However, Elranzer makes a strong argument for why this is not the case. The original fan theory, which was based on Donkey Kong's lineage in the Donkey Kong Country titles, would lead fans to believe that Super Mario is the son of the Jumpman. This timeline has the added bonus of explaining why the modern DK, who appeared as an infant in Donkey Kong Jr, appears to be roughly the same age as Mario. Because of how gorillas age compare to humans, Cranky, who is around 35 years old, would appear much older while Mario, who is is around 25 years old by the time of Super Mario Bros, would still look roughly the same. Cranky Kong, who was considered a young adult gorilla in Donkey Kong (1981), has the appearance of an elderly man by the time of Donkey Kong Country. Reddit user Elranzer debunked the fan theory regarding Mario's lineage by looking at the real-world lifespan of gorillas.
Related: Every Mario Kart Game Ranked, According to Critics However, a new Reddit take on the theory effectively disproves the idea of Jumpman being Mario's dad - and it's all based on the lifespan of gorillas. Cranky Kong himself confirms that he is the Donkey Kong that fought against Jumpman in the '80s in Donkey Kong Country, with the tie-wearing Donkey Kong fans are familiar with today being Cranky Kong's son.
During the intro to Donkey Kong Country, we meet an old ape named Cranky Kong who stands atop some old steel beams that mimic the ones found in the original Donkey Kong game. It doesn't have a lot of merit given Nintendo's usage of Mario over the years, but fans still hold to the theory.įans have supported the theory because the Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong (1981) is canonically confirmed to be Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Country.
Rather, he's Super Mario's father, a completely unique character. The theory, which has circulated the Internet for years, says that Jumpman, the player character of the arcade classic Donkey Kong, is not Super Mario as Nintendo has said for years. There's been a long-standing theory that not everyone in Mario is who they say they are.