History Main / LineageComesFromTheFather

* GenderInverted for both ComicBook/SubMariner and ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}. Both heroes are kings who trace their royal lineage from their mothers.
* ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'':
** Young Avengers' member, Hulkling is a complicated case. He's the biological son of the deceased Kree superhero ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} and the (also deceased) Skrull Princess Anelle. Both sides of the Kree-Skrull war claim that the parent of their race is more important in determining Hulkling's role in life. Kl'rt the Super Skrull goes to desperate lengths to convince Hulkling to make a play at reuniting the Skrull Empire. A Kree officer also tries to conscript Hulkling into the Kree army by saying that because his father was Kree, he is Kree. Hulkling eventually rejects both roles since he understandably doesn't want to have any part in the insane genocidal conflict and already has a life on Earth. Power-wise, his parents are equally important: the combination of SuperStrength from his father and ShapeShifting from his mother is what helps him look like a Hulk LegacyHero even though he's not really a Gamma mutate.
** Inverted by Billy Kaplan, as his powers explicitly come from and mirror the ComicBook/ScarletWitch.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** GenderInverted in the case of Ororo Munroe[=/=]ComicBook/{{Storm}}. Her powers over magic and the weather are specifically said to be passed from mother to daughter every few generations, to the point where only women can rule her mother's native tribe and she is in fact its rightful heiress, causing some resentment by her uncle, who felt left out.
** Doble subverted in the case of Rachel Summers. Rachel inherited her mother's powers, but she is eventually more powerful than Jean Grey thanks to her father Cyclops' genes. The same goes for her brothers, [[ComicBook/XMan Nate Grey]] and {{ComicBook/Cable}} - while they look more like their father and inherit his [[TheChessmaster chessmaster tendencies]], their powers and most fundamental personalities come from their mother.
** {{Invoked|Trope}} by the Facility with another X-Men character, Laura Kinney, a.k.a. ComicBook/{{X 23}}. She's an OppositeSexClone of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} deliberately created to continue the Weapon X experiments, and therefore shares his mutation. [[TheUglyGuysHotDaughter She got her looks from her mother.]]
* GenderInverted for Steve Rogers, the original ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, who gets nearly all of his notable personality traits from his mother, Sarah, including his compassion, morality, {{Determinator}} status, and even his ability to give inspirational speeches. His father, Joseph on the other hand, was an abusive person that Steve actively tries not to be like, though (also like his mother) [[EasilyForgiven he still loves yet pities him, rather than hating him.]]
* In ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'', Kenton's stubbornness and Sand Master abilities both come from his father, though with Kenton having a MissingMom, it's uncertain how much he got from his mother apart from dark skin.
* GenderInverted with a vengence with ComicBook/RichardDragon, who [[ShedTheFamilyName ditched his father's name as soon as he was able]] and got his orange hair, greenish eyes and willingness to stand between potential victims and a raised fist from his mother.

* Franchise/WonderWoman was originally created as an intentional subversion of this idea, with her father being either entirely irrelevant and unnamed or with her not even having a father depending on the version of the tale up until ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2011'' which made everything about her that is special or noteworthy due to her father being Zeus.
* GenderInverted with DC hero Nightshade of ''ComicBook/CaptainAtom'' whose [[CastingAShadow powers]] from her mother, the Queen of the Land of Nightshades.
* In ''ComicBook/TheKryptonChronicles'', Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} trace their ancestry through their fathers' line (Jor-El and Zor-El, respectively) back to Erok-El, ruler of the continent of Urrika and founder of the first Kryptonian civilization.
* ''ComicBook/NewTeenTitans'': Gender-inverted example. In the issues leading to the crossover ''ComicBook/TotalChaos'' and in the crossover itself, future despot Lord Chaos, who is a future version of Donna Troy's unborn baby, Robert Long, inherits his mother's godlike powers, who were given by the Titans of myth.
* ''ComicBook/Titans1999'': Gender-inverted example. A good-aligned version of Robert Long, Donna Troy's son, comes to the present from an alternate reality in the arc "Who is Donna Troy". He also inherits his mother's powers and Darkstar moniker.

* ''Titans'': Gender-inverted example. In the issues leading to the crossover ''ComicBook/TotalChaos'' and in the crossover itself, future despot Lord Chaos, who is a future version of Donna Troy's unborn baby, Robert Long, inherits his mother's godlike powers, who were given by the Titans of myth. A good-aligned version of Robert, from an alternate reality, also inherits his mother's powers and Darkstar moniker.

* ''Titans'': Gender-inverted example. In the issues leading to the crossover ''ComicBook/TotalChaos'' and in the crossover itself, future despot Lord Chaos, who is a future version of Donna Troy's unborn baby, inherits his mother's godlike powers, who were given by the Titans of myth.

