The Marvel Universe is full of incredible heroes, and almost all of them have parents of one kind or another. Many of Marvel’s father-child relationships are strained, secretive, or downright unsavory, perfect for setting the backdrop of a good story.
For many of Marvel’s most powerful fathers, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. A lot of powerful Marvel characters inherited their powers directly from their fathers, and some even surpass their sire’s ability completely.
10/10 Franklin Richards Is The Son Of A Super-Genius
Franklin Richards is the first-born son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, two of the Marvel Universe’s most famous family, the Fantastic Four. While his parents received their powers after being exposed to cosmic rays, Franklin was born an Omega-level mutant with the power to alter reality.
But while Franklin may possess incredible power, his father Reed is known as one of the smartest men in the entire Marvel Universe. Franklin Richards’ father has traveled across the galaxy and even to different universes and timelines, easily earning his title as one of the smartest beings in Marvel history.
9/10 Thor’s Father Odin Is Known As The All-Father
Thor Odinson is the son of the Norse All-Father, Odin. Odin sired Thor with the earth goddess Jord in order to produce an heir who derived his power from both Asgard and Midgard. Thor is one of the strongest warriors in Asgard and has defended the Ten Realms for years, even replacing Odin as the All-Father at times.
Odin possesses an incredible godly power known as the Odinforce, which allows him to vastly manipulate magical energy. He also has godly levels of strength, stamina, and endurance, as well as extended longevity. Odin is also able to communicate with all beings across the Ten Realms with his Allspeak, and even can manipulate the magical hammer Mjolnir, as a part of his spirit rests in the hammer.
8/10 Thane Only Recently Learned About His True Father
During Jonathan Hickman’s 2014 Infinity event, the Mad Titan Thanos scoured the Earth searching for a child of his bearing that was prophesied to possess the power capable of destroying him. This child was Thane, an Inhuman that lived in a hidden Inhuman tribe in Greenland. Thane’s powers were realized after the Inhuman king Black Bolt activated the T-Bomb, immediately forcing him into conflict with his father Thanos.
The Mad Titan Thanos is known and feared across the galaxy. A descendant of the Eternals, he has pursued power and knowledge across the galaxy and has added it to his already formidable array of power. His strength is on par with that of gods, his skills in energy projection are on a cosmic level, and his intelligence is on a superhuman-scale. These are all assets that have made him one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe.
7/10 Venom’s Father Is God Of The Symbiotes
Dylan Brock is the son of Eddie Brock, the first Venom, and Anne Weying, who was formerly known as She-Venom. Dylan was born with powers that were meant to help defeat Knull, the God of the Symbiotes.
Eddie Brock recently became the new King in Black after defeating Knull. As the nexus of the Symbiote Hive, Brock is able to use the Hive-Mind to enhance his control of symbiotes, connect and communicate with manifested codices, andmaybe even travel through the time stream like Knull attempted to do.
6/10 Reed Richards Is The Son Of A Famous Scientist
Reed Richards is a famous scientist and leader of The Fantastic Four, but he is also the son of another famous scientist named Nathaniel Richards. Nathaniel Richards of Earth-616 was a genius scientist whose intellect granted him plenty of wealth and success. Other alternate versions of Nathaniel Richards have infamously become influential villains and foes of the Avengers, including Kang the Conqueror and Immortus.
Nathaniel Richards possesses a genius-level intellect and has contributed plenty of amazing discoveries and inventions to the scientific community. Richards even refined his own form of time travel, which he has used to travel across the time stream at will.
5/10 Cassie Lang’s Father Is A Giant-Sized Avenger
Cassie Lang grew up idolizing her father, Scott Lang. After going to jail, he reformed and became the second And-Man and a celebrated member of the Avengers. When Scott was killed during the events of Avengers: Disassembled, Cassie took up crime-fighting in order to honor her father. After Scott was revived, the two joined up and became superheroic partners.
Scott Lang became the second Ant-Man after stealing the technology from Hank Pym and has used his skills in order to join the ranks of the Avengers. His mastery of the Pym Particles, along with his background in electrical engineering, has made him a vital member of the Avengers in his time with the team.
4/10 Polaris’ Father Is An Omega Level Mutant
Due to a very messy affair of retcons that struck their family, Lorna Dane is currently Magneto’s only biological child. The two have always had a close relationship, largely due to their shared mutant ability to control magnetism.
Magneto is known as an Omega Level mutant and is one of the most dangerous mutants alive. His power over magnetism made him one of the most threatening supervillains until he joined the ranks of the X-Men and immediately became one of their strongest members.
3/10 Cable’s Father Is The Leader of The X-Men
Nathaniel Summers – usually known as Cable – is the son of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Nathaniel was sent into the future as a child before returning to the current timeline, making for a very strange family dynamic.
Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, is the leader of the X-Men, and he has come up against some incredible foes in his years of fighting for the wellbeing of mutantkind. He has earned the respect of many of his competitors, and even passed the judgment of the rampant Celestial called The Progenitor.
2/10 T’Challa’s Father Was A Fellow Black Panther
The Black Panther is the sacred role given to the African nation of Wakanda’s main protector. The role is usually given to the most skilled warrior in the land, who is bestowed with powers that enhance their physical and spiritual capabilities. The current Black Panther and King of Wakanda, T’Challa, inherited the mantle from his father, T’Chaka.
T’Chaka was well-respected in his roles as the Black Panther and as the King of Wakanda. Having been bestowed the power of the Heart-Shaped Herb, his superhumanly acute senses were paired with exceptional skills as a master martial artist and tactician.
1/10 David Haller’s Father Is The Mutant Leader Charles Xavier
David Haller is the child of Gabrielle Haller and Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X. The founder of the X-Men is a leader of the mutants rights movement and one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet. Xavier’s role as a leader of mutants meant he didn’t prioritize his own family, leading to a huge rift between him and David.
While Legion is an incredibly powerful mutant, so is his father. Charles is the foremost expert on mutant-human relations, and he has used his telepathic powers to deliver messages to humans and mutants alike across the entire world. His crowning achievement is Cerebro, an incredibly powerful computer that greatly enhances his telepathic capabilities.”
