Best Dads of Power Rangers

Many times I've seen the commentary of how, back in the day of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, the Rangers' parents appear oblivious and possibly negligent of what their teenagers with attitude are up to. As the years and generations of Power Rangers went on, we got more diverse portrayal of Ranger families. For Father's Day, I chose to highlight a few of the dads that stood out among the years of Power Rangers.

Kanoi Watanabe - Ninja Storm

Not necessarily the father of the year, but he is the ninja guinea pig of the year. In many ways, he was a father figure to the Wind Rangers more than his son Cam. After what happened in his past, he wanted to protect his son. It wasn't until Cam went back in time and retrieved the samurai powers from his mother that Sensei loosened up and supported him as the Green Ranger. If Sensei had any major faults, it was that he was overprotective of his son. Is there a good parent who hasn't been overprotective at times? (PS: The CGI for guinea pig Sensei is almost comical by today's standards--hard to look back at it)

William Mitchell - Lightspeed Rescue

Haunted by his past and what happened to Ryan, Captain Mitchell dedicated his life to Lightspeed. Unlike Sensei, Captain Mitchell wasn't overprotective of his daughter and invited her to become the Pink Ranger. He knew her capabilities and supported her. His past came back to haunt him when Ryan returned, but conversely Ryan's return was certainly healing, despite the regrets he likely still felt.

Doug Stewart - Turbo

Starting out as a widower and an absentee father, Justin’s dad wasn’t exactly a model father. However, his redeeming factor is that he chose to change and become more involved with Justin. As a father who overthinks every parenting mistake, I’ve been told what matters most is the reconciliation, not the mistakes. Justin’s dad realized he wanted to be better as a parent and he did it.

Ed Jones - Dino Fury

The man adopted a lonely (alien) baby and chose to become her Pop Pop. He wasn’t exactly a man of means, so I can’t imagine he was able to give her everything he wanted. But he was a hard worker and he cared for her. Biological or adoptive, every father matters.

Tommy Oliver - Zeo

Though the most legendary of Power Rangers (see also Wild Force, Dino Thunder, Megaforce, and Ninja Steel), we only got to see Tommy as a father and grandfather in a flash forward during the Christmas episode of Zeo. Despite that limited screen time, we know one thing in particular about his legacy as a father: he passed on the Ranger heritage to his son. Though he and Kat might’ve had more children, their son JJ Oliver was known to be an SPD Ranger in the comics. In addition, Tommy’s grandson (presumably JJ’s son) was established as a Ranger in that Christmas special. All I can say is that I’m grateful they kept that flash forward canon and, despite the passing of Jason David Frank, the legacy of Tommy (and JDF) lives on. 

More Content You Might Like:

• "6 Power Rangers Series Worth Watching" by Spencer
• "Pink Power Rangers for Breast Cancer Awareness" by Spencer
• "Who is Tommy Oliver?" by Spencer

LDS Geeks Podcast #19: Bandit Heeler is #DadGoals

Of all TV dads in recent years, one stands above all else, Bandit Heeler. Maybe it's because he's a cartoon dog–maybe it's because he's from a kids' show– but parents love it too. As for me, I think it's because dads find him so relatable. So for Father's Day this June, Kenton and I decided to discuss #DadGoals himself.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 19 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Kenton's recent blog posts: click here

Show notes:

00:24 - Introductions
01:35 - Spencer's Recommendation: Phines and Ferb
        Available for streaming on Disney Plus
        "Phineas and Ferb Workout" by Spencer
02:29 - Kenton's Recommendation: Merlin
        Available for streaming on Tubi, CW, Roku Channel, and Amazon Prime
07:30 - Introducing Bandit Heeler
07:59 - Magic Xylophone
10:47 - Exercise
11:52 - Shaun
14:21 - Stumpfest
16:47 - Stickbird
21:04 - Sheepdog
22:49 - Relax
26:37 - Wagonride
28:34 - Fancy Restaurant
34:49 - Dance Mode
36:55 - Final Thoughts on Bandit

Disney Dads

As Father’s Day approaches, I have noticed that there has been a lot of Father’s Day memes involving Darth Vader. I will admit some of them are funny but do you have to cut off your child arm to become father of the year? If anything, it says a lot about Luke forgiving him and helping him to become a Jedi again. In this post we will look at different Disney fathers that should be recognized more than Darth Vader as this holiday approaches.

