The Top 10 Worst Movie Dads
5. Jack Torrance- The Shinning
Of course, a Stephen King character would earn a spot on this list of the worst movie dads. I mean, he’s not exactly known for writing “feel good” stories and The Shining is one of his most celebrated novels. Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) is an absolute trash fire of a human being. His alcoholism and temper got him fired from his well paying job, and he was forced to take a new one as the off-season caretaker at the infamous Overlook Hotel. He drags his wife and son along only to discover that something is very wrong with The Overlook Hotel. Not only are there ghosts aplenty in residence there, but the Hotel itself is pure evil. It slowly twists Jack’s mind until he’s gone full-blown insane and sets off to murder his family. It’s hard to say how much is Jack and how much is the hotel’s influence, but either way, Jack wasn’t exactly father of the year before the Overlook. Besides, he really messed up little Danny for the rest of his life.
4. Lt. Col. Bull Meechum- The Great Santini
Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a bully. A soldier without a war, he “struggles” with drinking and his temper, enforcing strict discipline on his family. His own sons live in constant fear of him and his outbursts, especially his eldest, Bill. Meechum is the kind of man with such a weak ego that he can’t stand the idea of anyone beating him or disobeying him. He proves this time after time as he refuses to let his son win at basketball, sinking to lows such as unnecessary physical roughness, in order to cling to the idea that he’s still “the man of the house.” Meechum is the definition of toxic masculinity as he tries to beat Ben’s sensitive side into submission. While he refuses to listen to his family, Meechum has no problems listening to his fellow marines, which emphasizes just how little love and respect he has for his actual family. Needless to say, Bill Meechum definitely deserves a top spot among the worst movie dads of all time.
3. Noah Cross- Chinatown
Noah Cross might be the most despicable character to make an appearance on this list of the worst movie dads. A shrewd businessman who likes to step on the little people while presenting a smile to the rest of the world, Noah isn’t above murdering anyone who gets in his way. As bad as that might sound, that’s not the reason he earns a spot here. While this list might have some villains on it, Noah is a full-blooded monster. His heinous crime is revealed in one telling scene when his own daughter confesses “She’s my sister AND my daughter!” about her own baby. It’s a pretty gut-wrenching reveal, and Noah does everything he can to hide that grotesque truth from the world. Not even one of the best detectives in movie history can bring him to justice. Noah is a sick bastard and has enough money to make any threat to him disappear in order to keep his secrets.
2. Thanos- The MCU
When you’re daddy is also known as “The Mad Titan,” you know you’re probably in for a rough childhood. Thanos forced his daughters Gamora and Nebula to duke it out as children to forge them into his perfect little killing machines. While Gamora quickly proved herself to be papa’s favorite and became the most dangerous woman in the galaxy. Nebula, on the other hand, was forced to undergo painful cybernetic upgrades to address her shortcomings in his eyes. It got to a point where Nebula became more machine than… Whatever species she was in the first place, and Thanos started treating her like one. Then there’s the fact that he literally traded the life of his favorite daughter in exchange for the soul stone so that he could commit universal genocide. Thanos definitely deserves a spot on this list of the worst movie dads.
1. Darth Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker- The Star Wars Franchise
When it comes to the worst movie dads of all time, the force is strong with this one. While we might know him as a menacing black leather-clad cyborg with superpowers deep down he’s still that whiny emo kid that “hates sand.” That same emo kid went on to murder defensive younglings as he helped the Star Wars universe version of Mitch McConnell seize control of the galactic senate, eradicate the Jedi, and create a fascist empire. As for his kids, well, he helped destroy his daughter’s homeworld, tortured her, cryogenically froze her love interest, and cut off his son’s hand. I’ve heard of tough love before, but that’s ridiculous. Not only that, but he was a total absentee father. Then again, that probably worked out for the best since Vader is also straight-up terrifying. It makes sense that one of cinema’s greatest villains would earn the top spot on this list of the worst movie dads of all time.
Honorable Mention: Dr. Frankenstein
People always say, “Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster,” but I don’t think that’s true. Doctor Frankenstein was most definitely the real monster in the story as he cobbled together spare body parts in order to reanimate a corpse. Once alive again, the mad scientist treated his creation as an experiment that he could scrap when he got bored with it. He’s a perfect example of a monster creating another monster, and deserves an honorable mention among the worst movie dads of all time.
Those are my picks for the worst movie dads of all time. There are a ton of others out there though, and if I missed your “favorite” evil film father leave a comment below. As always, I’ll be updating this list as more bad dads hit the big screen. So, be sure to check back from time to time to see how the rankings might change!