Warning: The following contains some minor spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame" and other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It all started with a son. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who would become Iron Man, the leader of the Avengers and subsequent father figure to Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), was so driven by the ghost of his own father that the elder Stark's specter cast a shadow over the entire MCU. Tony Stark, over a series of 22 total films, was joined by others on either side of the dad divide: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), both … [Read more...]
‘Star Trek’ Father Loses His Son to that ‘Star Wars’ Thing
“Dad, I don’t like Star Trek,” my son said to me. And right there, at that exact moment, is the moment my heart shriveled up, and the world became a cold dark place. “You are dead to me,” I told my son. I turned away trying to hold back tears. I buried myself in my work; making his lunch so that my traitor of a son could have something to eat today besides his father’s disappointment. “It’s boring, dad,” he said. Boring? Star Trek is boring? Motherfucking Captain Kirk boring? This is blasphemy. “Minecraft is boring,” I said. I usually add three pieces of salami to his … [Read more...]
‘Star Wars’ Focus on Fatherhood, Abandonment
As the latest movie in the four-decade-old Star Wars saga continues to the fill theaters with old and new fans alike, The Modern Dads Podcast focuses on the role fatherhood and parenting plays in George Lucas' space opera. This special discussion is led by two of our more pop-culture oriented NYC Dads Group members. Chad D. MacDonald, who recently penned his own epic on the subject of dads and Star Wars for our NYC blog, and Lorne Jaffe analyze the fathers of Star Wars through eight movies, including the new Rogue One film. They dig deep into the decisions various fathers and father figures … [Read more...]
The Force Awakens in a New Generation
If you haven't introduced your kids to Star Wars yet, we're going to assume that it's only because he/she/they are still womb-bound. Or that you prefer Star Trek ... weirdo. Regardless, it seems that teaching your kids about The Force (not teaching them The Force but if you could that would be So. Freaking. AWESOME) has replaced buying them first baseball mitts or dance tutus as the essential rite of parenting passage for dads. So how best to do it? Chicago Dads Group member Ariel Isenberg writes lovingly about how he passed on his love of Luke, Yoda and the others to his boy and girl in … [Read more...]