#This is all assuming Bowser doesn't also want a good mother for Jr. but that's yet to be confirmed in the movie canon

[pianokantzart]

Why do you think (movie) Bowser is obsessed with Peach? Do you think he takes her personality into account but takes it too far, or do you think it's completely shallow? The imaginary Peaches that popped up during his song wore facial expressions that the real Peach would never wear, plus she seemed genuinely shocked when he proposed, so that makes me wonder how well they even know each other. I'm curious as to HOW they knew each other pre-movie, since they clearly did know each other well enough to have some judgements about one another.

Okay, so this is my take: The main things we know for sure is that Bowser and Peach have been sworn enemies for years, and that Peach's resentment toward Bowser only fuels the flames of his infatuation (pardon the pun).

Some additional details we can glean is that Peach leaves her kingdom pretty regularly judging by the ease with which she traverses surrounding lands and the casualness with which she bids her toads goodbye.

I theorize that Princess Peach has acted as kind of a proto-Mario in the past, traveling around to help various kingdoms combat Bowser's attempts at world domination. Unfortunately for her, her poise, resolve, and especially her beauty, seem to have caught the enemy's eye.

The fact that Bowser's army traveled all the way out to The Mushroom Kingdom for the sake of love rather than for the sake of revenge came as a surprise to everyone, but at the same time Bowser doesn't seem like the type to undergo journeys like that out of pure spite. He had an end-goal; a prize he wanted to claim which... in this instance... was Princess Peach herself.

I think while his "love" is shallow, the reasons behind it are multifaceted: Whatever Bowser wants, he takes. He won't accept no for an answer, and reacts to any sort of pushback with violence. At the same time, for all his power he's an extremely unhappy and lonely person. His minions may respect him and Kamek may worship the ground he walks on, but he can't form a bond with yes-men. Peach is both desirable on an aesthetic level and strong-willed enough that even if he was to force her into marriage, she's not going to just bow her head and fall in line like everyone else.

His ultimate dream is to eventually prove himself so cool, so great, so powerful, so indomitable, that she can't help but fall for him in return, earning him an equal companion, but unfortunately for him Princess Peach values inner strength and a strong sense of morality above any sort of wealth or power.