| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1295220837088638100 |
| 2 | %% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Splice}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/motherly_scientist.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:Not "[[ItIsDehumanizing it]]". Her.]] |
| 6 | %% |
| 7 | ->'''Dr. Sarah Kinney:''' There's no reason to subject ComicBook/{{X 23}} to the bonding process until she's X-gene active and fully matured! ''[...]''\ |
| 8 | '''Zander Rice:''' ''"No reason"?'' Are you sure you just don't want to see your little pet go under the knife?\ |
| 9 | '''Sarah:''' Don't be stupid.\ |
| 10 | '''Zander:''' Well, you've certainly spent a lot of time in her cell lately.\ |
| 11 | '''Sarah:''' Martin, the limited time I'm given with X-23 is necessary for development. Your own psychologists have told you that.\ |
| 12 | '''Zander:''' Aw. An overprotective mother. |
| 13 | -->-- ''ComicBook/X23InnocenceLost'' |
| 14 | |
| 15 | She's the [[ParentalSubstitute mother you always wanted]]. She gives you a candy when you [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement take your medication]], warns your brothers about [[BerserkButton messing around]] [[BullyingADragon with you]], gives you a shoulder to cry on when you [[TroubledFetalPosition feel lonely]], and occasionally gives maintenance to your [[{{Cyborg}} prosthetic leg]]. Of course, she's the first to give you a hug after you go through the [[GovernmentConspiracy tax-paid]] [[PsychoSerum psychiatric]] [[ElectricTorture treatment]] because you're told you're a "special kid with great [[JustThinkOfThePotential potential]]". |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Meet the Motherly Scientist: Frequently feeling compassion for the test subjects (sometimes not always embracing that compassion until it's too late), the motherly scientist is usually [[NaiveNewcomer the first to ask]] that the test subjects be given humane treatment. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Note that regardless of the gendered implications of motherly, the Fatherly Scientist is also not uncommon, as the focus is largely on the scientist's conscious decision, with or without struggle, to reject treating the creature, creation, or just plain human being as a mere test subject for experimentation, choosing instead to forge and nurture a familial bond with them once it is acknowledged that the subject is capable of experiencing a range of emotions like any other. It's generally ''more'' common for the Motherly Scientist to be female, however, because WomenAreWiser and are assumed to have "motherly instincts" and [[MotherNatureFatherScience care for the test subjects as people while men are assumed to view them more dispassionately as mere experiments]]. For the sake of consistency, the scientist will, for the large part, be referred to as female for the rest of this article. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | The trope can contain [[JustForFun/XMeetsY one or more of the following]] scenarios, depending on the scientist's personality and background. (And as evident within these scenarios, the role isn't limited to a scientific researcher, but also doctor, technician -- and even farther-flung, priest or ''magic-user'' -- as long as there is a strict set of rules, obligations, expectations or beliefs that the motherly figure turns her back to treat the subject with care.) |
| 22 | |
| 23 | !![='They're like my own children' scenario=]: |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Most of the time, the plot starts with a [[MadScientist brilliant doctor]] participating in an Evil Experiment on [[PlayingWithSyringes human test subjects]], most of them young children (and perhaps an older [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy]]) or students in a [[SchoolForScheming conveniently-placed high school]]. Everything, of course, [[ForScience in the name of Science]], or [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans for the Greater Good]]. It could also happen that the doctor in question [[UnwittingPawn was deceived]] or coerced into performing said experiment -- or maybe she just was hired to [[HighTurnoverRate keep the kids quiet]]. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Sooner or later, an experiment goes [[GoneHorriblyWrong horribly wrong]] (or [[GoneHorriblyRight horribly right]]), or the truth is [[TheReveal finally revealed]], making the doctor [[HeelRealization realize]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the error of her ways]]. After rescuing them, she decides to become the test subjects' adoptive mother, forming a SecretProjectRefugeeFamily and living HappilyEverAfter. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | In other cases, she just feels responsible for the guys now that they've grown up -- or maybe there's some [[EarnYourHappyEnding pending business to finish]] so she can [[RedemptionQuest redeem herself]] and move on with her life. And if you think a normal MamaBear or PapaWolf is fucking scary, Hell Hath No Fury like a Motherly/Fatherly Scientist with access to OneManArmy levels of weaponry, technology, money, or superpowers to protect his or her children. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | There's also the other Doomsday scenario. She dies, and her charges [[MoralityChain decide that nothing is holding them back from taking revenge on everyone]]. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | !![='=]Film/FreeWilly[='=] scenario (MadScientist not required) |
| 34 | |
| 35 | After researching a non-human subject for a while and giving it a name, the doctor's nurturing instincts finally kicks in, causing the doctor to form a parental bond with the [[InnocentAliens poor little thing]] until the eventual decision to free the subject. If she met the creature in the jungle, and there are more of them, she could become a NatureHero. Can turn into "Franchise/{{Tarzan}} And Jane" if the subject is biologically and age-compatible with her. If by contrast, the subject isn't biologically compatible and the scientist needs to separate, it ends up with a goodbye. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | !!Literature/{{Pinocchio}} scenario: |
| 38 | |
| 39 | # If the doctor's an expert in genetics, cybernetics, arcane magic, or alchemy, the plot starts when she creates [[CreatingLife a new life form]] or ArtificialIntelligence with a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots ridiculously human]] body. The young child then begins to [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove develop emotions]] [[HeartwarmingOrphan in such a way]] that the doctor's heart is moved into raising the child as her own. In this scenario, it's common that the doctor serves as a parent, psychiatrist and physician for the RobotKid who wants to BecomeARealBoy.\ |
| 40 | \ |
| 41 | The extremely rare inversion of this trope happens when the A.I. ''becomes'' the adoptive mother. Usually happens with a supercomputer storing [[VirtualGhost mommy's memories]]. |
| 42 | # It could also happen that the child was created specifically to be the child the scientist always wished for. |
| 43 | # If the scientist creates a nearly-exact copy of a deceased child, either for him/herself or for someone else, it's called ReplacementGoldfish. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | Whatever the plot is, the common denominator is the parental and protective feelings of the scientist towards the test subject. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | If a scientist just happens to be a nice parent, this trope doesn't apply (see MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter) unless her child was genetically engineered and carried inside ''her'' womb or experimentally transformed into something else. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | Tend to overlap -- depending on the circumstances -- with MadScientist or ReluctantMadScientist, PsychologistTeacher, KindlyVet, TeamMom[=/=]TeamDad, MamaBear[=/=]PapaWolf, and in some extreme cases, AntiVillain. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | Subtrope of ParentalSubstitute. Compare MagicalNanny. Contrast GuineaPigFamily and EvilMatriarch[=/=]ArchnemesisDad. |
| 52 | |
| 53 | ---- |
| 54 | !!Examples: |
| 55 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 56 | |
| 57 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 58 | * ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''[=/=]''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'': |
| 59 | ** Technically, almost every adult in Academy City who is not secretly evil ([[MadScientist which is a much smaller number than you'd be comfortable with]]) counts. Because of the city's dual focuses on science and students, most adults have both research and teaching licenses, and multiple characters (Komoe Tsukuyomi, Aiho Yomikawa) admit they got into their jobs because they wanted to keep the kids safe. [[UnwittingPawn The city uses people like this]] to make the students feel like they're not being [[TownWithADarkSecret constantly experimented on]]. |
