History Main / CoolUncle

* In queer culture, a "guncle" (gay uncle) is a gay man with no kids who dote on his nieces and nephews with his worldly ways, unorthodox wisdom, and, often enough, disposable income. Stereotypically he embodies this trope to the fullest. Unfortunately there's no equivalent lesbian or gender-neutral term, though lesbians are generally more likely to [[AllLesbiansWantKids have kids of their own]].

* In queer culture, a "guncle" (gay uncle) is a gay man with no kids who uses his disposable income to dote on his nieces and nephews. Stereotypically he embodies this trope to the fullest. Unfortunately there's no equivalent lesbian or gender-neutral term, though lesbians are generally more likely to [[AllLesbiansWantKids have kids of their own]].

* In the original Nutcracker, Drosselmeyer is Clara/Marie's godfather; in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieintheNutcracker'' [[GenderFlip Aunt]] Drosselmeyer is not a magician but a world-traveling adventuress whose stories and presents excite Clara, to the disapproval of her grandfather. She also appears to know about Parthenia.

* Uncle Jesse from ''Series/FullHouse'' is this to his three nieces. He's their late mother's younger brother who agreed to help his brother-in-law Danny raise the kids. Uncle Joey is also this though he's Danny's best friend and only an "uncle" in spirit.

* Uncle Jesse from ''Series/FullHouse'' is this to his three nieces.

* On ''Series/OnceAndAgain'', Judy is like this for both Grace and Zoe.

* In queer culture, a "guncle" (gay uncle) is a gay man with no kids who uses his disposable income to dote upon his nieces and nephews. Stereotypically he embodies this trope to the fullest. Unfortunately there's no equivalent lesbian or gender-neutral term, though lesbians are generally more likely to [[AllLesbiansWantKids have kids of their own]].

Regardless, he will often be secretly envious of the stability and loving home life that his sibling enjoys with their spouse and kids, even as he boasts of his own independence. The uncle may be the BlackSheep of the family. Often he's the kids' godfather as well; if they ever lose their parents, he'll be the one who steps in to become a ParentalSubstitute. This can lead to character development if he has to tone down his lifestyle and become a responsible guardian for the kids' sake. But if only ''his'' sibling dies, his surviving in-law may feel obligated to keep him in the kids' lives, even if their lifestyles clash.

Regardless, he will often be secretly envious of the stability and loving home life that his sibling enjoys with their spouse and kids, even as he boasts of his own independence. The uncle may be the BlackSheep of the family. Often he's the kids' godfather as well; if they ever lose their parents, he'll be the one who steps in to become a ParentalSubstitute. This can lead to character development if he has to tone down his lifestyle and become a responsible guardian for the kids' sake. But if only his sibling dies, his surviving in-law may feel obligated to keep him in the kids' lives, even if they don't see eye-to-eye on things.

Regardless, he will often be secretly envious of the stability and loving home life that his sibling enjoys with their spouse and kids, even as he boasts of his own independence. The uncle may be the BlackSheep of the family. Often he's the kids' godfather as well; if they ever lose their parents, he'll be the one who steps in to become a ParentalSubstitute. This can lead to character development if he has to tone down his lifestyle and become a responsible guardian for the kids' sake.

Regardless, he will often be secretly envious of the stability and loving home life that his brother or sister enjoys, even as he boasts of his own independence. The uncle may be the BlackSheep of the family. If his nieces and nephews ever lose their parent, he's the one who usually steps in to become a ParentalSubstitute. This can lead to character development if he has to tone down his lifestyle and become a responsible guardian for the kids' sake.

* In queer culture, a "guncle" (gay uncle) is a gay man with no kids who uses his disposable income to dote upon his nieces and nephews. Stereotypically he is worldly and cultured, with a devil-may-care attitude. Unfortunately there's no equivalent lesbian or gender-neutral term, though lesbians are generally more likely to [[AllLesbiansWantKids have kids of their own]].

* In queer culture, a "guncle" (gay uncle) is a gay man with no kids who uses his disposable income to dote upon his nieces and nephews. Stereotypically he is worldly and cultured, with a devil-may-care attitude. Unfortunately there's no equivalent lesbian or trans term, though lesbians are generally more likely to [[AllLesbiansWantKids have kids of their own]].

* ''Film/AuntiMame'' is a female example, a free-spirited, eccentric bachelorette who takes in her straitlaced nephew after her brother dies.

Regardless, he will often be secretly envious of the stability and loving home life that his brother or sister enjoys, even as he boasts of his own independence. The uncle may be the BlackSheep of the family. If his nieces and nephews ever lose their parent, he's the one who usually steps in to become a ParentalSubstitute.

