Why Do Comic/Superhero Books, Movies and TV Shows lack Mothers?

[warhorse78]

It's been quite the trend in the genre, but really, why do so many comic/superhero writers tend to have mothers absent in the stories?

 

[Immortalfire]

Because like the fathers, they're dead.

 

[Breogan]

It's been quite the trend in the genre, but really, why do so many comic/superhero writers tend to have mothers absent in the stories?

Can we compile a definitive "Comic/Superhero Books, Movies and TV Shows" list here?

I'll start: dead / alive

- 78 Superman- both Father & Mother dead. surrogate Father dead, Mother Alive.
- Batman- both Father & Mother dead.
- Spider-Man- both Father & Mother dead, surrogate Patriarch dead, Matriarch alive.
-Wonder Woman - Father none, Mother alive.
-Green Lantern - Father dead, Mother alive.
-Thor- Father alive?, Mother dead.

So far 7 dead Fathers, 4 dead Mothers.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Cause' Bruce Wayne had to pee and made them leave early.

 

[Damage11]

Definitely was the case in Kick @ss. The only one with a mother was The Mother F*&^er

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I hear where the OP is coming from. I actually find this to be true myself as well. And I think it's not about so many characters being orphans either. It's about so many of the Mother characters being non-entities in so many of these stories, or seeming to contribute far less or nothing at all to the hero's journey or in shaping the content of the various protagonist's character in comparison to the Fathers.

In SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, the emphasis is clearly on Superman's two fathers when it comes to how they present the forces that shaped Superman. It is Jor-El that gives a great speech about what he is sending to help guide his infant son in his new life, and indeed it is Jor-El that does guide Superman as he is "Spiritually" available to him through a quasi mystical technology that allows the essence of his own self to live on after death. Did Jor-El just forget about doing the same for his wife? (And yes, I know Lara makes an appearance in SUPERMAN II's original theatrical cut, but that's only because of behind the scene intrigue which precluded Brando from continuing in the series. As those who have seen the Donner cut know, Jor-El is part of the plot of SUPERMAN II as originally conceived, in fact he's key, as he is part of Superman "fulfilling the Kryptonian prophecy. The SON becomes the FATHER and the FATHER becomes the SON.") On Earth, Jon Kent is shown to have far greater importance story wise than Martha. Now one could chalk that up to a production done nearly 40 years ago, but looking at many modern CBMs, not much has changed. In BATMAN BEGINS Martha Wayne seems to only get lines right before she gets shot. How she helped to raise and mold The Dark Knight Detective of Gotham is not seen in any way shape or form. This is par for the course in the Batman mythology, decades old now. I mean, even in the source material, which of the two parents has received the lion's share of delineation in any way? Can anyone tell me anything of interest about Martha Wayne herself? How did her life or background contribute to Bruce? Thomas Wayne is shown to be a genius driven in his own way. A brilliant surgeon that is invested in the welfare of the city of Gotham and the wider world. Indeed, in the FLASHPOINT story they even have him shown to have the physical capability to become Batman himself. What has Martha ever been given in a story to contribute to the Batman mythos other than the screams before her death? I mean over the years something in the source materials could have been done of interest. Why not, say, have it be revealed that Martha Wayne is a well accomplished genius in her own way, thus showing how Bruce inheirited his grand faculties from both mother and father? Why couldn't she be a gifted ballet dancer or concert pianist or scholar? Why in most flashbacks to Bruce's childhood across media do we ever get a sense of what sort of person she is in the least?

This goes on across many modern versions of superhero stories. Fathers or pseudo fathers get great importance, but mothers seem to just be along for the ride, until they tragically bite it in the same incident that kills the father. The recent MAN OF STEEL put a wrinkle in this, with Jor-El dying before Lara on Krypton, and also having some development of Diane Lane's Martha Kent. However, again it is Jor-El and Pa Kent that get the spotlight (And Crowe's Jor-El seems to also forget to pack a techno-spirit guide of Lara to help baby Kal-El for his destiny on Earth much as Brando's character did in 1978.)

The lone anomoly that springs to mind, across two continuites mind you, in the modern CBM age is Raimi's SPIDER-MAN trilogy and Webb's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN series. While the death of Uncle Ben is shown to have a major impact on Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker, a constant bedrock of caring and wisdom is to be found in Aunt May. Clearly we see her impact and importance across three films. She's not in the background of Parker's life, but right at center stage along side Mary Jane. She influences Peter clearly and is part of the plot. Like wise, Webb has Sally Field's May not as some undeveloped "supporting character" but as a pretty well rounded individual. She's shown as a member of a shattered family attempting to hold it together after the death of Ben, and she is shown to be essential to Peter and his life, and even has here own fears and inner turmoil conveyed to the audience. She's shown to have her own inner life, and her emotional state affects Peter. Now Webb still falls into the same tropes of a mostly silent biological mother in his films as in other CBMs. Mary Parker has little of anything to add to the story of our hero, as Richard Parker's lines dwarf anything Mary Parker is given to say. Still, at least as in Raimi's films, May is there so that at least one Matriarchal figure in Spider-Man's life can be said to be an important touchstone.