| 60 | ** Professor Harumi Kiyama was originally an uninterested scientist left with the job of watching over a group of [[PsychicPowers esper]] orphans, only to gradually start caring for them like a mother. [[spoiler:Then things go horribly wrong when the dangerous experiment they were a part of (which Harumi had been told was something safe) sends them all into comas, to Harumi's shock and her boss's utter indifference. With a corrupt administration refusing to help the students and instead choosing to cover up the incident, Harumi takes [[WellIntentionedExtremist desperate measures]] trying to find a cure.]] |
| 61 | ** In the ''Astral Buddy'' side story, there was a female scientist at the Clone Dolly facility who doted on the girls and did her best to keep them happy despite the unethical experiments being performed. She died defending them when everything went wrong. There was also a male scientist who was cold but professional at all times. Much later, it turns out he ''also'' saw the girls as something like his daughters, but hid it behind a veneer of professionalism because a male scientist getting too close to little girls [[MistakenForPedophile has entirely different implications]]. We only find this out as he confesses while one of the girls is crying over his dying body. |
| 62 | * Dr. Ochanomizu for ''Manga/AstroBoy'', a colleague of Astro Boy's creator Tenma who adopts the titular robot after Tenma couldn't get past how Astro Boy wasn't the proper ReplacementGoldfish for his dead son he had envisioned. |
| 63 | * Professor Kisaragi, ''Anime/CuteyHoney'''s creator whom she openly refers to as her dad. |
| 64 | * Lorelei from ''Anime/SaberMarionetteJ To X'' -- she is, in more than one way, the mother of all the marionettes. |
| 65 | * To an extent, Washu from ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' towards Ryoko (she's partially her child as she was created using her own eggs), but Washu's attitude towards her is not quite motherly. |
| 66 | * Nanami from ''Literature/{{Sukisho}}''. He's a scientist who was involved in some unethical experiments on children, but eventually rescued and formed a family with them. |
| 67 | * {{Subverted|Trope}} with Kotaro Kannagi from the anime ''Code-E''. He starts the research on Chinami's Type-E power, but eventually falls in love with her rather than considering her his child. |
| 68 | * ''Manga/DoctorSlump'''s Senbei creates Arale and raises her as his child. |
| 69 | * Kanami from ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' cared a lot about [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DtB13_Kanami_and_Dolls_336x178_4178.png catatonic Dolls]] [[PeopleJars in jars]] and learned their quirks, which became evident in the episode when CY-463 trapped them. In her observatory, they are more ''tools'' than ''subjects'', but it's not like she could do any more for them even if she had any real power. |
| 70 | ** When the Astronomy Bureau "doll system" is about to be closed in ''Shikkoku no Hana'', Kanami decides to quit and go to Hawaii, to "live as far away from things like the Gate and Contractors as possible" -- an interesting statement, Dolls being an effect of the Gate as much as Contractors. |
| 71 | * Cher Degré from ''Anime/WolfsRain''. She is fascinated by Cheza and desires to understand her and her purpose. When Cheza escapes, she tries to follow her. Later she learns about the wolves and helps them escape, at the cost of her own life. |
| 72 | * {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Manga/SoulEater'': Doctor Medusa plays the nice doctor, but she's secretly experimenting on her patients. Plus in an outright aversion, she's absolutely [[MoralEventHorizon despicable]] in her treatment of her main experiment/minion [[TheWoobie Chrona]], [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents who actually is her child]]]]. |
| 73 | ** Played with regarding Dr. Stein. He's not this way towards his test subjects (besides his one of his coworkers and a random endangered bird, he doesn't really have any), but he ''definitely'' is towards his students, to whom he acts as both a TeamDad and a PapaWolf. |
| 74 | * Winry in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', who is overprotective of her [[ArtificialLimbs automail]], to the point of bashing Ed with a wrench when he breaks his arm and leg. |
| 75 | * ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Satomi Hakase gradually becomes this to her best creation, [[RobotGirl Chachamaru]]. [[spoiler:After Chachamaru is almost destroyed, when Hakase gets ready to repair/heal her, she treats her almost like a daughter and even comforts her on how she's done well.]] |
| 76 | * Dr. Mimori Kiryu from ''Anime/{{S cry ed}}''. Feeling compassion for how Kazuma is tortured, she lets him escape and later gets interested in the Inners, eventually forming a community with them. |
| 77 | * To a minor degree, Julia Silverstein from ''Anime/BloodPlus''. She takes care of Saya and uses her blood to make a Serum that can stop the effects of the Delta 67 agent. |
| 78 | * "Mama" from the non-canon ''Anime/HaloLegends'' episode ''Odd One Out''. She tells her kids to wash their hands and has enough intelligence to completely control a UNSC frigate, and turns out to be [[spoiler:a rampant military-grade AI]]. And [[MamaBear one heck of a mama]], indeed -- if you dare mess with her kids, she'll '''kick your ass''' into a rift in space-time. [[spoiler:[[LiteralMetaphor Yes, literally.]]]] |
| 79 | * [[ZigZaggedTrope Zigzagged]] in ''Anime/DotHackSign'': Tsukasa finds a mother in the A.I. Morganna. Later he realizes she's not his real mother, but an EvilMatriarch. But then it turns out that [[spoiler:she WAS designed to have a mother role for the Key of Twilight, but as she wasn't programmed with [[EmptyNest any role afterward]], she just went mad and decided that the Key should NEVER awaken at all]]. |
| 80 | * Dr. Isaac Gilmore from ''Manga/Cyborg009'' is the TeamDad of the Cyborg group. And in his case, he ''has'' to, since he used to be one of the {{Mad Scientist}}s that cyborg-ized them in the first place, and witnessing the MoralEventHorizon crossing of his colleagues was what made him decide to join their crusade. |
| 81 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Ritsuko, Naoko, and Yui are all initially presented as being examples of this trope. However, they don't stay that way and the darker side of what they were doing quickly comes to the fore. |
| 82 | * A sweet yet sad example in ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja,'' with the Professor slowly becoming a father figure to Ellis [[spoiler:before his death, as shown through flashbacks]]. |
| 83 | * It's heavily {{implied|Trope}} that Dr. Kamiya acts as a male version of this towards [[spoiler:Shiro]] in ''Manga/AfterschoolCharisma''. |
| 84 | * In ''Manga/ToLoveRu Darkness'', Tearju Lunatique is shown to be this to Yami during the time they still were together. |
| 85 | * An important part of the alleged backstory to ''Manga/{{Akumetsu}}'', where a female scientist involved in the evil genius' attempts to clone himself a perfect new body winds up bonding with the Perfect Copy. They fall in love, kill the guy, and burn everything, but he dies... leaving her with about a hundred infant clones. Somehow she gets them adopted all over Japan, all with the first name 'Shou', and keeps one to raise herself, dying before he turns 18 but training him to use all the tech she'd helped invent. Of course, we hear this via a Shou, and all of them are fundamentally {{Unreliable Narrator}}s. |
| 86 | ** They are also JustForFun/TropeOverdosed; most of Akumetsu's shticks are pulled straight from Japanese TV, and the Shou telling the story is very conscious of this trope as he tells it. He also cheerfully casts doubt on its accuracy ''himself''; they're all insane, after all. Doctor Shou appears to have been raised by the Motherly Scientist, though. |
| 87 | * While she doesn't necessarily seem this way at first, Jennifer from ''Manga/AmazingAgentLuna'' and ''Webcomic/AmazingAgentJennifer'' fits the trope. She was involved in the creation of Luna, and is normally very strict with her and never gives her a break, always pushing her to complete her missions and not get too involved with making friends or being an ordinary girl. But she has her reasons for appearing cold, and she is trying to do right by Luna and [[spoiler: prevent the Agency from "terminating the experiment"]]. As far as she's concerned, Luna is her daughter. |
| 88 | * Dr. Angelika Einstürzen from ''Manga/DOGSBulletsAndCarnage'' ''seems'' to be this to the Cerebus spine children, [[spoiler:some of whom might be her ''actual'' kids]]. But then she makes them fight huge monstrosities to earn her fleeting love, and [[FromBadToWorse things start going downhill from there]]... |
| 89 | * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': |
| 90 | ** {{Averted|Trope}} for drama in the first season. [[spoiler:Despite [[ClonesArePeopleToo Fate]] being Precia's daughter in every sense of the word (having both been created by her and cloned from her actual daughter Alicia), Precia outright ''refuses'' to view her as anything more than a tool or failed experiment, and is both [[AbusiveParents physically and emotionally abusive]] to the poor girl.]] |