Lots of fictional families seem to have that one uncle that all the kids just ''love''. Most often, he's a young bachelor who has no intention of settling down any time soon, though he may have a girlfriend. He may travel a lot and wow the kids with stories of meeting celebrities and traveling the world (and if so, he ''always'' brings back the coolest souvenirs, which he naturally gives away as presents). Or he may be well-off and spoils his sibling's kids whenever they're together.

* ''Film/{{Gifted}}'': Frank encourages his niece Mary's academic interests while still encouraging her to act like a kid, and loves to take her to the beach or out for a ride on boats he's finished fixing. From an adult perspective, it doesn't hurt that he's played by Creator/ChrisEvans.

* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': Antiope encourages Diana's warrior instincts, training her in secret against her sister Queen Hippolyta's wishes because Diana wanted to. [[spoiler:And because she saw that conflict with Ares was inevitable, no matter what Diana's mother might wish.]]

* Genjuuro Kazanari from ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'' is Tsubasa's uncle and leader of the 2nd Division Mobile Disaster Response Corps. He's a BadassNormal who ''punches'' a BFS and ''breaks'' it. Fans call him [[FanNickName Aku]][[StreetFighter ma]]. [[spoiler:Season three revealed he isn't Tsubasa's uncle but her half-brother. Doesn't stop him from being any less cool]].

* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'': Nobuhiro Mashiro, also known under his pen name Taro Kawaguchi, was this to his nephew Moritaka Mashiro. Mashiro admired his uncle's work when he was a little child and the series shows several times that other characters are fans of his work. However, Nobuhiro's death not only hit Mashiro hard, the young Mashiro believed that his uncle committed suicide due to his current lack of success rather than being killed by overworking, which causes Mashiro to lose faith in becoming a mangaka. Years later, after deciding to become a mangaka with his partner Takagi and learning how much work is needed to make manga in practice makes him realize the truth of his uncle's death and he regains his full respect for Taro Kawaguchi.
* In ''Literature/{{Another}}'', Kouichi has a close relationship with his aunt Reiko(his mother's much younger sister), who serves as his guardian while he's in Yomiyama, [[spoiler:as well as his homeroom teacher]]. She looks after him, gives him advice on matters such as whether to pursue a career in art and generally is the person he's closest to in his family. [[spoiler:By the time he realizes that she's the "nonexistent person" and has to be killed in order to end the calamity, he realizes that he's come to think of her as being like his mother]].

* Franchise/SpiderMan's own uncle Ben was a pretty cool guy since he fought in World War II and shaped Peter into the man he is today.
* [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Scrooge McDuck]] may count like this to Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

** Bilius Weasley - uncle to the seven Weasley children - was implied to be this. Described as a "right laugh at weddings", his party trick was to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, run out onto the dance floor, and pull bunches of flowers out from under his robes.

** Tyrion Lannister loves his niece and nephew Myrcella and Tommen and they love him too. (The situation with Tyrion and his other nephew Joffrey is rather different.)

* ''Literature/VillageTales'': Has lots of these. The very first duke of Taunton--one of James II and VII's bastards--was given his first peerage title, upon the Restoration, by his Cool Uncle Charles (UsefulNotes/CharlesII, that is). The current Duke is a very cool Uncle Charles to Rupe and Jamie. The Nawab is a cool uncle to Sher Mirza. And the ancient Hugo, Lord Mallerstang, is a cousin and honorary uncle, and the mad-coolest, to everyone.

* ''Series/FamilyTies'' had Uncle Ned, played by Creator/TomHanks. He was really cool, but he had a drinking problem.
* Uncle Jesse from ''Series/FullHouse'' is this to his three nieces.
** Stephanie inherits the role in the sequel series ''Series/FullerHouse''.
* Creator/JossWhedon said that in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season 7, Faith was a Cool Aunt to the Potentials, whereas Buffy was the mom.
* Peter Petrelli from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', though his interaction with his nephews is limited, his niece Claire definitely looks up to him.

