10 Worst Parents in Marvel Comics, Ranked By Toxicity

Marvel superheroes often have difficult backstories, and a tough childhood frequently shapes them into stronger heroes. This is particularly true for characters with awful parents – those who were overly demanding or deeply cruel, forcing their children to rebel and fight for themselves. Unfortunately, not every child overcame this hardship and became a hero; some became villains, and their parents were directly responsible. These damaging parental figures were sometimes ordinary people making poor choices, and other times, they were superpowered individuals themselves.

Here is a look at the 10 worst parents in Marvel Comics, ranked by their toxicity.

10) The Runaway’s Parents

The Runaways first appeared in their own comic book series from Marvel in 2003, created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. The story centers around a group of teenagers who discover their parents are actually supervillains – a secret society called the Pride. The Pride brought their children together each year with the intention of them inheriting their powers and continuing their villainous work.

Okay, buckle up, because this movie takes a dark turn fast. A group of teenagers stumble upon the horrifying truth about their parents – they’re involved in some seriously twisted rituals, including human sacrifice! Naturally, the kids bolt. But that’s just the beginning of their nightmare. Their parents, who call themselves The Pride, aren’t about to let them go quietly and actively hunt them down, wanting to punish them for running. It gets even more heartbreaking when one of the runaways, Alex, is manipulated into betraying his friends, tearing the group apart. Ultimately, these kids are forced to make the unthinkable decision to fight – and even kill – their own parents to stop their terrifying plans. It’s a brutal, emotionally charged story, and honestly, it left me reeling.

9) Mephisto

It’s not surprising that Mephisto would be a bad father. As the ruler of his own hellish dimension, he’s consistently shown himself to be a master manipulator, always tricking people in deals. He’s ruined the lives of many, including heroes like Johnny Blaze and Spider-Man, and even his own son, Blackheart. Blackheart is the child of Mephisto and Abigail Housman, who was essentially a living sin consumed at Christ Crown’s Hill.

Blackheart was born from the evil that led to his mother’s death. Though he obeyed Mephisto, his father, for years, Mephisto was never satisfied. When Blackheart refused to capture the Scarlet Witch’s sons, Tommy and Billy, who had been lost in time, Mephisto immediately punished him. He transformed Blackheart into a human and left him stranded on Earth.

8) Reverend Sinclair

Reverend Sinclair isn’t a well-known character, but he’s considered one of the worst fathers in Marvel Comics history. He’s the father of Rahne Sinclair, also known as Wolfsbane from the New Mutants. Rahne’s mother passed away during childbirth, and Reverend Craig raised her as an orphan, concealing their father-daughter relationship to protect his own reputation. He never revealed the truth to her, despite being her father.

Growing up, my dad was incredibly strict, really focused on religion, and didn’t hesitate to punish me harshly. Then things got really messed up when I started changing – I could turn into a wolf, you see. Instead of helping, he actually led a group to hunt me down, trying to kill me because of what I was. Thankfully, Moira MacTaggert stepped in and got me away from him. But he came back, working with this hate group called the Purifiers, who wanted to wipe out all mutants – even his own daughter. It all ended so tragically, with me having to… well, I had to kill him. It completely shattered me, and I’ve never been the same since.

7) Wolverine

Wolverine isn’t always the best father figure, but often the difficult situations weren’t his doing. He didn’t even know about his son, Daken, until Daken tried to kill him because he felt abandoned. His genetic daughter, X-23 (Laura Kinney), was a clone he tried to help, even when she initially came after his life. Unfortunately, not all of his children received the same support.

Wolverine was once targeted by a villainous group called the Mongrels, assembled by his son, Daken, as part of a revenge plot against him. Daken later gave the Mongrels to the Red Right Hand, who sent them to assassinate Wolverine. In the ensuing battle, Wolverine killed most of the Mongrels, and the remaining members took their own lives. Shockingly, the Red Right Hand then also committed suicide, leaving a message revealing that the Mongrels were actually Wolverine’s biological children.

6) Professor X

Professor X, also known as Charles Xavier, isn’t a very good teacher or father figure. From the beginning, he’s been controversial for bringing in teenage mutants and training them for battle. In fact, he’s arguably responsible for the deaths of more young mutants than many of the X-Men’s enemies. He has three children: Legion, Xandra Neramani, and Charles Xavier II.

