Ever since Bowser first menaced Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom back in 1985's Super Mario Bros., King Koopa has often resorted to kidnapping Princess Peach Toadstool as part of his longstanding plot to seize power. Super Mario Sunshine built upon this connection by having Bowser's son, Bowser Jr., confuse Peach for his mother and kidnap the princess himself as Mario battled the Koopas across Isle Delfino.
While Bowser Jr. appeared before -- either as a younger iteration of Bowser himself in 1995's Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the Super Nintendo or as a pint-sized army of minions serving Bowser in 1998's Mario Party for the Nintendo 64 -- Sunshine marked Bowser Jr.'s introduction as Bowser's son. Disguising himself as a shadowy vision of Mario, Bowser Jr. frames the hero for polluting Isle Delfino and damaging its natural ecosystem before kidnapping Peach and leaving Mario to literally clean up his mess. However, the big source of confusion among gamers is Peach's reaction when Bowser Jr. reveals to her that she is his mother.
Peach Is Not Surprised When She's Accused of Being Bowser Jr's Mom
Upon being confronted with the accusation that she is Bowser Jr.'s mother, Peach reacts not with outright denial but instead surprise that she has actually met Bowser's son. Some gamers interpreted this as Peach accepting the possibility that she was, in fact, Bowser Jr.'s mother instead of vehemently denying she had ever copulated with the fiery snapping turtle across their antagonistic history. Additional theories have surfaced that Bowser's longstanding interest in Peach stems from his efforts to reunite his family and raise their child together.
However, Sunshine's ending cinematic debunks this once and for all. After Bowser and his son have been defeated by Mario, who clears his name and rescues Peach once again, Bowser confirms that Peach is not actually Bowser Jr.'s mother as he had been led to believe. Bowser Jr. admits that he knew this all along, tacitly hinting that he just wanted a maternal figure in his life and to impress his father but pulling one over on his longtime mortal enemy.
Bowser Jr's Parentage Is Still Unclear
Since then, Bowser Jr. has almost always been at his father's side, continuing to target Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom. One notable exception is in 2021's Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury, which saw Mario and Bowser Jr. temporarily join forces to restore Bowser after he was accidentally corrupted by his son's magical paintbrush from Super Mario Sunshine.
The true parentage of Bowser Jr. -- and the eight other Koopa Kids introduced in 1998's Super Mario Bros. 3 -- remains a mystery that Super Mario fans have been debating for years. While Peach is certainly not Bowser Jr.'s mother, her strange reaction to the initial accusation has been picked apart by gamers for nearly 20 years. While it's probably safe to say Bowser and Peach have kept their dynamic strictly and consensually non-sexual, Princess Toadstool's reaction to meeting Bowser Jr. has raised eyebrows. In the meantime, perhaps gamers will one day see the mother of Bowser's children and answer a mystery that has been lingering for decades.