Credit: Marvel StudiosDads. They can be good, they can be bad, they can be a little bit of both. But they are definitely formative.
And when you’ve got superheroes in the mix? Well, they can be downright destructive.
Related: The 11 Best MCU Villains
What Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Whether you’ve been residing beneath a boulder or simply haven’t delved into the realm of superhero entertainment, that’s perfectly fine — so here’s a bit of a primer before we take a look at Marvel’s top (worst) dads.
Under the guidance of Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios manages a diverse array of superheroes drawn from Marvel Comics. Since the late 2000s, starting with 2008’s Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has consistently asserted its dominance in the film industry, leading to the creation of a vast roster of superpowered individuals within the MCU.
Related: Every Marvel Studios Disney+ Original So Far, Ranked
This was all brought to life on the big screen when the other established heroes in the shared universe, like the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), joined the Avengers team. They came together to save New York in 2012’s Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers, and later on uniting to save the world despite the earlier division of Captain America: Civil War (2016) — to confront the franchise’s Big Bad, Thanos, in the epic showdown of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) — signifying the conclusion of Phase Three in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
It’s safe to say that all these heroes come from somewhere, though — and many of Marvel’s most iconic are made, not simply born with powers. Daddy issues are a natural part of that story.
How Do We Define the Worst Dad?
Well, it’s obvious that we’re not looking for father figures who are present, open, and supportive of their kids. Today, we’ll be looking at the deadbeat dads who were never there, the dads who abused their kids in some way, or perhaps were simply not-so-great to their own children. Basically, the opposite of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel’s (Iman Vellani) dad.
We will also be considering any significant father figure to be a “dad” — that means adoptive fathers are all up for grabs! We are definitely not restricting to biological fathers, considering the supernatural and often otherworldly nature of many of the offspring on this list.
“The Worst” is also something worth defining — and that does not include people who were simply “bad individuals”.
“Bad people” do not always make “bad parents”! Case in point: Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher (Thor: Love and Thunder) Helmut Zemo/Baron Zemo (Avengers: Age of Ultron) were both decent, if not overly loving fathers — and therefore, they don’t count.
Marvel’s Worst Dads, Ranked
Now, let’s dive into the MCU’s Top 7 Worst Dads, Ranked (from best to worst).
7. T’Chaka, Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Now, one could argue that T’Chaka should not make this list. But here us out!
The once King of Wakanda was undoubtedly a great father to young T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he was growing up. Being the King, he naturally also donned the Black Panther suit and persona — but the superpowered T’Chaka was more than a symbol of strength to the Wakandan nation — he was first and foremost a father to his children, T’Challa and Shuri.
Unfortunately, being a “good” in-person parent sometimes doesn’t mean you can’t also make “bad” father, at the end of the day. And that is most visible in the fact that T’Chaka left a wake of issues following his death, due to secrets he had kept from his family for years. The existence (and willful neglect) of his brother N’Jobu’s child led to Killmonger’s entire plan for revenge, as well as the brutal killing of N’Jobu — in front of his child, no less, set the events of the first Black Panther (2018) film into motion.
All of this only being uncovered after his death does not take away from the pain, hurt, and confusion he ultimately caused his children — even if they were grown adults by the time these bad decisions finally caught up to the royal family (T’Chaka). In fact, his death more or less foisted this onto his childrens’ shoulders. Not very “good dad” behavior, if you ask me!
6. Yondu Udonta, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
He’s Mary Poppins, y’all!
Now, it’s easy to remember Yondu Udonta, Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s adoptive father, in a way more positive light than he was initially portrayed.
Yes, he redeemed himself in the end — because despite his brash exterior, he always harbored a true, fatherly love for Peter Quill, sacrificing himself in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for the party’s (and his son’s) success.
But it’s equally important to remember exactly why Peter Quill was so hesitant to reunite with the Ravagers (and Yondu) in the first Guardians film, and also remember how Yondu did borderline abuse Quill — if not physically, definitely emotionally.
Yondu his behind this tough guy facade — but that tough guy facade hurt Quill. It left him struggling to feel loved, desperately clinging to the idea of his mother who died on Earth, and feeling lost for his most formative years. Yes, Yondu came through in the end — but the relationship was always painted in greys, and it’s worth acknowledging that.
5. Odin, Thor (2011)
Being the Allfather doesn’t always mean you’re the best father to all.
Sure, Thor Odinson turned out more-or-less okay. But his other two children — adopted Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and banished Hela (Cate Blanchett).
Again, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) plays in the greys, here.
He kept so many secrets from so many people — the truth of Loki’s parentage, the existence of their sister Hela (who almost literally comes back to bite Thor and Loki in the butt with a literal giant wolf on her side), the original state of Asgard as a conquering, warring nation, to name a few. Odin also never really let Loki feel fully worthy — as evidenced by his spiral into villainy and his confrontation and feelings of betrayal, already always playing second fiddle to Thor (Chris Hemsworth).
He redeemed himself in the end, especially in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), but he took a (Hela?) of a long way to get there.
4. Howard Stark, Iron Man (2008)
Tony Stark’s (Rober Downey Jr.) childhood trauma and deep-seated daddy issues are rather well-documented.
Howard Stark is the quintessential “he was never there for me when I needed him” dad — the genius, workaholic father so preoccupied with loving his work (Captain America, in this case) and building up his reputation, influence to accomplish great things, that his own son was left feeling totally lost.
Tony Stark spends most of Iron Man and its sequels battling with living in the shadow of Howard Stark — feeling so conflicted that he spent entire movies grappling with this historical conflict.
The knock-on effects of Howard Stark’s bad parenting echo throughout the Marvel universe — perhaps even Multiverse.
3. Xu Wenwu/The Mandarin, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu is the definition of a complex character.
Wenwu’s primary focus is on obtaining power and immortality through the Ten Rings as The Mandarin — building intricate structures around him to keep this power selfishly. This obsession consumes him, leading him to neglect his responsibilities as a father to Shang Chi/Shaun (Simu Liu) and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang)
Wenwu isolates Shang Chi from the rest of the world, intending to train him as an assassin and ultimately preventing him from having a normal childhood. He is additionally emotionally distant on top of being demanding and highly exacting when it comes to his children, even resorting to being cruel and manipulative for his own ends — even when it came to the kids’ mother.
Xu Wenwu is basically the definition of “childhood trauma”.
2. Thanos, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Ah, the Mad Titan himself.
This purple monstrosity is a classic “bad dad”. One of the worst fathers in the MCU, Thanos not only travels around to different planets, annihilating half of its population and… stealing children to be his “daughters”? That is not only cruel — it’s super creepy!
Thanos is well-known for his abuse. So much so that it basically defines the relationship between sisters Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) — the latter of which was actively tortured by Thanos if she ever “failed” against her sister. I mean, replacing nearly every body part of yours, Ship of Theseus-style — is frankly, horrifying.
1. Ego, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Ego. The definition of deadbeat neglect and the ultimate manipulator.
I mean… he went to thousands of planets hoping to sire a battery to grow and maintain his power as a Celestial god.
Ego the Planet went to Earth for the sole purpose of implanting his seed into a local individual, growing that child like a plant, and harvesting it for testing later on.
He even deliberately implanted the cancerous tumor into Quill’s mother’s head — causing one of the most epic freakouts in Marvel history.
Nothing much can really be said about Ego, except that he absolutely takes the cake for “Marvel’s Worst Dad Ever”.
Did you agree with our list of Marvel’s worst dads? Is there anyone that we missed? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!