This isn't just the fault of Hollywood. As an element in the source material of CBMs it's common. Hell, even the most famous female super hero of them all now has a new origin in which she owes her power and prowess to being the daughter of Zeus, rather than being brought to life by a plea by the queen of tha Amazons to female deities of her pantheon. This general state of things perhaps needs to be thought about a little more in the modern age of super heroes. I can't say I have a handle as to why the phenomenon exists, or what it's origins are precisely but I can say itis noticeable.

 

[redmarvel]

It's not just the Superheroes.

Take a look at Disney:

Bambi loses his mother
Dumbo's mom gets locked up
Snow White's mom dies when she's born and after her father remarries he dies (murdered?)
Cinderella's mom is dead and after her father remarries he dies (murdered?)
Elsa & Anna's parents go down with the ship in storm

and so, on.

Then take a look at other flicks.

Luke Skywalker's mom is dead and his guardians get murdered
Harry Potter's parents are dead

and so on.

The death / absence / mistreatment of parents is used as a motivator to get heroes to become heroic and to provide and impetus for action.

Most parents would be pretty adverse to placing their children in some of the dangerous situations they would encounter otherwise.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

It's not just the Superheroes.

Take a look at Disney:

Bambi loses his mother
Dumbo's mom gets locked up
Snow White's mom dies when she's born and after her father remarries he dies (murdered?)
Cinderella's mom is dead and after her father remarries he dies (murdered?)
Elsa & Anna's parents go down with the ship in storm

and so, on.

Then take a look at other flicks.

Luke Skywalker's mom is dead and his guardians get murdered
Harry Potter's parents are dead

and so on.

The death / absence / mistreatment of parents is used as a motivator to get heroes to become heroic and to provide and impetus for action.

Most parents would be pretty adverse to placing their children in some of the dangerous situations they would encounter otherwise.

There are indeed similar tropes in many fairy tales, mythological stories, and modern stories, like STAR WARS, that are attempting to have a strong mythological bent them. But here again, the importance of fathers in these stories usually trumps by a wide margin anything the mother brings to the table in them. In the original STAR WARS trilogy Luke (and Leia's) mother is mentioned once, and never named, in RETURN OF THE JEDI, the final film(as far as audiences knew back then) of the series. She's at best an after thought to the entirety of the original trilogy that doesn't even warrant a name or any backstory. This only changes two decades later when Lucas goes back to mine his ground breaking series with the prequel trilogy.

In fairy tales you also have this strange counter motif of, yes, having a strong female/matriarchal figure in the main character's life except now... "She's EV-IL, LIKE THE FRUITS OF THE DEV-IL!" The wicked Step-Mother, The Evil Queen... Look at how these characters are named. In the Disney stories looking to mimic these ancient fairy tales from modern to classic we again see import given to fathers while mothers seem to be around to either hover in the periphery or exist to die so as to get the stories' ball moving. Bambi's mother dies so he can now come under the tutelage and protection of the king stag. Simba is on a quest to fulfill Mufasa's wish that he replace him as the alpha male of the pride.

Now I'm sure there are counter examples that can be brought forth, of a hero and his journey being equally influenced by the mother's existence as the father's, or even exceeding the father in import, but it's more rare and dwarfed by the amount of stories where the father is the central figure, even when the story originates in the modern era.

And once more, when it comes to super hero origins from the source material and Hollywood's adaptation of them (where there could be some redressing of this issue) what is often the case? In comics and films, who casts a longer, wider and deeper shadow on THE MIGHTY THOR? His mother(s) or Odin? In comics, can anyone tell me anything of import about Maria Stark, Tony's mom, other than that his philanthropic foundation is named after her? In the IRON MAN films, again, she's MIA. We never even see as much as a glimpse of her, and if she is named it's probably in a blink and you'll miss it moment and in some montage moment such as the awards ceremony intro in IM1. The first BLADE film has a wrinkle that turns this on it's ear, with his mom being essential to his origin, only to turn up later as (spoiler alert!) a freaking evil vamp that has to be put down.

There seems to be little deviaton from this pattern though and it's odd to me. Hollywood adaptations often change things up from the comic books, but this they seem content with holding true to the books. It's intriguing especially with the amount of single parent households these days headed up by mothers. You'd think in a nod to thever increasing actual experience of the audience that the part the mother plays in the hero's journey in these films would be beefed up, but, no dice. Is this because the stable two parent house hold has as much allure as the fantasy elements of a super hero story? Is the idea of a strong male presence in these films' heroes' lives as important as the super powers in the context of wish fulfillment?

In any case, I think too often in the modern CBM, moms are absent and voiceless. While I'm not blown away by the film like others are, in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY at least Starlord's mother is given some importance and through it's mixtape soundtrack, a presence in the story throughout the film's runtime.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I think redmarvel is on the money.

Parents just get in the way of adventuring. Since mothers are typically the most involved in their kids' lives, they are the more important parent, and hence the first to be taken out of the picture by writers.

I've always found Luke Skywalker an odd case, since he seemed totally unbothered by the fact that his surrogate parents got wiped out, aside from a few seconds of grief.

