Every great video game franchise has someone who needs saving in some way shape or form. Whether it be a country under the threat of war, helpless civilizations being attacked, or just one princess in need of a rescue.
In the Super Mario world, that person more often than not is Princess Peach. She is normally at the heart of the story, and because of her importance to the franchise, Nintendo often sets up some horrible things to happen to her.
Whether it is by accident or design, Peach has certainly been put through the wringer during her time in the franchise. So, within this article, we will take a look at the ten worst things to happen to her so far.
10 Always The Damsel, Never The Hero
As will become crystal clear throughout this list, it is very rare that there's a Super Mario video game where Princess Peach doesn't need rescuing in some way. Whether it be by Mario himself or Luigi, she is constantly the damsel in distress.
It's a frequent issue that goes through the franchise and is a trope of Mario's games in general. While she may now simply be used to it, there's no doubt it would be nice to see Peach as the hero, just once.
Instead of constantly being the victim, Nintendo could make Peach the hero of a game. However, for now, she is stuck being the victim throughout the games.
9 Responsibilities
While most of the characters in the Super Mario franchise don't seem to have much responsibility, outside of finding Peach, the princess is different. She is in charge of the entire Mushroom Kingdom after all.
Peach is expected to look after everyone who inhabits the Mushroom Kingdom from any threats. That isn't just Bowser either, it is nearby Kingdom's as well, which is a lot of pressure for one person.
While it isn't a terrible thing to happen to her, after all, it allows her to be a princess and have a castle. The fact is that the responsibilities that come with it aren't great.
8 Adult Parodies
Because Princess Peach has become such a well-known character, she has popped up outside of the video game world as well. Most of the time, that is in a positive light, as she's a beloved character, but that's not always the case.
The adult movie industry often parodies different pop culture topics, from Disney to Family Guy, and the Super Mario characters are no exception to that.
Nintendo actually bought the rights to Super Hornio Brothers and Super Hornio Brothers II in order to stop them from getting out to distribution.
7 Supermassive Blackhole
Back to video game problems now, and this time Super Mario Galaxy. This is one of the greatest Mario video games, but as usual, Princess Peach was stuck going through some terrible situations.
However, even after you have battled through the various worlds in this tremendous video game, things still don't work out. The supernova at the end created a black hole, which they get sucked into.
While they do manage to eventually escape, it is yet another example of something that Peach has to endure. At least Mario suffers this fate with her though, it's about time!
6 Holiday Ruined
Poor Princess Peach, all she wants to do is go away on vacation once in a while. There are several examples throughout Super Mario's history where she has attempted to get away to relax, only for that plan to be ruined.
Super Mario Sunshine is a great example, but once again Bowser proves to be a menace and ruins things for her. It seems that in the Mushroom Kingdom, there is no time for relaxing, and Peach must never be allowed a break, not even for one game.
5 Losing Color
Another terrible thing that happens to Princess Peach is on Paper Mario: Color Splash, where many different characters and areas of the Mario world lose their colors, leaving Mario to go and sort it out.
Of course, one of the characters who lose their color just had to be Princess Peach. It was never in doubt that Peach would be one of the people who lost their color, as soon as the plot was explained.
Nintendo just loves screwing with the popular character, and once again in this game that's exactly what happened.
4 Being Betrayed
While this is just Mario being a nice guy, it is quite easy to see that Princess Peach would hate the fact that he goes to save Daisy. The moment takes place in Super Mario Land on the Gameboy, as he doesn't put a focus on Peach for a change.
While that could be seen as a nice moment to give her a break, the fact he saves another princess instead could easily be seen as a poor move. Mario is very likely just being a true hero, it isn't the nicest thing to happen to Peach.
3 Constantly Being Captured
The most obvious situation that Princess Peach has to endure is the fact that she is constantly being kidnapped. You would think that she'd be used to this situation by now, but even still it must be annoying.
Whether she's just trying to enjoy a lazy day, or she is attempting to hang out with Mario, Bowser is always just around the corner.
This is a constant situation in almost every single Super Mario video game, to the point where it's expected before you even start to play the game.
2 Possessed Peach
A lot of bad things take place to Princess Peach throughout the Super Mario games, and one of those is how often she is possessed. This is something that happens many times in various different games.
This normally happens as a way to hurt Mario, or whoever is trying to save her. Seeing Peach as an evil character is always a strange sight, but it does always end up being turned around.
1 Marriage
As if being kidnapped consistently by Bowser isn't a big enough problem, there are several instances where they actually end up becoming an item. Paper Mario is one example, where the odd duo ends up married!
Getting stuck in a situation she cannot get out of, Princess Peach is forced to marry someone who she clearly hates.