While the world takes the time to celebrate Father's Day 2022, franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe have the chance to join in the festivities as well. Marvel boasts a vast number of characters that take on the responsibilities of fatherhood, although not all of them necessarily go about it the right way - take Thanos and his history in the MCU, for instance.
Thankfully, Thanos is more than evened out by a massive group of dads who have shown what it takes to raise a family throughout the past 14 years of MCU history. From Black Panther's T'Chaka raising the future King of Wakanda to Ant-Man's Scott Lang simply trying to protect his daughter Cassie in a changing world, fatherhood is a consistent theme that Marvel Studios puts into the spotlight.
With nearly three dozen projects making up the Marvel story since 2008, this franchise has no shortage of dads to celebrate on Father's Day, whether they have that title through blood or by choice. That being said, Marvel took a moment to put ten of these fathers on display via social media, showing the vast range of characters that all boast the same status as dads.
Marvel Celebrates Father's Day 2022
Marvel's Instagram page from the United Kingdom and Ireland celebrated Father's Day by posting images of ten of the most iconic fathers from the MCU.
"Family...back together again..."
While David Harbour's Alexei Vostokoff may not be a biological father, he served as the father figure for both Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova in 2021's Black Widow. Of course, that was in concert with reliving his glory days as the Red Guardian, but he gives the term "working dad" a new definition in the process.
"You would be an awesome [partner]. And if I let you, I would be a terrible dad."
Paul Rudd's Scott Lang gives his best effort every day to be the best dad he can be for Cassie Lang, even while he serves as Ant-Man. The two will now have a chance to team up as a superhero duo with Cassie speculated to become Stature in next year's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
"You trained your son to be a killer. Is this what you wanted!?"
Tony Leung's Wenwu showed just how dangerous a father can be when he loses part of his family in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Although he served as the Mandarin and led a dangerous criminal organization, he made the ultimate sacrifice by passing the powerful Ten Rings to his son, Shang-Chi, before his untimely death.
"Tell my family I love them."
If Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton had things his way, he would have spent the entirety of his solo Hawkeye series in full dad mode with his three kids in New York City at Christmas. While he's known as an OG member of the Avengers, Barton always has his family on his mind as he protects his wife and kids from imminent danger at every turn.
"Thor Odinson...my heir...my firstborn..."
Anthony Hopkins' Odin went through his ups and downs in terms of being a father to his three children. Things with Hela didn't work out as well, but he raised a future Avenger in Thor and one of the most clever MCU anti-heroes in Loki before his death in Thor: Ragnarok.
"Let me tell you, that kid's not even here yet, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him."
John Slattery's Howard Stark had quite a complicated relationship with his son, Tony, as he constantly questioned what being a father was all about. In the end, Tony got all the closure he needed from the relationship when he unexpectedly met Howard during the Time Heist in Avengers: Endgame, allowing him to come to terms with everything they went through.
"I'm sorry, little one."
Josh Brolin's Thanos took a more brutal path towards becoming a father than any of his MCU counterparts, leaving planets decimated as he "adopted" his five children. Let's just say he didn't exactly take on the mantle in the healthiest of ways, as he willingly threw his own daughter Gamora off a cliff in order to complete his mission for universal balance with the Infinity Gauntlet.
"A man who has not prepared his children for his own death has failed as a father."
John Kani's T'Chaka met his unfortunate end thanks to the United Nations bombing in Captain America: Civil War, but he made his impact as a father nonetheless. Living on through the Ancestral Plane, he provided the advice and support that he could for his son, T'Challa, as the country of Wakanda adjusted to being a bigger part of the world.
"Well don't you want to meet your son as yourself?"
Paul Bettany's inclusion in this post as Vision is a unique one due to the fact that he didn't experience fatherhood until after his death. Even so, letting him experience a life with Jett Klyne and Jullian Hilliard's Tommy and Billy in WandaVision allowed fans to see how loving and caring he was in that role.
“It’s not about saving our world. It’s about saving theirs.”
Michael Douglas' Hank Pym had a complicated relationship with his daughter Hope before the events of Ant-Man, although the two have since rekindled their relationship over the years. Now, they look to fight together once again in Ant-Man 3 alongside another father/daughter duo in Scott and Cassie Lang.
A Variety of Fathers in Marvel's MCU Movies
These ten characters certainly give fans a taste of how many unique fathers exist within the MCU, ranging from supervillains like Thanos and the Mandarin to iconic heroes like Ant-Man and Hawkeye. And the most interesting thing about this list is that it doesn't even take into account some fan-favorite characters who have taken on duties as fathers.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark found himself in that role during Avengers: Endgame, even sacrificing his life to save the universe and make a better world for his daughter Morgan. Kurt Russell's Ego was even part of a major MCU storyline as Peter Quill sought to learn about his family history, finding out about his father's quest for galactic domination before meeting his end in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Marvel's Father's Day celebration post simply makes it clear how not all dads are the same and that it takes a lot to make an impact in a child's life as a father. No matter what path takes somebody to fatherhood, it's the journey after it happens that really matters.
All the movies and TV shows used in Marvel's post are available to stream on Disney+.
