This is a site dedicated to the glory of comic book goodness, so why not recollect in everything our comic book fathers have done? When was the last time you called Jonathan Kent to talk about baseball? What about Battling Jack? He is always telling you to think things out and not fight. We could probably all use a refresher on that from time to time!
A character we probably don't associate as being a father but more or less fulfills that absolute role is our dear butler and friend to the Caped Crusader, Alfred Pennyworth! For all intents and purposes, Alfred raised young Bruce Wayne and helped him become the Dark Knight of Gotham City and one of the greatest heroes of all time. Offering advice, tending wounds, and lending a non judgmental ear Alfred is truly a great father figure. His personality can change by author or medium but he is always there to help Batman get back on his feet. “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.”
Of course the quintessential Marvel father figure is Uncle Ben, the guardian and uncle of Peter Parker who is affectionately known as Spider Man! I'm sure you guys know that but it still bears repeating from time to time. Any-who, Uncle Ben helped instill some over powered morals and conscious in Peter Parker and ultimately was the motivation for Peter Parker becoming everybody's favorite webslinger. Unfortunately, Uncle Ben is one of the few exceptions to comic book death and still remains dead to this day(I believe the phrase is only Uncle Ben and Batman's parents stay dead in comics or something to that tune). However, Uncle Ben's wisdom still drives Parker to this day and for that we should be thankful.
Next on the list is another adoptive father, but a particularly potent one nevertheless: Jonathan Kent. It takes a strong character to adopt a baby that essentially came to Earth in a meteorite. I mean, that is pretty sweet but still...it is a lot more responsibility than winning one of those hermit crabs at the local carnival. Joking aside, Jonathan Kent taught the space baby Kal-El what is was to be a human in the best sense of the word; helpful, caring, compassionate, and an unwavering dedication to truth and justice! Superman is easily one of the most honorable and larger than life characters – I think Jonathan Kent might be partially to blame.
Battlin' Jack, DareDevil's father, is a tragic father figure much like our dear Uncle Ben. Battlin' Jack was a famous boxer and didn't want that life for his son, Matt Murdock. Essentially forbidding any sort of physical training and sternly pushing Matt towards a life of more abstract,mental, and ethereal pursuits. In a bloody Shakespearean turn, Matt is blinded and Battlin Jack is killed by gangsters for not throwing a fight. Much like Parker, this is the impetuous for a new direction in life – one of using one's new found talents to protect the innocent and to stop evil!
One of the most important things to realize is that fathers do not need to be associated by blood – just think of some of the earlier fictional examples. Father figures are simply a strong figure in one's life; one that exemplifies some kind of paternal aspect, whatever one chooses that to be. This Father's Day be sure to thank these key people in your life...whoever they are!