Luke, I Am Your Father: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

A specific variety of [[The Reveal]].

 

 

In cases when villain and hero turn out to be parent and child, count on at least one scene where the hero worries that he or she will eventually [[In the Blood|end up like the parent]].

 

 

Though the trope itself is too [[Undead Horse Trope|fundamental]] to become [[Discredited Trope|Discredited]], any use of the actual line nowadays will be met with a groan and a "Not again!" from the audience. Also a [[Stock Epileptic Trees|popular insane fan theory]].

 

'''Spoilers''' incoming, in case you haven't figured it out yet.

 

* In the Mazinger trilogy it was played straight, subverted and inverted:

** ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': "Kouji, Shiro, I am your {{spoiler|mother.}} Subverted because {{spoiler|in reality she was a cyborg, pretending being their real -and very deceased- mother.}}

* A recent chapter of the ''[[One Piece]]'' manga reveals that Luffy's grandfather is {{spoiler|Vice-Admiral Garp, a legendary Marine}}, and his father is {{spoiler|Dragon, the mysterious revolutionary who saved Luffy at Loguetown}}.

** Chapter 550 [[The Reveal|reveals]] that {{spoiler|Ace's father is Gold Roger.}} He was aware of this before it was publicly announced to the world, although the audience wasn't, and he's pretty emphatic that he considers Whitebeard his true father.

* A rather unlikely example in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', where one of 10-year-old Negi Springfield's 15-year-old students claims {{spoiler|to be his ''descendant''}}. She's {{spoiler|from a hundred years in the future -- and can prove it -- so it's not as crazy as it sounds...}}

** {{spoiler|The Lifemaker}} is Negi's and Asuna's ancestor. He also calls Evangeline "my daughter", although it was not explained yet. Also in Negi's case, as {{spoiler|The Lifemaker has possessed Nagi's body.}}

** Aaaaand another for Naruto: his mother Kushina {{spoiler|was the previous host for the Kyuubi.}}

* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' does this three times. {{spoiler|Eva 1 contains the soul of Shinji's mother. Eva 02 contains the soul (well half) of Asuka's mother. Rei is occasionally compared to Shinji's mother (it is implied that she might be a clone of her).}}

** All in all, in Eva, "[[Your Mom]]" jokes are done at your own peril.

** ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Abriged Series'' plays with this in an interesting way:

'''Shinji:''' Ehhh saw it coming. }}

** {{spoiler|Kaworu}} pulls this off in ''Rebuild 2.0''

'''{{spoiler|Kaworu}}:''' Pleased to meet you, father. }}

*** {{spoiler|An odd line, considering that Kaworu is likely much older then Gendo Ikari. This version of Kaworu might even be older the actual Universe they're in....}}

* It's nice to see a good old-fashioned subversion, and ''[[Rave Master]]'' brings us one: {{spoiler|there are two characters named Gale, one the antagonist (and head of the evil organization), one a good guy (who we've never seen before). Angst-tastic as it would be, the hero assumes his father is the former. Nope. It's the latter.}} They also play it straight with {{spoiler|the two Musicas.}}

* A variation exists in the third season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. After a successful raid on an illegal research facility, Quint adopts a pair of experimental [[Super Soldier|Combat Cyborgs]] because they looked so much like her and raises them as her own daughters. {{spoiler|It's later revealed during a medical examination that the reason why Subaru and Ginga looked like her was because their genetic structures were identical. Somehow, Quint's genetic data had been acquired by the researchers and was used to create the two children.}}

* Subverted in ''[[Saint Seiya]]''. Along the series, there had been a lot of hints that Marin was Seiya's long-lost sister Seika. {{spoiler|She wasn't, his sister was actually a [[Waif Prophet]], and Marin's brother Touma even appears as an enemy in the Tenkai-hen movie.}}

** And played quite straight in the manga where, it was revealed that {{spoiler|Mitsumasa Kido was actually the birth father of all the orphans he sent around the world to be trained as Saints}}.

** Also from ''Savers'': {{spoiler|1=Initially, it looks like Masaru's [[Disappeared Dad]] is Yggdrasil, the "world tree," central computer and god of the Digital World. But [[Mysterious Protector|BanchouLeomon]] reveals that ''he'' is Masaru's father. Yggdrasil was about to kill Suguru, but BanchouLeomon absorbed his soul. Unfortunately, Yggdrasil (being a ''god'' and all...) realized it, and has been using Suguru's body for its own ends.}}

* Parodied in a later episode of ''[[Pretty Sammy|Magical Project S]]''. {{spoiler|Romio claims that she's the older sister of Sasami, citing the fact that they share blue hair and the lack of resemblance between Sasami and her parents as the logical reasoning. Just as Sammy was going to run up for a "family reunion", Misa stops her and makes her realize it was a lie, which Romio confirms.}}

* The very last volume of the ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' manga reveals that {{spoiler|Chrono and Aion}} are twins, and {{spoiler|their mother was a human woman turned into [[Hive Queen|Pandaemonium]] when she was pregnant with them.}} Also, Satella discovers that her long-lost sister {{spoiler|is Fiore}}.

* In ''[[Gravion]] Zwei'', it's eventually revealed that Sandman is {{spoiler|Leele's father, as well as the brother of the Zeravire's creator/leader}}, and that Raven is {{spoiler|Eiji's missing sister Ayaka}}.

* [[The Dragon|Altair]] and [[Team Mom|Vega]] in ''[[GEAR Fighter Dendoh]]'' are {{spoiler|brother and sister}}, ''both'' of whom had presumed each other dead for years ([[Mask Power|wearing those damn masks all the time]] probably only added to the confusion). Then there's Vega's true identity as {{spoiler|Hokuto's mom.}}

* ''[[Glass Fleet]]'' had a pair of sibling enemies learn at ''the same time'' that they were related. {{spoiler|Vetti and Cleo}} were none-too-pleased to say the least.

* {{spoiler|Silver and Giovanni}} from ''[[Pokémon Special]]''. It is hinted that {{spoiler|Silver's}} game counterpart is also related to {{spoiler|Giovanni}}.

* Tragedically done in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn]]'', {{spoiler|Cardeas Vist with his dying breath revealed to protagonist Banagher Links that he was his real father and entrusted him with the Unicorn Gundam}}.

* ''[[Dai no Daibouken]]'' has the reveal that {{spoiler|Baran, one of the six evil generals, is actually Dai's father. And because that's what evil dads do, he wants Dai to help him [[Kill All Humans|rid the world of humanity]].}}

* Halfway throughout ''[[Shaman King]]'', Mikihisa, Yoh's father, reveals to Yoh himself and his friends that Hao, the [[Big Bad]], is actually {{spoiler|Yoh's twin brother}}, much to their [[Oh Crap|huge surprise]].

* Done twice in ''[[Supercar Gattiger]]'': {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Emperor Black Demon]] is the grandfather of [[The Hero|Joe Kabuki]]}}, while {{spoiler|[[The Dragon|Queen Demon]] is Joe's mother.}}

* ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' reveals that {{spoiler|Yuri Petrov/Lunatic is Mr. Legend's son}}. This in of itself isn't too startling a revelation until it's combined with a previous revelation of {{spoiler|Yuri}}'s history: {{spoiler|Yuri's first kill was his own [[Abusive Parents|abusive father]]}}.

 

* Eighteen years after their creation, it was revealed that [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Avengers]] [[Scarlet Witch]] and [[Quicksilver]] were actually the children of their former leader, long-time [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] antagonist [[Magneto]]. Their feelings over this revelation were mixed, [[Understatement|to put it mildly]].

