Top 10 Superheroes Who Are Parents

A little while back I did an article talking about 10 superkids who could singlehandely save the world. The article saw characters like Cable, Jack Jack Par, Hope Summers, and more counted down in order of power, importance, and potential. Even though I could’ve counted down hundreds of kids, at its conclusion I felt pretty good about the article. Fast forward a year and after a few requests wondering about the parents of comic book children, I decided to count them down too. So…let’s take a look at the top 10 superheroes that are parents.

10. Bob and Helen Parr

Because I’m the proud father of a toddler, I have watched The Incredibles Two more times than any movie ever created. I can practically recite the movie line by line. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my many viewings is that baby Jack-Jack is immensely powerful. 

Most likely due to some Barry White, a little wine, and one fun night, Jack Jack possesses laser vision, teleportation, pyrokinesis, matter ingestion, monster transformation, super strength, electrokinesis, levitation, duplication. Coming from parents who can a) stretch really far and b) have superhuman strength, it’s a wonder that the baby became so powerful.  

9. Nolan Grayson

Nolan Grayson (Omni-Man) is the father of Mark Grayson (Invincible). As the father of Mark, Nolan possesses many of the same powers. These include but are not limited to: super strength, extreme durability, flight, enhanced healing, and intergalactic travel.

Don’t mistake their similar power set for them being of similar conviction, however. Just because they are father and son doesn’t mean that they share the same beliefs. Whereas Mark seeks to protect the Earth, Nolan seeks to conquer it. Their opposing beliefs have led them to battle one another. And after the battle, it was Nolan who stood over top of Mark as the victor.

8. Incredible Hulk

The often blended World War Hulk and Planet Hulk storylines saw the most intelligent of all Earth’s heroes decide the fate of the Hulk. Once a decision was made, the group placed him on a ship and launched it into space. After floating around in space for a while, the Hulk landed on Sakaar. While on Sakaar, he and his newfound love, Caiera, conceived a child. 

Skaar possesses many of the Hulk’s attributes. Of these attributes, none are as notable as his temper, strength, durability, and that, like his father, the angrier he becomes, the stronger he becomes. If you think Skaar is only a copy of the Hulk, think again. He is exactly what would happen if the Hulk ever let his savagery take over.

7. Aquaman and Mera

The most tragic of all the parents on this superhero who are parents list, Aquaman and Mera created the ill-fated Aquababy. Aquababy is most known for three things. First, he was able to create life from water. Second, he was the baby killed by Black Manta.

And third, after he was killed he was buried at Mercy Reef. Shortly after his burial, Mercy Reef was destroyed by Black Manta. This meant that beyond killing Aquababy, Black Manta also desecrated the place he was supposed to find peace in. This not-so-simple act caused Aquaman and Mera to take their hate for Black Manta to a whole new level.

6. Charles Xavier

Legion is the offspring of the world’s foremost telepath, Charles Xavier. As the son of Charles Xavier, Legion is an incredibly powerful mutant. In truth, he’s so powerful that he’s considered one of the world’s greatest threats. But this isn’t what makes him interesting. 

What makes him interesting is that he, like Moon Knight, suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Because Legion’s powers are so extreme, he is capable of absorbing the minds of any he comes into contact with. If this sounds confusing, let me put it this way…whoever he comes into contact with runs the risk of permanently becoming one of his many personalities. Try as he may, Charles has never been able to put a stop to his son. 

5. Odin Borson

Of all the Asgardians, none are as powerful as Odin. Odin is the ruler of Asgard, father of Thor and Loki, and protector of the Nine Realms. Most impressively, his power is augmented by the Odinforce. This means that aside from possessing near-immeasurable strength, he also has regenerative abilities, can channel cosmic energy into concussive blasts, can teleport both himself and the entirety of Asgard, can fly, and rearrange molecular matter.

Odin also has the power to imbue others with power and in the case of Thor, has done so. Odin is the reason Earth sleeps easily at night and is the reason that Asgard is the mightiest of all the realms. 

4. Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor 

Say what you want about Scott Summers, but he has some incredibly powerful sperm. In one of the most iconic, yet convoluted stories in X-Men history, Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor conceive a child. That child, Cable, ends up being one of the most powerful mutants in existence. In fact, he’s so powerful that Apocalypse attempted time and again to kill him as a baby.

Cable is one of the foremost telepaths in comics. In addition to being a powerful telepath, he is also one of the strongest users of telekinesis, astral projection, time travel, and mind control. Like I said, super sperm.

3. Nathaniel Summers

Of the many superheroes who are parents, none have the family lineage that the Summers line has. Not only does the line include Alex Summers (Havok), Scott Summers (Cyclops), Gabriel Summers (Vulcan), and Nathaniel Summers (Cable), but it also includes Hope Summers. 

Hope Summers is the offspring of Cable. She is the mutant messiah and the one who was supposed to bring mutants back to a time of prosperity. Hope possesses the power of mimicry. This means that she can use the powers of any mutant in her vicinity. But that’s not all.

Hope is able to use those powers to their full potential no matter if the originating mutant can or not. I’m a big fan of Hope and owe Cable a debt of gratitude for bringing her into the world.

2. Sue and Reed Richards

It was just confirmed by Galactus himself that the offspring of Sue and Reed Richards is the most powerful mutant in Marvel. As the most powerful mutant, Franklin can manipulate matter and energy, possesses incredible psionic abilities, is immortal, can teleport, and create entire universes inside a pocket dimension.

Now, if you’re wondering how a child like this came from two non-mutants, you’re not alone. So am I. No matter, because of Franklin’s existence, Sue and Reed Richards are superheroes who are parents. 

1. Clark Kent and Lex Luthor

If it seems strange that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor have a child together, understand that theirs isn’t in the traditional sense. Let me explain.

After Doomsday and Superman battled to the death, the world was left without its greatest superhero. It wouldn’t take too long before this was fixed. The fix came in the form of Project Cadmus and Project Cadmus saw the genetic information of Lex Luthor combined with that of Superman. 

The resulting offspring, Kon-El, was aged to his mid-teens and given all the biological information required by someone of that age group. Because he was the product of Superman, he gained most of his power.

Images © DC/Marvel/Image

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