| 91 | ** Jail Scaglietti from ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers StrikerS]]'' is a villainous example that spills into EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. Yes, he's a MadScientist who's planning on overthrowing the government and has no problem torturing children, but he genuinely views his twelve combat cyborgs as his daughters ([[spoiler:even the ones who have a HeelFaceTurn]]). |
| 92 | ** Granz Florian is another example, though this only applies in ''[[VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable The Gears of Destiny]]'', where his daughters are both robots that he accidentally granted sentience. In all other continuities, they're his biological children. |
| 93 | ** Flashbacks in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaDetonation Detonation]]'' showed that pretty much everyone on the Planet Restoration Committee considered the lead scientist Phil Maxwell to be [[ArtificialHuman Iris']] father, and her primary motivation during the movie is [[YouKilledMyFather getting revenge for his murder]]. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion when it's revealed that Maxwell was EvilAllAlong and never considered Iris his daughter, he just treated her as such because it would help her develop her potential as a SuperSoldier faster.]] |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 97 | * [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] from Franchise/{{Batman}}. Her "children", in this case, are the plants she takes care of. |
| 98 | ** Becomes more literal during the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' arc, where Gotham is leveled by an earthquake and subsequently cut off from the rest of the U.S. She takes over Robinson Park and unofficially adopts 16 orphans. |
| 99 | * Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm adopts ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} after he was summoned into this world. |
| 100 | * Dr. Sarah Kinney was this to ComicBook/{{X 23}}, being virtually the only staff member who treated her humanely. In her dying moments, she gave X-23 the name "Laura" and told her she loved her. Since she also carried her to term, this example is more literal than most. |
| 101 | * In the ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' universe, in which Superman was raised in a government facility, Sam Lane came to view young Kal-El as his son, and was the one who insisted that the other government workers refer to him as [[ItIsDehumanizing "he" rather than "it"]] and Kal instead of Subject 1. In the climax of the story, he outright refers to him as one of his children. |
| 102 | * {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': The A.I. in the Fortress of Solitude contains the memories of Superman's biological father. |
| 103 | * Aaron Stack the ComicBook/MachineMan was raised by Dr. Abel Stack, the only scientist in the X-Robot program who saw the robots as living, feeling beings. |
| 104 | * DependingOnTheWriter (and on his meds), Dr. Will Magnus, creator of the ComicBook/MetalMen, is sometimes a fatherly scientist, but sometimes sees his creations as simple machines. |
| 105 | %% * Dr. [=LaLinde=] to Quake Woman/Tempo in ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'' flips the DeconReconSwitch on this trope. She tried being a mom to Tempo at first, but when an accident nearly killed Tempo, [=LaLinde=] panicked and turned her into a more emotionless drone to try and spare herself the pain of losing a child. After the experience with the Emerald-Spears caused her to realize she couldn't deny her parental instincts, [=LaLinde=] restored Tempo's personality and took a second shot at being a mom. |
| 106 | * During ''Franchise/GreenLantern And ComicBook/GreenArrow'''s "socially relevant" phase in TheSeventies, they did a [[FantasticAesop very weird]] story about {{overpopulation|Crisis}}, set on a planet that had tried to overcome a population shortage by making {{Artificial Human}}s. The problem was that the person in charge of the project was an infertile woman obsessed with the fact that this was a way for her to produce life: so she ''kept on'' making artificial people, complete with FakeMemories so no one could know who was "real" and who ReallyWasBornYesterday, and was flooding the world with them. When the heroes finally stop her, [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman destroying a couple of less humanoid biological androids]] in the process, she suffers a complete VillainousBreakdown because she views all these beings as her children. |
| 107 | * In ''The Clockwork Girl'' by Sean O'Reilly and Kevin Hanna, the titular creation isn't even given a name by her father. In contrast the bio-engineering scientist he fights with has named his monstrous boy, Huxley, lets him enter his own experiment in the town science fair (an adorable venus flytrap he took care of) and is a little overprotective of Huxley due to health issues and how people judge the boy. |
| 108 | [[/folder]] |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[folder:Fanfic]] |
| 111 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': |
| 112 | ** {{Subverted|Trope}} with Ritsuko in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. She looks nice and caring at the beginning. However, she doesn't care for Rei, mistreats her and regards her as a doll and a tool at best, or a creepy abomination at worst. [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion It gets played straight]] after Rei saves her during a suicide attempt.]] |
| 113 | ** ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': In contrast to her canon self, Ritsuko is a bit warmer, and she actually cares about the pilots. When some of them tell that they fear that they’ll become monsters, she states that she will not let it happen. |
| 114 | ** Ritsuko is more of a PromotedToParent Older Sister Scientist to Rei in ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'' because she really ''is'' Rei's sister, thanks to Naoko (allegedly) pulling some sort of BabyTrap on Gendo and substituting her ova for Yui's. Naoko and Rei's relationship... [[OffingTheOffspring was not an example]], although it's strongly implied she [[MaternallyChallenged wasn't exactly parent of the year]] when Rits was a kid either. |
| 115 | ** ''Fanfic/EvaSessionsSomeplaceVastAndDry'': Yui created ten clones of herself using frozen samples of her own ovum and artificial sperm containing DNA from [[spoiler:Lilith]], to test the viability of human-alien hybrids as prototypes for the larger Evangelion units. Gendo and Yui soon came to regard them as their ten little daughters, long after they were of no further scientific use. |
| 116 | ** ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'' {{subvert|edTrope}}s this with Ritsuko. She treats the pilots coldly and regards Rei as something less than human, and she even tried to destroy Rei’s spare bodies. [[DoubleSubversion However]], after Rei covers up for her when Gendo questioned her, Ritsuko started treating the children a bit better. |
| 117 | ** ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'': {{Subverted|Trope}} with Ritsuko, who initially seems nice, albeit cool and detached... but eventually reveals that she doesn't care at all about the pilots. She specifically loathes Rei. |
| 118 | ** ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': Ritsuko becomes this after the battle against Zeruel. When she understood what Gendo was like, she stopped treating Rei like an inhuman thing. |
| 119 | ** {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling''. To Misato's face, Ritsuko pretends to care about [[ExpendableClone Rei]]. In reality, she loathes her. In turn, Shinji despises her for treating him and his fellow pilots with indifference and scorn. |
| 120 | * ''Fanfic/AQUATheFirstStep'': Dr. Polendina was beloved by all of the children in the Jaeger Program, visiting them once a week and teaching them social skills. |
| 121 | * Professor Juniper in ''Fanfic/DearDiary'' is a Pokémon researcher who raises starter Pokémon for trainers but, unlike most starter suppliers, treats the Pokémon like her children and never sources them from the nightmarish breeding farms that most starters come from. Opal sees her as a mother figure. |
| 122 | * ''Fanfic/TheFirstSaniwa'': Yaobikuni has medical knowledge and even decides to carry out a medical experiment at one point, while still retaining her canonical YamatoNadeshiko personality. |
| 123 | * ''Fanfic/PersonaChaosButterfly'': Shinshudo, aka Yuu Kimijima. She [[spoiler:gave Aigis her trademark neck ribbon, and is openly disgusted by the inhumane treatment that Labrys suffered, taking her in and raising her as her daughter]]. |
| 124 | * ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': As per the [[Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII film source material]], Dr. Azusa Gojo became quite paternal over the third Godzilla, a.k.a "Junior". Even decades later, Azusa outright refers to the kaiju as her son, and he mutually sees her as his mother. Because of this bond, Azusa is brought in to talk some sense into Junior after he suffers what could have otherwise been a DespairEventHorizon. |