Pacha: Emperor’s New Groove

When I think of excellent fatherly characters Pacha comes to mind. He goes out to meet the emperor, Kuzco, to change his mind to keep his family home as well as his villager’s home from being destroyed. Pacha is a hard worker with his duties of being a father, a llama herder, and the leader of his village. Pacha is best described as a family man, his wife and kids love him and his isn’t a dumb dad like most dads portrayed in media in the 2000's. When Pacha met Kuzco he felt that he was a spoiled brat. But when Kuzco became a llama, instead of taking the easy way out and abandoning Kuzco and having Yzma rule, he helped him--- hoping that the emperor’s attitude would change like a father would with a wayward son.

George Banks: Mary Poppins

George Banks loves his kids throughout the movie, but it never registered to his children because of how he showed his love. He wanted his children to become successful so they wouldn’t have financial problems when they become adults, which is what all parents want but his approach was not the best. He wanted them to become so successful that they could not enjoy being children. However, as George's professional life turns upside-down, he realizes the ultimate value of his family and makes real changes in his life. As he walks to his job, in one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema, you see the fear he has about the future but, as his ties to his job are finally cut, we also see the resolve develop within him to make some real changes in his life.

Mufasa: Lion King

Instead of celebrating Darth Vader on Father’s Day how about focusing on another role that James Earl Jones had where he was a sacrificing father, like Mufasa. Mufasa was king of Pride Rock. He had a good work and home life balance teaching his son and being king. He taught Simba to respect all creatures, but also having fun playing games on Zazu. He sets boundaries to protect his son, but also encourages him to explore. When his son disobeyed he reprehends him, but also forgives him. The most notable quality Mufasa has is he sacrificed himself so his son could live.

Mando: The Mandalorian

I get it--- you're probably a Star Wars fan and love all the memes that have been generated over the years. Father’s Day is another Star Wars day for you. Well thankfully Disney has created a new unorthodox father in Star Wars, Mando. After he captures and delivers Grogu to his client he goes against the code for bounty hunters and rescues Grogu and essentially adopts him until he finds a Jedi to teach him. When they finally find Luke, it was a sad departure for them because of their relationship as father and son, but Mando wanted what was best for Grogu and lets him leave. Of course, he wouldn’t stop being a father and tries to visit Grogu bringing gifts.

Goofy: Disney

Speaking of unorthodox parents, we couldn’t ignore Goofy: a single father. Goofy may be silly but he is also a wonderful role model for a father. With a teenager going through angst, he manages to show kindness and compassion making him aspirational for fathers. He works a demanding job, so they are financially stable. When his son, Max, is struggling he plans a father-and-son trip to lift his spirits because he cares about Max’s emotional health. He lets his son be an individual and takes interests in Max’s hobbies. He trusts his son completely, he allows Max to choose stops along their road trip. Even when Goofy suspects that Max is changing their road trip destination, he gives Max the responsibility of being the navigator because of that trust. Finally, he pays attention to his son’s feelings and gives him space. If you don’t believe me watch “A Goofy Movie”.

Scott Lang: Ant-Man

When divorce happens it hard for a father to be fully invested in their children. In Ant-Man we see Scott Lang doing his best to be a father while respecting his former wife's boundaries. After being released from jail he wants to be part of his daughter’s life and tries to be law-abiding by working at Baskin Robbins even though he has an engineering degree. He wants to make his daughter proud and be a good example for her. He becomes Ant-Man at first because of his thieving skills, but transitions to being selfless. He helps Captain America and saves Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm. In Avenger’s Endgame we see Scott come out of the quantum realm to find his daughter aged by five years. We see the depression on his face when he realized how much of his daughter’s life he has missed.

Agustín and Félix: Encanto

This one is cheating a bit because I couldn’t choose which of these fathers to talk about. They are both good examples of being part of their children’s life. Agustín is sympathetic and understands how it feels not belong in the family and tries to comfort his daughter Mirabel when she obtains no magical gift. We see in the movie that he pays attention to all his daughters’ feelings. For example, when Luisa loses her strength and runs away saddened, he chases after her. We don’t know much about Félix, but he is also present with his children and supportive to his wife, presenting a positive attitude even when it rains.