** Polaris, of the X-Men, was revealed early on to be {{spoiler|Magneto's daughter, too}}. But then that was revealed to actually be a plot by the villain {{spoiler|Mesmero, who was using a Magneto robot to make that claim}}. Then later it was again revealed that she ''is'' {{spoiler|his daughter}}... {{spoiler|then once again not}}. Currently, she is once again {{spoiler|revealed to be Magneto's daughter}}... ugh.

** Gladly, this probably isn't canon, the Summers have a messed up history as it is.

** There are strong hints in ''Batman R.I.P.'' that Hurt is actually {{spoiler|a part of Bruce Wayne's psyche come to flesh. Which would mean that the proper phrase here is, "Luke, I am your subconscious!"}}

*** But if you paid enough attention to the first few pages of the chapter ''Midnight in the House of Hurt'', Dr. Hurt made arrangements for a false suicide note, doctored documents and phony witnesses for a recent victim that was killed by one of his associates. Apparently, it's not enough for the doctor to ruin and leave you as a empty, broken shell of a man after one of his twisted games in the Black Glove; when you're killed, he makes damn sure you'll be remembered as a chronic junkie, a horrible pedophile or worse. His claims that he's Batman's father and his family's "dark history" is a last attempt to screw Bats over and coerce him to join the Black Glove as his [[Evil Plan]] was crashing down like a house of cards.

*** Ultimately, it turns out Hurt is {{spoiler|a centuries-old member of the Wayne family, who harbored a serious grudge against Thomas and Martha.}}

* In ''[[The Umbrella Academy|Umbrella Academy: Dallas]]'' #6, it's revealed that {{spoiler|00.01 and 00.05 are biological siblings (they were adopted siblings before this point).}}

* Rose Walker's grandfather in ''[[Sandman]]'' is Desire, who impregnated the comatose Unity Kinkaid during Dream's imprisonment.

* A pivotal turning point in the original ''[[Marvel 2099|Spider-Man 2099]]'' run featured Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man) discovering that the main antagonist of the series and head of the megacorp Alchemax, Tyler Stone, was in fact his father. This derailed the current plotline for quite a few issues as Miguel wrestled with his hatred of the man. The trope was lampshaded near the end of the title's run, when Tyler attempted to shock Miguel into following his orders by dropping the bombshell of his parentage, only to have Miguel, who by this point had come to terms with the fact, casually sip his coffee and then smugly and calmly reveal that he knows.

'''Miguel O'Hara:''' Yeah. Now get out of my office... '''dad.''' }}

* Tossed in a blender with [[Luke, You Are My Father]] (but not really) in ''[[Usagi Yojimbo]]'': {{spoiler|Usagi discovered that his old flame Mariko's son Jotaro is actually his son, and Mariko's husband (Usagi's ''very'' unfriendly rival) also knows but loves Jotaro anyway. Usagi and Jotaro's sword master guessed almost immediately (they're very much alike), and gives them the opportunity to travel together for several months; after talking with Tomoe about responsibilities and relationships, Usagi decides not to break the bond between Jotaro and his family, while Jotaro decides not to force Usagi to give up his wanderer lifestyle to take care of him. It turns out Mariko told Jotaro the truth, but left out the part about Usagi knowing too. Upset at his "weakness" and the fact that he doesn't know when or if he'll ever see his "uncle" again, Jotaro calls out "Miyamoto Usagi! You are my father!!" but Usagi is already too far away to hear ("Just a trick of the wind, I must be tying my ears too tight").}} TL;DR: Father A and Son B know they're related, but they don't know the other knows the truth (C,D,E, and F know the truth too but they aren't talking, mainly out of respect).

* In ''[[Green Lantern]] Corps #35'', Sinestro tells {{spoiler|Soranik Natu}} that she is his daughter. He left her in the care of her foster family to keep her away from the dangers of being associated with him; making this one of the only semi-decent things he's ever done in his life. Since it's ''[[Big Bad|Sinestro]]'', he could be lying.

** The last page of ''Green Lantern'' #36 makes it pretty clear that he's telling the truth.

* In ''Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood'', Huntress gets an old photo of her deceased mother, Maria Bertinelli, ''in flagrante delicto'' with mob boss (and rival to mob boss Franco Bertinelli, Maria's husband) Santo Cassamento, and demands to know what they were doing in that hotel room together. His answer: "Isn't it obvious? We were conceiving you, Helena Rosa." {{spoiler|That doesn't stop Huntress from ultimately killing him.}}

* The original ''[[Gen 13]]'' had more of a "Luke You Are His Father", with Burnout and team mentor Lynch simultaneously learning that the former is the latter's long lost son.

* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in Peter David's ''[[Supergirl]]'' #57:

* In nine issues, ''[[Brightest Day]]'' has already had three separate revelations about familial bonds between heroes and villains.

* Hiro-Kala knew that he was the son of [[The Hulk]]. He didn't know that Bruce Banner was the Hulk. So when they first met, the following exchange happened:

'''Banner:''' Yeah, [[You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry|I'm not too happy about it either.]] }}

** In a dark alternate universe, 30 years in the future, Lara-Su was raised to believe her father Knuckles had been killed by Constable Remington. However, after she goes back in time (and travels to the wrong dimension too), her mother Julie-Su finally tells her that, in fact, Knuckles wasn't killed by Remington, but went insane with Chaos Powers and became the dreaded leader of the Dark Legion and by extension tyrant of the entire planet, Enerjak.

 

* Lampshaded in ''A Rose and a Thorn 3''.

'''Shadow:''' Shut up with the clichés already! You're not actually my biological father, are you? I saw that movie. I'm not going to do that stupid NOOOOOOOOOO thing. }}

** I'm afraid he really is... Well, one of them, anyway.

* In ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4489465/1/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Erazors_Revenge Sonic the Hedgehog: Erazor's Revenge]'', it is reveled (by the author) that the evil Genie of the Lamp, Erazor Djinn is the father of Sharah the Genie of the Ring, the lesser genie.

* In ''[http://percyjacksonfanfiction.wikia.com/wiki/Whispers_in_the_Dark Whispers in the Dark]'', a popular ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' fanfiction, Luke pulls a "{{spoiler|Taylor}} I Am Your Father."

 

::Later on, you see Buzz and Zurg [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|having a father-and-son game of Catch.]]

'''Buzz:''' Oh, you're a great dad! }}

* As mentioned above, [[It Was His Sled|everybody knows]] about [[The Reveal]] from the second part of the original ''[[Star Wars]]'' trilogy. The reason that this reveal worked and a lot of the imitators fell flat was that a big part of Luke's story revolved around his [[Tell Me About My Father|Jedi Knight father]], whom he sought to emulate as a Jedi himself, which was ''why'' Luke let out the [[Big No]] in response to the [[Awful Truth]] about said father being revealed. It also gives new light to Uncle Owen's reasons for refusing to let Luke accept the [[Call to Adventure]], in particular his "That's what I'm afraid of" response to Aunt Beru's assessment that "he's got too much of his father in him."

** The lesser reveal in ''Return of the Jedi'', that Leia is Luke's sister.

*** Parodied in ''Thumbwars'': "Luke... I am your MOTHER!"

*** ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' has Vader reveal that as well... and that the Empire would be defeated by ''Ewoks''! And that as a child, ''he'' built ''C-3PO''!

