Papa Wolf/Western Animation

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Archer's way of handling folks who threaten his daughter... Well, maybe he can explain it better:

Archer: "So here's the thing, Farooq. I don't know about any stories, but whatever badass shit that you heard I did? You really need some context, because pretty much my whole life, pretty much right up until this minute, my default setting has been half-assed." (cracks knuckles) "But that was before I had a child. A child you threatened to harm. A child, I just realized, who's probably on her way up to the roof so Aunt Pam can swat at biplanes! So imagine, as I literally beat you to death - Hang on… Yeah, literally - that a giant hand has turned my dial from half-assed to quadruple-assed!

Batman: I don't pass sentence. That's for the courts to decide. But this time, this time, I am sorely tempted to do the job myself.

  • In "Over The Edge", we see just how far Commander Gordon will go out for Batman if Barbara is ever killed in the line of bat-duty.
  • Don't forget Batman's reaction in the infamous flashback in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker... when he was beating the heck out of The Joker after the latter revealed that, he not only kidnapped, but subjected Tim-Drake!Robin to three weeks of electrocution-based torture as well as truth serum, and then turned him into a grotesque miniature version of the Joker. He even states "I'll break you in two!" in a very chilling manner.
  • The Secret Saturdays: Solomon "Doc" Saturday is both Team Dad and Papa Wolf.
  • Darkwing Duck, whose Tomboy daughter Gosalyn has a habit of getting into trouble like making a Deal with the Devil or releasing an evil Trickster spirit. He even finds himself unable to leave the Mirror Universe without merging the two because he can't help thinking of Gosalyn's counterpart as his own daughter. And yes, he has worried about his enemies using her to get to him.
    • In general, threatening Gosalyn is an easy way to make him quickly get over his ego and kick your ass five ways at once.
  • Donald Duck, no matter what the continuity, is known for his rotten temper, and harming, threatening, or kidnapping his nephews is a good way to get on the wrong side of it. In fact, a Retcon in DuckTales claims that is the exact reason for his Hair-Trigger Temper; the mere thought of anyone harming them infuriates him.
  • Both The Hero Goliath and Anti-Villain David Xanatos of Gargoyles have gone to great extents to protect Angela or Alexander, respectively. And in Goliath's case, he's also Papa Wolf to the Gargoyles he's Team Dad to.
  • In American Dragon: Jake Long the dragon trait skipped a generation, so Jake's mother can't protect him from the supernatural threats he encounters—instead it's Jake's grandfather who does so. Never mind that he even stands up to the Dark Dragon's minions when his entire family is threatened... and obliterates them single-handedly.
    • Jake's dad OTOH, despite being an ordinary human, gets a couple good moments. He manages to save his son from some kind of winged, moose thing during a camping trip, and later saves him again from a bunch of vampires.
  • Charles Ofdensen, the band manager in Metalocalypse, is seen by some fans to be the Papa Wolf of metal band Dethklok. He is extremely protective, preparing and executing elaborate security measures and counter attacks for their concert in the first season finale; going against assassins twice his size in hand-to-hand combat; having Rockzo the clown beaten and tortured on two occasions for being a bad influence on the youngest member of the band; and warning another manager attempting to take over his position that he would have to kill him to keep him away from the band. And then killing that man himself.In a swordfight.
  • Aquaman in the Justice League TV series chopped off his own hand to save his infant child's life and get out of a Death Trap. And then he returned home with the baby tucked under his good arm, had his people put a hook on his stump, came back to action and helped the Justice League kick the culprit's ass. Conclusion? Do NOT mess with Aquaman's kid. You'll be VERY, VERY SORRY.
    • To drive that point even further, the villain was his own brother, Orm. And Aquaman didn't give a single thought about kicking his ass and letting him die.
  • King of the Hill: Hank Hill. Whether it's a Jerkass boss putting Bobby in danger at his job, or a Jerkass football coach abusing Bobby and his teammates after losing, they quickly learn the hard way just how dangerous an angry Hank can be. One would think they'd know not to mess with someone who's so into propane. And propane accessories. (Otherwise, though, Hank is something of a "Well Done, Son" Guy.)

Thug: "I thought that old guy inside was your daddy."
Bobby: "No, no! This is my daddy! This one right here, the one with the golf club!"

