The Guinness Book of Records, reckons Bowser is the greatest boss of all time. VGI disagrees. VGI thinks he's rubbish.
From DailyBits: "The upcoming and still untitled Super Mario animated movie won't feature cameos by the actors voicing Peach, Toad, and Bowser in the games according to the actors themselves."
"Bowser and Donkey Kong are a couple of the most iconic game characters so let's explore their good and bad sides and see who's the ultimate Nintendo heavyweight champion of the world." - A.J. Maciejewski from Video Chums
He stands as the final thwart to the moustachioed plumber and also finds pleasure in kidnapping Princess Peach again and again.He would also never make it to the list of good guys from the Mario Kingdom. But deep down his heart, Bowser is a good father, who cares for his kids and the things they get most engaged with.
I think you are looking to deep into this. Yes, there are other characters that better match the criteria you have, but most of them have "died". Bower still "lives" decades after he is introduced.
A good Villain-or any character for that matter-is able to stand the tests of time.
Bowser has simple boss battles, has one goal in life, and he remains a "powerful" character to this day.
Most of the villains that better fir your criteria have been forgotten or are being constantly replaced in the mind s of the gamers.
You are looking at "greatest" villain from a different angle. At least in my opinion.
You are not wrong at all. Everything you stated in the article makes sense, but you are being too literal.
I wonder if Nintendo will ever make a game where you play as Bowser for a change. They've done it with Luigi and Wario so it must have been considered at some point.
I remember he was king koopa. I feel old.
I can't see how anyone would consider Bowser the greatest video game villain, at least looking at it in terms of a narrative.
His actions resemble Wile E Coyote's antics more than any genuinely threatening villains.