Mr. Incredible: Incredibles

We couldn’t end the list without the most recognized superhero father, Mr. Incredible. After the first movie Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, learned to keep his selfish interests in check and become involved with his children more. Instead of giving up on helping his son, Dash, on his homework, he learns how the new approach and helps Dash. He also cares about his children’s feeling by helping his daughter, Violet, talk to her crush by taking the family to the diner where he works. It turned out horribly, but he does the most honorable thing a father can do, apologize to his daughter for making things worse.

These are just eight honorable Dads we decided to mentioned in this post, but Disney has produced more decent fathers. Here is a list of honorable mentions.

• Marlin: Finding Nemo
• Pongo: 101 Dalmatians
• James: The Princess and the Frog
• Carl: Up
• Geppetto: Pinocchio
• Héctor: Coco
• Mr. Potatohead: Toy Story
• Vision: Avengers
• T’Chaka: Black Panther

Iroh vs Ozai: The Best Dad vs The Worst

Despite technically starting on the bad guy's side, Iroh has become a fan favorite from Avatar the Last Airbender. While he's as funny as he is powerful, the biggest thing that makes him so beloved is his relationship with his nephew Zuko and the father energy he provides the exiled prince. While this topic has been discussed at length, I think it's best we compare Iroh to Zuko's biological father, Fire Lord Ozai, and talk about what makes a good dad versus a bad dad. 

Sibling Rivalry   

Zuko's treatment by his father can also be contrasted with how his father treats Zuko's sister, Azula. This line says it all: "My father says Azula was born lucky, and that I was lucky to be born." Azula was always Ozai's favorite, both because she shared his killer instinct and was an extraordinary firebender. Ozai constantly compared Zuko to his sister, keeping the two in constant competition and conflict for Ozai's attention. We see this pattern play out in the MCU where Gamora is pitted against Nebula by their adopted father Thanos, and the devastation it causes both sisters. Nebula resents Gamora for being the better sister in their father's eyes and the punishment she received for not being like her, where Gamora is just thankful to not be her. 

Iroh never compared Zuko to Azula, and also never compared Zuko to his own deceased son. The entire time they chase Aang across the globe Iroh never once says that anyone could be doing a better job than Zuko, despite Zuko failing on numerous occasions. Iroh always held Zuko in his own light instead of comparing him to others, which allowed Zuko to shine in his own talents. When needs be Iroh would help Zuko with training or with direction, but always after Zuko came to him for help. 

Conditional Love

Ozai's love for his children was always based on what they could do, more specifically, what they could do to further his goals. Azula was the favorite because her power and ambition could help him take over more territory, as demonstrated when she successfully captured Ba Sing Se. Zuko internalized this and thus devoted himself to capture the avatar, a seemingly futile task, to not only restore his honor but prove to his father that he was worth loving. 

Iroh treated everyone he came across with respect and kindness, from strangers to enemies like Azula. Zuko never had to do anything to earn Iroh's love, it was always there, even when Zuko was too busy seeking Ozai's love to recognize it. Even when they are united near the finale (We'll talk about that in a sec) Iroh still loves Zuko, even though Zuko betrayed him and was responsible for his imprisonment. 

Forgivness

The first time we really learn anything about Ozai was when Zuko's scar is explained. After a disrespectful faux paus in Ozai's war room, Ozai publicly humiliates Zuko by burning the left side of his face, leaving him permanently scarred. As fire lord and Zuko's father, this situation could've been handled a dozen different ways. The public scarring was a demonstration that there would be no forgiveness for Zuko ever being anything less than what his father demanded of him. 

When Zuko and Iroh reunite in season three (See I told you we'd get back to this) it's after Zuko betrayed Iroh to the Fire Nation and his honor was restored by Ozai. Iroh escapes the same day Zuko renounces his father and leaves so it can be assumed that Iroh never knew that Zuko had lost favor with the fire lord again, or that Zuko had teamed up with Aang and the gang. Zuko doesn't see Iroh until Team Avatar meets with the Order of the White Lotus. When reunited, Zuko begs Iroh for forgiveness for betraying him, which Iroh never even held a grudge against him, but was "Just sad that you lost your way". Iroh allows Zuko to make mistakes even against him and still forgives and loves him with no question. If Zuko had just disappeared forever Iroh would've still forgiven him and been sad on how they last saw each other. 

