Joe West and the 7 Best Dads from the Arrowverse
By Louis Skye
4. Best Dads from the Arrowverse: J’onn J’onzz
Technically, J’onn J’onzz isn’t a dad—but you don’t need to be a biological father to be a great dad.
There aren’t many parental figures on Supergirl—so many of them were lost in the destruction of Krypton. But while Alex and Kara Danvers did have a dad on Earth, Jeremiah went missing for years, leaving a hole in the young women’s lives.
J’onn—in the guise of Hank Henshaw—would never have taken the place of the Danvers’ father. He was initially distrustful of super-powered beings like Supergirl, though he believed in Alex’s abilities.
But once J’onn revealed his true identity—as the last son of Mars (at the time)—the relationship between the three became decidedly warmer.
Eventually, Alex and J’onn became closer than just student and mentor—she looked up to him as a replacement for her missing father. For Kara, who had lost her Kryptonian parents and her Earth-dad, a Martian father was just what the doctor ordered.
The three got closer with every passing episode with J’onn helping his surrogate daughters grow in ability and knowledge. At the same time, J’onn has taken valuable lessons from the Danvers, becoming more open-minded about his fellow aliens and learning to trust his own powers.
J’onn is hardly perfect and he does make mistakes but he is fiercely protective of the Danvers while always encouraging them to strive to be better. Sounds a lot like a great dad!
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3. Best Dads from the Arrowverse: Quentin Lance
Content Warning: Addiction
The original best dad in the Arrowverse, Quentin Lance was such a far cry from the duplicitous Queens and Merlyns of the world, that he instantly became a fan-favourite character on Arrow.
Father to Laurel and Sara, Quentin adeptly juggled his career as detective with being ever-present in his daughters’ lives. Unfortunately for Quentin, his dedication to his daughters was his undoing.
When Sara was believed to have drowned at sea, Quentin took the news poorly—eventually he became addicted to alcohol as a way to dull his grief, driving his wife and older daughter away.
Nevertheless, Quentin cleaned up his act so he could be a better father to his remaining child. As a consequence, not only did he become closer to Laurel, but his job thrived as well. He also helped Laurel battle her own addiction when she struggled with losing her fiancé.
Quentin eventually got Sara back and was very accepting of her coming out as bisexual—as any great dad would be.
Despite losing his daughters again—and getting Sara back (again)—Quentin refused to fall back into addiction. He powered through and worked hard for his daughter’s memory—even taking in Laurel’s evil doppelganger and helping her become the hero he knew her to be.
The travails that plagued the Lance family in the Arrowverse should have been enough to break anyone but Quentin soldiered on in the hopes of making a better world for his daughters. When he lost them, he fought on in their memory.
He was even an excellent father figure to Oliver Queen—who he couldn’t stand for ages, with reason—and to Rene Ramirez. Quentin had a way of touching everyone’s lives and making it better—which is exactly what made him one of the best dads in the Arrowverse.