Top 5 Fridays: Top 5 Worst Parents of DC

Welcome to another parental installment Top 5 Friday! I had a tough time deciding this week's Top 5. I was thinking of ranking the songs from The Flash Musical episode, or the darkest moments on Arrow. That all changed when I read this week's issue of the flash. If you haven't read it, Wally learns what exactly happened to his father, the reverse flash. While it proved that Daniel West wasn't the best parent, he died a hero. It also made me think of how terrible some parents in DC are! Sure we have a few good ones, but there are definitely more bad ones than good. Today I'll be covering the worst of the worst when it comes to parents in DC. As always this is an opinion based list, so if you don't see someone you hate, I apologize. With the formalities out of the way, let's meet the parents!

5: Batman and Talia Al Ghul

I know what you're thinking. Why would the world's greatest detective be on the list that's for the worst of the worst? The Robins grew into some of the greatest heroes in the DC universe... well not at first. The prime example here is Damian Wayne. While he's somewhat more likable now, he was a huge jerk(putting it VERY lightly) to his father and his side of the family. Beat the crap out of Tim, steal Jason's costume, the list goes on. However, rather than treat this like how a father would, Batman treats the situation as the world's greatest detective would: lock him in an easily escapable room and leave for the night. In Batman's defense, most of this attitude comes from Talia, Damian's mother. She trained him to be a dangerous assassin, promising him higher power as he grew up. By the end of the first story, the parents were at odds, and their son admitted that all he really wanted was for them to be a family. While Batman eventually learned how to accept this new son into his family, Talia became worse and worse.

4: Pa Kent (Man of Steel)

Another one that most without context might find questionable. Let me make this perfectly clear: Jonathan Kent in the comics is the best parent ever. Which is why it was such a shame that the adaptation of him in Man of Steel was such a disappointment. Where Pa Kent is a beacon of hope for Clark, inspiring him to become the man of tomorrow, the adaptation has him being a paranoid man keeping Clark a secret. While he has a good reason for the paranoia, it sometimes gets in the way of the bigger picture. One example is when a young Clark saved a bus load of children from drowning, his father told him that he had to keep his powers a secret and that maybe he should have let the bus drown! You read that right: Pa Kent told his 12-year-old son that it would have been better to let kids drown, as long as it hid his powers. In fact, all he did in the movie was put the fear of getting caught in Clark. He DIED trying to keep Clark's secret! How about instead of putting the fear in, try and inspire! I get that he wants to keep his son safe, but Clark is also a lost and emotional teen! Support your damn child, Kent! Speaking of support, though...

3: Black Manta

To quote Lord Garbadon in the Lego Ninjago Movie trailer, "I wasn't even there for half of your life, how could I have ruined it?" In a way, this phrase can be attributed to Black Manta. To those who do not know, or haven't watched the TV series young justice, Black Manta is the father of the most recent incarnation of Aqualad. In most cases, the lack of a father can affect the man the son becomes. Thankfully the king of Atlantis stepped in and gave Jackson Hyde aka Kaldur'ahm a new calling. However, Black Manta eventually came back and tried to destroy his forgotten son's way of life on a near regular basis. Alone, black manta is a terrible threatened to Aquaman and his allies, but with his son thrown into the mix, gets a whole lot more personal for both parties. Kaldur was raised and trained to fight the enemies of Atlantis, so to see his own father always aiming for The King's throat is something you would see in a Shakespearean drama. With the return of the Aqualad to the DC universe, I expect A confrontation between them very soon.

2: Trigon

Any fan of the Teen Titans should have guessed that the terrible demon that fathered Raven would be on this list. To the few who don't know the story, Raven's mother was a part of a cult, who summoned Trigon to the mortal plane. She was soon impregnated, but spent years on the run, keeping the young Raven out of her demonic father's clutches. In a sense, he is kind of like Darth Vader. He doesn't really want to destroy his daughter, but rather have her on his side to take over the mortal realm to rule with a burning demonic fist. I mean that must be a fun father-daughter bonding experience, right? All it would cost and is everyone's lives on earth! Well, Raven never thinks so and is always on the front line with her team to make sure Trigon never gets his way. Time and time again, the demon gets pushed back by his daughter. With Rebirth now in full swing, its only a matter of time before this demon returns for another round.

1: Zeus

Let's be real here: Zeus isn't just a terrible father in DC, but in all of Greek mythology as well. However, for the sake of time and sanity, I'll just stick to DC. In the beginning, he had a bouncing baby boy with his wife, Hera... then he told a witch to kill his Firstborn, who decades later tried to kill Zeus, but Zeus put him in the center of the Earth(now remember this we'll get back to him). Centuries pass, and he kept finding new "conquests" on the mortal realm. Some became legendary Greek heroes, some became monsters, and some were torn apart by Hera. Zeus' last conquest came in the form of a woman named Zola, who he impregnated before vanishing off the face of the Earth. Now, most thought this was some higher power at work… Turns out his disappearance was all a part of the plan. His departure left a power vacuum which caused the return of his most dangerous child and the deaths of several gods. In the end, he replaces Zola's child, and takes back the throne, not caring for the destruction that in his master plan caused. What a classy parent!

That's it for this week's Top 5 Friday! What parent in the DC universe do you find crappy? Leave a comment and I'll see you next time!