History DisappearedDad / Film

* ''Film/HauntedMansion2023'': Gabby's husband/Travis's father died before the events of the story hence the duo moving into the titular location. [[spoiler:Travis struggling with his grief makes him vulnerable to the manipulation of the Hatbox Ghost.]]

* {{Justified}} in ''Film/HeroesForSale''. Tom can't be with his son because he was in jail and is being persecuted by anti-communist forces.

** Zaynab's father is dead when the story starts, leaving her to care for her mother. Parveen, who's TheShutIn.

* ''Film/AcrossTheUniverse2007'': Jude's father was absent all of his life until he meets him when he's grown up. He had a relationship with Jude's mother during the war, but had to ship out as a soldier, while unaware she's gotten pregnant. Before meeting Jude, he didn't know he'd even existed.

* In ''Film/TheyLiveByNight'', Bowie tells Keechie how his murdered during an argument in a pool hall when he was boy.

* Charlie has one in ''Film/TheMightyDucks''.

** In ''WesternAnimation/BarbiePrincessCharmSchool'', Mr. Willows' absence is unexplained. [[spoiler: Blair's biological father is dead, having perished in the same car accident that killed her biological mother, making Blair LostOrphanedRoyalty]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', Eggs' biological father is missing, presumed dead, after [[spoiler: Snatcher and his men tried to take Eggs hostage. He turns out to be alive and well, still held hostage by Snatcher.]]

** ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'': The eponymous character discovers that his father Cassim, who left his now dead mother to search for his fortune, is now... [[spoiler: well, the title pretty much gives it away, doesn't it?]]

*** [[spoiler: His girlfriend Kida]] actually loses [[Creator/LeonardNimoy her father, the King of Atlantis,]] to internal bleeding as a result of him being punched by the villain (her [[MissingMom mother, the former Queen]] was sacrificed at the very beginning of the film). And do you know [[spoiler:[[TheHighQueen what happens to a princess]] if she loses both parents?]]

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': [[spoiler: Russell's dad ''is'' alive, but more interested in his new wife/mistress Phyllis.]]

* ''Film/ThreeGenerations'': Ray has an absent father named "Craig". He left a decade ago, and has not paid child support for a long time. This becomes an issue because they legally need his consent to start Ray on testosterone in his medical transition. He sets out to meet his father, not only for this but to reconnect and then make him understand. [[spoiler: It turns out he isn't really Ray's birth father. His brother is, due to Maggie cheating with him. Realizing that, he cut off nearly all contact with them for a decade.]] It's also mentioned that Dolly and Maggie both lacked a relationship with their fathers.

* ''Film/TheBoondockSaints'' had a father who [[spoiler: was in prison for the last twenty-five to thirty years because he was a deadly mafia assassin known as Il Duce. He gets sprung from prison by Yakavetta to take on the job of killing Rocco, who Yakavetta believes is behind the killings that the two protagonists are doing, and he ends up fighting both of his sons and Rocco in an explosive shootout. It is only when Yakavetta guns down Rocco himself and Il Duce walks in on the brothers delivering the family prayer to him that he realizes exactly who the two men are and finishes the prayer himself, thus revealing to them that he is their father. He then joins in their campaign]].

* ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'': Monica Rambeau's father is never mentioned or pictured. Although Maria Rambeau and Carol Danvers are only explicitly shown as {{HeterosexualLifePartners}}, since they were in the Air Force together prior to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and the film establishes [[spoiler:Maria is Carol's next of kin, as she was given Carol's personal effects after her alleged death]], this could also be interpreted as an instance of {{hide your lesbians}}, with Monica possibly conceived by sperm donation.

* In ''Film/DonJuanDemarco'', both the 'real' and 'imaginary' accounts of the title character's life agree that [[spoiler: his father was killed well before he was old enough to cope with such a loss.]] His doctor [[spoiler: gradually takes over that role in his life.]]

* ''Film/TheLongKissGoodnight'': Samantha Caine doesn't at first know who her daughter Caitlin's father is given her amnesia. [[spoiler: Later she remembers that it's sociopathic terrorist Timothy. She had been with him as a means of getting close, as he was her target for assassination. Unsurprisingly, learning of his paternity doesn't improve him one bit: he leaves Caitlin to die without a qualm.]]