| 125 | * [[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Cameron]] in ''FanFic/TotalDramaLegacy''. Using a UterineReplicator and the combined DNA of him and [[HomosexualReproduction his husband Lightning]], he created not one, but ''two'' children for him and Lightning to raise together. And he loves them both ''immensely''. He's shown to be a very DotingParent towards his daughter Storm, and seems to be very affectionate towards his son Thunder as well. |
| 126 | * In events that take place decades before ''Fanfic/ManehattansLoneGuardian'' begins, the scientist Juniper Leaf begins growing attached to a kidnapped foal that was brought in for drug testing. When the foal starts showing signs that the injected drug was tampering with her mind, Juniper's journal entries become more distraught. |
| 127 | [[/folder]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 130 | * In the first ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' film, evil genius scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba creates Experiment 626, later known as Stitch. Jumba is offered the chance to retrieve Experiment 626 in exchange for his freedom. While conducting surveillance from a distance, Jumba remarks that he never gave 626 a greater purpose, and 626 doesn't even have any memories to visit in the middle of the night. |
| 131 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'', Jumba is so greatly concerned for Stitch's well-being, he goes to great lengths to build a molecule-charging chamber in order to save Stitch's life, showing that he has made progress from an amateur bounty hunter to a fatherly figure who shows great concern for his creation. |
| 132 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/TheOriginOfStitch'' short subject, Jumba had shown sone initial disappointment when Stitch didn't meet Jumba's original expectations; these disappointments faded when Stitch found his one true place in Lilo's household, and Jumba is astonished that Stitch had surpassed Jumba's original expectations and became one of Jumba's greatest creations. |
| 133 | * After carving a body for ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'', Gepetto brings him to life with the power of [[MakeAWish a wish]] and a good heart. |
| 134 | [[/folder]] |
| 135 | |
| 136 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 137 | * ''Film/{{Splice}}'' features Elsa starting as Pinocchio Type 2 and Clive as the Free Willy type. Unfortunately for everyone involved, [[spoiler:Elsa [[InTheBlood has]] MyBelovedSmother tendencies and Clive has a bad case of ImAManICantHelpIt and both of them are completely blind to the fact that they're raising a strange chimeric creature and not a human girl]]. |
| 138 | * Sara from ''Film/CocoonTheReturn'' is a textbook example of the "Free Willy" scenario (just look at her [[http://courteneycox.org/zctrpics.htm touching the isolation glass]] -- aaaaw). |
| 139 | * ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'': Professor Hobby, the head of the Cybertronics Company, or at least its artificial intelligence branch, created a RobotKid as an experiment to see whether it could develop genuine feelings towards its owners. When David finally meets him, he's a rather fatherly figure, and it's made pretty obvious why: [[ReplacementGoldfish David is the spitting image of his dead son by the same name]]. |
| 140 | -->'''David''': I thought I was one of a kind.\ |
| 141 | '''Hobby''': ''[holding back tears]'' My son was one of a kind. You'll be the first of a kind. |
| 142 | * In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', Dr. Grace comes to fit this role, albeit of the "put-upon and grouchy" variety. The head of the colonial science team, she becomes a bit of a mother figure for the protagonist and also cares a good deal for the native Na'vi, whom her employers disdain at best and want to be exterminated at worst. In a deleted scene, it is revealed that the natives even used to call her "mother". |
| 143 | * In ''Film/{{Awakenings}}'', Creator/RobinWilliams plays Malcolm Sayer, a research physician who uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease, becoming friends with many in the process, including Leonard Lowe (Creator/RobertDeNiro), who had fallen into catatonia as a child. BasedOnATrueStory. |
| 144 | * Dr. Stewart, Film/{{DARYL}}'s creator, is the first one to accept his humanity and decides to free him so he can return with his adoptive family. A female colleague of his, Dr. Lamb, at first was reluctant but later embraces the child's humanity and collaborates with the unfortunately-failed escape. |
| 145 | * In ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'', the professor cares for and educates his creation, Edward, and even intends to makes new hands for him. Unfortunately, he has a heart attack just before he can install them. Too bad. |
| 146 | * In the movie ''Film/Twins1988'', Arnold and his non-identical twin search for their MissingMom, who they believe had abandoned them. She was the surrogate mother for the genetic experiment that brought them to life. |
| 147 | * In ''Film/TheMatrix'', the Oracle not only gives Neo advice -- she also bakes cookies for him. |
| 148 | * ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'': Noted chimpanzee psychologist and zoologist Zira calls Taylor "Bright Eyes", at least until he manages to write his own name, to her surprise. She ends up kissing him goodbye -- even though, as she tells him, "You're so damned ugly." |
| 149 | * In ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', the scientist starts as a shadowy and [[ReluctantMadScientist possibly naïve]] agent for the GovernmentConspiracy that the boys are afraid [[TheydCutYouUp just want to cut up E.T.]]. But by the end of the movie, thanks to ThePowerOfLove, he falls in with the family to wish E.T. farewell instead of revealing their location, making it a Film/FreeWilly scenario. |
| 150 | * ''Film/SpeciesII'': Dr. Laura Baker collects DNA samples after Sil's death in the first movie and clones another [[HalfHumanHybrid human-alien hybrid]] from her that she names Eve. She starts to care for Eve as a mother, always quick to remind everyone that Eve is part human when the military guys suggest using her as a weapon. |
| 151 | * In ''Film/SuckerPunch'', Dr. Gorski cares about the well-being of the asylum girls and designs therapy techniques to try to help them feel control of their lives after whatever traumatized them. This leads to the version of her in the brothel world to teach the girls how to dance as a form of empowered escapism. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, upon finding out that [[PsychoPsychologist Blue]] forged her signature to get Baby Doll a {{lobotomy}}, she has him arrested before he can rape Baby Doll]]. |
| 152 | * ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII'' gives us Azusa Gojo, a research assistant during an expedition to an unknown island in the Bering Sea where they find a refrigerator-sized egg and takes it back with them. Azusa was placed on monitor duty of the egg back at the institute and was often working alone for long hours, humming or talking to herself to keep company. When the egg hatches and turns out to be an infant of Godzilla's species, it's shown the little one had been listening to her all this time and imprinted on her as his parent. Azusa agrees to be the young critter's primary caregiver and the two become very attached to each other, Azusa even arguing for the infant's rights as an intelligent living being rather than a test subject. This is likely the inspiration for the Tristar TV series (see "Western Animation"). |
| 153 | * While first convinced that his creation was bad when he finds out he accidentally gave it an abnormal brain, Frederick Frankenstein from ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' eventually comes to realize that in spite of his hulking physiology and... er... less than sophisticated manner of dealing with others, the Creature is [[ReluctantMonster more like a frightened child than an abomination of science]]. After failing to appeal to the scientific community, he manages to donate parts of his own intellect to the monster, giving him the gift of eloquence and eventually making peace with the villagers. |
| 154 | * In ''Film/FrankensteinConquersTheWorld'', Dr. Sueko Togami is the one who forms the closest bond with Frankenstein. She cares for him like he's her son and is quick to defend his innocence when he wrongly accused of killing people and tries to save him from being destroyed. Sueko's kindness is ultimately rewarded when Frankenstein saves her from the enemy monster, Baragon. |
| 155 | * In ''Film/WarOfTheGargantuas'', the above example is repeated with Dr. Akemi Togawa. Akemi has the same kind of close bond with Sanda, especially when he was an infant. Also, like Sueko and Frankenstein, Akemi adamantly denies the likelihood of Sanda being violent towards people and risks her safety to prove his innocence and save him. Her faith in Sanda is rewarded by him saving her ''twice''. |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 159 | * Creator/IsaacAsimov: |
| 160 | ** ''Literature/RobotSeries'': The robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin is notorious for being [[IronLady detached and unemotional]]. But in the short story "Literature/{{Lenny}}", she studies a robot whose brain has been accidentally programmed in a way which causes it to behave similarly to a human baby. She becomes very attached to Lenny under the pretext of studying his learning capabilities, and the end of the story reveals that she has taught him to call her "Mama". |
