From Ned Stark to Darth Vader: The best and worst dads in pop culture
Fathers. Dads. Pops.
Whatever you call them, these men have a special place in the lives of their children – for better or for worse.
Dads from pop culture are no different. Some are role models that real-life dads strive to emulate.
Some should not have had children in the first place.
With Father's Day around the corner, we've put together a list of the best dads and worst dads in pop culture.
First up, let's take a look at the dads we really wouldn't mind calling our own.
Bryan Mills (Taken)
Liam Neeson's Taken character brings new meaning to the term "overprotective".
This one-man army is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue his kidnapped daughter. Hundreds of gang members? I would not envy them. They never really stood a chance.
But then if you don't pay attention to that iconic threat, we have little sympathy.
Eddard "Ned" Stark (Game of Thrones)
In a cruel, unforgiving world like Westeros, caring fathers like Ned Stark are hard to come by.
Most want to claim the Iron Throne and would even sacrifice their children to sit on it (Yes, we're looking at you Stannis), but not the Lord of Winterfell.
He's not without his flaws but always puts his duties as a leader and father first.
To him, honour is more precious than his own life.
But when his children's lives were at stake, he chose to confess to the crimes he didn't commit to save them.
And then lost his head.
Batman
Hang on, Batman? He's doesn't even have children... does he?
Well he always played mentor to Robin.
In the comics, however, Bruce Wayne has a 10-year-old son called Damien Wayne. Damien's mother? Talia al Ghul.
She was portrayed by Marion Cotillard in The Dark Knight Rises.
Damien Wayne is a rebellious child, which is made more troublesome by the fact he was trained by assassins. So he's a bit of a handful.
So whether he was the real father or not, Batman is pretty much the only person suited to raise a child like that.
The boy eventually takes on the mantle of Robin and fights crime alongside his father.
Here's Batman with some tips and tricks on how to be an awesome dad.
Marlin (Finding Nemo)
He was nearly eaten by a shark, stung by jellyfish and and had to rely on a fish with short-term memory loss for help but he was determined to let nothing stand in the way of him finding his son.
Marlin's one of the few dads who can proudly say that they've swum the across the ocean for their child.
He's a typical dad who fusses over his boy and and is afraid of losing him.
At times he's overly paranoid and tends to nag a lot but deep down inside, he only wants the best for his son.
BAD DADS
Here are the dads that we sure are glad aren't ours.
Adam Sandler as every dad he plays
Sure, he'll let you do whatever you want. He'll probably join in, but whenever Adam Sandler's a dad in a movie, he's a terrible one.
Sandler has played some of most irresponsible and childish dads in recent memory.
Not to say that his characters don't love their children, they're just really bad at showing it.
He's terrible at being a grandfather too. Is this how one should teach vampire grandchild to fly?
Tywin Lannister
About as bad a dad there can be. Never mind that he raised a narcissist in Cersei, and lets not say any more about Cersei and Jamie's relationship.
Tywin is the worst for the way he treated Tyrion.
Poor Tyrion Lannister was seen as a disgrace to House Lannister and blamed for the death of his mother when she was giving birth to him.
Tywin hated his son so much that he tried to have him executed for a crime he didn't commit.
To make things worse, he slept with the woman his son was had fallen for and turned her against him.
But in the end, Tyrion got some sweet revenge on his father.
Darth Vader
The word "Vader" means father in Dutch but ironically, Darth Vader is one of the greatest examples of an absentee dad.
What kind of father slices off his own son's hand right before revealing his identity to him?
Finding out that the the man you thought had murdered your father is in fact your dad.Well, it could damage a guy. Quite sure most of us would react exactly like Luke if we were put in a similar position.
Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
He's the perfect example of a very bad influence.
Peter Griffin is the kind of dad you shouldn't be picking anything up from.
He hates his daughter, often leading the taunting. The only way he usually bonds with his infant son Stewie is through both father and son abusing his wife, Lois.
And when Peter does want to take a greater interest in raising his kids it detours down some very disturbing paths... like breastfeeding. Yucks.
Peter can barely be left alone by himself, never mind being put in charge of a child.
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