Despite their immense power in their universes, both Superman and the Hulk are haunted by father figures. From their own absent parents to their respective fathers-in-law, Clark Kent and Bruce Banner may have shined a light on why so many heroes suffer from daddy issues.
In addition to their overwhelming strength, the Hulk and Superman share tragic backgrounds. Baby Kal-El was rocketed from a dying world, losing his civilization and family in one fell swoop. On the other hand, Dr. Bruce Banner’s repressed anger at the world came in the form of a rampaging monster. The Hulk and Superman’s fathers are also a crucial part of their individual origins. Jor-El was responsible for sending his son to Earth, and made sure to include holographic lessons of Krypton for his son. Meanwhile, Brian Banner was an abusive figure who played a large part in the development of Bruce’s deep-seated rage issues.
But beyond Superman and Hulk having issues with their dead or abusive fathers, the heroes share another set of similarities. Both Clark and Bruce found love with partners whose fathers just so happened to be high-ranking military members. Bruce Banner’s father-in-law is, of course, the infamous General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the general charged with tracking down and neutralizing the Hulk. While Ross was never a fan of his daughter’s relationship with Bruce, his opinion of the man lowered considerably after Banner was transformed into a monster, a monster that he would spend his life trying to capture. Ross isn’t the only one who has a distaste for his child’s romantic partners, as General Sam Lane, father of the intrepid reporter Lois, spent a considerable time trying to safeguard the Earth from Superman and other potential threats like him.
These two aren’t the only heroes with parental issues, lest readers forget how the murder of Batman’s parents has deeply affected him. The impact parents have on their children is one of the most relatable things in life, so it makes sense how frequently issues like these come up in superhero fiction. While it may seem odd that Bruce Banner and Clark Kent both have enemies in their fathers-in-law, it’s actually a natural extension of comics’ oldest storytelling conventions.
Comic book origins serve to show how far a character has come in their life and who they’ve become in spite of their tragic beginnings. In a metaphorical sense, the adoption of a comic character’s secret identity represents the growth of an individual. Sometimes it honors their past, other times it’s a dramatic refutation. No matter what, heroes always carry their past with them. So, it makes sense to build a thematic challenge to these heroes out of the “disapproving father figure” archetype. To characters like Generals Lane and Ross, people like Clark Kent and Bruce Banner will never be good enough for their respective daughters. The archetype is built to be inherently judgmental, often based on the past of their offspring’s love interest. Superhero father issues help give characters backgrounds that can be reflected in struggles with their rogues’ gallery. Superman and the Hulk may have moved on from their tragic origins, but their pasts will always make them the targets of their adversarial fathers-in-law.