This Father's Day, you don't have to celebrate the dad you have if that's not someone who is a positive influence in your life. As many geekdoms demonstrate, some families are made from people who love each other. So take time to celebrate the people who were fathers for you when nobody else was. 

-JOE

5 Reasons Homer Simpson is the Dad We Need

When the words "model TV dads" come by, you usually hear the dad from Leave It To Beaver, Andy Tailor, maybe more recently Danny Tanner from Full House. But if you want an example of a dad who is more realistic, look no further than Homer J. Simpson.

I'm serious.

5: Always Willing to Change

Homer's known for being pig-headed, stupid, and ignorant on most topics, but for Marge and the kids he's always willing to learn about something, even if it's just enough to get by. After taking a test that indicates he may be a bad father, Homer gets closer to Bart as they build and race soapbox derby cars. Homer even goes as far as to ask Ned Flanders for parenting advice just to prove that he is a good dad and does care about his kids.

4: Stands By His Kids

In the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" he helps Lisa as she tries to unravel a conspiracy around the town's founder, Jebediah Springfield. Even though Jebediah is a hero of Homer's, he's willing to hear his daughter out and help her get to the truth, even at the cost of his job as town crier. Homer could've easily jumped in with the mob against Lisa, a position even Marge takes, but instead he sticks by Lisa to the end, even supporting her decision in the end to not reveal the truth. Homer has also helped Bart fight off bullies, defended Lisa's beauty and has stood up to Marge on the few times when she's shown a lapse in judgment, like when she broke a promise to Lisa to make her a costume.

3: Willing To Teach

There's not much that Homer knows that's really of use to anyone, but the little he does have he's always eager to share with his kids. This includes giving Bart the tip that "When it comes to compliments, women are ravenous blood-sucking monsters always want'n more... more... MORE! And if you give it to them, you'll get plenty back in return.". It may not be accurate but it helped Bart in the moment and Marge and Lisa did appreciate the compliments. Homer's never afraid to bring his kids along on one of his zany adventures, and teach them some handy life lessons along the way.

2: Respects His Wife

Homer has argued with Marge, sometimes done things she doesn't approve of, like buying Lisa a horse or buying a gun, but in the end he always tries to respect Marge's opinion and never puts her down. He's completely devoted to making Marge and the kids happy, even if he has to grumble about it in the car. The pair have taught their kids that a perfect marriage doesn't need to involve perfect people, but it does involve mutual respect and caring. Yes Homer slips up, but he's always the first to apologize and make amends. 

1: He Does It For Her

In the episode "And Maggie Makes Three" Bart and Lisa ask why they're aren't any pictures of Maggie. The subsequent flashback story tells how Homer and Marge, fresh out of debt and at the time only having two children, decide that Homer can chase his dream job of working at the bowling alley. This comes crashing down when Marge announces he's pregnant and Homer has to go back to the nuclear power plant where Mr. Burns puts up a plaque that says "Don't Forget: You're Here Forever". Homer takes pictures of Maggie and arranges them to make the plaque say "Do it for her" so he always remembers why he's working so hard at a place he hates. Homer is shown to sometimes forget Maggie but when he's at work he never forgets what makes it all worthwhile. 

Homer is the dad we didn't want but the one we needed. 

-JOE

Top TV Dads

Happy Father's Day! To complement my Mother's Day post from last month, I wanted to do a Top TV Dads. Too often fathers are degraded and viewed as unimportant in the media, so let's celebrate the ones who were actually good.

Takehiro Matsuki (Digimon Tamers)
To be fair, he was a bit of a permissive dad at times, seeming to want to appease his son Takato. However, he also proved to be a big support throughout the season. When Takato's mom was frantic about the Digimon, Takehiro was level-headed and trusted Takato to be safe and smart and mature. Even before he knew about the Digimon, Takato was seen having a friendly, healthy relationship with father, talking to him about school and everything.

Prince Charming (Once Upon a Time)
He missed the first 28 years of his daughter's life due to a magically-induced coma, but after the curse was broken he strived his hardest to be a good father to Emma. He struggled with the idea of having another child, causing him great fear, but he seemingly conquered that fear (despite leaving Neal behind during various adventures). Despite being the same age physically as his daughter, he and Emma were shown to have many heart-to-heart moments, including when she was grieving over the loss of her boyfriend.

