When I think of father figures and men in general in American popular media, I unfortunately tend think of bad fathers and men. Bad meaning incompetent, stupid, useless, absent, or even abusive.
I think of dingus’s like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. Of the abusive fathers like Bender’s dad in The Breakfast Club. Of one of the worst dads ever, Anakin Skywalker.
There are a few moments of depth in The Simpsons and Family Guy and I recognize that the shows are comedies. The fact remains that on the whole, Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin are dumb, incompetent, and bad fathers.
I’m taking exception to this because I think those shows are very much tied to American television; The Simpsons being the longest running cartoon ever. Family Guy being another very famous American cartoon and with an almost identical family makeup to The Simpsons.
For the longest time, I did not see any good examples of dads to counter the image of the lazy, incompetent, absent, or abusive father. Growing up, and even now, the only people I remember having to look up to as good male figures in popular media were superheroes. Superheroes are generally good role models. How many of them are fathers? Even if they are, how much does that actually have to do with the story?
I was fortunate enough to have a good, real life dad to look up to; but what about the kids who didn’t? What about the young men who are considering being a father in the future?
What if their father worked long hours or traveled for work and he wasn’t very present in the child’s life? What if he wasn’t there at all? What about the children and young men who don’t have any strong fathers to look up to?
And if I haven’t been clear enough yet: A bumbling idiot cartoon who annoys his wife and children with his stupidity is not a quality role model.
I was happily surprised when I saw strong men taking on the role of father in not just one, but at least three modern mediums.
Today I’ll be looking at one video game and two TV shows: Sony’s God of War (2018), Disney’s The Mandalorian, and Netflix’s The Witcher.
You may have heard of some, or all of these. The Mandalorian took the world by storm with a story that pleased fans who were disappointed with the new Star Wars movies and brought us the cuteness of one Baby Yoda. Then The Witcher did the same thing.
For those of you not involved in the video game world, God of War made similar waves in that realm. Quickly becoming one of the PlayStation 4’s most acclaimed and best selling games.
I’ll try to keep the details to a minimum but be aware, there will be some spoilers ahead.
In The Mandalorian, a ruthless bounty hunter from a legendary group of warriors (the mandalorians) takes on the responsibility of keeping Baby Yoda safe from the remnants of the Empire.
In The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter called a Witcher, is charged with protecting Cirilla (or Ciri for short). A girl with mysterious powers who is being hunted by those who wish to exploit her power for their benefit.
In God of War, Kratos, the titular god of war, goes on a quest with his son Atreus to spread the ashes of Atreus’s mother per her final wish. Along the way, they are hunted by the Norse god Baldur who was ordered to do so by Odin.
None of these titles have completed their story so we’re not sure how they will end, however; they all share this common theme of a man taking on his role of protecting their ward or child.
All of these father figures have a questionable and violent past. The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter and it’s implied not all of his bounties came back alive. Geralt is a monster hunter who has also killed several people (more or less out of necessity). Kratos? Well, let’s just say he may or may not have wiped out the entire Greek pantheon including Zeus, his father.
Not exactly who you’d expect to make good fathers but given the circumstances, their abilities are probably exactly what’s necessary to survive.
In that sense, these are also redemption stories. These men of questionable pasts have turned the page and are now committed to protecting and raising their children/wards.
Obviously in the real world we can’t go around bounty hunting and killing monsters and Greek gods. Although I’m not a father myself, I don’t think anyone will rebuke me when I recommend a more stable, less violent life to raise a child in the real world.
These father figures are almost direct opposites of those I mentioned before. These men are very capable and pragmatic. They do what they must instead of what they want. They’re interested in the well being of those in their care.
It’s refreshing to see men in popular media that are interested in doing good and they are capable of doing so. A heart of gold is useless if you don’t have the ability to do anything with it.
I believe these characters send a much more positive message to young men (and women). Be competent at what you do. It’s never too late to change course. Take your responsibilities seriously.
They’re by no means perfect but these guys are doing their best. Just like us. Maybe that’s why we find their stories so compelling.
Thank you for reading.