* Hank Schrader to Walter White Jr. in ''Series/BreakingBad''.
* Debra Morgan sometimes plays this role in ''Series/{{Dexter}}''.
* Shawn Spencer on ''Series/{{Psych}}'' had his treasure hunting Uncle Jack.
* On ''Series/GoodEats'', Alton mentions that his parents would go off on romantic getaways and leave him and his (TV) sister Martha in the care of their Uncle Rudy back in TheSeventies. Rudy lived a bohemian lifestyle out of a van and was fond of kabobs, despite lacking cooking skills.
** Alton himself plays the role to Marsha's son Elton, usually by subverting Marsha's authority. Special mention goes to the Halloween episode, where Alton saves Elton from schoolyard embarrassment by replacing Marsha's health-food "candy" with tastier homemade fare and replacing his carrot costume with a chef outfit.[[note]]Though he's initially nonplussed, Elton changes his mind when he realizes that girls love a guy who can cook.[[/note]]
* On ''Series/OnceAndAgain'', Judy is like this for both Grace and Zoe.
* Played with in ''Series/{{Snowfall}}''. In the first season, it looks like Jerome fits this role for Franklin, as he helps Franklin gather the manpower and firepower needed to establish his business. In season 2, Franklin gets disillusioned with Jerome after he proves unable to adjust to the rigors of big business, but his worship then goes to his Aunt Louie, who becomes a surrogate mother figure for him after his own mother disowns him.
* ''Series/NorthernRescue'' has Aunt Charlie. Her character page on the show website describes her as spending more time dealing with her nephew and nieces' problems than her own.
* Series/KirbyBuckets has an uncle named Leon who is always willing to do "solids" for other people. At first, Leon's solids seemed to work out great for Kirby, as he got him new subscribers for his web channel, a gourmet crab lunch, a girlfriend, a basketball session with NBA superstar Zach [=LaVine=], new sneakers and a car. Unfortunately, Leon's gifts eventually backfired, as they were all either cheap knockoffs (the sneakers, the crab lunch, the subscribers -- actually inflated by a bot) or outright stolen (the car). It later turned out that he did all of it on purpose because Kirby's mother specifically told him not to contact him. Needless to say, Kirby was amazed his mother was able to come up with such an elaborate scheme.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' had Uncle Max, who's implied to have a bit of a wild past and is one of the few adults with whom Calvin ever really bonds. He only turns up in one story arc, however; WordOfGod says he found him awkward to write because Calvin has {{Unnamed Parent}}s and he didn't know how Max should address them.

* Uncle Brent, in the third installment of the ''VideoGame/HeroOfTheKingdom'' series, is clearly seen this way by his nephew, the PlayerCharacter, whom he raised.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', the scholar Calcelmo, in Markarth, has his nephew Aicontar working as his assistant. Aicontar is very fond of Calcelmo and looks up to him greatly.
* ''VideoGame/SuperTreadmill'': Uncle Rico has several sports accomplishments under his belt and is supportive of Billy's attempts at getting thinner. It turns out later on that his motives for helping Billy are not entirely selfless, though.

* [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/stoner-uncle-all-the-kids-favorite,1402/ This article]] from Website/TheOnion posits that the kids' favorite uncle is the stoner.
* Cecil Palmer of ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' has a niece named Janice, of whom he is so fond that he bought out her entire Girl Scout cookie supply when her no-good father wouldn't help her sell them.

* Subverted with crazy uncle Duncan in ''ComicStrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship'' [[http://www.pbfcomics.com/250/ here]].
* Rayne in ''Webcomic/LeastICouldDo'' gets along very well with his niece and is always willing to play with her. He tried to call out his sister on not spending more time with her daughter, but she responded that Rayne has it easier since he doesn't have any of the responsibility that comes with being a parent. Rayne actually acknowledges this.

* Stomp's Uncle George in ''Webcomic/{{Stomp}}''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'' has Doyle Blackwell, Zak's uncle from his mother's side. Zak even said in the 4th episode he might be "the coolest guy he's ever met", before knowing they were related and while he was still [[PunchclockVillain an enemy]] nonetheless.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TazMania'', Taz and his siblings have an Uncle Drew, whom they adore. Maybe because he's an Expy of Creator/BobHope.

* Despite his name, Uncle from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is more like Jade's ''grand'' uncle because he is her uncle's uncle. However ''Jackie'' fits the trope quite well. No matter how much Jade gripes, it's shown on multiple occasions how much more freedom Jade has with him than with her traditional parents in China, and how much she idolizes Jackie.

* ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'' has Aunt Nanner, who is a very cool aunt to Peanut, Baby Butter and Jelly. Around the end of the series, she gets married to Redolfo, who is rather cool in his own right. [[PlayingWithATrope Discussed]] in one episode where they worry about how boring they must seem compared to all of her adventures. She assures them that coming home to be with them is precisely what she looks forward to while on those adventures.