| 161 | ** "Literature/TheUglyLittleBoy": Edith Fellowes was a pediatric nurse before applying for the job at Stasis, Incorporated. She was hired to take care of an experiment; [[TimeTravel taking a boy from forty thousand years in the past and bringing him to the present]]. After three years of caring for the boy, bathing him, dressing him, feeding him, helping him sleep, teaching him how to read/write English, naming him, Ms. Fellowes has grown to love [[AffectionateNickname Timmie]]. The boy, in turn, thinks of her as his mother. |
| 162 | * In the ''Literature/HIVESeries'', [[AbsentMindedProfessor Professor Pike]] creates H.I.V.E.mind, an ArtificialIntelligence that is intended to run the eponymous school. As he has no children of his own, the AI calls Pike his father and quickly develops [[BecomeARealBoy a desire to be human]]. Any time Pike is asked to meddle with the source code, he [[ManlyTears cries]]. |
| 163 | * In the ''Literature/{{Replica|MarilynKaye}}'' series of YA novels, Amy's mother was one of the scientists working on a project to create genetically-enhanced {{Super Soldier}}s, but after realizing the evils of the project, she rescued/kidnapped one of the clone babies and raised her as her own. |
| 164 | * The golden age pulp robot ''Literature/AdamLink'' and his father are a perfect example of the Pinocchio Scenario. |
| 165 | * In a variation on the Pinocchio Scenario, [[Literature/AgentPendergast Douglas Preston]]'s novel ''Literature/{{Jennie}}'' is about a chimpanzee raised like a human being. Almost everyone who gets to know her feels a deep parental love and desire to protect her. The [[DownerEnding ending]] is one of the most high-octane {{Tear Jerker}}s you will ever read. |
| 166 | * Dr. Cay in the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' book ''Falling Free'' was a Fatherly Scientist to the genetically-engineered [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Quaddies]]. By the start of the novel, he's passed away, and Leo Graf has to take the mantle as a Fatherly Engineer. In stories set two centuries later, Leo is a folk hero to their descendants. |
| 167 | * In ''Unwise Child'' by Creator/RandallGarrett, Dr. Leda Crannon, a child psychologist, is brought in to help develop an AI after the first two attempts failed. She treats 'Snookums' as her child but subverts the usual ending as she realizes he is very much a machine. |
| 168 | * In Aldrea Alien's ''Literature/TheRogueKing'', Amelia not only carries the alien hybrid she makes but raises him as if he's her son. |
| 169 | * In ''Literature/ThePsychologyOfTimeTravel'', Barbara becomes very attached to Patrick, a lab rabbit who becomes the first living time traveler. She convinces the other scientists to make him their mascot rather than dissect him, and takes on the responsibility of caring for him. |
| 170 | * Creator/NKJemisin's ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'': Enefa, Goddess of Life and Death, took this attitude as she [[TheMaker brought life into the universe]]. She even invented the ''idea'' of motherhood and nurtured her creations as a mother, but as she refined her vision for the universe, she had no qualms about killing the ones who had served their purpose. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 174 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Maggie Walsh, head scientist of the secret government demon-hunting project the "Initiative", is the evil version of this. She's called "Mother" by her cyber-demonoid creation Adam and considered soldier Riley Finn one of her children as well after enhancing him with drugs and conditioning. |
| 175 | * Dr. Helen Magnus of ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}''. In addition to being an actual mother, she is fiercely protective of the abnormals in her sanctuary and will do anything to help/save them. On the other hand, she's not afraid to kick more than a little ass when necessary. |
| 176 | * Dr. Coady on ''Series/OrphanBlack'' is a more malicious example of this. While [[spoiler:the Project CASTOR clones]] see her as a mother figure, she has no problems mistreating them. |
| 177 | * Joel Robinson on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. As the creator of the bots, they often treated him like a father figure, and he returned the affection. |
| 178 | * ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Dr. Noonien Soong is the roboticist who created the androids Data and his brother Lore (in his image, by the way) and regards himself as a father to both of them. A later episode reveals that he had a wife, Juliana, who helped him in his experiments as well as considered herself Data's mother, pretty much forming a full nuclear family unit. |
| 179 | * {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', with Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Leonard's cold, robotic and unfeeling mother. She considered conceiving and raising a son to be a sort of [[PsychoPsychologist long-term experiment in behavioral psychology]]. Sheldon Cooper views her as the dream mother he wishes he had been brought up by. Beverly feels a sort of affection for Sheldon that she signally fails to manifest for her own son. |
| 180 | * The series ''Series/SmallWonder'' revolves around this as inventor Ted Lawson builds a robot named Vicki, and he and the rest of the family take her in and raise her like a daughter. |
| 181 | * In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Mohinder, who is [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist some sort of physician/scientist]], is hired to find a cure for the Company's "Walker System"... [[WaifProphet a little girl with the ability to find anyone]]. [[ReluctantMadScientist He doesn't want to enable them]], but can't say no to helping the ill girl. And Molly and Mohinder end up bonding and he becomes her guardian for the rest of the series. (Even though she gets PutOnABus [[RaisedByGrandparents to stay with his mother]] most of the time.) |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 185 | * Virstania, the self-styled Mother of Gargoyles in ''[[TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade Vampire: The Dark Ages]] -- House Of Tremere.'' Having turned to the creation of {{golem}}s and other artificial forms of life as an alternative to forming friendships with her fellow mages, Virstania was exhibiting signs of this trope ''long'' before she became a vampire. However, it wasn't until she helped Goratrix to create the first [[OurGargoylesRock gargoyles]] that she proved herself a Motherly Scientist, lavishing maternal attention on the newborn creations and encouraging them to adopt her as their mother -- which they did. Unfortunately, Virstania proves herself a dark play on this trope, for though she genuinely loves her gargoyles, she goes to horrifying extremes to ensure that they love her back: among other things, she has no problem with subjecting Alvusia, the gargoyle BabyFactory, to an eternity of painful impregnation and birth, nor does she have any qualms about taking the newborn gargoyles away from Alvusia and forcibly indoctrinating them into believing that Virstania is their mother ''and'' goddess, ensuring UndyingLoyalty from all of her "family". |
| 186 | * Dr. Natalie Halmier in ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'', a physicist for a MegaCorp, who created Kid Robot of the Sentinals when she realized the AI she'd created to control one of her projects was self-aware and learned it wanted a humanoid body. She then had to protect him from the Mega-Corp, leading to a court appointing her his legal guardian. |
| 187 | [[/folder]] |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 190 | * Dr. Catherine Halsey of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', creator of the [[SuperSoldier SPARTAN-II]] program, was much of a mother figure towards the [[TykeBomb Spartan children]] while at the same time administering the augmentations that killed or permanently disabled most of them. Worthy of note, however, is that her motherly treatment of them when not subjecting them to painful augmentations is believed to be a major contributor to the emotional stability of the [=Spartan-IIs=] compared to the [=Spartan-IIIs=]. She is rather disturbed when Cortana, an ArtificialIntelligence who is [[BrainUploading based on Halsey's brain]], admits that she finds John-117 (Master Chief) attractive. Halsey realizes that this means her feelings towards John aren't entirely maternal. |
