The Bowser and King Boo Theory

This is a theory that seems to talk about Bowser and King Boo from the "Mario" series.

Bowser is a crazy villain. Some of his deaths at the end of Mario games are pretty brutal. An example is in Super Mario Galaxy 1, when he falls into a star and has to go through an exploding planet that turns into a black hole with him on it.

King Boo's role in the Mario series at first glance doesn't seem to be anything significant. He only appears in few Mario games and, aside from the Luigi's Mansion series, his role in the games he does appear in is minor.

You may think that Bowser and King Boo have nothing related to each other. However, they both play a major role together in the Mario series which keeps the series alive. While this is never explained directly, there are a few games in the Mario series which give hints about the truth of Bowser and King Boo.

Super Mario World
Super Mario World is the first game in the Mario series in which hints about the theory are included. While it is small, it is important, especially for King Boo.

King Boo was really around as early as the Super Mario Bros. 3 days in which Boos first appeared. King Boo was around in this time, too, he just never appeared in-game. While Super Mario Bros. 3 doesn't include hints to the theory, Super Mario World does.

Have you realized how occasionally there were these "Ghost House" levels in Super Mario World? These houses are where Boos lived, and they didn't want anybody bothering them. Then came Mario, who randomly ran into the house, disrupting and sometimes killing the Boos. This happened numerous times in most Ghost House levels. The Boos knew they had to stop this, so they reported to King Boo and told him that Mario has been "disruptive" to them and he needs to be stopped. King Boo was furious about this, especially when he was told that Mario was killing Boos occasionally, so then he started to track him down.

This started the Boo's and King Boo's hatred toward Mario that continues to today.

Paper Mario
Paper Mario is the second game in the Mario series that provides hints about the theory. This game is very important to the theory, especially for Bowser. While the main attention in this game goes to Bowser, King Boo deserves to be noticed as well. Between Super Mario World and Paper Mario, Mario continued to be disruptive to Boos, especially in Yoshi Games. While he hasn't been as disruptive, it was still enough to continue King Boo's hatred toward Mario.

In Paper Mario, though, Mario actually allied with the Boos in World 3. While you may think this would change King Boo's mood about Mario, if you think more into it, you'll see that what Mario did wasn't nearly enough to make up for what he did in Super Mario World. First, Mario only allied with one Ghost House, compared to the several he disrupted in Super Mario World. Second, Mario was kinda forced to help the Boos, because they wouldn't give him the Star Spirit until he helped solve their problem. All in all, what Mario did in Paper Mario wasn't enough to stop King Boo's hatred toward him.

Bowser played a much bigger and interesting role to the theory in Paper Mario. The end of the game is where it gets interesting.

This starts in the scene where Bowser and Kammy Koopa are on a platform about to explode. Mario is on it, too, but he escapes due to the help of the stars. Bowser, though... the explosion of the platform is heard, explosions re seen, and Bowser is not seen anywhere escaping. Note that the platform is also thousands of feet in the sky, if not more. While Bowser's deaths before this game were a little understandable on how he survived, (Maybe he can swim in lava and only got injured on his falls.) there is no explanation on how Bowser can survive being on a exploding platform thousands of feet in the sky. The explosion or least the fall should of killed him. In fact, proof about Bowser's death may be hinted in-game. At the very end of the game when you must walk to Peach's Castle to trigger the ending scene, go the center part in town.

In front of Merlin's house should be a sign, which is called the: Toad Town News. After mentioning about how Mario defeated Bowser and how Peach and her castle are safe, it also mentions this:

Bowser was badly beaten and will likely never return.

''We're sure of it. ''

Almost positive.

The sign clearly states how Bowser was beaten badly, which is true. Being on an exploding platform thousands of feet in the sky is literally a death sentence, even for someone as tough as Bowser. The sign also states on how Bowser won't return. This is also true. There is no way Bowser can return if he is beaten up so badly that he is likely dead.

But wait, if Bowser is "dead," then why is he still alive as the main villain in the Mario series today? This is because the theory still expands to the Mario game after Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion.

Luigi's Mansion
Luigi's Mansion is perhaps the most important game to this theory. Both King Boo and Bowser play equally important roles in this game. This game is why the Mario Series still has Bowser as the main villain today. While this is never told, it is hinted. The hints are actually shown right in front of you. Its just that its hard for one to connect all of them together. Fortunately, I was able to.

You all know what happens at the start of the game. Luigi goes to a mansion that he "won in a contest" only to find out that it is much darker than he was shown in a provided picture. He also doesn't know where Mario is, who went in the mansion before him. Luigi meets Professor E. Gadd, who gives him the Poltergust 3000. This is the first game where King Boo is seen in-game. He first appears after Luigi opens a trapdoor and a bunch of Boos and King Boo fly out of it.

About mid-way through the game, you see King Boo in a fancy room with Mario inside a painting, struggling to get out. This is the first sign that King Boo is up to something evil.

But, soon after, one of the biggest hints about this theory is told. In Area 3, do you remember the "Fortune Telling Ghost?" Also known as "Madame Clairvoya." You know, the kind ghost who tells Luigi to bring Mario's dropped objects so she can see what happened to Mario? Well, she says something very important.

Once you give her the last object, after she says to the orb to show them all it can about Mario, she will say this:

Wh-what is this!?

Bowser?!

''How can this be?! I see the hideous form of Bowser!'' ''Is Bowser somewhere in this mansion? I cannot believe it...''

