A titlecard that reads Email
A plus sign that leads to an rss feed.
Follow
A redirect tab that reads Art. A redirect tab that reads About A redirect tab that reads Resources
Link to the information page.
Link to the menu.
Link to the submissions page.
Link to the messaging page.

Does The Dadson Die?

'Does The Dog Die' but for pairings and media with dadson, occasionally I'll include additional notes or classification. Please check the general information page for additional definitions or clarification.
Due to the nature of this list, live-action media will generally not be accounted for unless all actors are of age and the dadson is explicit or the actors could reasonably be assumed to be comfortable with fandom shipping.
Abbreviations are used to avoid SEO as needed.

Key:

Worthwhile = A wealth of good quality fanworks, excellent quality interactions in canon and/or interesting or unique dynamics.
Heart = This indicates a pairing or series that is a personal favorite of mine and I highly suggest engaging with. If there are multiple pairings for a series I will only mark my favorite pairing.

Y = The dadson does die, there is no worthwhile dadson.
M = The dadson might die, I haven't finished the media, looked through the fandom or thought about it enough to give a conclusive rating. It is also possible that it's a grey area, so it could fall under Y or N eventually.
N = The dadson does not die, there is worthwhile dadson.

Audio-Visual
Television
  • Invincible (TV Series) - Nolan Grayson/Omni-man x Mark Grayson/Invincible - N, Ds An image of a heart to denote a favorite.
    The show is centered around the relationship between Mark and Nolan, which is turbulent and a personal favorite of mine. There are plenty of fanworks- though there could definitely be more.
  • Invincible (TV Series) - Cecil Stedman x Mark Grayson/Invincible - N, Ds
    This is what you ship if you’re too scared to ship Mark with his actual dad, but that is not at all to discredit this pairing. Both. Both is good. Cecil makes poor decisions based off of sound logic where Mark makes decent decisions based off of faulty logic and this drives their relationship. Their best scene is when the sonic implant is revealed.
  • Venture Bros - Henry Allen "Hank" Venture x Dr. Thaddeus Venture x Dean Venture - N, dS & DS
    Generational paternal intrigue, highly reccommend. Dean and Hank are the main characters, and Dr. Venture is their father.
  • Venture Bros - Jonas Venture x Thaddeus Venture - N, ds
    Dr. Venture and his horrible, abusive father, Jonas Venture.
  • Venture Bros - Brock Samson x Henry Allen "Hank" Venture - N, dS
    Hank and his babysitter, acts like more of a father to him than his actual dad.
  • Teen Titans (2003) - Slade Wilson x Dick Grayson - N, Ds
    Not into most of the fan-content for them, but in Teen Titans the canon content needs no supplement. Slade says it himself in the series, “I could become like a father to you”. Slade haunts Robin’s narrative, and those targeted by Slade have an uncomfortable sort of kinship. Even when slade moves on from Robin, he doesn’t leave Robin’s mind as his arch-nemesis and he is implied to have PTSD from him.
  • Moral Orel - Clay Puppington x Orel Puppington - N, dS
  • Beastars (TV Series) - Ogma x Louis - Y, dS
    The dadson is dying, and it shouldn't be! There are very minimal fanworks for these two and only a few canon (TV) interactions, but their dynamic is excellent. Ogma adopted Louis and cares for him but is very emotionally distant, causing a lot of friction. If you don't want to get invested in a barren wasteland, don't bother, but a clip compilation could be in order if you're bored.
  • Beastars (TV Series) - Ibuki x Louis - Y, DS
    Another tragedy in the beastars series. The affection that Louis misses out on from his adoptive father is vented in his relationship with Ibuki. Again, few but excellent canon interactions and sparse fandom content (though slightly more than with Ogma in both categories).
  • Beastars (TV Series) - Gosha x Legoshi - M, DS
    I can't look... It's almost definitely the same fate but I have an inkling the next season might bring us more interactions and I haven't looked around the fandom yet.
  • Bob’s Burgers - Robert Belcher Sr. x Robert Belcher Jr. x Gene Belcher - Y, dS & DS
    I love my slop, not dadson but a fun watch for the dadson enthusiast. Gene's a little weirdo.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion - Gendo Ikari x Shinji Ikari - Y, ds