Joe West (The Flash)
Let's start with the fact that he was a single father after his wife walked out on him. For years he cared for Iris on his own, being a solid male influence in her life, leading to healthy dating relationships for Iris. Now let's fast-forward to when he became foster-dad for Barry, after the death of his mother and incarceration of his father. Sure the transition was bumpy, but he developed a great relationship with Barry, supporting him, even though he didn't understand Barry's wild tales about the Man in Yellow. Their relationship was solid enough that Barry brought him on to Team Flash not long after donning the red suit. Finally, decades after his wife left, he met his son Wally. It was rough at first, trying to parent too fast, but after slowing it down, Joe was able to be a solid influence for Wally as he became Kid Flash.

Jack Geller (Friends)
While his wife is a piece of work, Jack was very compassionate and loving towards his two kids. Granted, sometimes this compassion bordered on cluelessness. While his wife was a bit more nasty towards Monica, his negligence was a bit more passive. All the same, despite his faults, he genuinely loves his children. No moment portrays this more than when he came to comfort Monica after her break-up with Richard.

Cory Matthews (Girl Meets World)
After seven seasons of life lessons of his own (plus 14 unseen years), Cory became a bit of a mix of his young adult self, his father, and Mr. Feeny. Not only was a loving father (albeit crazy and quirky) to his own children, but as a teacher he was also a father-figure to some of his daughter's friends, especially Maya. Like Mr. Feeny before him, he tried to teach life lessons all the way along through middle school and into high school.

Pete Tyler (Doctor Who)
We've got two incarnations of this character to look at, both amazing fathers. The original Pete, Rose's biological father, was a bit of a clever airhead, schemes running through his head and driving his wife crazy (not that she needed help). When adult Rose showed up suddenly with the Ninth Doctor, he was willing to sacrifice himself to set the timeline straight, all for the sake of his daughter. Now jump to the parallel universe, Pete Tyler never fathered Rose, but he became the adoptive father for her after the Battle of Canary Warf. During the battle, he risked his life to save Rose from falling into the void, despite the risks to the universe.

Solomon Moto (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
We don't particularly know what happened with Yugi's parents (his mom briefly appeared in a Japanese episode once), but Grandpa Moto seemed to raise Yugi through his teenage years (if not even earlier). Despite all the crazy battle (and all the times his soul was trapped), Solomon stuck it out for his grandson and his friends. Perhaps it was his understanding of the Egyptian origins of it all, but he was surprisingly trusting of Yugi running into battle at least half a dozen times between Battle City and the Memory World.

Who's your favorite TV dad?

Top Ten Dads in Geekdom

In honor of Father's Day (I know it was three days ago so shut up) I decided to devote a post to the top ten dads of geekdom. Now to clarify, I'm focusing on dads not fathers because as it's been said anyone with active reproductive material can become a parent, it takes true character to be a dad. That being said Darth Vader is not going to show up on this list, because one selfless act does not a dad make.

I actually found it a bit harder to find 10 good examples of dads in geekdom, Click here for my thoughts on that.

As usual, I couldn't be bothered to put my list in order. These just exist in my top ten.

10: Goofy
When I mentioned that Goofy would hit my list I had a lot of people give me surprised reactions, then I said Goofy Movie and all was clear. Goofy is a good dad because he's constantly trying everything he can to connect to his son, both in the TV show and the films, and only fails because he's dealing with a 90s teenage stereotype. It may take a while for Goofy to succeed, but he definitely gets an A for trying.


9: Mr. Incredible
This film focused heavily on Bob's relationship to Helen, but I appreciate the scenes where Bob interacts with the kids. He seems to genuinely care about his kids, and this manifests in some really cute moments. I love him and Dash with the slot cars because I remember playing that with my dad, and the scene where he comments on Violet wearing her hair back is just darling, as well as helps develop her character. Mr. Incredible may be having a midlife crisis, but the one thing he doesn't want to escape from is being a dad.


8: Splinter

Here's an interesting family: a mutated rat teaches four mutated turtles martial arts and the delights of TV so they can become super heroes on the streets of New York. I'm sorry, but no matter how many times I try to describe anything from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I just think it sounds weird, and I was raised with the thing! Splinter though is probably one of the best characters from this whole thing, since he seems to be the only one able to express emotion outside of cheesy one liners and talk about pizza. Splinter has this fatherly devotion to his children, a strength we usually see in martial arts sensai/student relationships but is taken to the next step here by him being the one who raised them. I feel like Splinter is not only the perfect example of a master warrior, but the perfect example of one who can balance the warrior with the love and devotion only a dad can offer.