  • Dale, too, even after learning that Joseph is "part-alien."
  • To elaborate on Dale, he once heard his son screaming in his sleep. What does he do? He kicks the door to his bedroom open, brandishing two pistols, ready to blast the threat to kingdom come. When Joseph says he just had a bad dream, Dale says, "Oh. How about I read you a story?"
  • Danny Phantom: Ever seen a Bumbling Dad battle and win against a 50-foot-ghost monster? Congratulations, you have been pwned by Jack Fenton. Now leave his kids alone.
  • In The Fairly OddParents, even an Adult Child Bumbling Dad like Mr. Turner is capable of fighting with teeth and paws to defend Timmy. Just watch the episode where Timmy wishes he could merge with dad's Cool Car, then Vicky steals the car and he believes Timmy is stuck in it...
    • Both of Timmy's parents, despite being comically irresponsible enough to leave him with an evil babysitter, have gone to crazy lengths to protect Timmy. This came to the fore when Timmy wishes they had superpowers, and he ends up using this to his advantage when convincing them to give up their powers.
    • Don't forget the end of the Fairly Oddparents movie, where Papa Wolf dad and Mama Bear...mom double-team Mr. Crocker for abusing their son. Much ass kicking ensues.
    • Actually, Mr. Turner technically could be counted as a literal "Papa Bear" at that point.

Mrs. Turner: I'll go for his teeth.
Mr. Turner: And I'll claw out his eyes!

  • In case you don't get the joke, Mr. Turner had recently had his hands turned into bear's claws after saying he'd tear someone apart with his bare hands
  • Tom and Jerry: We all know Jerry Mouse is no push-over in regards to Tom the Cat. But if Tom ever lays a paw on Nibbles/Tuffy, the local Heartwarming Orphan and Jerry's adoptive pup, he's in for even more of a pain in the tail than usual. Nibbles/Tuffy's introductory episode leaves the deal very clear; Tom spanks the little mouse and, after releasing himself from a trap and checking on the other's well-being, Jerry lets out an enraged lion's roar and brutally beats up Tom.
  • Agent Six in Generator Rex is this to Rex. Heck, just watch him in "What Lies Beneath" or his fight with White Knight.
  • Even Peter Griffin on Family Guy is capable of this now and then (even if the rest of the time he is an outright Abusive Parent). An episode centered around him becoming more protective of Meg after she almost drowned in a flood, even going so far as to smash stuck-up Connie d'Amico's face into a glass surface until it was a bloody pulp for making fun of her. In another episode, Stewie gets nabbed by Disney World employees who force him to sing for the customers, and Peter manages to save him and outrun a dangerous security guard. Stewie even hugs him for it at the end.
    • He also beats the everliving crud out of President Donald Trump in "Family Guy; Trump Guy" when Trump fondles Meg. To be fair though, Trump gets in quite a few good hits too in the long-winded fight scene.
  • American Dad also does this. "Surro-Gate" is a good example, as it shows a Camp Gay who previously solved fights with dance moves out of West Side Story punching out Stan in one hit after he kidnaps the guy's daughter.

Stan: That's not campy. That's not campy at all.