    Surprisingly low engagement despite the age of the series. Not much to say, they hate eachother but are overall pretty uninteresting.
  • Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures - Dio Brando x Giorno Giovanna - Y, Ds
    Pretty good fan content, but no actual canon interactions.
Movies
  • Whiplash (2014) - Terence Fletcher x Andrew Neiman - N, dS An image of a heart to denote a favorite.
    Andrew rejects the affection of his father and replaces it with seeking the approval of Terence. There is a lot of push and pull, and the fandom is rabid. Highly suggest.
  • Spider-Man (2002) - Peter Parker x Norman Osborn x Harry Osborn - N, Ds & dS
    Harry loves his dad, Norman wants to adopt Peter, Peter is kind of awkwardly involved- I love this weird dadson love triangle.
  • Deadpool 2 (2018) - Piotr Rasputin x Wade Wilson - Y, DDLB
    Strange tension between these two along with a relationship that could be described as paternal in nature, but they are good for eachother.
Webseries
  • Helluva Boss - Crimson x Moxxie - N, Ds
  • Metal Family - Gustav x Glam x Dee - M, Ds
Video Games
  • Far Cry 4 - Pagan Min x Ajay Ghale - N, Ds
    While I haven’t yet played the game, the relationship between Pagan and Ajay is very much dadson. Pagan loves his family and engages with him as a step-father even in the middle of a conflict where they on opposing sides, but he’s a little… aggressive. Sounds like dadson to me! The fanworks are in excess to my surprise, but I’ve yet to go through them.
  • Yakuza - Shintaro Kazama x Kiryu Kazuma x Daigo Dojima - N, dS
    Not much going on between Shintaro and Kiryu in-game, but the precedent for behavior set by killing his parents then adopting him and begging for forgiveness way later definitely can be at least partially contributing to the framework for how Kiryu treats people in his life moving forward. Kiryu literally has no biological children but he is batman-tier in his adoption track record and he loves to LARP as an absent father with Daigo. Poor Daigo wants to make him proud… but more than that, he just wants to talk to him! Unfortunately, this is a family that demands endless work from the son for attention and all communication is done via fists.
  • Yakuza - Tsukasa Sagawa x Majima Goro - N, Ds
    Majima is essentially Sagawa’s ward as he is forced to repay an impossible debt to the yakuza, and is treated more like a pet than a person. Sagawa, whether to infuriate him or out of a sincere sentiment, pushes himself as a mentor to Majima and seems to have a sort of fondness for him that is not even remotely reciprocated.
  • Detroit Become Human - Hank Anderson x Connor - N, DS
    Hank's son passes away due to an android, and he ends up working as a detective duo with his android coworker, Connor. Hank could be interpreted as projecting that loss onto Connor as the game progresses, growing a fondness for him from a deep resentment. I think a romantic relationship realistically might not be the best choice for them, but I don’t think it’s impossible. This is marked as dadson due to the mixed interpretation of their relationship, the enviornment they live in straining their connection and fan content. Towards the start of the game they could be marked as dS, and you could argue the same for later on, but I believe DS is most appropriate.
  • Hades (2020) - Hades x Zagreus - N, Ds
    I don't know too much about them, but they have a rocky relationship and Zagreus is unable to entirely forgive him nor entirely cut him off. Excellent fanfictions.
  • FNAF - William A. x Michael A. - N, ds An image of a heart to denote a favorite.
    Classic. Fanworks beat out canon here.
  • Starfox - James Mccloud x Fox McCloud - N, dS
    Haven't completed any part of this series but they're a popular pick in fandom. A Fox in Space is my favorite rendition.
  • Mouthwashing - Swansea x Daisuke - N
    I don’t much care for this pairing, so I’m unsure how to rate it, but the rating is moreso due to fan content despite a canon father/son connection. I wouldn’t play this game for dadson.
  • Clinical Trial - Lee x Angel - M, DS
    So, this game was recommended to me specifically because it has dadson. By the end I was thinking “what the hell were they referring to…” but after some discussion and re-evaluation, you can in fact reach this conclusion reasonably. I will not try to convince you here, but it’s a short game. Check it out and make your own decision.
  • Devil May Cry - Nero x Vergil - M, Ds