Compare this to say Spider-man.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I think redmarvel is on the money.

Parents just get in the way of adventuring. Since mothers are typically the most involved in their kids' lives, they are the more important parent, and hence the first to be taken out of the picture by writers.

I've always found Luke Skywalker an odd case, since he seemed totally unbothered by the fact that his surrogate parents got wiped out, aside from a few seconds of grief.

Compare this to say Spider-man.

Again though, even once the "father" ihas shuffled off this mortal coil along with the "mother" in most of these stories, the father/father figure still has some impact, voice or presence in the story. What their contribution is matters in terms of the hero/heroine's journey or to the plot. Moms? Not so much.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I think that's because most writers are male and our society is patriarchal.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I think that's because most writers are male and our society is patriarchal.

You know I was going to write some long and fancy post but you kinda hit the nail on the head. Society says men are more interesting and more important so everybody including a lot of women believe that crap. I actually really hate the moms aren't important trope, I've brought up how troubling it is to me before. Why wouldn't a mother be important in a young boys life? It really doesn't help that when a boy/man is really close to his mother that he is deemed a mamas boy or a Norman Bates type.

I really must give props to the mousehouse for allowing Brave to be made. I mean it's not a very good film but the mother figure was very important to the hero's journey. How about allowing that type of thing enter into male led films though?

 

[Thundercrack85]

I also think part of it is that, at least when it comes to action, a father can be seen as a "cool" figure, while a mother, not so much. This can work both ways. As a hero or a villain.

I can't think of any hero who ever fought side by side with his mother, or against his mother. Few characters aspire to be their mothers.

I'm not saying it can't be done. I simply haven't seen it.

I think in comics, this is rather noticeable, since most of these characters are very old, and have very old backstories (read: patriarchal).

Even many people who have never read a comic book know who Jor-El is. But I doubt anyone but comic fans can name Superman's mother.

Batman also rarely talks about his mother. It's always about his father's legacy.

Marvel, coming mostly out of the sixties, is a bit more progressive. But it still has a lot of this. Tony Stark's mother in the movies for example is never given any characterization. All he ever talks about is his father.

Thor however is an interesting exception.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

How is Thor an exception. I mean this honestly. When I think of Thor and parents, it aint Frigga or Jord I think of. It's big, manly Odin. I know that in recent times, Thor's relationship with the Earth goddess has been played up. But we are talking very recent, in context of his history.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Well, I meant the movie specifically.

I never was a Thor fan. But in the movies she actually gets to do stuff.

Compare this to say, Superman's mom, who just stands around as Krypton blows up.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Well, I meant the movie specifically.

I never was a Thor fan. But in the movies she actually gets to do stuff.

Compare this to say, Superman's mom, who just stands around as Krypton blows up.

What did Frigga do in THOR? Most of the scenes with her and Hopkins as Odin were cut. She says and does almost nothing in that film. (Unless you count the deleted scenes which while cool and all and add characterization, still were cut none the less.) And what actions of import did she do in TDW other than die and do a scene with Loki while he's in prison, which was there to give a fig leaf of motivation for Loki's grief? She dies at the Dark Elf's hands so that we get an excuse for Thor and Loki to team up. Is dying actually equated with doing something?

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

What did Frigga do in THOR? Most of the scenes with her and Hopkins as Odin were cut. She says and does almost nothing in that film. (Unless you count the deleted scenes which while cool and all and add characterization, still were cut none the less.) And what actions of import did she do in TDW other than die and do a scene with Loki while he's in prison, which was there to give a fig leaf of motivation for Loki's grief? She dies at the Dark Elf's hands so that we get an excuse for Thor and Loki to team up. Is dying actually equated with doing something?

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Dying fighting, is actually doing something.

 

[DarthDorranceBane]

Cause' Bruce Wayne had to pee and made them leave early.

 

[runawayboulder]

Cuz y'know.....Women in Refrigerators and all that stuff.

 

[Silvermoth]

Whenever a new writer takes over the terminator franchise they always say they need to do something to make John Connor less of a mummy's boy (which he isn't, not that that's a bad thing).

So anyway, that's why mothers are usually killed off or undervalued

 

[redmarvel]

I can't think of any hero who ever fought side by side with his mother, or against his mother. Few characters aspire to be their mothers.

I can think of two (yeah I know that's not much).

The Incredibles: The kids fought alongside both of their parents and Mom had to rescue dad and saved the baby.

The Fantastic Four - Franklin - I'm not sure if he ever fought against or alongside his mom, the last comic I was fortunate enough to purchase in the series had him aligning with Power Pack. However, at least he got to be a hero with both parents still living.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

It's interesting that the FF and a pseudo-FF stand out because of the elements in them that are about simple domesticity.

 

[terry78]

basically in fiction the father is either someone the hero looks up to, or someone the hero considers a jerk or a screwup. A lot of writers have daddy issues. Unless its a drama the mom is usually deemed as perfect with no other quirks. Hell, look at Harry Potter. Basically his mom died for him, that is her only trait. James Potter though...this ****er was all that.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

If only moms were actually perfect in real life. Oh well nobody is.