Every movie/book/comics hero has dead parents.

[Deleted]

Mulan isn't an anti-hero...

Mulan isn't a hero at all...
Disney... /facepalm-.-

[saberon]

Because nobody wants to see a story about Bruce Wayne living a happy childhood with his parents and growing up to be a billionaire who buys things.

The whole "parent murdered in front of me" scenario allows for the hero to become righteously angry, which enables them to dedicate themselves to fighting evil. Otherwise, it's just some guy going around beating people for no reason.

[Beavis]

Almost every made up hero is from incomplete family. For example: Spider-man, Batman, Iron Man, Frodo, Picard, Hellboy and much much more.

Why is it so important for a hero to have dead parents?

What about Captain Planet?

[Tuuralihn]

well thats not true, what about... oh.. but, ah! This one ha- no..

[Blayze]

A character doesn't have to have dead parents for them to cause drama. I've been re-reading some old Marvel comics recently, and both Dazzler and Beast had parental issues--Dazzler with her father, Beast with his mother. In Dazzler's case, it was her choice of occupation--in Beast's, the fact he was a mutant (and very visibly so).

Otherwise, it's just some guy going around beating people for no reason.

SPECIAL BEAR IS DEAD

[Twiddly]

They have to have no parents, or there parents might let it slip there identities! remember the lessons of Clobberella!

[Grummgug]

The formula for writing any good work of fiction is to create interesting characters and torture them for 300 pages.

This is because a story where nothing bad ever happens to anyone is boring. Its also important that the challenges and obstacles are worthy of the heroes' quest. If the story is just a rout in favor of the heroes, its not very compelling. What makes a story interesting is when the heroes suffer in no-win situations, or suffer great losses. That is interesting because it reveals the character (or lack thereof) your characters. Maybe they rise above the obstacles. Maybe the obstacles ultimately corrupt them, or take them down.

Star Wars Episode 4 is a great example. The entire story is about torturing Luke Skywalker. He starts out living with his aunt and uncle, never knowing his real parents. His childhood friends are gone to chase their dreams, while he is stuck at home. Then Imperial Stormtroopers slaughter his aunt and uncle, leaving him to view their charred remains. With nowhere to go, he leaves home with Kenobi. On the Death Star, he has to watch in horror as Kenobi is cut in half right before his eyes by Darth Vader. He barely escapes and joins the rebel alliance. His new friend Han Solo abandons him, taking the money and running. He reunites with his boyhood friend Biggs, only to watch Biggs get shot down and die in the trench battle by Vader. Everyone he knew or cared about is dead. He's got nothing to live for. And now its all on his shoulders to blow up the Death Star and save everyone. This is the part where we reveal his character. He pulls himself together, keeps his head in the game, takes the shot, and saves the day.

[misspellar]

Because nobody wants to see a story about Bruce Wayne living a happy childhood with his parents and growing up to be a billionaire who buys things.

The whole "parent murdered in front of me" scenario allows for the hero to become righteously angry, which enables them to dedicate themselves to fighting evil. Otherwise, it's just some guy going around beating people for no reason.

Back in the 30's there was a batman comic where some sort of time wizard sends Batman to another dimension where he saved his parents then left and the bruce wayne from that dimension grows up to become the batman there because he is inspired by what he saw that night.

---------- Post added 2012-02-20 at 07:24 PM ----------

have you seen the super heroes who's parents are still alive? so lame. no tension, no drama, no angst ridden past. yawn

Thor would like a word with you...

[PBitt]

Good question, guess I've never really thought about it in-depth. I guess, in some cases, parent deaths are what fuels the hero to be what he/she is...particularly in the case of Batman, for example. I think a couple people that posted have the right idea, most of these heroes are fairly young and I guess it doesn't sit to well with the story if Mommy tells Spiderman it's time to stop chasing bad guys and finish his homework...and with that, it surely allows more independence for them to actually keep their secret identity...a parent is certainly going to notice if their kid is missing almost 24/7.

[Adam Jensen]

Sometimes its a means to make the character who he is.

My own character lost her parents when she was young and thus was forced to live in the streets, which was why she grew up to become who she was. It was necessary. If she wasn't alone, she would have had no reason to be anything more than a farmer's daughter.

[Bane Falcon]

Good question, guess I've never really thought about it in-depth. I guess, in some cases, parent deaths are what fuels the hero to be what he/she is...particularly in the case of Batman, for example. I think a couple people that posted have the right idea, most of these heroes are fairly young and I guess it doesn't sit to well with the story if Mommy tells Spiderman it's time to stop chasing bad guys and finish his homework...and with that, it surely allows more independence for them to actually keep their secret identity...a parent is certainly going to notice if their kid is missing almost 24/7.

"I'm studying with friends. I'm in the math team. I'm helping out with the sports club. I'm at the mall. I'm playing basketball." Any number of excuses for where the kid is at during the superheroics.

And living parents causes for some interesting situations, as I stated before. The Young Avengers were "shut down" because otherwise, Iron Man and Captain America were going to call their parents and say they were out fighting crime.

That lasted maybe half an issue, before they broke out and were all "Screw this shit, they need us!!"

[Herecius]

In the words of Batman... MY PARENTS ARE DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAD

But no, seriously, comic-book writers aren't very good with backstories.

[unholytestament]

Peter Parker's parents are never really talked about, but he had a good home-life with his Aunt and Uncle.

Ummm, yeah they are. Not in the Sam Raimi movies, but his parents are kind of a big deal in the comics. They were both spies who infiltrated the Red Skull's group and were eventually discovered and killed. And it looks like the new movie is going to cover at least some of this.

Harry Potter's parent's were killed when he was very young, and to be honest the fact that he's so obsessed with them is rather strange given he was like, 1.

Kid is all but physically abused by the family that raises him, OF COURSE he's going to latch onto the story of his real family when his parents turn out to be big damn heroes.

Hellboy is a demon who well...is a demon, demons aren't exactly big on parenthood.

It actually hit Hellboy pretty hard when he found out the identity of his mother and what eventually became of her.

[saberon]

Ummm, yeah they are. Not in the Sam Raimi movies, but his arents are kind of a big deal in the comics. They were both spies who infiltrated the Red Skull's group and were eventually discovered and killed. And it looks like the new movie is going to cover at least some of this.

Don't forget that his Aunt and Uncle were very much parents to him, and his Uncle then gets killed in front of him. And Peter is partly to blame.