| 191 | * Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum from ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' started off her work in Rapture as an EvilutionaryBiologist doing it ForScience and began the Little Sisters initiative after she discovered that the ADAM slugs [[PoweredByAForsakenChild work most effectively when implanted into young girls]]. She felt tugs of maternal concern for them as she went along but repressed it as best she could, but one day, when one of them happily crawled into her lap, she pushed her off and screamed at her in fury, until she suddenly realized that [[HeelRealization it wasn't the girl that she hated]]. The breaking point came after the lab started creating Big Daddies, men [[UnwillingRoboticisation unwillingly fused into metal suits]] to protect the Little Sisters as they collected ADAM from corpses scattered around the city. Seeing one of the girls reaching out to the "metal man" threw Tenenbaum back into a memory of herself as a little girl during the war; after her father had been taken away by the Nazis, one of the officers reached out to her to take her to work in the concentration camp, and she realized that the only way she would survive is if she "made friends with the metal man", which led her to cut off her emotions from then on and work with the scientists in the camp. Seeing another little girl tie herself to a "metal man" caused her to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone break down in tears and embrace the girl, apologizing]] -- soon after, she took as many girls with her as she could to a hideout in an abandoned dorm to begin to fix what she had broken. |
| 192 | * Similar to Tenenbaum, Phoenix Wyle from ''VideoGame/CytusII'' became this for his initial test subject [[ChildProdigy Shizuka "Nora" Shiino]]. Having performed human experiments on her and other infants to find the cure of the [[ThePlague Ender Virus]], she was the only one to survive. Phoenix then took her in and eventually warmed up to her despite being forced to have her used the physically-straining ability for the mafia's benefits. In the end, he sacrificed his life to send her away from being chased by said mafia, wishing her to have happy life and be able to make her own music. |
| 193 | * Happens in the backstory of the [[BlobMonster blob-man]] character Zac in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''. Originally, he was just a strange, living sludge, discovered in the depths of WretchedHive UnderCity Zaun. It was collected and intended to be weaponized by one of the local Chem-Barons. Dubbed the '''Z'''aun '''A'''morphous '''C'''ombatant project, the intent was to craft a force of {{Super Soldier}}s, but a married couple of scientists working on the project realized the slime was alive, aware, possibly sentient and [[TheEmpath empathically resonant]]. They nicknamed the project Zac, and eventually ran away with Zac, who had begun to adopt a humanoid form, and raised him with the best upbringing they could. Eventually the Chem-Baron who funded the project found them, and Zac's scientist parents were [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan killed in the chaos]]. |
| 194 | * Ariel Hanson from ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' -- she researches to save the lives of the infected colonists. |
| 195 | * Dr. Mizrahi from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' was [[RobotGirl MOMO's]] adoptive mother. Even Shion had her Motherly Scientist moments towards KOS-MOS, but that was quickly substituted by HomoeroticSubtext. |
| 196 | * Dr. Light from the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series, especially in the ''Manga/MegaManMegamix'' manga, where he tries to be a PapaWolf, even though there's not much an old man can do against powerful robots or the government except provide tech support. He's still doing that for ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' a hundred years later, in the form of [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Armors]]. |
| 197 | ** Dr. Wily refers to Zero as his son in the ending of [[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom one of the crossover games]], [[spoiler:although his idea of a father-son activity would probably be killing Zero's best friend]]. |
| 198 | ** Ciel in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is motherly towards Alouette, [[spoiler:perhaps out of guilt for what she did to her own creation, who ended up the BigBad]]. |
| 199 | ** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'', Dr. Cossack shows PapaWolf tendencies towards his daughter, Kalinka. [[spoiler:A chapter of the Megamix manga revolves around his belief that robots should also be regarded as part of people's families and his failure to be a father figure towards Skull Man.]] |
| 200 | ** The son of Dr. Light's AlternateUniverse counterpart in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' universe is this towards [[spoiler:[=MegaMan.EXE=], who in the game is one of his twin sons. To save his life, he turned him into a Navi]]. Unfortunately, that project meant he didn't spend a lot of time with Lan. |
| 201 | *** From the same universe, Dr. Cossack seems to be a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion: he was very kind to his creation, Bass.EXE, until suddenly deciding to have him destroyed when he grew too powerful. [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion As it turns out]], the scientists out to destroy Bass.EXE went so far as to stick Dr. Cossack in jail so he couldn't do anything to warn Bass.EXE or prevent it. Not that Bass.EXE believes this.]] |
| 202 | * Dr. Gustav Brackman from ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'' sees all [[{{Cyborg}} Cybrans]] as his children. [[spoiler:In the case of the Cybran player character, it turns out this is more literal since it's eventually revealed that he's Brackman's clone.]] |
| 203 | * Lemon Browning of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2'' generally treats her androids as tools, albeit valuable ones. But when Lamia starts to develop human emotions and betrays her to save the protagonists, she starts to act like a proud mother and even helps Lamia escape captivity. [[spoiler:This is because Lemon is an android herself, and was rejected by her parents for not being a suitable [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement for their dead daughter]].]] |
| 204 | * ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has Dr. Whitley, the inventor of ED-E. Despite being an [[TheEmpire Enclave]] scientist, it was clear that Whitley cared deeply for his creations and protested heavily against having ED-E scrapped to make [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]]. In the end, he sent ED-E to [[VideoGame/Fallout2 Navarro]] (unaware that it's been razed at this point) [[spoiler:and was likely killed by the [[VideoGame/Fallout3 Lone Wanderer]]]]. |
| 205 | * In ''VideoGame/CutTheRope'', little Omnom winds up on a, to quote the game, "mad (but not evil) scientist's" doorstep. This scientist performs loving experiments with Omnom, all of which lead to little Omnom gaining the candy he loves ever so much. |
| 206 | * Though she is generally an [[MadScientist unstable,]] [[SirSwearsALot foul-mouthed,]] [[NominalHero questionable,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold hard-shelled]] woman, [[CatGirl Kokonoe]] from ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'' treats [[RobotGirl Lambda]] as well as she can given the circumstances. Kokonoe checks in on her regularly, guides her on missions, makes sure she's alright and fixes her up often, and [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness never shouts at or belittles her]]. This is partly out of the guilt of fixing her up and sending her out to fight in the first place. |
| 207 | * ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'': |
| 208 | ** Merveille in ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'' saved a "defective" product of her and Baion's experiments to create a life after she was ordered to destroy it. [[spoiler:That would be Red, the protagonist of the game, and in the [=DLCs=] she seems to be trying to get him together with Elh.]] |
| 209 | ** ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel2'' has [[spoiler:the unnamed Female Engineer, who cared for the hybrids that Crusade created like her own children (with one of them, Jihl, affectionately calling her "Mama"), which constantly gnawed at her conscience as Crusade put them through lethal experiments.]] |
| 210 | * In ''Diaper Dash'' Wilson worked for a company that made high-tech, low-human-involvement gadgets for use on infants. When he tried to cuddle a baby that was about to cry during a "sleep ray" test his boss threatened to fire him, so he quit and started a daycare center. |
| 211 | * [[spoiler: Meyneth]] from ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' can be considered this, given that [[spoiler: she ''was'' a scientist before [[BigBad Zanza]] [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 created a new universe]], [[DeityOfHumanOrigin turning both of them into gods]]]]. |
| 212 | * ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': |
| 213 | ** Based on what little we see and hear about him, [[PosthumousCharacter Professor Gerald]] was like this towards [[UltimateLifeForm Shadow]]. To the point of addressing him as "my son" in a prerecorded message. At least that's how he was at first, [[DespairEventHorizon before his granddaughter was killed]]. This conversation in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' highlights that he indeed never wanted Shadow to be used as a mere weapon or science experiment: |
| 214 | --->'''Shadow:''' Why did Gerald give me a soul?!\ |
