Daddy issues are possibly the best conflict driver there is in storytelling, but a good, loving fatherly relationship can also go a long way in centering the characters and upping the stakes when they’re out fighting the villain of the day. The Marvel Cinematic Universe knows this well, which is why there are so many heroes in the franchise with daughters and sons who become, essentially, the most important thing in their worlds.
Hank Pym
Hank and Hope’s relationship wasn’t on the best of terms in Ant-Man, with the issue of Janet’s disappearance hanging over their heads as Hank refused to tell Hope what had really happened to her mum. The same event was keeping Hank from trusting Hope with the Wasp suit, which frustrated his daughter even more. As they slowly worked through those issues and Hope found out the whole truth, she discovered her dad was just doing what dads do: being overprotective.
Hank was essentially a single dad raising Hope after Janet got stuck in the Quantum Realm for three decades, and despite all the secrecy, he did a pretty good job raising his daughter. Hope grew up to be incredibly loyal and dedicated to her dad, and the Pym/van Dynes became one of Marvel’s most compelling families.
Yondu Udonta
Thank God for Yondu or who knows the type of person Peter would have become, having a father like Ego, and after the trauma of losing his mum to cancer. The Ravagers member purposefully broke the team’s rules to save Peter from his maniacal father, raising and training him, as well as giving him a dysfunctional but loving family.
Everything we’ve come to learn about Yondu and Peter has only made their relationship rise among the ranks of best father/son duos in the MCU. After Yondu’s heartbreaking death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II as he sacrificed his space suit to save Peter, we also learned about his special Christmas present for his adopted son in an incredibly wholesome moment from the Guardians’ Holiday Special. Yondu will be sorely missed when Guardians Vol. III rolls around later this year.
Phil Coulson
The MCU loves a good found family, and much like Yondu, Phil also stepped in for another hero who had been abandoned by her biological father. Although they meet when Daisy is already a grown woman, Phil and the quaking superhero develop one of the sweetest father/daughter relationships in the Marvel world.
Daisy’s own family history is vastly complicated in ways that can be near the macabre, but for most of her life, she grew up thinking she was an orphan. Phil was the first person to show her any kind of honest support and validation without hidden agendas or ulterior motives. He saw her potential from day one and always believed in her, both as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as a human being.
Clint Barton
Out of all the dads on this list, Clint is perhaps the most traditional. Despite all his missions and time away from home as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and an Avenger, he and his wife Laura raised a committed and loving family that we all found out about during Age of Ultron.
Clint took the loss of his family after Thanos’ Infinity Snap desperately hard, which, despite showing us a dark side to his character with Ronin, also developed it in ways that had been lacking before. Clint’s love for his family has taken an overlooked character in the first phases of Marvel to a pleasant surprise in the last few years — especially after Hawkeye, where we got to see a lot more of his dynamic with Laura, and his children Nate, Lila and Cooper. Clint truly is a great dad, and we love him for it.
Phastos
We might have only gotten a glimpse of Phastos’ parenting in Eternals, but the strides he, his husband Ben, and his son Jack have made in the MCU when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation should be more than enough to secure him a place on this list. It’s also a fact that Phastos, Ben and Jack make up a caring family, to the point where Ben encouraged Phastos to go and help the Eternals in order to preserve the future of the Earth, and of their son by association, even if that meant he would be leaving his family behind.
Phastos is a dedicated and affectionate father to Jack, which is made obvious through small details in Eternals like reminding his son to brush his teeth, shielding him from violence, fixing his bike, and never being dismissive of Jack’s child-like wonderment and curiosity.
Yusuf Khan
Yusuf and Kamala’s relationship is one of the best things about Ms. Marvel. The good cop/bad cop dynamic in parenting, when the father is the pacifist, never fails, and Yusuf plays the good cop role perfectly. He’s patient with Kamala and excited to share in her happiness and passion for her hobbies. He’s protective, as he should be, but always tries to find the middle ground between Kamala’s larger-than-life dreams and her mother’s sternness.
There aren’t many MCU dad scenes better than Yusuf dressed as Hulk, eager to join his daughter for Avengers Con, or the pep talk that closes out Ms. Marvel where Yusuf tells Kamala about the origins of her name. Indeed, the fact that the show decided to highlight Kamala and Yusuf’s relationship in one of the season’s final scenes shows how essential he is to her life. We’re looking forward to seeing more of Yusuf in The Marvels.
Tony Stark
Sadly, we didn’t get to see a lot of Tony being a dad to Morgan, but the little we did see crystallized what is one of the most rewarding and complete character arcs in the MCU. Genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist Tony Stark is the best, funniest, and sweetest dad to his daughter, who, in turn, loves him 3000. The moments they share during Endgame perfectly demonstrate that Morgan truly is her father’s daughter, as she displays the same tongue-in-cheek personality that made Tony a favorite character to so many for so long.
Being a dad might have been Tony’s vocation all along. Besides Morgan, he was also a great father figure and mentor to Peter Parker, always there when he needed him, especially if the occasion called for a lecture on the dangers of superheroing. In the end, the trust and pride Tony placed in Peter was undeniable, and the latter, as well as Morgan, will be carrying on the Avenger’s legacy for years to come.
Scott Lang
Scott is as much of an unexpected hero as he is an unexpected father. Despite missing eight years of his daughter’s childhood, between a three-year prison sentence and being stuck in the Quantum Realm for five years, Scott’s relationship with Cassie, aka Peanut, is still the best thing about any Ant-Man film.
Given Scott’s mischievous past, as much as he tries, he can never be too strict with Cassie’s own rule-breaker spirit. In Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania we get to see just how much Cassie takes from her dad when it comes to his recklessness, his humor, but also his bravery and empathy. The two are thick as thieves, quite literally.
Bonus
- Honorable mention: T’Challa
- Worst dads ever: Thanos, Ego, General Dreykov
- Not as bad but still pretty terrible: Odin, Xu Wenwu, Howard Stark, Alexei Shostakov