* Hulkling of the ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' is a complicated case. He's the biological son of the deceased Kree superhero ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} and the (also deceased) Skrull Princess Anelle. Both sides of the Kree-Skrull war claim that the parent of their race is more important in determining Hulkling's role in life. Kl'rt the Super Skrull goes to desperate lengths to convince Hulkling to make a play at reuniting the Skrull Empire. A Kree officer also tries to conscript Hulkling into the Kree army by saying that because his father was Kree, he is Kree. Hulkling eventually rejects both roles since he understandably doesn't want to have any part in the insane genocidal conflict and already has a life on Earth. Power-wise, his parents are equally important: the combination of SuperStrength from his father and ShapeShifting from his mother is what helps him look like a Hulk LegacyHero even though he's not really a Gamma mutate.

* {{Inverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''--[[KidHero Steven]] has a {{Muggle}} father while his mother, [[PosthumousCharacter Rose Quartz]], was an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot alien crystal]] MagicalGirlWarrior; having inherited her powers, he's currently living and training with her old teammates. Rose's back story fuels a good chunk of the plot, and it's repeatedly noted that Steven inherited [[AllLovingHero many]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings personality]] [[BigGood traits]] from her as well. As time has gone by, and the viewers have seen more of Rose Quartz, it's become apparent that Steven takes personality traits from both of them. More than that, his nature as a ChildOfTwoWorlds has become more and more important, with his human upbringing acting as a counter to gem society, making both of his parents equally important.
* Inverted with ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong''. Jake and his younger sister Haley's dragon abilities come from their mother's side of the family tree, while their father is a normal human that has [[LockedOutOfTheLoop no knowledge of this or the magical world in general]].
* ''WesternAnimation/NextAvengersHeroesOfTomorrow'' deals with five kids who are the children of the now-deceased Avengers. For three of them, the mother's identity is not even stated[[note]]Though WordOfGod says that Francis' mom is Mockingbird, while fans assume that Azani's mom is Storm, due to his [[ShockAndAwe electrical powers]]. Her exclusion can possibly be blamed on [[ExiledFromContinuity legal issues]].[[/note]]; we know that James' mom was Black Widow, but a lot more focus is put on his father, Captain America. The only {{Aversion}} is Pym: he became a LegacyCharacter for his mom, the Wasp, though we do know that his dad was Giant-Man ([[spoiler:and he has both parents' powers]]).
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'', the Butterfly Family is matrilineal and matriarchal, with the throne of Mewni passing from mother to daughter. While Star's father is also royalty (and she inherits much of her personality from his side, rather than the Butterfly side), her Butterfly lineage is far more important both to the show and to her identity.

* GenderInverted in ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', where almost all the planetary kingdoms across the universe are implied to be matriarchal (all of them are shown being ruled by princesses and queens with the exception of Earth) and the power of the Moon Kingdom is explicitly passed down mother to daughter. Princess Serenity inherited her royal title from her mother (her father is never referred to in any way, not even indirectly, and [[TrulySingleParent may in fact be completely nonexistent]]) and also received her powers as Sailor Moon after her mother reincarnated her. The same holds true for Chibiusa -- her mother, Neo-Queen Serenity, is clearly the one in charge of Crystal Tokyo and is who Chibiusa inherits her title of princess and eventual senshi powers from.

* With Saya and Diva from the anime ''Anime/BloodPlus'' it is inverted. They are true Chiropterans and thus queens of their kind, and their mother was also a Chiropteran.
** And later [[spoiler:the two daughters born when Diva rapes Saya's brother Riku are also true Chiropterans like Diva]].
* A lot in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. For one, the series' signature [[WeirdnessMagnet Stands]] are passed down from parents to offspring. Which results in Part 4 having an invisible baby.
** The Ripple also gets passed down from generation to generation, as evidenced by Joseph, from part 2, being able to use the ripple (to a small extant) without having trained in it before.
** Main Characters Josuke Higashikata, Giorno Giovanna and Jolyne Cujoh are all offspring of Joseph, [[spoiler:both DIO and Jonathan]], and Jotaro respectively, and have the same {{Kiai}} as their fathers.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Despite being both an Earthbender and of mixed nationality in a country that was until recently Fire-supremacist, Kori is legally a Fire Nation citizen because her father is one.

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/TheTwilightMan'', where it's revealed that [[Manga/PhantomBlood Jonathan Joestar]] inherited both his immense height and his star-shaped birthmark from his late mother, Mary Joestar. [[spoiler:Become zigzagged when it turns out Mary got those traits from her Nightman (The name for the [[Manga/BattleTendency Pillar Men's]] race) father]].

* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' there is a teenager named Dylan Lokensgard, who this trope inverted. He is a hybrid, because his father was a human, and his mother was an "insect-human mutant". He has the same powers as her, and uses them to take revenge on his classmates, and a girl to win over, in which he is in love.

[[folder:Multiple Media]]
* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
** ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': GenderInverted. The [[Film/{{Mothra}} Shobijin]] are adapted as the Chen family, and they're humans from China whose ancestors worshipped Mothra in ancient times. Monarch scientist Dr. Ilene Chen shows Mark a family photo which contains her, her twin sister, their twin mother and aunt, another set of older twins, and Ilene's twin girls, but there are no male relatives at all.
** ''WesternAnimation/SkullIsland2023'': PlayedStraight with Dog. His father is briefly seen as a corpse, and his fight with Annie's father ending in a MutualKill is what led to Annie and Dog [[AGirlAndHerX banding together and becoming close]], whereas nothing is known about Dog's mother (if he even has one, considering that most if not all Titans are an ultraterrestrial form of life originating from the HollowEarth).
[[/folder]]

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' the major houses of Calabria are all patrilineal and patriarchal, but the Phelan tribes are matrilineal and egalitarian. It's noteworthy that House Bisclavret was once a tribe whose chief thought that the Calabrese way was better.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

** By the time of ''Legend of Korra'', Zuko's own daughter, Firelord Izumi (who's probably an only child), has inherited the throne from him. Her son, the crown prince Iroh II , shows up a handful of times throughout LOK so he will inevitably subvert this trope. Izumi was confirmed to have a daughter as well via supplemental material but she's never once seen or mentioned in the series itself. It's not explicitly clear but Izumi's daughter is probably just younger than her son and wasn't passed over for being next in line for being a girl.

** See Comic Books folder for another example.

* {{Inverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''--[[KidHero Steven]] has a {{Muggle}} father while his mother, [[PosthumousCharacter Rose Quartz]], was an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot alien crystal]] MagicalGirlWarrior; having inherited her powers, he's currently living and training with her old teammates. Rose's back story fuels a good chunk of the plot, and it's repeatedly noted that Steven inherited [[AllLovingHero many]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings personality]] [[BigGood traits]] from her as well.
** As time has gone by, and the viewers have seen more of Rose Quartz, it's become apparent that Steven takes personality traits from both of them. More than that, his nature as a ChildOfTwoWorlds has become more and more important, with his human upbringing acting as a counter to gem society, making both of his parents equally important.

* Inverted twice over in ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'', where Maki's claim to being a legitimate member of the Shinomiya bloodline (and thus Kaguya's cousin) is shown in a family try to be traced back through her maternal grandmother.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': First played straight, then subverted with Frank Zhang: while his father is a god, his mom had powers of her own (and could count several heroes and demigods among her ancestors), and Frank has definitely inherited some things from her side of the family. Such as [[spoiler:the power to transform into animals]].

* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'': Subverted with Kunimitsu II as she gets most of her techniques and traits from her mother whereas what she gained from her father is barely touched upon despite him also being a fellow ninja.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': While it is repeatedly implied Tim more resembles his mother in intelligence and priorities his mom's maiden name and family are never revealed while his father's multi-generational military lineage leads to the Veteran trying to recruit him.

* GenderInverted with DC hero ComicBook/{{Nightshade}} whose [[CastingAShadow powers]] from her mother, the Queen of the Land of Nightshades.

* ''Anime/IsabelleOfParis'': Isabelle hails from the wealthy Laustin family, through her father, Léon. He wants his daughters to marry rich and wealthy nobles to preserve the family name.

** [[spoiler: Kenichi, Daijirou and Hiyoshi are HalfHumanHybrids, born to the Boazanian Prince Gohl and the Japanese scientist Mitsuyo Go. Unfortunately, Mitsuyo died too]].

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': The newborn Manda's father was the [[spoiler:protector of Mu]] and an old friend to Godzilla, but nothing is known about Manda's mother except that she and his father had intended to start a nest.

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': GenderInverted. The [[Film/{{Mothra}} Shobijin]] are adapted as the Chen family, and they're humans from China whose ancestors worshipped Mothra in ancient times. Monarch scientist Dr. Ilene Chen shows Mark a family photo which contains her, her twin sister, their twin mother and aunt, another set of older twins, and Ilene's twin girls, but there are no male relatives at all.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': It's revealed that [[Characters/AmphibiaKingAndrias King Andrias]] is the son and successor of Amphibia's previous ruler King Aldrich, who groomed Andrias to be the person he is today [[spoiler:and who is still watching over Andrias from within [[MindHive the Core]] following his natural passing]]. Almost nothing is known about Andrias' mother, who is never mentioned.