  • Stan despite his Jerkass tendencies certainly has traits of this with his children as well, should we ever forget what he did to his own boss for insulting Hayley.
  • Private of The Penguins of Madagascar has shown this. When the penguins are tasked with taking care of an egg in shifts, Private is so horrified by the other penguins' rough handling that he steals the egg away and snaps at Skipper.
  • The Venture Brothers: Brock Samson is the Alpha Papa Wolf whenever someone threatens the Venture family. See Victor. Echo. November. for the naked, murderous evidence.
  • Tale Spin: Though obviously not shown to the same extent as Rebecca, Baloo has traits of this around Molly as well (likely to further emphasize his chemistry with the former). Whether she's been kidnapped by bandits, zapped by a microscopic ray, or just wants her Christmas wish to come true, Baloo is pretty insistent she come out of it all with a smile on her face.
  • Normally, Inspector Gadget is a combination of Inspector Oblivious and Too Dumb to Live. But on those extremely rare occasions when he notices that Penny and Brain are in real danger, Gadget turns into a hyper-competent badass who uses his gadgets to rescue them with astonishing skill. This helps fuel an Alternate Character Interpretation of him.
  • Dr. Doofenshmirtz of Phineas and Ferb may be an incompetent villain, but don't even try to hit on his underage daughter unless you want to quickly be teleported to another, monster-filled dimension.
    • Perry the Platypus, especially when it comes to Phineas and Ferb. There was one time when Friendly Enemy Doofenshmirtz indirectly threatened Phineas and Ferb with his latest scheme, Perry quickly beat him up, handcuffed him, and called for backup all within ten seconds.
    • Happens again in the movie Across the Second Dimension. Perry didn't break his masquerade even when a robot punched him across the room. But when the robot was ordered to do the same thing to Phineas and Ferb, he immediately jumped up and punched the robot just as hard.
  • The cartoon version of Beetlejuice is typically an easy-going prankster whose main interest is driving the rest of the Neitherworld crazy. But on those rare occasions when Lydia is in serious danger, Beetlejuice will show just how he got the title of Ghost With The Most. Insulting or humiliating Lydia is also a bad idea, as Claire Brewster found out the hard way on more than one occasion.
  • The Ren and Stimpy Show ... In "A Visit To Anthony," Ren and Stimpy are severely intimidated by Anthony's father. And they have every reason to be. He's very large, heavily muscled, despite his age, and unlike most of the "lummoxes" seen in the show, he is not only healthy-looking, but reasonably intelligent. Just getting a threatening speech from him puts the fear of god into you. His silent rage is even more frightening when coupled with his weeping when he thinks his son is in danger.
  • Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: Zachary Foxx is normally A Father to His Men or Team Dad. If you threaten his biological kids, or push him to the Let's Get Dangerous point by hurting his Rangers, he can and will use you for target practice.
  • Race Bannon from The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is pretty much this to his only daughter, Jessie. Also, to her friends Jonny and Hadji.
    • As is Dr. Quest.
  • The Simpsons: In the episode "Simple Simpson," Homer Simpson sees the Rich Texan making Lisa cry. He then throws a pie in his face. He would have beat the man, but he was told he'd go to jail if he committed another assault.
    • He has gone great lengths for his children despite how people think of him as a Jerkass, like when Maggie was having trouble finding easter eggs, and trying to help Bart with his homework and Lisa become popular.
  • Though his birth father hates his guts and has actively tried to kill him, Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender is fortunate enough to have a replacement in his uncle Iroh, who accompanied him throughout his banishment and raised him as his own son. When Azula tries to kill Zuko with lightning after a botched attempt to imprison them both, Iroh steps in at the last second, redirects the lightning into a nearby cliff, and then kicks her overboard.
    • Hakoda also has some signs of this. Even though Katara is a very powerful Waterbender and Sokka becomes a great warrior, he will stay behind and be captured by the Fire Nation in order to let them escape. There is also his reaction to Katara's announcement that someone was threatening Kya in "The Southern Raiders." When he hears his wife is in danger, it is obvious that if that Fire Nation sailor doesn't haul his ass out of there double time, he will find out just why the Water Tribe hasn't been overthrown yet.
      • YMMV on that particular scene, as we don't see much of a reaction. Everything else between Hakoda and his kids certainly suggest he counts.
    • Fire Lord Azulon could be seen as a much darker version of this to his older son, Iroh. When his younger son Ozai tries to usurp Iroh's right in succession, Azulon is so enraged he orders Ozai's innocent son Zuko be executed to teach Ozai a lesson. Fortunately, Zuko had a Mama Bear of his own to prevent this.
    • Even Avatar Roku is shown looking out for a certain troubled great-grandson of his. At the Fire Temple, Aang channels his spirit to pwn the evil Fire Sages, Zhao, and his soldiers... and then Roku melts the chains holding the good guys and Zuko, letting them all escape before he destroys the temple.
  • South Park: "I've got to save mah beh-beh!"
    • Kyle seems to have developed traits of this around his baby brother Ike, more so than most of the brainless parents of the town anyway.
    • Randy and the other dads sometimes do this, though they're so stupid it doesn't really work out very well.
    • And the season 15 finale has Kenny, as Mysterion, defending his little sister Karen from a bully at the school they went to when their parents got arrested.
  • General Molotov on Jimmy Two-Shoes is very much this. Lucius...not so much.
  • Ratchet from Transformers Animated doesn't like to hear his friend Omega Supreme, who he mentored during the war, being threatened. Of course, Omega is a Person of Mass Destruction built to end the Great War, so this doesn't happen often, but...

Ratchet (to the Autobot High Council): Omega Supreme is one of us. An Autobot. A friend. Harm one circuit on him and you'll answer to me.