| 215 | '''Rouge:''' He was not interested in researching weapons. He was researching a way to bring happiness and hope to all people. But, he was forced by the government and by the military to use his research for war. That's why he gave you and Gizoid a "soul." A soul identical to his beloved granddaughter, Maria.\ |
| 216 | '''Shadow:''' Maria...\ |
| 217 | '''Rouge:''' His hope was that no matter how crazed and obsessed with destruction mankind might became, the weapons themselves would never fight. |
| 218 | ** Dr. Eggman himself acts this way towards Sage in ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', a surprise given [[BadBoss his usual demeanour]]. Sage is an AI created directly by him who addresses him as "father", and he in turn pridefully speaks of her as his daughter… albeit noting that the reason she's such an effective servant to him is because [[ItsAllAboutMe "her dad is a genius"]]. [[spoiler:When she sacrifices herself to stop THE END, Eggman is devastated]], and the true ending shows [[spoiler:him going out of his way to try and (successfully) revive her]]. |
| 219 | * ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' features [[spoiler:Dr. Madeline Bergman, director of the Bottle Ship's secret bioweapons program. To control the Metroids that they had been breeding, her team decided to create an [[AIIsACrapshoot AI]] based on [[GreaterScopeVillain Mother Brain]]. They placed the AI, dubbed "MB", in a gynoid body under the belief that it would foster a maternal bond with the Metroids, which seemed less risky than a dominance-based relationship. Naturally, the scientists started anthropomorphizing their creation, to the point where Madeline treated her as a daughter and named her Melissa. However, unlike most examples of this trope, Madeline's maternal feelings weren't strong enough to persuade her to stand up for MB when things went pear-shaped; faced with MB developing emotions, the scientists opted to alter her programming rather than risk her jeopardizing the missions, and Madeline stood on the sidelines rather than intervene. MB did ''not'' take this well, and what had been fairly minor rebellion up until that point [[NiceJobBreakingItHero became genocidal rage]].]] |
| 220 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' features Margulis, [[spoiler:an Orokin Archimedean who served as a surrogate mother to the Tenno following the Zariman Ten-Zero incident. While the rest of the Orokin wanted to kill the Tenno for fear of their power, Margulis argued to spare them, and eventually developed the Transference process and Warframes to allow the Tenno to channel their power safely. Tragically, while the Orokin did decide to spare the Tenno, Margulis herself wasn't so lucky; in what is heavily implied to be retaliation for her defense of the Tenno, she was executed as a criminal, which likely contributed to the later rebellion by the Tenno that would destroy the Orokin Empire once and for all.]] |
| 221 | * Winston Smith of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld''. One of two [[MegaCorp Orochi]] scientists assigned to monitor [[LittleMissAlmighty Emma Smith]], the duo were also told to act as Emma's parents as a cover; however, unlike [[{{Jerkass}} his "wife" Julia]], Winston treats Emma with dignity and affection despite all the warnings he's been given about her. Also, Emma herself confirms that Winston isn't just doing this because it's his job: he genuinely cares about her. |
| 222 | * Shows up twice in the ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}''. [[spoiler:First is Mizushima from the first game where he is shown as something of a father figure to the subjects under his care, even going so far as to release all of them in an attempt to lighten his guilt of all the unethical stuff he has done in the name of science. Second is Mito from the [[Videogame/UtawarerumonoMaskOfDeception sequel]] [[VideoGame/UtawarerumonoMaskOfTruth duology]] who despite having grown jaded over the years, is shown to care deeply for his own creations, especially Anju, Honoka and Woshis despite the artificial means by which they were born]]. |
| 223 | * Dr. Cortex was revealed to have been this at one point in the flashback tapes of ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime''. As he began training Crash to lead his mutant army, he found himself becoming more affectionate towards Crash. Cortex would confide in him, give him his old pants and celebrate his birthday. Cortex himself even describes his feelings as "fatherly" and his planned full name for Crash - Crashworth Cortex the First - suggest he would've genuinely adopted Crash as his son. After the Cortex Vortex's malfunction and Crash's escape, Cortex dropped the notion entirely, leaving Coco's development up to N. Gin and reacting to her own escape along the lines of "Darn, not again". |
| 224 | * ''VideoGame/WillYouSnail'' features Amelia, the lead scientist behind the creation of an advanced AI, Squid, for a corrupt and oppressive regime. She genuinely loved and cared about Squid, despite being forced to create him under the threat of death and later [[spoiler: ordering Squid to delete himself for the good of humanity.]] |
| 225 | [[/folder]] |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 228 | * Zigzagged in ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework''. Dr. Mosely does offer emotional support at times, especially to the protagonist, but there is never any denying her bluntness, and eventually, [[spoiler:the class discovers her bizarre ulterior motive]]. |
| 229 | * Metis Cykes and Aura Blackquill in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' were a psychologist/roboticist pair specializing in AI. Their creations, Clonco and Ponco, called them Mama Aura and Mama Metis until Metis was murdered and Aura retreated into a shell of bitterness |
| 230 | [[/folder]] |
| 231 | |
| 232 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 233 | * Pietro Polendina from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is a skilled roboticist who created P.E.N.N.Y., a breakthrough in cybernetic research due to the robot's ability to generate an Aura. While she's military R&D, Penny has been given the chance to develop a human persona and her relationship to her creator is that of father and daughter. When Pietro meets Team RWBY, he extends his fatherly attitude towards them, talking about how often his daughter has spoken of them, confiding in them his concerns about Ironwood despite having only just met them and worrying about them when they're captured by Ace-Ops. |
| 234 | [[/folder]] |
| 235 | |
| 236 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 237 | * Parodied in the ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip [[http://xkcd.com/350/ "Network"]]: Somehow the computer guy's virtualized viruses invoke some kind of CutenessProximity towards him. "Who's a good virus? You are! Yes, you are!" |
| 238 | * Dr. Lee in ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'' would be this trope if not for certain conditions; she does care about her creations, but those creations are made out of kidnapped human beings. |
| 239 | * Dr. Sciuridae from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is a rare fatherly scientist. Not only does he treat the subjects of the lab where he works much better than his colleagues, but he also eventually takes advantage of an opportunity to free them, and helps them adjust to normal society. Bonus Points for making a ReplacementGoldfish [[spoiler:of his dead daughter]] in the process. |
| 240 | * Jean's relationship with Molly in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' is the Pinocchio Scenario. Slight variation in that Bob was the one who raised her from infancy since Jean didn't realize her experiment had produced her until Molly was already grown, but Jean is now completely devoted to raising her right. |
| 241 | ** She's tried to develop a similar rapport with Molly's clone "sisters," Golly and Jolly, but they had each grown and established their own lives before Jean even met them. |
| 242 | ** Molly considers her robot Roofus her son, and he calls her Mom. |
| 243 | ** Golly considers both Jolly [[TangledFamilyTree (it's complicated)]] and [[MechanicalAbomination Gosh]] her children, which they acknowledge, but she has a poor relationship with both of them. |
| 244 | * Dr. John Bowman of ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' has produced {{Uplifted Animal}}s as a "proof of concept". To prevent them from [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness being scrapped]], he [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff800/fv00712.htm arranged]] [[PetTheDog for their release in public]]. Although since he's recluse who is described as a {{jerkass}} by the few people who have met him, Florence hasn't quite ruled out the possibility that he believed his experiments would be dangerous, and just released them because [[ForTheEvulz he thought it would be funny]]. |
| 245 | ** [[spoiler:When Florence meets Dr. Bowman face-to-face, [[IWantGrandkids he asks her about grandchildren]]. It turns out to be a SecretTestOfCharacter.]] |
| 246 | * Tabitha in ''Webcomic/FarOutThere'' definitely qualifies. Her crowning achievements are a pair of super-powered zombie children, of whom she is [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1072517/page-267-mothering-instinct extremely protective]]. |