'''Luke:''' ''(getting up, disgusted)'' Look, if you're not gonna take this seriously, I'm out! ''(exits)'' }}

*** Also parodied in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0302.html using Anakin's stepfather in the second episode.] Naturally, Anakin says a [[Big No]].

** The line itself, the Trope Namer, is actually a [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]].

** In [http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/20/sidebar.hamill/index.html an interview] with CNN, Luke's actor Mark Hamil expressed his disappointment about the role of Boba Fett in this way:

* [[The Parody|Parodied]] in the second ''[[Austin Powers]]'' movie with Dr. Evil claiming to be Austin's father (in an exaggerated voice akin to Vader's) and then admitting almost immediately that he was just making it up.

** In a twist, the third movie features the revelation that {{spoiler|Austin and Dr. Evil were in fact brothers, separated as infants}}.

'''Dark Helmet:''' Absolutely nothing, which is what you are about to become! }}

* In the movie ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'', the hitman known as Il Duce, who previously gave the MacManus brothers the fight of their lives, is revealed to be their long-lost father when he walks in on them delivering the family prayer to their fallen comrade Rocco (whom he had previously been hired to kill) and finishes the prayer himself.

** And then much [[Badass|ass]] was [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|kicked]].

* ''[[Scanners]]'': {{spoiler|Darryl Revok, the villain, reveals that he and Cameron Vale, the hero, [[Cain and Abel|are the sons]] of Dr. Paul Ruth, the [[Broken Pedestal]] mentor.}}

* In the film ''[[Wanted]]'', this is used as the twist about 3/4ths of the way through the film. It actually makes sense, because it's the only reasonable explanation for why {{spoiler|Cross never seems to be able to hit Wesley despite his improbable superpowered gun skills; turns out he was never trying to kill him in the first place.}}

* The big reveal in ''[[Angel Heart]]'' {{spoiler|where Harry Angel is revealed to be Johnny Favorite, and therefore the father of Epiphany Proudfoot, who he has been having sex with, and has just murdered during a blackout}}; in a rather bizarre set of supernatural circumstances.

* Taken to ridiculous extremes in ''Dirty Work''. Mitch and Sam are talking to Sam's father, Pops, who reveals he's also Mitch's father. They don't believe him; so he pulls out a locket:

'''Sam:''' Hey, Mitch, remember when you had sex with my sister? }}

* Subverted masterfully in the movie ''[[The Boat That Rocked|Pirate Radio]]'', through out most of which it is implied that Quinten is Young Carl's father, only for it to be revealed by Young Carl's mother that {{spoiler|Bob, the 3-6 am DJ is his father instead.}} Quaintly enough, Young Carl?s reaction is eerily similar to that of the trope namers.

* ''[[The Man From Earth]]'': {{spoiler|In the end what confirms that John wasn't lying when he claims he doesn't age was Gruber (who appears much older than John) realizing John is his father. The shock ends up giving Gruber a heart attack and he dies shortly after.}}

* Near the end of ''[[Big Money Rustlas]]'', before dying of a gunshot wound inflicted onto him by Sugar Wolf, the film's villain, Big Baby Chips, reveals to Sugar Wolf that he is actually his father, Grizzly Wolf, prompting Sugar Wolf to rub off his face paint to see if he was telling the truth. {{spoiler|He was.}}

* ''[[Candyman Farewell to The Flesh]]'' has the main protagonist Annie discover that {{spoiler|she is the great-great-granddaughter of the Candyman}}.

* ''[[The Terminator]]'': Kyle Reese is John's father by [[Time Travel]].

 

* Inverted in the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]'', where Taran goes on a search for his parents. He encounters a crippled shepherd who reveals that he is Taran's father {{spoiler|but after a few months of living with Taran, the guy has a fatal accident and reveals that he was lying, that his son died years ago and that he told Taran this because he was so lonely.}}

** Inverted again at the end of the series, when {{spoiler|it's revealed that the identity of Taran's parents will never be known.}}

** Even though it turns out that Schedoni isn't Elena's father, {{spoiler|he does turn out to be the brother of her long-deceased father whom he closely resembles, making him her uncle. Thus, this is perhaps an example of ''[[Everyone Is Related]]''.}}

* ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'': {{spoiler|Murtagh reveals that the evil Dragon Rider Morzan was Eragon's father, making Eragon and Murtagh brothers. This is subverted in the third book, when it turns out that Morzan is not Eragon's father, and it was actually Brom, who fell in love with Selena, Morzan's consort (also known as the Black Hand), thus making Murtagh and Eragon only half-brothers. There is also a scene where Arya is revealed to be the daughter of the elf queen Islanzadi, but this may or may not qualify since both Arya and Islanzadi knew about it even if the reader did not.}}

* ''[[His Dark Materials]]'': {{spoiler|Lyra's father is Lord Asriel, the man she thought was her uncle, while her mother is Mrs. Coulter, the first book's major villain.}} Though this could be seen as a rather knowing use of the trope, given that the reveal occurs unusually early in the story. In the film adaptation, on the other hand, it appears in the typical place as a third act plot twist.

* In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s short story ''[[All You Zombies]]'', the main character is revealed to be {{spoiler|''[[My Own Grampa|his own]]'' father. And mother. And responsible for getting them together. And taking away his baby self away and putting her in an orphanage...}}

* In [[Terry Goodkind]]'s ''Wizard's First Rule'', the first book of the [[Sword of Truth]] series, it is revealed that Richard is actually the son of Darken Rahl, the antagonist. Yes, his name is ''[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Darken]]''. And he's the father of the protagonist, who has a magic sword, and is taught by an old man. [[Real Slim Shadowen|This editor]] would have blanked it out with spoiler tags, but frankly it's not that important. And it's not even the father revealing it to his son, but his son's maternal grandfather. So.

** This then happens several more times with different characters.

** In ''[[Great Expectations]]'', {{spoiler|Magwitch, Pip's benefactor, turns out to be Estella's father}}

** In ''[[Bleak House]]'', {{spoiler|Lady Dedlock and Captain Hawdon ("Nemo") are Esther Summerson's mother and father.}}

** In ''[[Nicholas Nickleby]]'', {{spoiler|Ralph Nickleby turns out to have been Smike's father, but he only finds out after Smike's death. The revelation drives him to suicide.}}

** The best Dickensian example of this trope is in ''[[Barnaby Rudge]]'', in which {{spoiler|the mysterious robber, murderer and general villain that has haunted the book}} turns out to be Barnaby's father. He even reveals this using the phrase "I am your father". If only he'd said "Barnaby, I am your father" it would be perfect. Being simple-minded, Barnaby doesn't react with the same horror as Luke.

** The 1952 movie had {{spoiler|the Marquis turn out to be his older brother.}}

** {{spoiler|Shadow's real name also happens to be [[Meaningful Name|Baldur]].}}

* ''[[The Wicked Years|Son Of A Witch]]'': While the title implies it pretty strongly, it's left very much in doubt whether Liir is Elphaba's son until the very last line, when {{spoiler|Liir's own newborn daughter is revealed to be green like Grandma. Apparently the complexion is genetic, but only expressed in females.}}

** Another Meredith Ann Pierce example: the white witch Oriencor is actually the daughter of {{spoiler|Ravenna the Ancient}}. Her excuse for becoming the [[Big Bad]] was that she felt cheated of her inheritance {{spoiler|since Ravenna promised, falsely, that she could one day return to Oceanus with the Ancients; Oriencor's schemes to take over the world are really just Part One of her attempts to get there on her own}}. The heroine of the trilogy, Aeriel, also has one: raised an orphaned slave in the land of Terrain, she later discovers she's {{spoiler|the heir to the suzerainty of Pirs. Made squicky by her uncle, who killed her father and attempted to force her mother to marry him, and tries to seduce Aeriel.}}

** And another: ''Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood''. Hannah is {{spoiler|the "daughter" of the Queen, having grown from the branch the Wizard stole.}} Pierce ''really'' likes this trope.

