10 Divisive Video Game Characters You're COMPLETELY Wrong About
5. Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong
It might come as a surprise to some, but the rivalry between Donkey Kong and Mario (or Jumpman, if you want to be more accurate) is actually older than that between Mario and Bowser. The big ape is technically the original villain of the Mario universe, which is pretty messed up considering he's not a villain in his own story.
Though anyone who's played Donkey Kong would have a huge gripe against its titular antagonist for throwing copious amounts of barrels at them and always escaping with Pauline at the last second, in truth, Donkey Kong is actually the victim here.
According to the official Nintendo descriptions of the game, the reason why Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline and lashes out at Mario is because Mario kept him in a cage and abused him. What you see in the game is simply the moment when Donkey Kong manages to escape from his owner and takes revenge.
The sequels to Donkey Kong further confirm this by showing Mario as the abusive owner of an entire circus of animals! So yes, every time Donkey Kong knocks you out with a barrel, it's absolutely well deserved!