7: Mufasa

For all the films Disney has made they have a reputation for having parents either barely there or non-existent. With that in mind, it's extremely refreshing to see Disney characterize Mufasa as probably the best dad in the world, if only to make it more sad when he's brutally murdered by one of Disney's best villains. Mufasa finds a way to balance grooming his son to be the future king while also showing him the simple love and connection only a dad can provide.


6: Johnathon Kent

I understand that Jor El plays a big part in the new Man of Steel film, but since I haven't seen it yet I can really only speak for Superman's adopted father, Johnathon Kent. This is the one who Superman goes to when he's not sure what to do morally, or when the burden of being both Clark and Superman is too heavy to carry. Johnathon can also be credited for the infamous glasses that separate Clark from Superman, as well as the body language to keep people off his tail. As the picture at Deseret Book says, even Superman needs a dad.




5: Arthur Weasley
I really wanted to put Sirius Black on this list, but he just wasn't present enough for me to justify it. Arthur though, was a great dad not only to his seven kids but to Harry and Hermione as well. Here's what I love about him: Even though his family was poor, even though he was interested in muggle stuff (A taboo apparently in wizard culture), he always kept his honor and fought for what was right. Arthur is a steady as a rock good guy, who would happily give his life to help any of his kids, weather they're gingers or not.

4: Uncle Iroh

To me you can't say enough about Avatar the last Airbender, but one of my favorite pieces is the relationship between Prince Zuko and Iroh. Here we have a literally wounded boy, desperately trying to regain his father's respect and love, and by his side is the patient and kind Iroh. Through the series Zuko recognizes who truly loves him, not as a piece on a chessboard, but as a person. Iroh is trying to make up for the lost of his son Mako by finding redemption in his nephew, and if you ask me he found it. If you want evidence just ask Zuko's grandson in Legend of Korra, general Iroh.


3: Rupert Giles
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer we don't get a lot about Buffy's father. What we do get is her relationship with her Watcher, Giles. At first reluctant to look after the seemingly vapid teenage blonde, Giles grows to love her as though she was his own daughter. The song he sings in the musical episode is basically a fatherly love letter to his Slayer, and at times can bring me straight to girly tears. Check it out.





2: Sarek
He's Spock's dad. And yes, I know Vulcans can't show emotion, but work with me. If we remember Abram's first Star Trek film, we see Sarek being quite tender with young Spock, reassuring him that he can make it through the trials of his life, and even opening up to him by saying that the reason Sarek married a human was because he loved her. Jump back even further to Star Trek: The Next Generation when Sarek suffers from Vulcan aging and mind-melds with Picard to control his excess emotion. Picard expresses for Sarek his love of Spock and his regret that they couldn't be closer. It's an awesome performance from Patrick Stewart as well as a perfect piece for an obscure but important character.


1: Uncle Ben
Last but not least let's not forget Spider-Man's big piece of emotional damage Uncle Ben. This character is one we only get in flashbacks and the beginning of the Spider-Man story. He raised Peter as his own, but because Peter was off competing in an underground wrestling match and didn't stop a criminal, Uncle Ben got killed. Fortunately before he left he gave Peter the basis of which he based his entire super hero career on: "With great power comes great responsibility". I don't even know what context he was using when he told Peter such a perfect line, but it works. We all miss Uncle Ben.

Some honorable mentions before I go:
Alfred Pennyworth: As much as I love Alfred the only time we really see dad stuff and not incredibly tolerant legal guardian/butler stuff is in the movies, and even then it's usually more of a buddy thing.

Maurice: Belle's dad from Beauty and the Beast. As far as Disney characters he's actually a pretty well developed dad, but I feel that Mufasa did it better simply by having a more compelling character than crazy inventor.

Tenzin: The Airbending Master from Legend of Korra is definitely a good dad, and we can only assume that his father Aang rocked, but I felt that Iroh's development throughout the series had to get credit, though I am open for more awesomeness when Legend of Korra starts back up next month.

-JOE

P.S. Click here for an introspection as to why dads aren't more present in geekdom.