** To be fair, you also find the same thing out in "The Pretender".

* In ''[[The Night Angel Trilogy]]'', the Godking does this to both the protagonist and someone else. In the protagonist's case, the Godking is just screwing with his mind. In the latter case, {{spoiler|she kills him anyway}}.

* In [[Christopher Moore]]'s ''Fool'', titular character and king's fool Pocket learns that his father was {{spoiler|King Lear's brother}}, since {{spoiler|Lear}} made him rape Pocket's mother. Uh-huh. (This means he's been {{spoiler|screwing and lusting after his first cousins}}.)

* Done '''twice''' in Karen Miller's ''[[Godspeaker Trilogy]]''. In Dmitak's case it's {{spoiler|moments before he kills his mother and gets killed himself}}.

* In the first book of Richelle Mead's ''[[Dark Swan]]'' series (''Storm Born''), it is revealed, fairly early on, that {{spoiler|Storm King}} is Eugenie's father. On a slightly different note, it is also revealed, much later on - close to the very end of the book, in fact - that {{spoiler|Jasmine}} is her {{spoiler|half-sister}}.

* In the third book of the ''[[Maximum Ride]]'' series, Max is horrified to learn that the {{spoiler|Director and leader of Itex}} is her mother. Later, Jeb informs her that this is a lie and {{spoiler|he is her real father and Dr. Martinez}} is her real mother. She takes this revelation much better, though is just as shocked.

** Cadfael himself also turns out to be {{spoiler|the father of Olivier, a young man from the Holy Land who makes his first appearance in "The Virgin in the Ice."}}

* In ''All the King's Men'', {{spoiler|Judge Irwin was revealed to be Jack Burden's father at the precise moment it was also revealed that he had shot himself.}}

* Played with in Brandon Sanderson's ''[[Mistborn]]''. Main character [[Action Girl|Vin]] knows from the beginning of the story that her father is an important nobleman (she inherited [[Extraordinarily Empowered Girl|her powers]] from him), but doesn't know his identity. He turns out to be Tevidian, High Prelan (priest) of the [[Corrupt Church]] and right-hand-man to [[Evil Overlord|the Lord Ruler]]. Surely this leads to a dramatic moment where the rebel Vin confronts and defeats her badass [[The Dragon|Dragon]] father? Wrong- when we meet Tevidian, he turns out to be a coward who toadies to the Inquisitors (the ''real'' Dragons) and gets killed offhand for [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|essentially annoying them]] without ever getting a chance to ''speak'' with his daughter. But honestly, nobody was really that torn up about it.

* Parodied in the ''[[Night Angel]]'' trilogy, in which the Godking claims to be Kylar's father, then admits he was joking in the very next sentence.

* In ''Flora's Dare'', Flora learns that Hotspur {{spoiler|really is her father, but her biological mother is the notorious Butcher Brakespeare.}}

* In ''[[The Warlord Chronicles]]'', {{spoiler|Derfel}} gets an unusually subtle version of this from {{spoiler|Aelle}}, who instead of telling him straight out instead [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas|criticises him for not visiting his mother]] and leaves him to work it out for himself. Later, {{spoiler|Aelle}} declares {{spoiler|Derfel}} to be the best of all his sons. Just before {{spoiler|Derfel kills him}}.

* In Alan Garner's ''The Owl Service'', Gwyn has just found proof that Huw, the mad gardener, [[Love Makes You Evil|killed]] his mother's lover Bertram and [[You Killed My Father|accuses Huw of killing his father]]. Huw then reveals that he is Gwyn's father.

* In [[Warrior Cats|Warriors]], the {{spoiler|former}} Thunderclan leader Bluestar is revealed to be the mother of three {{spoiler|Riverclan}} cats, {{spoiler|Mistyfoot, Stonefur, and Mosskit}}. The {{spoiler|kitten}} died though.

** Yellowfang also [[The Reveal|reveals to]] [[Big Bad|Brokentail]] that she is his real mother, after she fed him the deathberries that would '''kill him'''.

* In [[The Mysterious Benedict Society]], Kate's [[Disappeared Dad]] is revealed to be {{spoiler|Milligan.}}

* Its played straight in [[On the Jellicoe Road]] with Taylor, who finds out who her dad is {{spoiler|the boy in the picture}} and her aunt {{spoiler|is Hannah}}. This is played with for Jessa; Taylor (a third party) finds out her father is {{spoiler|the Hermit}} late in the story but its unclear if Jessa connects her dad to {{spoiler|the Hermit}}.

* An example from [[Harald]]: Though the individual characters know the relationship from the beginning, [[Unwitting Pawn|King James]] is lead to believe that [[Badass Grandpa|Harald]] will join him against [[Action Girl|Carala]], and he gets this sort of surprise when Harald reveals that he's her father.

* In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns that Sirius Black is his Godfather. Predictably, Harry breaks down upon this discovery, not just because one of the most wanted criminals was his godfather, but that he was also his parents' friend and had betrayed them to Lord Voldemort, with Harry deeply considering killing Sirius Black to avenge them. {{spoiler|It's also subverted in the sense that, although Sirius is still his godfather, he was not responsible for the betrayal of Lily and James Potter at all, and in fact was framed by the real person responsible, who was ironically the same person who was believed to have attempted to avenge Harry's parents and died for it by Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, who also faked his own death.}}

* ''[[Clockwork Century|Boneshaker]]'': Dr. Minnericht is said to be the (supposedly) dead [[Mad Scientist]] father of one of the main characters. {{spoiler|[[Subverted Trope|He's lying]].}}

* Pol discovers that {{spoiler|Ianthe is his mother and not Sioned as he believed}} in Melanie Rawn's ''Dragon Prince''. The readers know this before he does.

* At the end of Fred Saberhagen's ''Empire of the East'' trilogy, the [[Big Bad|demon prince Orcus]] realizes that [[Big Good|Ardneh]] is his father in a sense (not the biological sense, since neither being is biological), ''and'' that, [[Thanatos Gambit|in killing Ardneh, he has also destroyed himself]].

 

* ''[[Carnivale]]'' Where to begin? {{spoiler|The mysterious Henry Scudder is Ben's father. Lucius Belyakov (AKA Management) is the father of both Justin and Iris. And, Justin is Sofie's father, having raped her mother.}}

* ''[[Lost]]'': {{spoiler|Claire and Jack are half-siblings. And it seems their father (or his ghost, or [[Mind Screw|SOMETHING like it]]) is close to the mysterious Jacob}}.

*** It's made clear that the aforementioned grandfather is his paternal grandfather, therefore O'Neill can't be his father. Plus, O'Neill knew fully well during his time-travel experience that he shouldn't meddle with the past, so he's not going to do something like ''that''. He knows how much it could [[Incredibly Lame Pun|screw]] up the timeline.

* ''[[Sanctuary]]'': While the audience learns in episode 1 that {{spoiler|John Druitt (AKA Jack the Ripper) is Ashley's father,}} she doesn't get the news until later in the season when he kidnaps her.

* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' has been fond of this one and uses it regularly since it was so successful the first time around:

** In ''Power Rangers In Space'', we are treated to the tasty reveal that [[Big Bad]] Astronema is [[The Captain]] Andros's sister Karone after brainwashing.

** Two years later in ''Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue'', we are treated to the revelation that then-evil [[Sixth Ranger]] Ryan is [[Mission Control]] Captain Mitchell's long-lost son (And, thereby, Pink Ranger Dana's brother).

** In ''Power Rangers Dino Thunder'', we have the revelation that [[Sixth Ranger]] Trent is the adopted son of [[Big Bad]] Mesogog's human counterpart Anton Mercer.

** But the all-time leader is ''Power Rangers Mystic Force'', where we learn in short succession that the evil Wolf Knight Koragg is the mind-controlled form of Leanbow, husband to [[The Obi-Wan]] Udonna. Udonna then discovers that Red Ranger Nick is actually her long-lost son Bowen. Meanwhile, we discover that comic relief character Leelee is secretly the daughter of Necrolai, queen of the vampires.

** Following ''In Space'''s example, ''RPM'' reveals that [[Dark Action Girl|Dark Action]] [[Robot Girl]] Tenaya 7 is actally Dillon's missing sister, which surprises... ''[[The Untwist|absolutely no one]]''.

* [[The Parody|Parodied]] on ''The Brak Show'' episode "All That I Desire You", itself a [[Whole-Plot Reference|complete send-up of soap operas]]; Dad is revealed to be living a double life as billionaire oil baron Drake Gainway, and is father to Zorak, Clarence, and his secret third wife Cynthia - in addition to Brak and the Gainway children.

** The earlier reveal, when HRG/Noah comes home and we find out that he is Claire's father. (He adopted her, but she considers her adopted parents her "real" parents)

*** And in the Season 3 premiere, {{spoiler|Gabriel Gray/Sylar is another Petrelli Brother.}}

*** Seriously, is there anyone on that show who isn't related?

**** I've heard rumors about Ando.

** {{spoiler|And confirmed in "Frame".}}

* Subverted in an episode of ''Las Vegas'' where Mike finds evidence that the Montecito's new owner, AJ Cooper, is Piper's father. Piper confronts Cooper and he vehemently denies it. It turns out that {{spoiler|Cooper knew her father from when they served in the Marines together and promised that he would keep an eye on her.}}

* Also subverted in ''[[Life On Mars]]'', where DCI Morgan takes Sam to a graveyard. {{spoiler|He shows Sam two graves which have the name Williams on them, telling him that these are his parents, he is not Sam Tyler, but Sam Williams, working for him undercover. Sam shrugs this off and is about to leave when he spots three graves behind him, one of which says 'Here lies Sam Tyler', the other two with his parents names, Vic and Ruth Tyler. He's a little upset by this.}}.

* In the series ''[[Night Court]]'' it is revealed after several seasons that Harry's {{spoiler|mentally unbalanced step-father "Buddy" is actually his ''biological'' father}}.

* Parodied by the Melty Man (an [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of [[The Loins Sleep Tonight|male impotence]], complete with black glove and [[Star Wars|Darth Vader]] voice) in ''[[Coupling]]''.

'''Melty Man:''' No Patrick, I ''am'' your erection! }}

** Though, it was originally going to be played straight, and {{spoiler|when the Doctor was going to let the Master die}}, the dialogue was originally going to {{spoiler|reveal them to actually be brothers}}! This line was cut before filming, though, leaving the canonocity of it heavily debated. {{spoiler|The Master is still killed off though, due to his refusal to regenerate and live out the rest of eternity as the Doctor's prisoner after being shot by his wife.}}

** Played straight in {{spoiler|A Good Man Goes to War}}, where {{spoiler|River Song is revealed to be Melody Pond, Amy and Rory's daughter.}}

* Parodied on ''[[The Daily Show]]''. [[Stephen Colbert]] is asked to report on the cancellation of daytime drama ''Another World''. He goes off on a wild melodramatic tangent, reveals that Colbert is not his real name and accuses Jon Stewart of abandoning his "bastard elevator baby". Subverted within the parody because when Stephen finally calls him "Daddy", Jon spoils it by pointing out that they're the same age.

* Caleb and Sheriff Buck of ''[[American Gothic]]''. Unique in that it is revealed ''in the pilot of the series'', and that while Caleb reacts in disgust and anger at the notion, he never has a [[Heroic BSOD]] or otherwise freaks out over the revelation. In fact the more time passes, the less issue he seems to take with it, even welcoming and embracing the relationship by the end of the series. This could be due to being orphaned and having no one else to turn to except an increasingly unstable doctor and a <s>[[Cool Big Sis]]</s> cool cousin [[Evil Is Sexy|who is also being drawn into Buck's orbit]], but [[Demonic Possession|all things]] [[In the Blood|considered]], [[Start of Darkness|probably not]].

* Subverted in ''[[Veronica Mars]]''. Paternity tests confirm that Keith Mars is Veronica's father.

** And then played straight with Logan's adopted sister in an interesting way that somehow managed to avoid the usual cliché of the trope.

* This happens on ''[[Green Wing]]'', where Guy discovers that {{spoiler|Joanna}} is his mother, making him and {{spoiler|Martin}} brothers. Unfortunately, he only finds this out ''after'' they have sex, leading to a complete meltdown on Guy's part.

* ''[[All My Children]]'' loves this trope. Examples: Daisy Cortlandt and Myra Murdock (Nina's "dead" mother and long-lost grandmother), Palmer Cortlandt (Ross Chandler's long-lost father), and Jackson Montgomery (Greenlee Smythe's real father). In the most recent example, the show waved a magic [[Retcon]] to make Erica Kane's aborted child appear as Josh Madden, supposedly the son of evil Dr. Madden.

* Taken to absurdity in ''[[A Bit of Fry and Laurie]]'', when they parody Australian soaps:

'''Laurie:''' Well then, who the hell am I? }}

* Played straight in ''[[Reaper]]'' with {{spoiler|The Devil}} revealed to be {{spoiler|Sam}}'s father at the end on season one.

* Parodied in an episode of ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]'', "Journey to the Centre of the Punk": Howlin' Jimmy Jefferson, the Spirit of Jazz, claims to be Howard's father, then uncle, then second cousin twice-removed on his sister's side, in an attempt to keep Howard from killing him. Only the last one works.

* Played straight in ''[[Jekyll]]'', {{spoiler|with [[Nightmare Fuel|an extra twist]] at the end of the final episode}}.

* In the ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' 1987 Christmas special "The Frog's Legacy", Del and Albert hinted that Freddie the Frog, a gentleman safecracker had an affair with Del and Rodney's mum Joannie before Rodney was born. {{spoiler|This rumor was confirmed to be true in the 2003 Christmas special "Sleepless in Peckham", when Rodney looks at a old photograph of the 1960 Jolly Boys' Outing and finds out that Freddie bears an uncanny resemblence to him.}}

** {{spoiler|The [[Prequel]] trilogy ''[[Rock And Chips]]'' tells the story of Joannie's affair with Freddie in the early 1960's.}}

* The very last words said on ''[[Kyle XY]]'': {{spoiler|[[Big Bad]] Cassidy to Kyle: "I'm your brother."}}

* One infamous ''[[Eastenders]]'' moment (2001) is Zoe Slater telling her "sister" Kat: "You can't tell me what to do, [[You're Not My Father|you ain't my mother]]," and getting in response, "YES I AM!"

* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK4e6HZ215Q&list=SL&feature=sh_e_top the first episode] of what is considered possibly the worst TV series made, ''[[My Mother the Car]]'', his mother has to admit to David Crabtree that while she's a car, she really is his mother, come back as a 1928 Porter. So, he's sitting in the car and she talks to him. At one point, (3:34 in the video referenced in this example), she says, "David, I am your mother."

 

 

* The Irish mythological hero Cuchulainn accidentally kills his son, thinking he is an intruder, only to find out that his son is the victim when it's too late.

 

* The 2005 feud between [[Eddie Guerrero]] and [[Rey Mysterio]] included an angle where Rey's real-life son Dominick was revealed to be the (kayfabe) biological son of Guerrero.

 

** Something similar happens in ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'', as the Centurion was intending to marry Hero's love interest. Turns out in the ending that not only was the blind man that Pseudolus attempted to distract by having him run across the hills of Rome seven times was his father, but the Centurion and the love interest were actually siblings (they were kidnapped and separated while they were very young, and it was presumably at a time that they simply had no way of remembering due to not knowing this until after he told them). This was more than enough to allow the Centurion to allow Hero to marry the love interest.

* Happens with the Baker and the Mysterious Man in ''[[Into the Woods]]''.

* ''[[Urinetown]]'' milks the revelation that Penny Pennywise is [[The Ingenue|Hope Cladwell's]] mother for all that it's worth.

* In the opera ''Lucrezia Borgia'', the title character turns out to be the mother of the protagonist, the young noble Gennaro, by a previous relationship.

 

* Spoofed in ''Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music'' when, after a series-long [[Running Gag]] about Mitch's rivalry with fellow musical satirist Richard Stillgoe, the final episode features him as a special guest, and a showdown between the two performers.

'''Stillgoe:''' No, of course I'm not. Whatever gave you that idea? }}

 

* Comedian Gad Elmaleh parodied this in his stand-up show. His mother, he said, used to tell him that "your father is no Rothschild", i.e. "he's no millionaire, we can't waste money." He then says that he later met Rothschild, only to scream at him: "I know! You're not my father!"

* There's an old joke about a boy who figures out that he can get adults to give him stuff simply by saying a sly "I know the truth..." and leaving it at that, allowing their minds to jump to "What could he know?" and pay him off without confirming what it is he "knows". Then he tries this on the milkman, who, rather than paying him off, drops down in tears of joy and exclaims "SON!" as he hugs him.

 

* After the first ''[[Art of Fighting]]'', Yuri Sakazaki revealed to her brother Ryo and his friend Robert Garcia that, the game's final boss, Mr. Karate, was Takauma Sakazaki, Ryo and Yuri's father. Good thing too, Ryo was about to kill him for thinking he was the [[Big Bad]]. That honor belonged to Geese Howard who blackmailed Takuma by arranging for Yuri's kidnapping, so he could work for him.

** Used again in ''[[King of Fighters]]'' where K's long lost sister is presumably Whip.

* Throughout the adventure game ''[[Bad Mojo]]'', there are hints that {{spoiler|Eddie, the landlord of main character Roger Samms,}} is actually Roger's estranged father. In the game's [[Multiple Endings|best ending]], if you {{spoiler|manage to save both Roger and Eddie from the gas explosion that takes out Eddie's bar}} at the end of the game, this turns out to be the case.

** And in the sequel, {{spoiler|Marta is the daughter of Brute, leader of the Vanguard, an organization that's out to KILL her}}

** Does this count? The characters in question both knew. Only the other characters and the audience didn't.

* Exaggerated in ''[[Lego Adaptation Game|LEGO Star Wars 2]]'' when Darth Vader, [[Played for Laughs]], pulls out a family photo of Padme and Anakin getting married.

* [[The Parody|Parodied]] twice in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'': the [[Big Bad]] tells the player she is your mother (quoting, almost word for word, the rest of the exchange from ''The Empire Strikes Back'', right to the [[Big No]])... then insults you for believing her. After you beat her, the Council that sent you to defeat her says "Say, did you know she was your mother?... nah, just kidding" as part of their congratulations message.

* In the first ''Fantasy Zone'', the commander of the invading forces turns out to be Opa-Opa's father.

* The ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series uses this often:

* Tragically inverted in ''[[Jak and Daxter|Jak III]]'', where {{spoiler|a fatally wounded Damas makes a final request for Jak to find his missing son. Jak realizes that Damas' son is his younger self, whom he sent back into the past in the previous game.}}

** While not part of the reveal, The Boss is Big Boss's "mother".

** Gene, [[Big Bad]] of Portable Ops, is Big Boss's "Brother", raised as a successor to The Boss

*** Wooh, that's a lot to sum up. Hideo Kojima and his crew sure like having everyone related with only a very few characters ''blood'' related.

**** You know things were getting out of control when Kojima confirmed that The End's pet parrot was the grandparent to Emma Emmerich's pet parrot.

* A particularly egregious use of this trope in ''[[Fire Emblem|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]''. We learn that [[Mary Sue|Micaiah]] is {{spoiler|the sister of Empress Sanaki}} and Soren is {{spoiler|the son of Almedha and Ashnard. Yes, the [[Big Bad]] of the first game. These just seemed to come out of nowhere.}}

** Given the requirements necessary to unlock the ending that reveals this (an A support with Soren and Ike in Path of Radiance, uploading that info to Radiant Dawn via save files, and getting an A support with Soren ''again'', then beating the game twice to unlock the ending where {{spoiler|Pelleas doesn't die}}), all of which fleshes out the background of these various characters, it makes a distinct sort of sense.

** Since that wasn't crazy enough, in ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Original Generation 2'' it's revealed that {{spoiler|neither are related because their "father" Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi [[Brainwashed]] them into thinking they were his daughters when they were unrelated; their real past and identity are never revealed.}}

* ''[[I Wanna Be the Guy]]'' pulls this out of nowhere with the final boss, "The Guy" that you want to kill for his title being a huge version of the player character. Just to make sure you got it he says, "Yes, I ''did'' have sex with your mother." before the final phase of the battle.

* ''[[No More Heroes]]'' tell the story of Travis Touchdown who became the best assassin in the US by a fictive association and that one of the responsible is in fact {{spoiler|the wife of his brother that he didn't knew the existence before and that the number one assasin is in fact his half-sister who want to take a revenge on his father because he ran away from her mother.}}

** It's actually much more complicated than that. {{spoiler|The character that's supposedly number one, Dark Star, claims to be Travis's father, but his half-sister Jeane shows up, kills Dark Star, and reminds him that his father is dead. After all, she's the one that killed him and Travis's mother. On top of this, Henry is not just his brother, but his long-lost twin, and a clip after the credits shows Henry's wife and Travis's main love interest, Sylvia, looking at a painting of the two battling with a young girl who she calls Jeane. Yep, just like Travis's half-sister. And his cat.}}

* The [[Black Knight|Darkshine Knight]] from ''[[Seiken Densetsu]] 3'' has a backstory that is way too similar to Darth Vader's to be a coincidence. {{spoiler|He was once a heroic knight who fought against the Dragon Emperor, only to lose and be converted into his [[The Dragon|Dragon]]. Oh, and he's Duran's father.}}

* ''[[Viewtiful Joe]]'' does this quite blatantly when {{spoiler|Captain Blue reveals himself to be Silvia's father}}, to the point of downright quoting Darth Vader. The entire game is one big homage to movies, so it fits.

