History Main / DeceptiveLegacy

* Heart-wrenchingly subverted in InPlainSight. Jynx tells Mary that all of the stories about how Mary's father loved her most were lies made up to comfort the distraught young Mary. Mary flips the script by showing her mom all of the letters she's gotten from her dad over the years, asking [[ArmorPiercingQuestion "How many did he send you?"]]

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Emma tells Henry that his biological father was a fireman and a real hero, who died heroically. She has nothing to remember him by to pass on to Henry, and whether this turns out to be false remains to be seen.

* ''Comicbook/{{KickAss}}'': Big Daddy tells Hit Girl that her mother was killed by the mob, fuelling their RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Genovese family. It's revealed however, [[spoiler: that her mother is very much alive, and Big Daddy simply snuck off with her when she was an infant, so he could raise her to be LittleMissBadass and live out his fantasy of being a vigilante super hero. After Big Daddy is killed, she goes back to her mother, who had been searching for her for years.]]

* ''Comicbook/{{KickAss}}'': Big Daddy tells Hit Girl that her mother was killed by the mob, fuelling their revenge plot against the Genovese family. It's revealed however, [[spoiler: that her mother is very much alive, and Big Daddy simply snuck off with her when she was an infant, so he could raise her to be LittleMissBadass and live out his fantasy of being a vigilante super hero. After Big Daddy is killed, she goes back to her mother, who had been searching for her for years.]]

Or the missing parent is in some sort of special circumstnace, regardless of feelings on either side.

* In the ''HarryPotter'' books, the Dursleys, Harry's abusive and mundane aunt and uncle, make out his parents like terrible people. Harry only finds out they're revered with love once he meets the Wizarding community.

* In the ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' episode "Man on the Lam", an escaped convict comes across a house in the woods where a little a blind girl lives all alone. He enthusiastically greets and hugs her, commenting on how big and heavy she had gotten. She tells him that her father had died and her mother was off making money for surgery so she could see again. The man tells her that he was an old friend of her father. It is later reviled that she is friends with Sprital. Leading and after the storm he takes Speed hostage and makes him drive to where the loot was stashed. This leads to a mountain chase and shootout with the police and other criminals involved in the robbery ending with the man getting the mortally injured and telling speed to give his eyes to the little girl who was his daughter.

Often a couple will bear a child and then split up under acrimonious circumstances. Although this is the case and the mother and father bear ill will toward each other, the remaining parent (or other parental figure) doesn't want to poison the child's mind against the other parent. Or they really would prefer not to have to admit to the child or anyone else that they were abandoned/left.

Or one person will abandon the relationship leaving the other hurt. But still, a child is an innocent.

Usually this is a DisappearedDad being lionized or demonized, but occasionally it's the MissingMom.

* The eponymous character of ''ForrestGump'' has a DisappearedDad and his mom tells people that "he's on vacation." Though Forrest tells us that she told him that "he's on vacation" means he's never coming back, we don't see her clarify this for other people.

* In ''StarWars: A New Hope'', Obi-Wan tells Luke that Darth Vader killed his father. We know that [[LukeIAmYourFather Vader reveals that to be a lie]] (after a fashion: Obi-Wan considered Anakin dead, and grieved his loss, once he went over to the Dark Side and became Vader).

* In the ''HarryPotter'' books, the Dursleys, Harry's abusive and mundane aunt and uncle, make out his parents like terrible people. Harry only finds out they're revered with love once he meets the Wizarding community.

* ''HowIMetYourMother'', Barney's mother told him that his father was Bob Barker (because he was who happened to be on TV at the time). Barney clings to it because he wants an awesome dad. This was to cover up the identity of his real father, who Barney's mother didn't want in the picture.

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* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Rose's mother Jackie tells her that her dead father Pete was a great inventor and entrepeneur. Then Rose goes back in time & meets Pete, and discovers he's a bit of a prat.

* ''DoctorWho'': Rose's mother Jackie tells her that her dead father Pete was a great inventor and entrepeneur. Then Rose goes back in time & meets Pete, and discovers he's a bit of a prat.

* In the ''SpeedRacer'' episode "Man on the Lam", an escaped convict comes across a house in the woods where a little a blind girl lives all alone. He enthusiastically greets and hugs her, commenting on how big and heavy she had gotten. She tells him that her father had died and her mother was off making money for surgery so she could see again. The man tells her that he was an old friend of her father. It is later reviled that she is friends with Sprital. Leading and after the storm he takes Speed hostage and makes him drive to where the loot was stashed. This leads to a mountain chase and shootout with the police and other criminals involved in the robbery ending with the man getting the mortally injured and telling speed to give his eyes to the little girl who was his daughter.