And yet I see it... I though that Mario had soundly defeated Bowser!

''Has King Boo somehow revived Bowser? This could be horrible! Well, for you.''

The Fortune Telling Ghost mentions important things. She confirms that Bowser still exists, but she doesn't understand why considering Mario soundly defeated Bowser. Remember that Paper Mario was the Mario game before Luigi's Mansion and how the Toad Town News sign in Paper Mario also thought that Bowser wouldn't return. Also remember Bowser's brutal defeat at the end of Paper Mario. See a connection here?

Also note the part when she mentions how King Boo could of revived Bowser. This will be important later on.

The next hint and connection occurs when Luigi opens the door to King Boo's room. Before the battle begins, King Boo does some talking about Mario's painting. He does, however, mention a connection:

I remember how much trouble you've (Mario) caused me in the past.

This doesn't make sense at first, considering this is King Boo's first appearance in the Mario series, but remember what I said earlier about how Mario kept on going into Ghost Houses in Super Mario World? That and other rude interactions with Boos is what King Boo meant by the "trouble."

After some talking, King Boo somehow makes the room do a 360 and make the Mario painting turn into a Bowser painting. King Boo then goes into the Bowser painting and sucks Luigi in. Then you will fight the final boss on the roof of the mansion; Bowser with King Boo inside of it.

Remember, connections. Remember how the Fortune Telling Ghost mentioned on how King Boo could of somehow revived Bowser? All in all, King Boo wanted to get revenge on Mario for the trouble he did with other Boos by luring him into a mansion filled with ghosts and reviving his now dead arch-enemy; Bowser.

After Luigi's Mansion
The connections don't stop after Luigi's Mansion. If you pay attention, you will see that Bowser's deaths after Luigi's Mansions are more violent and extreme then before; especially in the more recent games.

For example, as mentioned before, in Super Mario Galaxy 1 (Released in 2007.) Bowser fell into a star. This should surely burn him to death, even if he can swim in lava the gravity should flatten him. Yet he appears later on a planet that is getting destroyed. The planet then explodes and turns into a black hole with Bowser on it.

It may seem like there is no way Bowser can survive that and other brutal deaths in recent Mario games. However, there is way one to explain this.

Just recently I explained on how King Boo revived Bowser. Well, he didn't get completely destroyed in Luigi's Mansion. Why? He is a ghost, and as you all know, because ghosts are already dead they can't die. What King Boo did instead, though, is give Bowser some help. He took over his body to keep him alive, hoping that he can find a way to get revenge on Mario.

You know how ghosts come for revenge and forever haunt you. This is what is happening to Mario. King Boo is taking over Bowser to keep him alive. Since ghosts can't die, King Boo is thinking of even more evil plans then before. This explains why Bowser's plans recently are normally more extreme than just capturing Peach.

This is also why Bowser keeps coming back, no matter how brutal his defeat is. Since he is controlled by King Boo he won't die as he is now part ghost.

After Luigi's Mansion, King Boo only appeared in Mario spin-off games such as Mario Party and Mario Kart. While he does also make appearances in Super Mario Sunshine and Super Princess Peach, this could be because either King Boo left Bowser's body to destroy Mario by himself or the fact that the King Boo in those games is just a replacement while the real King Boo is gone. The King Boo in those games look nothing like the King Boo in Luigi's Mansion anyway.



Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon
In Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon, King Boo escapes from Bowser's body as he realizes that Luigi is again capturing ghosts. (Bowser doesn't make an appearance in that game, which also is a connection.)

He decides to attempt to destroy Luigi again; this time in his real ghost form without Bowser's body. Despite his best efforts, Luigi again spoiled King Boo's plans to take over the Mushroom Kingdom in his ghost form.

King Boo of course doesn't really die. He just returns to Bowser's body and think of his next plan to get revenge on the Mario Bros.

The Theory
Before Luigi's Mansion','' Bowser is really Bowser himself. He wants to capture Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he fails, and instead gets hurt from falling into pits and swimming in lava. In Paper Mario, though, after his plan failed, Bowser once and for all is destroyed as he goes through an explosion on a platform thousands of feet in the sky. It appeared like the Mushroom Kingdom and Peach will be safe once and for all.'''

However, King Boo had different plans. King Boo had a hatred toward Mario for all the trouble he had caused with his Boos in games such as Super Mario World. He wanted revenge on Mario. King Boo found the chance when he found out about Bowser's death. He decided to capture Mario for himself and revive Bowser to take over the Mushroom Kingdom for himself and get his revenge on Mario.

Luigi, though, saved the day as he destroyed King Boo and his revived Bowser and saved Mario. However, as you all know, ghosts don't die. King Boo took over Bowser's body and controlled him. He continued with Bowser's plans. Bowser's plans after Luigi's Mansion are more evil than before because of this. Also, because Bowser is now controlled by King Boo, a ghost that is already dead anyway, Bowser keeps on coming back for more, no matter how brutal his death is. King Boo a few times does leave Bowser's body to destroy the Mario Bros in his real form, but the Mario Bros. are too much for him, as his plans keep getting spoiled by them.

All in all, King Boo is currently really controlling Bowser's body. He is seeking revenge on the Mario Bros. for the trouble they caused in the past with other Boos.

This is continuing to this day. King Boo is thinking of his next plan to get rid of the Mario Bros. and take over the Mushroom Kingdom once and for all.