10 Deceptively Innocent Games With Incredibly Dark Lore
2. Mario The Poacher - Donkey Kong
When you think of the original Donkey Kong for the arcade, you picture Donkey Kong as the angry evil ape and Mario as the hero who saves the day. However, according to interviews with Miyamoto, the truth behind their in-game feud is actually not so black and white.
The legendary Nintendo producer admitted that the reason Donkey Kong kidnapped Mario's girlfriend was actually because Mario was keeping him locked up in a cage. The poor ape was simply seeking revenge after the seemingly heroic plumber took him from his natural habitat and stuffed him into a tiny metal box.
But whatever, right? Maybe Donkey Kong deserved to be imprisoned... somehow.
Except in Donkey Kong Jr., the sequel in which the titular son needs to rescue his dad from Mario's evil clutches, it's revealed that Mario is actually running a circus, and he uses the animals he imprisons to do his bidding.
Mario's appearance in Donkey Kong Jr. is the only instance of the character being portrayed as a villain. However, given how the game exposes him as a poacher and an animal abuser, it leaves quite an impression.