Avenger Dads: Assemble! In honor of Father’s Day and Dads everywhere, I bring you the best Marvel Dads from the MCU. Who’s your favorite MCU Dad?
What pulled me into the Marvel Movies wasn’t just the action and adventure, but the heart and the story behind each movie. And I know I’m not alone. We fangirl the MCU pretty hard around here.
There’s not just good and bad going on here, but a lot of love and character development. And that’s what keeps us Marvel fangirls coming back.
Let’s highlight some of the best Dads and Dad moments in the MCU for Father’s Day.
Oh- and there are major spoilers in here. If you need to see the best list of Marvel movies, hop over to this post. You’ve been warned.
Table of Contents
Avenger Dads: Assemble! The 8 Best Marvel Dads From The MCU
1. Odin, Father to Loki and Thor
Guys, was there ever a more wise and honorable father than the All-Father? I mean, he wasn’t perfect, but he did as right as he could by his two very different sons.
When he says, “My sons…I’ve been waiting for you,” – and Loki’s glance over at him? My heart, y’all!
Maybe we’ll see a bit of Odin in the Loki series coming to Disney+? Time travel is what its all about, afterall!
2. MCU Dads: Howard Stark
Ah, Howard. The brilliant workaholic- mostly absent- father… but did it all for his kid.
Possibly the most complicated of the father-son relationships in the MCU. Tony and Howard come a long way during the 11-years in the MCU and Howard was always the driving force behind Tony.
Avengers: Endgame brings these two back together in the most perfect of ways.
3. Scott Lang From Ant-Man
I mean, could you just eat these two up or what?!
Scott does everything- including getting a job at Baskin Robbins and becoming the Ant-Man- for Cassie.
4. Dr. Erskine from Captain America: The First Avenger
While not a dad, at least not one that we hear about on-screen, Dr. Erskine gives one of the best Dad speeches from the MCU. The night before Steve Rogers goes into the chamber to become Captain America, he calms his fears and explains why he was chosen.
It’s pretty much peak Dad. I just love the “good man speech.”
So he gets a nod here for this one.
And also: I just really wanted to make sure Captain America was included on this list even though it’s skinny Cap.
5. Clint Barton aka Hawkeye
While Hawkeye was kind of lame in Avengers, we saw a whole different side of him in Age of Ultron.
Guys: he’s a dad! And an adorably dorky one at that which we get to see in Ultron.
Knowing this, the dad-like speech he gives during the climactic battle to Wanda makes a lot more sense.
‘Doesn’t matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you’re good. I’ll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger.’―Hawkeye to Wanda Maximoff”
Hawkeye as an MCU dad also made the whole arc during Avengers: Endgame that much more heartbreaking.
His story arc through Endgame was the most gasp-inducing and heartbreaking of the movie for me.
But wait: there’s more! Check out these Clint Barton quotes from the Hawkeye series coming to Disney+.
ps- Kate Bishop has some great quotes too!
6. Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne
They fought, they made-up, they rescue mom: this family has been through some -ish.
But you always knew that Hank loved Hope and only wanted her to be safe. He’s a very (smart!) and good MCU dad.
7. Marvel Dads – Daddy Yondu
He’s Mary Poppins, y’all– and one of the best Dads in the MCU.
He gave us that important lesson when he told Peter Quill:
‘He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.’―Yondu Udonta to Star-Lord”
Men everywhere: take note. You don’t have to be blood to be a good father to a child.
Which brings us to possibly the best Avenger dad in the MCU. And you know I’m not a Team Iron Man kind of girl, but watching Robert Downey, Jr, at the Avengers: Endgame Premiere with his on-screen daughter sucked me in!
8. So, Yeah, Tony Stark Is The Best Avenger Dad: Harley, Peter, and Morgan Agree
Wait, Tony only had one kid, right?
Wrong!
If you were paying attention throughout the movies, you’ll know that Tony has a soft spot for kids, and he was always looking out for them.
Harley Keener in Iron Man 3 got the full dad treatment from Tony. Harley’s dad left one night to get scratchers from 7-11 and never came back.
When Tony shows up, Harley doesn’t bat an eye, and they become an unlikely duo. Harley was totally fathered by Tony, and that is solidified when Harley showed up at that last scene in Endgame.
Who knows? We may see Harley again if the rumors of the Young Avengers or maybe he shows up on the Hawkeye show on Disney+!
More obvious and long-lasting was the father-son relationship that develops between Peter Parker and Tony Stark.
Y’all, I cannot with these two. I love them so hard!
Some of the most adorable and enduring scenes over the last couple of years have come from watching these two guys become family. And that’s why Infinity War hurt so incredibly much- followed by an even harder gut punch in Endgame.
The Russos, man, they are vicious.
Trailer scenes from Spider-Man: Far From Home reflect a bit on this relationship as well. Tony’s impact on Peter’s life isn’t over!
And then, yes, of course, there’s Morgan.
Sweeping declaration: the Love You 3000 scene is the number 1 Marvel Dad scene in the MCU.
Fight me on it? Nah, don’t! Cause you know it’s true.
Worst Dad in the MCU
And just because this post should be perfectly balanced… ahem.
Who’s the WORST Dad in the MCU?
Peter Quill’s Dad was pretty awful, and he was a strong runner up in the worst dad in the MCU award.
But you know who wins- and there was just no choice in the matter.
The opposite of the best Marvel Dad: Thanos, you suck. As a father and, well, as just about everything.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Marvel Dads out there!
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.