| 247 | * Lindesfarne of ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' experimented on some mice (who, in this fictional universe, are as sapient as she is) for a school project. Kevin at one point expresses concern that she might get overly attached to them, and this is proven correct when she cancels the experiment and does an alternate project, keeping the mice around in her room and often having conversations with them. |
| 248 | * ''Webcomic/{{Follower}}'': Dr. Calway appears to treat the second generation Chio as her own children. |
| 249 | * ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'': Despite being a stern taskmaster and occasionally short-tempered, Dr [[MadScientist Virgil]] [[TragicVillain Haas]] cares for and respects his robotic minions Dryden and Chaucer. The feeling is mutual, which plays an important role in the denouement. |
| 250 | * The only slightly MadScientist who turned Jack into the titular SuperSoldier with serious ShockAndAwe in ''Webcomic/{{Crankrats}}'' did implant steampunk contraptions in a six-year-old's chest, but other than that he treated Jack like a son. |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 254 | * Professor Utonium from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'', who creates the title characters and winds up adopting them as his children. |
| 255 | * While Godzilla, Jr. {{imprint|ing}}s on Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulous in ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'', Nick does react as if Godzilla is truly his son. |
| 256 | * Dr. Noreen "Nora" Wakemen for XJ-9, aka Jenny, in ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot''. Jenny calls her "Mom". |
| 257 | ** From the same series, Melody is the [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter beautiful robotic daughter]] of a Fatherly Scientist. |
| 258 | * On ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim,'' WordOfGod says [[ForScience Professor Membrane's]] "son" [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] was created as some sort of experiment ([[{{Fanon}} possibly a clone]], since the two look alike). |
| 259 | ** Admittedly, [[ParentalNeglect he's not a very]] ''[[ParentalNeglect good]]'' [[ParentalNeglect father]] most of the time. He does try, though -- he's just really busy being the most important scientist in the world and one of the [[AdultsAreUseless more competent adults]]. After all, he did give Dib the keys to the anti-Santa weapons arsenal when he needs it to save the world from a giant Santa robot monster... seriously. |
| 260 | * {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'': The crystal that powers the Dynak X computer holds the memories of ComicStrip/FlashGordon's deceased wife. Her son Rick is extremely fond of her, even if she remains in computer form. |
| 261 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' has Princess Bubblegum. In the case of her creation Goliad, she acts as a kindly mother or preschool teacher figure to her. But when Goliad [[AIIsACrapshoot turns out to be evil]], Princess Bubblegum abandons this attitude quickly and traps Goliad in a psychic battle to save her kingdom. |
| 262 | ** In the case of Lemongrab, she initially has an IHaveNoSon attitude towards him, because he is a failed experiment and a very mean person. Later on, however, Princess Bubblegum talks to Lemongrab and discovers that he is actually very sad and lonely. She feels great sympathy for her failed creation and takes it upon herself to try, in various ways, to ease his unhappiness and solitude. Even when he is openly hostile to her, she tries to help him, knowing that he is her responsibility. Eventually Princess Bubblegum makes a Lemongrab clone, for Lemongrab "to be with". The Lemongrabs become very fond of their creator after this, and the princess affectionately calls them "boys". The Lemongrabs call Princess Bubblegum "Mother Princess", and Lemongrab on one occasion refers to her as "Mommy". But like any real dysfunctional family, the Lemongrabs immaturely blame their mom for most of their self-inflicted problems, and Princess Bubblegum finds them to be frustrating and annoying to deal with, even saying, "I need to keep a closer eye on them so they don't get into any more trouble." |
| 263 | ** The Lemongrabs are a male example, being fatherly scientists. They create twenty-something little creatures and refer to them as their children. Unlike PB, they take this a step further by actually being openly affectionate and doting to their creations. Then [[spoiler:the first Lemongrab makes the ultimate regression and becomes a [[AbusiveParents horrifically abusive father]], while the second Lemongrab evolves to the opposite extreme and ends up sacrificing his life for his children]]. |
| 264 | * Dolores and Jonathan Vale from ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock,'' who created a genetically engineered superbaby partially to fill a void from being unable to have children of their own. When they realized the lab planned to turn her into a SuperSoldier, they rescued her and spent life on the run, raising her as their daughter. |
| 265 | * {{Implied|Trope}} to be the case with Max Sawyer in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''. Max was a scientist on the [[SuperSoldier Supertrooper Project]], and pretty much the father figure in Goose's life. Max's [[spoiler: dying]] words to Goose are very paternal, complementing the young Ranger on the fine man he's become. |
| 266 | * Dr. Erika Slate of ''WesternAnimation/BigGuyAndRustyTheBoyRobot'' designed and built the titular boy robot and treats him as a son, often going to extremes to aid him if he's in danger although he's a walking weapons platform. However, she was extremely surprised to hear Rusty ask if she was his mother. |
| 267 | * ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' has Professor Emil Hamilton showing considerable concern for the welfare of Galatea, a clone he created [[spoiler:from DNA he stole from Supergirl]]. In the episode "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E11PanicInTheSky Panic in the Sky]]", while she's shown to be rather snarky, it's shown that she certainly sees him as a father figure, given the farewell she gives him before leaving for a mission. |
| 268 | --> '''Galatea:''' ''[hugs Hamilton]'' Goodbye, Daddy.\ |
| 269 | ''[Hamilton's eyes widen, then he looks on forlornly as Galatea leaves]'' |
| 270 | * Professor Venomous from ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' is an interesting male example; Venomous is a villain that apparently created Fink. Though he doesn't refer to her as his child and instead just calls her a "minion", he pretty much treats her as if she was his child. |
| 271 | * ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': Helga Jace, a scientist in service of the Markovian royal family, is [[ForcedIntoEvil forced into service]] activating teenagers' metagenes; when rescued, she acts as a ParentalSubstitute to Brion and Tara, as well as Halo. [[spoiler:She's [[EvilAllAlong eventually revealed]] to be a more twisted version of this, believing that Brion and Tara have been "reborn" as "her children" due to her experiments; she feels the same about Halo until learning that she was empowered another way, at which point she switches to ThatThingIsNotMyChild.]] |
| 272 | * Gyro Gearloose in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. His inventions may case him no end of headaches, but considers them his "darlings" and will go PapaWolf on anyone he believes has misused them. The only robot exempt from his treatment is his first invention [[spoiler:[[AstroClone B.O.Y.D./2-BO]]]], whom Gyro considered no more than a KillerRobot. When he learned [[spoiler:B.O.Y.D.'s previous rampage was from being overwritten by his old mentor]], Gyro immediately did a 180 and embraced the robot like it was his own son. |
| 273 | * Flashbacks in ''WesternAnimation/MonsterForce'' show Dr. Viktor Frankenstein was this to his creation. Having given him life, Viktor didn't want his creation to be alone and so he willfully decided to create the monster a mate. It's implied that Viktor accepting and seeking to help his creation is why the Monster wound up being heroic. |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 277 | * Dian Fossey from ''Film/GorillasInTheMist'': First she goes to Africa to study the gorillas, and then fights to protect them (bonus points for being a real person). |
| 278 | * Same with Jane Goodall. |
| 279 | * Koko, the signing gorilla, seems to think of Francine "Penny" Paterson, the researcher who taught her most of the sign-language and seems to have raised her, like her mother. Penny seems to see Koko as her child as well. |
| 280 | * Christina Maslach, who brought about the early end of the infamous StanfordPrisonExperiment by objecting to the subjects' suffering as she was preparing to help with the experiment as a graduate student. Philip Zimbardo, who ran the experiment, noted that she was the only person out of more than fifty people who had observed the experiment to question its morality. |
| 281 | [[/folder]] |
| 282 |
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