* Sophie wanting to determine which of three men is her father drives the plot of the film and musical ''Film/MammaMia''. [[spoiler: She never does learn which is the one, but in the end she's happy to have all three as her "dads" and vice-versa, and one of them, Sam, becomes her stepfather.]]
* ''Film/MammaMiaHereWeGoAgain'': It turns out that Donna also had one. It is heavily implied this was [[spoiler: Fernando]].

* ''Okuribito'' (Departures): Daigo's father left so long ago he can't remember what he looks like. [[spoiler: At the end of the film Daigo claims his father's body and lovingly prepares him for his coffin. Daigo finds [[ChekhovsGun something]] that shows that his father still loved him despite leaving and finally remembers his face.]]

* ''Film/SheHateMe'': {{Discussed}} as Jack is hired to impregnate women and they have him sign donor agreements waiving parental rights. He stays involved with two of his kids lives at least though, and possibly all of them-he's shown with their mothers in a group scene right near the end.

* ''Film/SonOfTheMask'': Tim is a Disappeared Dad in the fatherly duty sense of the trope. He's present and GoingThroughTheMotions of being a father to his newborn baby, but he wasn't prepared for the kid, and finds the kid an obstacle to his career path. Since the kid's magical, he torments his father for his inattention, and finds another father figure [[spoiler: in Loki, creator of The Mask]], forcing Tim to fight for his child's affection, and learning AnAesop about being an attentive and responsible father. Just in time for [[spoiler:baby number two to be on the way!]]...

* ''Film/TheSpiderwickChronicles'': The children's father is audible over a phone conversation and seen on a photo. His absence is explained to Jared by his exasperated older sister. But the one time he does show up [[spoiler: it's the ogre Mulgarath in disguise as him]].

* Kirk's son, David Marcus was like this until the events of ''Film/{{Star Trek II|The Wrath of Khan}}'' came about. David despises his dad for abandoning the family (Kirk, for his part, was only doing what Carol wanted, saying "I did what you asked. I stayed away."), but Kirk patches things up with him in the end. Then [[spoiler: David gets killed in the next film.]] Oh well.

* ''Film/TombRaider2018'': Lara Croft lost her father, Richard, when she was just a girl, and he's presumed dead. [[spoiler: Later he turns out to be alive though.]]

* From the Franchise/{{Barbie}} [[WesternAnimation/{{Barbie}} films]]:

* In ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', Joe Brody becomes one in the emotionally absent but physically present sense after the Janjira disaster. He then becomes one in the literal sense right after he and his son Ford have finally reconciled upon the latter realizing Joe wasn't an obsessed nut.

* ''Film/{{Shelter|JonahMarkowitz}}'': Cody's biological father is mentioned, but never seen. It is implied that he simply left Jeanne when she had Cody.

* ''Film/JackAndDiane'': Only Jack and Diane's mothers appear or are mentioned. This doesn't mean either one's dad is gone, but it's rather conspicuous.

* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'': Charlie's father died of a heart attack years ago. She still hasn't been able to move on, and is frustrated with how quick her mother and brother latch on to her stepfather (who is actually a pretty good guy, if rather insensitive to Charlie's feelings).

** ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'': Mr. Hawkins runs out on Jim and his mother. This trope has a pretty heavy effect on [[TheWoobie Jim's]] character, as this is a reason why he's a delinquent. In fact, the the only pre-credits song in the movie is about ParentalAbandonment.

* ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': Elliott mentions that his, Michael, and Gertie's unseen dad is in Mexico with his new girlfriend Sally.

* ''{{Film/Shelter}}'': Cody's biological father is mentioned, but never seen. It is implied that he simply left Jeanne when she had Cody.

* ''Film/{{Wendy}}'': There's no clear sign of the Darling kids' dad. Later, this also goes for grown up Wendy with her own daughter.

* ''{{Film/Mythica}}'': Dagen has no idea who his father was, as a {{sex slave}}'s child. Marek's is never revealed, since her mother died giving birth to her with no one else knowing.

* ''Film/WeAreTheNight'': Lena lives with her mother, with no appearance or mention of her father.

* ''Film/GhostLab2021'': After Dr. Wee finally accepts that ghosts exist, Dr. Gla tells him that his own father died when he was in the 2nd grade. A night or two after the wake, Gla went down to the kitchen to get a drink, and saw his father staring down at him. This was what motivated Gla to start researching the paranormal.