* Some countries apply this trope in their citizenship laws, meaning a child's citizenship is determined by the father, so a child born to a local mother and a foreign father will have to apply for citizenship in the mother's country, especially if the child isn't born there. One example is Malaysia, where lawmakers are trying to amend the constitution to allow Malaysian mothers to pass on their citizenship to their foreign born children.

* ''Fanfic/MomentaryWeakness'': Played with. Rex has three children with three different women (and [[HasTwoMommies they're all biologically the children of all four of them]]); Rex is the legendary Master Driver and Paragon of the world, and two of his wives are the legendary Aegises, the Master Blades who control all others. But most of the plot revolves around what the children have inherited from the third wife, who is "merely" a powerful Blade who ended up queen because of a legal loophole that meant she was the only one who already had a noble title. The entire family uses the queen's surname, Rex and the other wives are prince and princesses rather than king and queens, and the kids explicitly inherited their authority from her. They did receive plenty of advantages from their other parents, it's just that all their legal advantages flow from the queen.

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/TheTwilightMan'', where it's revealed that [[Manga/PhantomBlood Jonathan Joestar]] inherited both his immense height and his star-shaped birthmark from his late mother, Mary Joestar. [[spoiler:Become zigzagged when it turns out Mary also passed down traits from her Nightman (The name for the [[Manga/BattleTendency Pillar Men's]] race) father]].

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': In ''Midnight Sun'', it appears to be that Bella inherited her "private mind" from her father, as Edward has some difficulty reading Chief Swan's mind.

* ''Film/FastColor'': Gender-inverted. Ruth's family's superpowers are passed from mother to daughter.
* Sadako Yamamura from ''Literature/TheRing'' averts this at first, as her powers are stated to be a genetic inheritance from her psychic mother, Shizuko. In ''Ring 0: Birthday'', however, Sadako's adoptive father confirms that Sadako also inherited "something" from her biological father, who may have been some kind of [[LordOfTheOcean a sea god]]. The implication is that her harmless ESP powers came from Shizuko, but her eldritch killing-people-in-seven-days curse came from her father.

* Zigzagged in Creator/MikhailAkhmanov's ''Literature/ArrivalsFromTheDark'' with the so-called "Corcoran line". Paul Richard Corcoran is born at the end of the first book as a HalfHumanHybrid (his human mother was implanted with the seed of a [[HumanAlien Faata]] male in order to test compatibility). He is named after his mother's dead boyfriend Richard Corcoran (officially, he is Richard's son) and his godfather Pavel Litvin. The sequel reveals that Paul never had any sons, immediately subverting this trope. His two daughters ended up continuing his line as well as passing the Faata genes to his descendants. A later novel ''appears'' to follow this trope with the protagonist of a novel (Marc Valdez) being the son of Sergey Valdez, the protagonist of the previous novel. However, while the next novel once against follows Marc, the one after that follows a descendant of his sister instead (Marc only has one child, a daughter), while his sister has three of her own (from two different men) plus three adopted. The ''Trevelyan's Mission'' spin-off series follows a character who is eventually revealed to be also descended from Marc's sister (about 500 years removed). By that point, a significant percentage of humans are Corcoran's descendants, but the Faata genes have become so diluted that hardly anyone exhibits their PsychicPowers or longevity.
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'' ExpandedUniverse ''Psi Corps'' trilogy, it is revealed that [[PsychicPowers telepaths]] (especially females) track their lineage through their mothers and keep their mother's last name. This is due to the discovery that telepathy is passed on only through mitochondrial [=DNA=]. The notable lineage in the books is the Alexander line, of which only women are shown. This, however, begs the question of why it is important for the father to be a strong telepath if his genes for the ability aren't passed on to the offspring.

** There is one notable aversion, however. The only reason Robert Baratheon is king at the start of the series, and his brothers Stannis and Renly are candidates for the Iron Throne, is because their paternal grand''mother'' was a Targaryen princess (Rhaelle). The maesters justified Robert's Rebellion on this basis alone, since Aerys II wasn't technically deposed but "replaced" by another Targaryen descendant. The fact that Robert's "legitimate children", Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen, were actually conceived by his wife Cersei out of wedlock means that they should automatically lose their birthright, because they are not part-Targaryen. This is also the reason why Robb Stark chooses to TakeAThirdOption and declare himself King in the North as an independent territory, since as a vassal of the crown he wouldn't be allowed to contest the Iron Throne and would have to support either Joffrey (who had Robb's father unjustly executed), Stannis (the elder of Robert's two younger brothers; the next legitimate heir but with the smallest army) or Renly (Robert's youngest brother; with a much larger force than Stannis's but no right to the throne other than just plain wanting it).