    Haven’t felt compelled to engage with this series yet, but I’ve been made aware there is potential dadson.
  • Metal Gear Solid - Zero x Les Enfants Terribles - M
    Probably nothing, but interesting nonetheless.
  • Resident Evil - Albert Wesker x Jake Muller - Y, dS
    They never interact and the fandom is disinterested as a whole. There is potential, but it will most likely never be explored.
  • Animal Crossing - Nat x Flick - Y
  • Animal Crossing - Chip x C.J. - Y
Other Mediums
Novels & Short Stories
  • Frankenstein (1818) - Victor Frankenstein x The Monster - N, dS
    Victor makes a monster, rejects it and the monster attempts to earn his affection. It doesn't get much better than this. Unexpectedly active fandom and an excellent ballet (2016)!
  • A Little Life (2015) - Harold x Jude - Y, Ds
    Jude cycles through different paternal relationships a few times during the course of the book. My favorite being Harold adopting Jude, and their interactions are bittersweet. Not necessarily dadson but a great book for dadson enjoyers.
  • The Road (2006) - Cormac McCarthy - Y, DS
    Not dadson, but about a father and son in an apocalypse relying on eachother. They don't have names so I just put the author's name. I didn't expect how strange the apocalyptic society was going to be in this book for how little space it occupies, human pets and cannibalism... fascinating. It is somber (not oppressively so, like in A Little Life) but it's a short read.
Comics, Manga & Manwha
Music
  • Saturn SOLO - Xiu Xiu - N
    An intense song based off of "Saturn Devouring His Son", it's available on the XiuMuthaFuckinXiu bandcamp.
  • Hello From Eau Claire - Xiu Xiu - N
    This song is speculated to be about someone who is trans, but the lyrics feel very juvenile and needy. The pleas for independence alongside shameful declarations of affection have always made me think of dadson.
  • The Flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe - Patricia Taxxon - Y, DDLG An image of a heart to denote a favorite.
    A bit of an outlier on this list, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It presents many familiar feelings from a neighboring expression of sexuality. Hypothetically, if there were a dadson album I've yet to find or yet to be made, this is the level of quality I am anticipating.
Miscellaneous
Symbols
  • Cardmine
    The flower for paternal error in "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway from 1846.
  • Zipper
    Particularly on jeans, a metal zipper is evocative of a father.
  • Cigarette
    A common vice passed between generations.
  • Button-down Uniform Top
    Dead-end jobs. An inescapable fate.
  • Mythology and Religion
    Daedalus and Icarus, Minos and The Minotaur, Abraham and Isaac- there are plenty of references to draw from (of which would be tedious and pointless) as filial piety was a common theme.
Franchises
  • MCU - Tony Stark x Peter Parker - N, dS or DS
    Why does he get two dads? Tony Stark pisses me off, so I don’t know much about them canonically but fanworks make up for it tenfold. Peter dies in his arms though, so that’s cool.
  • Okegom - Ivlis x Licorice - M, dS
    Unsure simply because I don't know much about this. Has been described as unrequited love several times.
  • SUPERMAN - Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman x Superboy (Any) - M
    I have yet to look into this, but considering Superman's temperment I am doubtful there is dadson.
  • SUPERMAN - Jonathan Kent x Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman - M
    This is almost definitely not dadson, but they are very sweet. Won't make a call until I've looked into it.
  • Dragon Ball - M
    On the backburner right now, but I am aware.
  • Star Wars - Anakin Skywalker x Luke Skywalker - M
  • BATMAN - Bruce Wayne/Batman x Robin (Any) - Y
    A controversial rating, but the push and pull between any robin and any batman has not yet convinced me they are particularly invested in eachother AND toxic. Dick Grayson as Nightwing skews slightly more towards dadson, but as of now I don't think this is a worthwhile dadson pairing. Considering the breadth of this franchise, I'm sure I'll find something eventually, though. There is plenty of fandom content but I am not impressed by the vast majority it.
A button to switch to dark mode. A button to switch to light mode.
CC BY-NC - 2025 - "I don’t have a dad! He is dead. It is a painful memory, of a thing that actually happened, to a man none of us have ever met. So let’s stop talkin’ about it!" (TF2, 2014)