    • It should be mentioned for the un-initiated, that Ratchet is both an old man and a medic, with no offensively designed equipment. Yet you still don't doubt that he could very well hand them their asses on a plate if pressed.
  • In the animated series Kissyfur, Gus, Kissyfur's dad is this to his son as well as to the other children. Simply put, if you put them in danger, you'd better be prepared to be thrown halfway across the swamp. You would think that Floyd and Jolene, the 2 gators on the show, would have learned their lesson.
  • Villainous (well, AntiVillainous) example from Wakfu: Everything Nox does is out of fatherly love. Even the genocide.
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars: You do not want to threaten Ahsoka when Anakin's around.
  • Total Drama Island: Big Fun Owen is usually happy and cheerful at all times, but his Berserk Button is immediately activated whenever someone threatens Noah or Izzy. His Papa Bear mode is one of the few things that managed to save him from the Scrappy heap.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Master Splinter made sure that his adopted sons could take care of themselves, but if you happen to be planning on experimenting on them, you'd better pray he doesn't find out.
  • Somewhat off-screen in Winx Club and crossing with Mama Bear is Oritel (Bloom's Dad). After both he and his wife think both their daughters to be dead, they according to one account went completly berserk at the ones responsible; the Ancient Coven. Considering how high they are in among other's Faragonda's and even Baltor's regard, that says something about the power which was unleashed. Ouch...
  • The Smurfs: You don't threaten Papa Smurf's little Smurfs unless you want to be on the receiving end of one of Papa Smurf's potions.
  • When Egon of The Real Ghostbusters was literally paralyzed with fear by the Boogey Man, he found the strength to escape his bonds when the Boogey Men threatened the Junior Ghost Busters, a trio of children he had been mentoring.
  • Ben 10 may be well able to protect himself thanks to the Omnitrix, but on one occasion, his father ended up attacking a High Breed with a BFG for threatening him. Considering how powerful the High Breed had been up to that point, doing that is pretty dang impressive. Ben's uncle Max has also shown traits of this.
    • And Ben grows up into one in at least one timeline. Kevin 11,000 hurts Ben's son Ken. Cue Ben going Way Big and pummeling Kevin into the ground in an Unstoppable Rage.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Spongebob of all people has this for his pet snail Gary. He's only stood up to his boss Mr. Krabs on a few occasions, one of which involved him not being himself at the time and two others being him being pushed over the edge by a great deal of abuse the entire episode. However, on one occasion, Krabs used Gary to steal money for him thanks to him somehow being a living change magnet, something that Spongebob had already told Krabs hurts Gary. When Spongebob finds out, he instantly chews Krabs out for it without a second thought. On another occasion, Spongebob became the adopted father of a bunch of baby worms and this part of him awakened once again. He tackled Larry (the strongest guy in town) when he tried to eat them, then disabled a truck by tearing the engine block out of it with his bare hands to stop it from running over them. Also manages an inversion in one episode when his criminal cousin Blackjack apparently kidnapped his parents, overcoming his crippling childhood fear of Blackjack to confront him. Turns out he hadn't kidnapped them but it still counts.
  • Ant-Man II from The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes mainly uses his powers and abilities to ensure the safety and well-being of his young daughter. In the episode in which he officially became the new Ant-Man, he punished Crossfire for kidnapping her by kicking him in the face, then covering him in ants.
  • Inverted in Godzilla: The Series where Godzilla Jr will go to crazy lengths to protect his adopted father Nick.
    • But played straight with Nick. If you are human and you do something that harms Godzilla Jr, Nick will end you.
  • The Devil, oddly enough, is this towards Chrissy in Little Demon; not as much a Papa Wolf as Chrissy's mother is a Mama Bear, but he still is one. In the scene where he discovers Chrissy is about to be burned at the stake by a mob he feels something in his chest that he realizes is compassion, something he (being the Devil) has never experienced before. He doesn't like it much.
  • In the Teen Titans episode "Betrothed", Galfore, Starfire's k'norfka (guardian) is introduced, a huge, hulking, muscular guy who is willing to use violence if someone does anything that even might be a threat towards his ward. This is one thing that Beast Boy learns very quickly.
    • Being this protective to one's ward may be a common trait for a k'norfka, actually. Starfire herself becomes a Mama Bear towards Silkie after she gives herself this title towards him.
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, where Brainiac is responsible for Jor-El's warnings about Krypton's imminent destruction being ignored, both Jor-El and his father-in-law Sul-Van (the one member of the Council he is able to convince) become this, as Brainiac tries to use the police to prevent him from activating Kal-El's rocket. Mostly Sul-Van, however, who leads the police on a high-speed chase ending in a crash simply to draw them away from the lab and buy his son-in-law time, knowing that he really has nothing to lose now.
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