that he is rejected, he threatens to destroy the kingdom where they live. He begins to have violent, obsessive behaviors and tries to force the princess to do what he wants, and if this is not enough to be considered misogyny… a red flag!
Internet users claim that Bowser promotes harassment because of his uncontrollable desire to marry Princess Peach. The character does not take ‘no’ for an answer, much like what has been experienced with men for a long time.
Jack Black’s performance as Bowser was one of the most beloved, but delving into the psychology of his character, it was not well received. Critics of the seventh art pointed out that, although the film tried to break the stereotype of “the princess in trouble” with Peach, it did not do so with the toxicity of Bowser, as they consider that it would be sending negative messages to younger audiences.
Despite the Misogyny, Many Empathized with the Character
This is a strange phenomenon that has generated empathy with the character, despite the toxicity and misogyny; however, it is not the first time we see this in a movie or TV series. The reality is that for decades this toxic behavior has been normalized in the “name of love.” But no, it’s not love, it’s harassment, violence, misogyny, and toxicity. Clear examples are Ross from Friends, Ted from How I Met Your Mother, Joe Goldberg from You, and Tom from 500 Days With Her, to name a few.
Even though they show, in this case, Bowser as a toxic tyrant to show what is wrong with male behavior, he has won the affection of many. But this is because it’s a completely normalized situation that forces them to think it’s okay. After all, men have grown up with the false idea that everything belongs to them just by wishing for it.
“Nice” guys are seen as incapable of doing bad things, but they are not, they can be just as misogynistic as everyone else. Didn’t you wonder why you empathized so much with Bowser? Keep an eye on that, it’s an urgent red flag.
Story written in Spanish by Kate Nateras in Cultura Colectiva