* In the ''WarriorCats'' graphic novel trilogy ''Tigerstar and Sasha'', Sasha gets pregnant with Tigerstar's kits before she realizes that he's a power-crazy murderer bent on ruling the entire forest. She raises her kits on her own, only telling them stories about how their father Tigerstar was strong and brave and that he'd be proud of them. A while after Tigerstar's death, Sasha takes the kits to [=RiverClan=]. Imagine the kits' shock when they see young [=RiverClan=] cats pretending to be the evil Tigerstar and reenacting his death.

** ''Comicbooks/{{X-Factor}}'': Hangman's ex, the mother of his son, lied and told the boy, Terry, that his dad is a super hero when the opposite is true. Hangman is astonished to hear this, but goes back and tries to do something heroic for the sake of making his son proud.
** ''Comicbooks/{{Daredevil}}'': Played with. The Kingpin killed Echo's father, but honored the man's DyingWish to raise her like his own. So Fisk told Echo Daredevil killed her father. She eventually found out the truth. It was not pretty.

** ''X-Factor'': Hangman's ex, the mother of his son, lied and told the boy, Terry, that his dad is a super hero when the opposite is true. Hangman is astonished to hear this, but goes back and tries to do something heroic for the sake of making his son proud.
** ''Daredevil'': Played with. The Kingpin killed Echo's father, but honored the man's DyingWish to raise her like his own. So Fisk told Echo Daredevil killed her father. She eventually found out the truth. It was not pretty.

* ''[[MarvelComics X-Factor]]'': Hangman's ex, the mother of his son, lied and told the boy, Terry, that his dad is a super hero when the opposite is true. Hangman is astonished to hear this, but goes back and tries to do something heroic for the sake of making his son proud.
* ''Daredevil'': Played with. The Kingpin killed Echo's father, but honored the man's DyingWish to raise her like his own. So Fisk told Echo Daredevil killed her father. She eventually found out the truth. It was not pretty.

* In ''TheMaskOfZorro'', Elena was raised to believe Don Rafael was her father. But Rafael ordered the attack on Don Diego de la Vega which resulted in Esperanza's death. Rafael took Elena as his own because he'd loved Esperanza, but she'd chosen Diego. Elena grew up believing her mother died in childbirth. When Diego returns, he sets the record straight.

* In ''TheMaskOfZorro'', Elena was raised to believe Don Rafael was her father. But Rafael ordered the attack on Don Diego de la Vega which resulted in Esperanza's death. Rafael took Elena as his own chld because he'd loved Esperanza, but she'd chosen Diego. Elena grew up believing her mother died in childbirth. When Diego returns, he sets the record straight.

* In the first book of the PercyJackson series, it's admitted near the beginning that the titular character's mom claimed his father was lost at sea. Of course, the truth eventually comes out.

* In ''VeronicaMars'', one of the cases of the week the titular character receives is to track down a classmate's father. It turns out that his mother told him that his father was dead to hide the fact that his father has had a sex change.

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* In the ''SpeedRacer'' episode "Man on the Lam", an escaped convict comes across a house in the woods where a little blind girl lives all alone. He enthusiastically greats and hugs her commenting on how big and heavy she had gotten. She tells him that her father had died and her mother was off making money for surgery so she could see again. The man tells her that he was an old friend of her father. It is later reviled that she is friends with Sprital leading and after the storm he takes speed hostage and makes him drive to ware the loot was stashed. This leads to a mountain chase and shootout with the police and other criminals involved in the robbery ending with the man getting the mortally injured and telling speed to give his eyes to the little girl who was his daughter.

* In the ''SpeedRacer'' episode "Man on the Lam", an escaped convict comes across a house in the woods ware a little blind girl lives all alone. He enthusiastically greats and hugs her commenting on how big and heavy she had gotten. She tells him that her father had died and her mother was off making money for surgery so she could see again. The man tells her that he was an old friend of her father. It is later reviled that she is friends with Sprital leading and after the storm he takes speed hostage and makes him drive to ware the loot was stashed. This leads to a mountain chase and shootout with the police and other criminals involved in the robbery ending with the man getting the mortally injured and telling speed to give his eyes to the little girl who was his daughter.

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