Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 12 Movie Heroes With Evil Dads
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Vote up the heroic characters with the evilest dads.
Sometimes the best heroes come from the worst places. Nothing creates drama quite like a story's hero discovering that their one true villain is secretly their father. Suddenly, with one small reveal, loyalties never previously questioned are tested and strained.
You either grow up to become your parents, or you grow up to become the complete opposite in retaliation for a harsh upbringing. Sometimes an abused person continues that cycle of abuse, but sometimes they internalize that hardship and realize that the last thing they ever want to do is cause similar harm to another person. Luke Skywalker, Hellboy, and many others may only have their incredible powers because they were passed down by evildoers, but that doesn't mean they can't turn around and use those powers for good.
Matilda is a brilliant and kind young girl who is obsessed with reading. Any set of normal parents would be thrilled and proud to call Matilda their daughter, but sadly, Matilda was born to Harry and Zinnia Wormwood. Harry and Zinnia are lazy and cruel parents who try to stop Matilda from reading so much and instead force her to watch television with the rest of the family.
It is eventually revealed that Harry is not only is cruel in his personal relationships; he's also under investigation by the FBI for illegal dealings at work. Luckily, Matilda's relationships with adults aren't all bad, and she finds solace with her incredibly kind schoolteacher named Ms. Honey. In fact, when her parents decide to flee the country to escape from the FBI, Matilda stays behind and is legally adopted by Ms. Honey.
When audiences first meet Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, he's in the middle of saying goodbye to his mother before suddenly being whisked into space by a group of mercenaries. As Peter learns in Vol. 2, the story is actually even more tragic than it seems.
After traveling to his father's homeworld, Peter learns that both he and his father, Ego, are Celestials. Not only that, but Peter only exists due to his father's plan to sow his seed across the galaxy in an attempt to create an equally powerful heir. Also, Peter's mother's cancer wasn't so random after all. In fact, Ego put the tumor in her brain himself. After learning about his mother's passing, Peter realizes there's no future to be had with his father, so he immediately turns against the powerful Celestial being.
In The Shining, Danny Torrance is a young boy who accompanies his father Jack to his new job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Danny is gifted with a telepathic ability known as the Shining, and the building's head chef warns Danny of evil psychic energies and spirits that exist within the Overlook. Eventually, the hotel turns Jack insane, and Jack tries to slay Danny and Danny's mother.
In Doctor Sleep, Danny is an adult man still dealing with the trauma imparted by his father. However, Danny uses his Shining to help others around him, including a young girl with similar abilities. In the film, he returns to the hotel, and while it does temporarily drive him mad, Danny eventually burns the hotel down and sacrifices himself to save the life of the young girl.
Gamora's real father (alongside her entire family) dies after Thanos wipes out half of all life on her home planet. However, she is adopted by Thanos to become one of his murderous daughters.
In her new life, Gamora becomes Thanos's prized daughter and one of the galaxy's most lethal assassins. Still, Gamora is unhappy in her new life, so she plans to swipe one of the Infinity Stones out from under her father, collect a reward for it, and disappear.
After betraying Thanos, Gamora ends up partnering with the future Guardians of the Galaxy, and the newly formed crew eventually stops looking out for themselves and starts trying to end Thanos and his lieutenant Ronan's warpath. A few films later, while trying to stop Thanos from gathering all the Infinity Stones, Gamora is captured and sacrificed by Thanos in order to retrieve the Soul Stone. This shows that while he is evil, Thanos really does care for his daughter Gamora.
Judging by Hellboy's appearance, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he didn't spawn from something pure of heart. Hellboy's mother is a witch, and his father is the archduke of hell, named Azzael. Hellboy is later summoned to Earth, where he eventually begins working for the United States occult investigation force known as the BPRD.
Hellboy's father may not be a great guy, but because of him, Hellboy is able to use his abilities and unique physiology to fight against evildoers, such as the Russian mystic Rasputin.
A striking aspect of It is that while a magical killer clown is running around Derry, some of the human characters manage to be just as evil and terrifying. Take, for example, the bullies who are perfectly comfortable using a knife to carve into the stomach of a young boy. Or, well, Beverly Marsh's own father.
Beverly Marsh is the token girl of the Losers' Club. Her kindness is a key aspect of her character. When others are mocked or in need of aid, she steps in - which is actually how she meets the Losers in the first place.
When the film introduces audiences to Beverly's dad, it becomes a wonder where that aforementioned kind nature came from. Beverly's dad is a sinister creep who abuses her at home. In one scene, her father is especially creepy towards her and caresses/smells her long hair. So, Beverly goes and cuts it all off.