* WesternAnimation/LittleBear has his Uncle Rusty, Father Bear's 'little' brother, a [[GentleGiant huge]] and rustic red bear who works as a logger and visits occasionally; Little Bear admires him greatly.
* Grunkle Stan from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is actually the children's great-uncle, but he fits this trope to a T anyway: unmarried, knows lots of cool magic tricks and allows them to climb on the roof. Oh yeah, and he's also a wanted criminal and the shifty owner of a run-down tourist trap. Not the most responsible uncle in the world, [[LovableRogue but still a good guy]]. [[spoiler:Later, we meet his brother Ford, the local MadScientist slash monster hunter, who takes very little time to charm the kids with his [[GadgeteerGenius various cool inventions]], particularly Dipper who idolized him because of his writings long before he knew they were related.]]
* Green Arrow from WesternAnimation/YoungJustice may not be Artemis's biological uncle, but he takes on this role in her life when he becomes her mentor. He also held this role for ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in a different series, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDavincibles'': Leo Davinci is this to Pablo and Zoë, though he combines it with being the {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* The ''{{WesternAnimation/Arthur}}'' special "Arthur's Perfect Christmas" introduces clumsy, but well-meaning Uncle Fred, whom both Arthur and D.W. find hilarious. After Arthur accidentally breaks the Christmas present he got for his mom, Fred saves the day by passing off his own gift to Jane (a tea set he broke last Christmas) [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments as being from Arthur.]]
* In the original Nutcracker, Drosselmeyer is Clara/Marie's godfather; in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieintheNutcracker'' [[GenderFlip Aunt]] Drosselmeyer is not a magician but a world-traveling adventuress whose stories and presents excite Clara, to the disapproval of her grandfather. She also appears to know about Parthenia.
* Uncle Zucchini from ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo''. He's a fun and friendly guy who is an intergalactic garbage-man.

* Uncle Charlie in Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/ShadowOfADoubt''.
* ''Film/UncleBuck'', starring Creator/JohnCandy.
* That's how young Simba saw Scar in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''. Scar took advantage of this and manipulated him into exile.
* In ''Film/TheodoraGoesWild'', Uncle John is the cool one out of the Lynn family save for Theodora.
* Antiope in ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' encourages Diana's warrior instincts, training her in secret against her sister Queen Hippolyta's wishes because Diana wanted to. [[spoiler:And because she saw that conflict with Ares was inevitable, no matter what Diana's mother might wish.]]
* Frank in Film/{{Gifted}}. He encourages Mary's academic interests while still encouraging her to act like a kid, and loves to take her to the beach or out for a ride on boats he's finished fixing. From an adult perspective, it doesn't hurt that he's played by Creator/ChrisEvans.
* Park Nam-joo from ''Film/TheHost'' is a Cool Aunt with a bronze medal in archery. She seems to be her niece Hyun-seo's favourite relative.
* Uncle Red from ''Film/SilverBullet'' is practically idolized by his nephew Marty. He might be a chronic drunk but not hard to see where the admiration comes from when he builds his nephew a high end motorized wheelchair, gives him fireworks to set off, and has the gumption to fight a werewolf hand to hand in the climax.

* Literature/AuntieMame is this, in spades.
* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', Ren is this for little Eldie Porter, who calls her "Auntie Ren". Ren is a princess, which [[PrincessPhase makes her even cooler.]]
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Aunt Stala is the bastard half-sister of the protagonist's mother, and she's very, very cool. In a patriarchal world, she disguised herself as man and learned sword-fighting. She's so good at it that she's the official head of the guard of castle Hurog.
* Uncle Press in ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'' will show up at Bobby's doorstep and take him on some cool outing, like a helicopter ride, or tell him about his adventures in some exotic locale.
* Walker Boh of the ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series served this role to Par and Coll Ohmsford, albeit in a more cranky manner than most.
* Joe in ''Literature/TheBookOfJoe'' is a cool uncle -- and his brother calls him out on it for being a little too cool/a bad influence.
* In ''Literature/TheTrolls'', Aunt Sally is the female version -- a cool aunt -- for the kids.
** Great-Uncle Louis thinks he's a cool uncle, but only Robbie really thinks he is.
* Nancy and Peggy's Uncle Jim, also known as "Captain Flint", in the ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons'' series. He lives on a houseboat, owns a PirateParrot, and has traveled all over. A great part of the first book revolves around his nieces starting a private war with him, since he's taken up writing and become distant, therefore, in their minds, ceasing to be cool.
* Literature/{{Discworld}}: City ruler Lord Havelock Vetinari is the epitome of cool and cunning. But from the novel ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' onward, the character of his only living relative, the aunt alluded to in ''Literature/GuardsGuards'', is opened up a little: it is hinted that Vetinari learned a lot of his skills from Auntie Bobbie (Lady Roberta de Meserole), who is a political manipulator, a Seamstress where she needs to be, possibly one of only a handful of female Assassins, and a lady of guile, insight, cunning, and wisdom. She has certainly raised Havelock in ''loco parentis'' after the undetailed death of his parents. A second wise woman in Havelock Vetinari's life, an aunt-like character, has been the vampire Lady Margolotta (although some interpretations hint at a sexual relationship).
* In Noel Streatfield's ''Theatre Shoes'', Mose and Lindsey Cohen are both very kind and helpful to their nieces and nephew, Sorrel, Mark, and Holly Forbes. Mose Cohen is a famous comedian, adding to his coolness.
* In Marcia Martin's ''Donna Parker: Special Agent'', Uncle Roger fills this role. He's the black sheep of the family, and no one in Donna's family had seen him in many years. Donna suspected that he might be an impostor. [[spoiler:She was wrong.]]