** They did it again in the sequel where the [[Big Bad]] was {{spoiler|Jet Black, Joe's father}} and yet again the DS game double trouble where the [[Big Bad]] was {{spoiler|Joe's mother}}.

* There are no coincidences in the ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' games. From the Sealed Sword/Blazing Blade saga, Nino turns out to be Canas's niece, Dart is Rebecca's long-lost brother Dan, Raven is actually Priscilla's brother Raymond. Then, in Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, {{spoiler|Sephiran}} is really Lehran, the patriarch of the Begnion line of apostles/empresses {{spoiler|and a heron laguz, which means that Begnion has been following Branded around all this time}}. However, Empress Sanaki cannot hear the voice of the goddess because the apostle power is only passed down to the firstborn female of each generation, and unbeknownst to her, she had an older sister. We later find out that this is {{spoiler|Micaiah.}} Also, Mad King Ashnard's mount is really the Goldoan prince Rajaion, and his mistress, Almedha, is Rajaion's sister. Ena, Rajaion's fiancee, went to Daein to try to save him in Path of Radiance, but her grandfather, Nasir, was serving as a mole in the Crimean party. Oh, and {{spoiler|Prince Pelleas isn't actually Almedha and Ashnard's son--he's not a Branded at all. But it turns out that the long-lost prince of Daein is ''Soren''.}} Did we mention that Calill and Largo's adopted daughter is ''also'' a Branded? This is the most convoluted series ever.

** There is also the [[Fire Emblem Gaiden]] game, in which Alm has to fight this one warlord who refuses to attack him. When you kill the warlord, he says with his dying breath "Alm, I am your father!" Alm is a little upset by this. However, [[The Obi-Wan]] tells him to not bother wasting tears on the guy, because "He was a madman who would have killed you as an infant had you not been taken away fast enough!"

*** In one scene, {{spoiler|Laharl claims to be Mao's father}}. It doesn't work, mostly because {{spoiler|Flonne and Etna can't decide who would be his mother}}.

*** And in Rasbperyl mode, [[Bishounen|Master Big Star]] and [[Those Wacky Nazis|Salvatore]] claim to be the [[Goldfish Poop Gang|Vato Brothers]]' parents, while two [[Butt Monkey|Prinnies]] claim to be the parents of [[The Big Guy|Gold Knuckle]]. All of this, needless to say, is both impossible and absolutely ridiculous.

* The ending of ''[[Stubbs the Zombie]]'' reveals that Stubbs and [[Big Bad]] Andrew Monday are {{spoiler|father and son respectively, with [[Hot Shonen Mom|Maggie Monday]] having slept with the then living Edward Stubbleton before he was gunned down by her father (this also explains why Stubbs instantaneously falls in love with her).}} Needless to say, Andrew is disgusted to learn this.

** More literal example is the fact that the voice in your head belongs to {{spoiler|Bhaal, God of Murder and your daddy. You'll have a LOT more of these revelations as the series goes on.}}

** For one more example, {{spoiler|Imoen is one of the Bhaalspawn, and thus your half-sister.}}

* In ''[[Jays Journey|Jay's Journey]]'', Jay's father is {{spoiler|Max, the team ditz, who was rendered as such when a magical spell misfired. Jay is less than pleased.}}

** In the same game, one could also say that {{spoiler|the Doom Dragon being a fusion of Felix and Jenna's parents and Isaac's father}} could count for this trope as well.

* Near the end of ''[[Infinite Undiscovery]]'' Iskan Du Bal reveals to Capell that {{spoiler|Sigmund is his father.}} This was heavily implied by Svala explaining that {{spoiler|after the newly born Capell was exiled from Casandra for being [[Fantastic Racism|born an Unblessed]], Sigmund, then-King of Casandra, had his Lunaglyph removed, thus reverting back to an infant.}}

** Then it goes on to have an actual example. {{spoiler|Emperor Diaz is Dart's father and Rose's former lover, Zieg. Then it's subverted -- it's actually Melbu Frahma in Zieg's body.}}

* In ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon|F.E.A.R.]]'', the {{spoiler|Point Man}} is Alma's first son.

* Borderline example in ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'': {{spoiler|The titular character was created from the blood of the [[Big Bad]].}}

* In ''[[Overlord]] II'', the mysterious woman who foresees your inevitable downfall and secretly observes your progress is later revealed to be {{spoiler|Rose, the previous Mistress and your mother}}. This is hinted at first with Gnarl noting how familiar she looks and revealed with this exchange:

'''Gnarl:''' What! How did you know-- hang on, I recognize that voice now! {{spoiler|Rose! Former Mistress Rose! Or Mrs. [[The Dragon|Marius]] now, I should say.}} Don't trust her. {{spoiler|She's a devious, manipulative, abandoner... Oh and she's your mother!}} }}

* ''Apollo Justice: [[Ace Attorney]]'' takes this trope [[Up to Eleven]] when it's revealed to the audience (but not to the protagonist) that {{spoiler|Trucy is his half-sister, the guy who got killed in the first case was her father, and their mother is Lamiroir, the blind, amnisiac foreign singer from the third case}}. Whew....

* In the Troperiffic fantasy game parody ''[[Darkened Skye]]'', when Skye finally meets her long-lost mother, she finds her to be extremely bitter towards Skye's father and distrustful of men in general. The reason for this attitude is revealed in the game's penultimate battle, where Skye's father is revealed to be {{spoiler|[[The Dragon]] to the [[Big Bad]]. With 3 heads to boot.}}

* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'', you find out at one point that {{spoiler|Giacomo is Georg's son.}} However, since you find out even later that {{spoiler|Kalas is an [[Artificial Human]] and therefore has no biological parents}}, this doesn't mean what you think it means.

** Another popular idea is assuming the Pyro is female and the Scout's mother, explaining why the Pyro and Spy are archenemies (she hates him for whatever reason) and is in the thick of battle to watch over her son. A related theory is that the unseen Announcer is the Scout's mother, or that the Pyro and Announcer are somehow the same person.

*** We contacted the Pyro about this, and we recieved this response: "[[The Unintelligible|Mwafah hah har rarara.]]"

*** This gets even more confusing given that the BLU Scout depicted in "Meet the Spy" ''is'' the RED Spy in disguise!

* In ''[[Luminous Arc 2]]'', {{spoiler|Master Mattias is Roland's father. He asked Steven to looked after his young son many years ago before going on his [[Necessary Evil]] path.}} Partly played with in that {{spoiler|Master Mattias}} didn't even know until {{spoiler|Steven}} told him.

** Party character and android, Emeralda was created by {{spoiler|another previous incarnation of Fei, a scientist named Kim. Essentially making Fei Emeralda's father.}}

** Even better; Fei's mother turns out to be {{spoiler|Miang, due to her being [[The Virus]]}}.

* Parodied in ''[[Ratchet and Clank]] Future: A Crack in Time''. After you beat the game, [[The Dragon|Lord Vorselon]] will show up and claim "Rachet, ''I'' was... your father's accountant!"

* In ''[[Bayonetta]]'', {{spoiler|Father Balder}} reveals that he is the titular character's father towards the end of the game.

* In ''[[Secret of Mana]]'', the hero character's mother is {{spoiler|the Mana Tree}} and his father is {{spoiler|the ghost you meet at the beginning of the game who tells you to take the Mana Sword}}.

