While it’s usually said that a hero is only as good as their villains, a more accurate statement may be that a hero is only as good as the people who raised them. Given the wide variety of traumatic comic book origins that exist in the DC Universe and its animated adaptations, that isn’t always a job for the parents some heroes are born with.
But similar genetics isn’t always a requirement to becoming a positive parental unit, and some heroes have been forced to overcome bad mentors while others find new parental figures that aid them in their quest. Look back on the various parents from DC’s huge animated universe to find some of the best and worst parental figures fans have ever seen.
10 Anton Arcane From The Swamp Thing Animated Series Is Easily One Of The Worst Examples Of Parenthood
1991 saw the release of the short-lived Swamp Thing animated series which followed in the footsteps of the live-action TV show and movies while also tying in with a Kenner action figure line. The main villain for the series was the evil scientist Anton Arcane who was worked into Alec Gillis’ origins and transformation into Swamp Thing.
Arcane serves as one of the worst examples of an animated parental unit as he is the step-father to Swamp Thing’s closest friend and love interest Abigail Arcane Arcane, but the series wasn’t given much of a chance to explore their relationship.
9 Sy Borgman Has Become Something Of A Father Figure To Harley Quinn And Her Gang Of Criminals
The Harley Quinn animated series saw the titular villain form her own team of supervillains, which saw them renting out a new headquarters from the curmudgeonly old landlord, Sy Borgman. The character was ripped straight from the comics and developed a somewhat fatherly relationship with Harley Quinn.
Borgman is a former special agent who had his missing limbs replaced with usually malfunctioning cybernetics, and his relationship with Harley Quinn and her team is usually played for laughs though he occasionally drops positive nuggets of wisdom to Harley and her team.
8 Jor-El And Lara Didn’t Get Much Time With Their Son, But Sacrificed Everything So He Would Live
One of the most well-known parenting duos in the animated DC universe isn’t even the most present, as Jor-El and Lara from Superman: The Animated Series only appeared briefly during the origin of Kal-El/Superman.
Faced with the looming destruction of the planet Krypton, Jor-El and Lara were forced to make an impossible decision. They sacrificed their lives to send their newborn son Kal-El to Earth in a rocket in order to save him just before the planet exploded, showcasing the incredible love they had for their child.
7 Martian Manhunter Provided For His Niece Miss Martian And Pushed Her Towards Accepting Herself
DC introduced a new modernized take on popular sidekicks in the fan-favorite Young Justice animated series, which followed the teen heroes as they formed their own team to take on missions for their mentors in the Justice League.
Martian Manhunter introduced his niece Miss Martian to the team in the first season where she was masquerading as a Green Martian instead of revealing her true White Martian self. While he admitted to not knowing much about her before she came to Earth, it was clear he supported her and wanted her to be true to herself and honest with her teammates.
6 Batman Has Raised A Family Of Crime-Fighters, Though His Trauma Has Made Him Emotionally Distant
There have been quite a few different animated series starring Batman over the years, and a couple of them have featured his drive to build a family of crime-fighters around himself. Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman each showcased the creation of his Bat-Family with the introduction of characters like Robin and Batgirl.
Despite his love and dedication to training his young charges, Batman is still a distant father figure whose trauma from the loss of his parents can sometimes make it difficult for his adopted children to connect with him.
5 Aquaman & Mera Are Rulers Of Atlantis Who Have Nurtured A Few Different Heroes And Their Own Baby
Young Justice has further explored the relationship between the rules of Atlantis and the various young heroes they have taken under their wing over the years. Aquaman and Mera have developed close relationships with Kaldur’ahm/Aqualad as well as Atlanteans like Garth/Tempest, Tula/Aquagirl and Lagoon Boy.
They also were shown as loving and doting parents towards their own child, and even retired from superheroics and passed on the title of Aquaman to his protégé while he focused on raising his family and governing his kingdom.
4 Commissioner James Gordon Worked Hard To Clean Up Gotham City So His Daughter Would Be Safe
Gotham City doesn’t only have one protector, as Commissioner James Gordon fights hard every day to clean up his city and keep it safe for his daughter Barbara Gordon. Their relationship has been explored on TV in series like Harley Quinn, The Batman and Batman: The Animated Series, all of which has his daughter following in both his and Batman’s footsteps as Batgirl.
Gordon is often shown as a single father who did his best to provide for his daughter and guide her towards a safe career, even though she ultimately became a crime-fighter to honor her father’s own drive to protect the innocent.
3 Alfred Pennyworth And Leslie Thompkins Helped Raise Bruce Wayne Individually After His Parents Were Killed
After the brutal murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents left the young boy alone, he was raised by the family’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred became not just a father figure to young Bruce, but also the various young heroes that made their way into the Batcave over the years.
However, he wasn’t the only positive influence throughout Bruce Wayne’s developmental years that also shared the secret of his night-time activities as Batman. Doctor Leslie Thompkins appeared a few times on Batman: The Animated Series, which highlighted the close relationship that formed between her and Batman that continued to drive him to help the good people in Gotham City.
2 Robert Hawkins Was A Single Father On Static Shock Who Cared Greatly For His Son And His Community
Milestone’s young hero Virgil Hawkins/Static appeared in his own fan-favorite animated series called Static Shock that existed as part of the DC Animated Universe and introduced a tight-knit family unit held together by single father Robert Hawkins.
The animated version of the character differed quite a bit from his comic counterpart, but he displayed an incredible amount of love and support for his family as well as his community, which was only strengthened when e ultimately learned of his son’s secret superhero identity.
1 Ma and Pa Kent Found Baby Kal-El And Raised Him Into Superman
Baby Kal-El didn’t just benefit from the love of his birth parents and their sacrifice to save his life on Krypton. Ge was soon introduced to the most influential people in his life that would be directly responsible for his decision to become Superman and help others with his incredible abilities.
Jonathan and Martha Kent lovingly raised Kal-El as their own child named Clark Kent/Superman. They instilled deep moral values over the years that turned him into the shining beacon of hope that has become one of the greatest heroes in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League.
About The Author
