Happy Father’s Day! Celebrating Fathers in fiction

If any of my followers are fathers, well then, happy Father’s Day! Like with my Mother’s Day post, I wanted to focus on some of the very best fathers, or father figures,  in fiction. 

Books:

Hans Hubermann, The Book Thief:

Where do I even start with Hans? He wasn’t just an amazing father figure to Liesel and Max, he was an amazing man as well. When he discovers Liesel’s desire to read, he decides to help teach her, despite not being the best reader himself. He is incredibly compassionate and patient with Liesel, loves to play the accordion, and is just a calming presence in general. He even begins a father figure to Max Vandenburg, the Jew the Hubermanns’ were hiding. 

Luke Garroway, The Mortal Instruments:

Luke is one of the only adults in TMI who actually has common sense. He encourages Clary to learn more about Shadowhunters, and helps her in her journey to take down her biological father. Luke also deals with being a werewolf and keeping his own past hidden. He may be protective of her, though not to the extent Jocelyn went; he realizes that Clary actually needs to have awareness of her Nephilim heritage.

Movies:

Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird:

How can I make a list like this and not include Atticus? He is not only one of the most iconic fathers in fiction, but one of the most inconic characters ever, period. He treats his two children (Scout and Jem) respectfully; he acknowledges their intelligence and talks to them as equals. He fights for justice as a lawyer, and he has those same rules at home, and he doesn’t let things slide. While he may seem a little stiff, it’s clear he loves his children deeply.

Tatsuo Kusakabe, My Neighbor Totoro:

Tatsuo is doing everything he can for his two daughters. With his wife in the hospital, (it’s implied that she even has tuberculosis), he’s basically a single father. He still has to work, and balances work and taking care of his daughters with visiting his wife at the hospital.  Tatsuo is incredibly patient, and doesn’t brush off his daughters’ claims of seeing Totoro and soot sprites, instead encouraging them and telling them about forest spirits, and how to get rid of soot sprites.

TV:

Joe West, The Flash:

Joe was shown to be a good father to Iris, encouraging her when necessary, yet being cautious. He was already a single father when Barry moved in when them, which was hard; he already had one child, and now he had to take care of a kid whose mother had died and whose father was in prison. Yet he was able to raise both of them well. Then in season 2, he reunites with the son he never knew he had, and after a few bumps, manages to reconnect. 

Ranka Fujioka, Ouran Highschool Host Club:

Sometimes, when a child’s mother dies, the father has to become both a mother and father to them…which Ranka may have taken a bit too seriously. Ranka is a cross dresser, but he wasn’t always; we see in flashbacks that he tried to stop himself for Haruhi’s (his daughter) sake, until she says she’ll love him either way. Ranka may be overprotective to Haruhi (especially when Tamaki’s around), but he’s so loving, and finally knows when to let Haruhi go (in the manga). 

Webtoons:

Professor Chun, Dr. Frost:

Professor Chun may have been Frost’s doctor as a child, but he is more than that; he’s his (likely) adoptive father and mentor. He helped Frost try to learn the emotions he couldn’t feel, and eventually introduced him to psychology and taught him during his early days. He is incredibly and relentlessly patient, accepting, and loving towards Frost, despite receiving no such affection in return. He is probably Frost’s biggest influence in life, and it is revealed that he is the most important person to Frost. 

Noah, :rebirth:

Noah was not the best father, and he is very aware of that fact. So when he travels back in time to figure out secrets about the Armageddon, he also wants to rectify old mistakes, particularly ignoring his older son Neo, for most of his life. While Neo may be suspicious of (and shun) his suddenly affectionate father, Noah doesn’t give up and continually tries to help Neo and pay attention to him, sometimes failing, but always learning from his mistakes. 

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