* [[spoiler:Subverted with]] Charlie's Aunt Helen in ''Literature/ThePerksOfBeingAWallflower''.
* Jaxon Halsing in ''Literature/SummersAtCastleAuburn''. He travels widely, lives an exciting life, showers his nieces with gifts, and is pretty determined to live and die single, but there are hints he isn't as happy as he appears.

* Sunny's aunt Chinwe is a female version in ''Literature/AkataWitch''. Her sisters, one of them being Sunny's mother, both became doctors. Chinwe was also supposed to become a doctor because that was their father's ambition for them, but instead, she became a professional dancer and married an American. Sunny looks up to her aunt because she is the only other person in the family who doesn't quite fit.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' had Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, neither of whom were actually related but who nevertheless filled the role.
* ''Literature/DoctorSleep'': Dan to [[spoiler:Abra, whose mother Lucy was the product of an extramarital fling by their mutual father, Jack Torrance]].
* Lots of these in the ''Literature/VillageTales'' novels. The very first duke of Taunton--one of James II and VII's bastards--was given his first peerage title, upon the Restoration, by his Cool Uncle Charles (UsefulNotes/CharlesII, that is). The current Duke is a very cool Uncle Charles to Rupe and Jamie. The Nawab is a cool uncle to Sher Mirza. And the ancient Hugo, Lord Mallerstang, is a cousin and honorary uncle, and the mad-coolest, to everyone.
* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'', Greg mentions his uncle Charlie several times, claiming that he's his "secret weapon" at Christmas, as he'll get Greg whatever he asks for. Downplayed, though, because he has a tendency to misinterpret Greg's requests; one Christmas, for example, when Greg wanted a Barbie house (because he thought it would make a cool fort for his toy soldiers), he got Greg a Barbie ''doll'' instead.
* Uncle Alec is this for Rose and the boys in ''Literature/EightCousins'' and its sequel. He's particularly this to Rose, as he is her legal guardian following the death of her father, and also to his nephew Mac, whom the sequel reveals is his godson. Alec's sister-in-law Jessie, meanwhile, is the universally beloved Cool Aunt of the family.
* In ''Literature/{{Borgel}}'', Borgel claims to be Melvin's uncle, though their exact relationship is unclear. While most of Melvin's family are stuffy and lame, Melvin finds Borgel far more fun to hang out with, and Borgel has lots of fun interests and obscure knowledge.
* In ''Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina'' Greedo's uncle Nok teaches hunting to his nephews and pilots the starship when they narrowly escape from the hired killers who find their refuge.

* [[VideoGame/{{Yakuza}} Goro Majima]] acts as this to [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku Midoriya]] in the fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13629709/1/Izuku-Midoriya-Mad-Dog-of-Shizuoka Izuku Midoriya, Mad Dog of Shizuoka]], cheering him up and teaching him how to fight despite not having a Quirk (yet). Perhaps out of respect, Izuku begins to adopt some of Majima's character tics (being TheGadfly to Bakugou, faking a KasaiRegionalAccent, [[BatterUp use of a baseball bat]]) as he finishes up middle school and prepares to try and get into U.A.

* Uncle Iroh was this to Zuko during his childhood in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. As a teenager, Zuko initially sees his uncle as more of a buffoon, but eventually comes around to accepting Iroh's guidance, which encourages Zuko to reject his father's philosophies and [[{{Wangst}} lighten up a bit]]. Iroh is implied to have continued this trend with Zuko's daughter, considering that she named her own son after Iroh.
* In the SequelSeries, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Bumi is this for Meelo, Ikki and Jinora, much to [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling Tenzin's annoyance]]. Tenzin's sister, Kya, is also a Cool Aunt to Jinora. [[spoiler:Iroh continues to be a mentor from the Spirit Realm, although he and Zuko don't meet.]]

* In the Comicbook/FantasticFour:

* Stomp's Uncle George in ''{{Webcomic/Stomp}}''.