 

* In Proxicide's ''MK vs. SF 3'', it is revealed at the very end that {{spoiler|Akuma and Ryu are father and son}}.

* The Most In The Graveyard toon on ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' reveals that {{spoiler|Coach Z's aunt is Bubs's uncle, which makes them sixth fourth second fifth cousins thrice removed, according to Bubs.}}

* ''[[Broken Saints]]'': More like {{spoiler|I Am ''Her'' Father''. [[Big Bad]] Lear Dunham tells the other heroes that he is Shandala's biological father in his [[Just Between You and Me]].}}

 

** In the next arc, she finds out that her mother Lucrezia {{spoiler|was almost certainly the infamous menace known as the Other... shortly before getting a copy of said progenitor's persona [[Enemy Within|uploaded into her mind]]}}.

* ''[[Earthsong]] '': Willow learns that {{spoiler|Earthsong is her eve}}

* A variation in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'', when Bob [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20061007.html first tells Molly] that he ''considers'' her to be his daughter, even though they are not related.

** Still later, Jean [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20080503.html reveals that] {{spoiler|because Molly shares some of her DNA, Jean ''is'' her mommy, "just a little bit."}}

* ''[[Questionable Content]]'' references it in [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=436 this strip].

* In ''[[Looking for Group]]'', when Richard is in the demonic court on the Plane of Suck, he is asked why he travels with Cale. He responds with a mumbled "He's my mother." This gets a "What?" reaction from everyone in the room, including Richard. Probably just a joke, though. But they said that about the rabbit, too, so...

* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'': Twice, and neither time is the one you'd expect (yet). [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0302.html "Anakin, I am your stepfather."] And later: [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0455.html "No! Wait! Anakin, Ah am your f--]. In the latter case, however, he may have been about to say "friend."

** Well, he did show up in one Flashback over 600 episodes before that, [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0050.html here], although he wasn't named then and hasn't been seen since. Still, the "reveal" came as no surprise to someone with a good memory.

 

'''NC:''' Well of course I know the name of our mother! Eliza... be... ''(Nerd points Super Scope at Critic)'' Oh, blame a guy for trying! }}

* Parodied, once again, in ''[[College Saga]]''. The [[Final Boss]] Diculous (wearing a Darth Vader helmet with voice-changing filter) tries to pull this on the hero, only to have two of the party members inform him that {{spoiler|"* We* are your parents!"}}. Perhaps the reason the hero doesn't fall for it is that {{spoiler|he was already revealed to be the son of Willie Wonka}}. The final twist is Diculous is {{spoiler|their ''daughter''}}.

* Seen in the [[Whateley Universe]] with Carmilla (Sara Waite). Not only does her father turn out to be {{spoiler|the very demon a bunch of occultist wannabes are trying to sacrifice her to}}, but the first time she faces down the infamous archvillain known as the Necromancer she finds out that he in turn is her ''{{spoiler|uncle!!}}''

* ''[[Sockbaby|Sockb4by]]'' - Doug Jones, to Ronnie Cordova.

* In Red vs Blue Season 6, Washington's line that {{spoiler|"there's no such thing as ghosts, Church. You're the last AI. You're the Alpha."}}

* ''[[The Gungan Council]]'' has Darth Apparatus doing this to both Ryori Holloway and Delilah Nepenthe.

 

** Also, kind of inverted in that Numbuh Zero, who we haven't seen before, is {{spoiler|Nigel's dad}}, who we have.

* ''[[Winx Club]]'' has Roxy finding out that {{spoiler|Queen of the Earth Fairies, Morgana is her mother.}}

** Some time after the end of the original animated series, the minicomic ''The Search for Keldor'' dropped hints that Skeletor is really King Randor's long-lost brother Keldor, making him Adam/He-Man's uncle. In the 2002 remake, Skeletor was originally named Keldor, but there is no indication that he is related to Randor.

*** While never stated in the show, the writers have since revealed that Keldor was intended to be Randor's half-brother. Same father, different mothers.

** Hades also tries to do this with Wonder Woman, with a twist that he had to resort to a technicality when WW pointed out her origin story doesn't ''allow'' her to have a father (she was sculpted of clay and made flesh by the breath of her mother, Hippolyte, instead of born; Hades claimed he was there during the sculpting, but not the life-granting).

* ''[[Code Lyoko]]'': It is revealed just before the Season 2 finale that Franz Hopper, creator of Lyoko, is actually [[The Chick|Aelita]]'s father. This also reveals that she is human, and not an A.I. as everyone originally thought.

** Also played with when Starfire and Killer Moth each try to convince Silkie/Larva M319 to choose between them. Killer Moth's attempt: "Larva M319, I am your father. Join me and we can... go on a picnic or something." Silkie already knew this.

::[[Serious Business|Dexter's dad was making a big deal over not being allowed to get Mom's]] [[Double Entendre|muffins.]] }}

* Parodied in ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', quoted above.

** The original 90s cartoon also did this with Nightcrawler and Mystique, but with the added twist that [[Big Bad]] leader of the [[Path of Inspiration|Friends of Humanity]] Grayden Creed, Jr. (who was already exposed in an earlier episode as being Sabertooth's son) was Mystique's son and Nightcrawler's half-brother(Just like in the comics).

*** Thank ''God''.

'''Cosmo:''' Your godfather! }}

** Later lampshaded in that 3-part movie whose name I can't remember, but it was the one with the Terminator parody and such.

...Well, it was said something to that effect, that's all I remember. }}

*** A brilliant continutynod to the quote starting the Fairy Odd Parents section here.

* ''[[Moral Orel]]'': The episode "Dumb" shows that {{spoiler|Nurse Bendy is Joe's mother}}.

* Happens in the ''[[Futurama]]'' DVD movie ''Bender's Game'', the parties being {{spoiler|Farnsworth and Igner, the stupidest of Mom's three sons}}.

** And an...odd version later: {{spoiler|Hermes was the one that approved Bender in the production line (Even though he shouldn't have been), making him, in a bizzare sense, Bender's father.}}

** This

* Parodied in ''[[Teamo Supremo]]'' when Skate Lad corners the CheapSkate.

'''Skate Lad:''' Huh?! No you're not; my dad works down at the sporting goods store. I look just like him, loser! }}

* The final episode of ''[[The Replacements]]'' reveals that Conrad Fleem is Todd and Riley's uncle.

* In ''[[Chaotic]]'', the card game revealed something more of a "I am ''also'' your founder" with Kiru, the greatest Overworld hero (even got a beautiful city named after him){{spoiler|and the ancestor to Chaor, currently one of the Overworld's greatest enemies.}}

* From ''[[South Park]]'' episode 201: Eric Cartman, {{spoiler|Scott Tenorman's father is also YOUR father!}}

* Parodied in ''[[Johnny Bravo]]''.

'''Johnny''': Nooooooooooooooo!!! }}

 

* Recent evidence has backed claims that a Frenchman, Jean-Marie Loret, was the product of an affair between [[Adolf Hitler]], who was a German soldier in World War I, and his mother when she was 16 in 1917.

* The great Hawaiian king Kamehameha's biological father may well have been his rival, Kahekili.

* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]'s son with the cleaning lady. He didn't know Schwarzenegger was his dad until the press got hold of the story.

 

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[[Category:Spoilered Rotten]]

[[Category:Stock Parodies]]

[[Category:Parental Issues]]

[[Category:The Parent Trope]]

[[Category:Trope Names From Memes]]