10 Superheroes with Both Parents Alive (Even in 2023)

To be successful, good characters, superheroes usually require a significant, deep backstory. Usually, there’s some kind of trauma involved that gets them to become superheroes, and it feels as if almost every character lost one or both parents along the way. That got me thinking – are there any superheroes out there that still have both parents alive?

I’ve gone through the lore and picked out the ten best superheroes that still have both parents alive. Of course, there are more superheroes that fit the bill but just didn’t make it on the list which will be ranked. Enjoy!

10. Robin (Damian Wayne)

Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al’ Ghoul. The character first appeared in the Prime Earth continuity, in Batman and Robin Vol. 2 #1. Talia somewhat tricked Bruce into having a baby together but then fled with the kid and raised him as a member of the infamous League of Shadows.

Luckily, when Bruce found out he had a son, he managed to convert him to the side of the good, teaching him the error of his ways. Damian left the League of Shadows behind for good and even took the mantle of Robin, becoming his father’s sidekick.

9. Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)

Nightcrawler has been a very popular member of the X-Men for decades, and even more so after the character appeared in the early X-Men movies. Kurt Wagner first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975 as a mutant that looks like a demon but is actually a very kind guy with teleportation abilities.

In the movies, his backstory and parentage haven’t been all that explored. However, in the comics, we learn that Nightcrawler’s mother is Raven Darkholme, aka Mystique, who gave birth to Kurt with Azazel as the father. Azazel is a demonish-looking guy who even said he once fought Mephisto for the title of Satan. Nightcrawler owns his looks to him.

8. Aqualad (Jackson Hyde)

In the Prime Earth continuity, Jackson Hyde is the superhero known as Aqualad and later the second Aquaman. He first appeared in DCU: Rebirth #1 in 2016 and is a human/Atlantean hybrid, born to David Hyde, aka Black Manta, and Lucia Hyde, a Xebelian rebel who harbored animosity towards the kingdom of Atlantis.

Both Black Manta and Lucia are still alive, but Jackson isn’t rocking with their side anymore. Instead, Aquaman showed Jackson the error of his ways, and as Aqualad realized how delusional his parents made him, he decided to stay with Arthur Curry and become his protege. Now, Aqualad is an important member of the Teen Titans, even donning the moniker Aquaman.

Interestingly, Black Manta is set to return to the DCEU in Aquaman 2. Does that potentially mean we could see the introduction of Aqualad to the DCEU in that film? I think it could happen.

7. Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)

There are several characters that donned the Blue Beetle mantle over the years, with Jaime Reyes being the third and current Beetle. His parents, Alberto and Bianca Reyes are a modest, normal family who did their best to raise Jaime the right way.

However, one day, Jaime and his two friends, Brenda and Paco, found the scarab floating in the river in their home town El Paso. The object attached itself to Jaime, making him its new host, meaning Jaime Reyes became the Blue Beetle without even knowing it.

Despite all this, Jaime embraced his newfound power and started the life of a superhero. Both he and his parents are still alive in the Prime Earth continuity.

6. Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)

As with many other mantles, there have been numerous characters who were called Batgirl at some point. However, only one of them still has both their parents alive, and that’s Barbara Gordon. Barbara first appeared in Flashpoint Vol. 2 #5 in 2011 as the daughter of Commissioner James ‘Jim’ Gordon, and his wife, Barbara Eileen Gordon.

Barbara worked as Batgirl for a while without her father knowing, but he eventually figured it out. She was once crippled by the Joker, but eventually, she recovered and continued being Batgirl. Later, the Joker asked her to marry him by holding her mother’s severed finger in his hands with a ring still on it. 

Luckily, Batgirl’s mom is still alive, and so is her dad, Batman’s long-tenured associate. 

5. Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)

The new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, first appeared in All-New Marvel NOW! Point One #1.NOW in 2014. She was just a human teenage girl when a Terrigan Bomb cloud spread over her city and activated her latent Inhuman lineage and genes. It gave Kamala her Inhuman powers and turned her into Ms. Marvel.

Kamala then became the protege of Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel – something we could very well see happening in the MCU. However, the real reason behind her heroic behavior is her parents, Yusuf and Muneeba. Yusuf and Muneeba are Pakistani-American Muslims who have raised their daughter under traditional, protective values and strict curfews.

However, all they did was out of pure love, and they raised Kamala the right way – to know right from wrong, and always do everything in her power to help, and become one of the most important young heroes in Marvel Comics. Both Yusuf and Muneeba are still alive.

4. Beast (Henry McCoy)

Henry McCoy, aka Beast, has been around for as long as X-Men have been around. His first appearance came in X-Men #1 in 1963, as he was one of the original members of the team. His exterior is beast-like – a huge, powerful body with blue fur, claws, and fangs. At first glance, one would think he’s a dull, strong creature.

The reality is, however, that Henry is one of the most brilliant minds on Earth, and that helps the X-Men far more than his brute strength. His parents, both still alive, are Edna and Norton McCoy. Norton worked at a nuclear plant as a technician and saved it from a catastrophic meltdown once by staying in an irradiated area to correct some issues manually.

It’s believed that the amount of radiation he endured eventually caused their son, Henry, to become a mutant. And the rest is history.

3. Superman (Clark & Jon Kent)

Believe it or not, Superman has both of his parents still alive. Well, technically, his biological parents died, but his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent have raised Clark since he was a baby. In the Prime Earth continuity, both of them are still alive. Not only that, but they became grandparents, as Clark and Lois Lane have a son together, Jon Kent.

Jon Kent first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2 in 2015 and was named after his grandfather, and he spends a lot of time with his dad, learning the responsibilities of having such amazing powers at his disposal. He was Superboy for a while but now proudly rocks the Superman mantle, although he is still quite young.

2. Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

Miles Morales is the Spider-Man of the Earth-1610 universe, also known as the Marvel Ultimate universe. The first appeared in Ultimate Fallout #4 and was immediately very well-received, but surged in popularity after the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated film.

Miles is a teenage boy who got Spidey powers, similar to how Peter Parker got them on Earth-616 – being bitten by a genetically-altered, radioactive spider. After the Multiverse got decimated, Miles and his family and friends were rewritten into Earth-616’s reality.

That included both of his parents, Rio and Jefferson Morales, as well as his granny Gloria, sister Billie, and others. Miles is one of my favorite Spidey iterations, and I can’t wait to see where the Spider-Verse sequel will take him.

1. Franklin & Valeria Richards

Most superheroes from this list have parents who are simply regular people. Not Franklin and Valeria Richards, though. They are the children of Reed Richards – the smartest person on Earth – and Sue Richards (ex-Storm) – aka the Invisible Woman. Both Reed and Sue are members of the Fantastic Four and are both still alive to this day.

As for Franklin and Valeria, they were born with absolutely unfathomable powers and skills. Franklin could create small pocket universes while he was still a toddler and will grow up to become the most powerful being – not just human, but being in general – in the universe.

Valeria, on the other hand, is so intelligent that Reed is actually worried for her, absorbing so much information at such a young age. When she was three years old, Reed Richards himself admitted that his daughter had already surpassed him intelligence-wise.

I think it’s safe to say that Franklin and Valeria are the most powerful brother and sister duo in existence – or will be once they grow up. Talk about having strong parental genes!

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