Charles Xavier II has a complicated origin story: he was born to Mystique while she disguised herself as Moira MacTaggert, following the death of Professor X, and was then put up for adoption. Xavier also has a daughter, Xandra, with Lilandra, but they have a distant relationship. However, his most painful relationship is with his son, Legion. Xavier largely neglected David Haller growing up, hindering his development. Even when Xavier tried to connect with him, he treated David like just another member of the X-Men, exploiting his powers rather than nurturing him as a son.

5) Norman Osborn

I’ve always wondered what made Norman Osborn such a bad father to Harry. It’s not just that he was a villain for most of Harry’s life, or even that he sometimes ignored and embarrassed him. The real problem, as I understand it, goes back to something that happened when Harry was very young – that’s what truly made Norman one of Marvel’s worst dads.

Norman Osborn was facing financial ruin and about to lose control of his company. When things looked bleakest, the demon Mephisto appeared and offered him a deal: financial success in exchange for two terrible things. First, Norman had to kill someone using a special dagger. Second, and more tragically, Norman agreed to give Mephisto the soul of his own son, Harry, all to save his company.

4) Magneto

Magneto, when he debuted in Marvel Comics, immediately established his dedication to mutant supremacy, a drive later explained by his childhood experiences in concentration camps. This difficult past also shaped his strict parenting of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, as he aimed to prepare them for a hostile world and ensure their survival against prejudiced humans.

It turned out neither of the twins Magneto believed were his children actually belonged to him – someone misled him. However, this doesn’t excuse how badly he treated them. Magneto does have a biological daughter, Polaris, whose mother, Suzanne Dane, had a secret affair with him. He often mistreated and belittled Polaris, but they eventually developed a closer relationship on the island of Krakoa.

3) Thanos

Thanos had a difficult childhood. His mother rejected him immediately after birth, discovering he was a Deviant, and even tried to kill him. He was forced to defend himself, tragically resulting in his mother’s death. This lack of parental care likely influenced his own distant and neglectful behavior towards his children, including his son, Thane, and adopted daughters, Gamora and Nebula.

Thanos had many children, but he embarked on a destructive quest with his Black Order to eliminate them all, succeeding until he reached Earth, where his son, Thane, ultimately defeated him. However, Thane proved to be nearly as dangerous as Thanos himself. Thanos’s treatment of his adopted daughters was even more damaging. He trained Gamora to be a ruthless assassin and subjected Nebula to cruel experiments that left her severely scarred, both physically and emotionally.

2) Odin

Odin is often considered a terrible father figure in Marvel Comics, prioritizing his duties as ruler of Asgard over his children’s well-being. While Thor received some of Odin’s harsh treatment, it was often framed as attempts to help him become a stronger god – though these methods were extreme, including stripping Thor of his powers and banishing him to Earth. Odin also cruelly forced Thor to share a body with a human creation and was quick to punish any disobedience.

Odin’s treatment of Loki was even more damaging. Like a classic tragedy, Loki simply craved acceptance and affection, but Odin constantly rejected him. Odin bears a significant amount of responsibility for Loki’s descent into villainy. It’s telling that Loki only began to act heroically after Odin lost power, and he was able to collaborate with his brother.

1) Brian Banner

The Hulk’s inability to control his transformations isn’t random; it’s rooted in Bruce Banner’s dissociative identity disorder (DID). This stems from deeply traumatic experiences with his father, Brian Banner. Brian worked with gamma radiation before Bruce was born and feared it had harmed his son. Ironically, when Bruce showed exceptional intelligence as a child, Brian became convinced he had damaged Bruce, fueling his abusive behavior.

Bruce suffered terrible abuse at the hands of his father, Brian, who was jealous of his intelligence. The abuse escalated tragically when Brian murdered Bruce’s mother right before his eyes, then manipulated Bruce into believing he was at fault. This trauma caused Bruce to repress the memory and ultimately led to the creation of the Hulk, a manifestation of his bottled-up anger. Brian Banner was responsible for all of Bruce’s suffering, and even after his death, he continued to torment Bruce as a demonic entity, inflicting years of mental anguish.

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2026-02-21 22:18