Basic Trope: Either The Leader or The Mentor is older than the other heroes and acts as a father figure to them.
- Straight: In the show The Heroes of New Tropeland, the title characters are a team consisting of The Leader Bob, his Best Friend Marcus, the nerdy Genius Cripple Larry, the mute muscle David, Larry's girlfriend Alice, Sixth Ranger Charles, Cloudcuckoolander Melanie, Token Evil Teammate Jim, Iron Woobie George, Fluffy the white cat, and Vincent the fatherly mentor. Vincent acts as a father figure to the whole team. Having started out as nothing more than The Mentor, he trained and organized The Team. Now he loves them as if they were his own children, acts as a figure of authority to them, and is basically A Father to His Men (and women).
- Exaggerated:
- Vincent is overprotective of his "children" and never lets them out of his sight.
- The heroes are True Companions who live with Vincent and call him "Dad".
- Downplayed: Marcus and Charles think of Vincent as a father figure, because he's such a Cool Old Guy. However, Vincent doesn't see himself as a father to The Team, and neither do the others.
- Justified:
- The heroes are orphans and were adopted by Vincent.
- Alternatively, their parents are still alive, but it is normal for neighbors or family friends to raise children in New Tropeland.
- They are Vincent's children; it's a Super Family Team.
- Emperor Evulz murdered Vincent's wife and children; Vincent sees the heroes as Replacement Goldfish for his children.
- Inverted:
- Vincent mentored the heroes and then came to hate them; he's essentially another villain.
- The team is accompanied by a much younger character.
- Gender Inverted:
- Helen is a mother figure to the group.
- Vincent is the Team Mom.
- Helen is a mother figure to the group, but is more like a typical Team Dad; she is strict but loving, and leads by example.
- Subverted: Bob tells a friend that Vincent is a father figure to The Team. Vincent says, "I don't know what you're talking about, Bob. We're just friends."
- Double Subverted: "...Ha! Just kidding! You'll always be like a son to me."
- Parodied: The heroes are adults, but Vincent treats them like toddlers.
- Zig Zagged: At first everyone sees Vincent as a father figure, except David and Melanie. Despite being the Cloudcuckoolander, Melanie manages to wrap her head around the concept at some point ... but Larry somehow forgets.
- Averted: The heroes do not have a father figure in their lives.
- Enforced: "It looks hopeless for our heroes. We're losing viewers because they all think Emperor Evulz is going to win. Let's give the gang a fatherly mentor."
- Lampshaded: "This is Vincent. At first, he was just our good friend and mentor, but now he's like a father to us."
- Invoked:
- Vincent raises his children (biological or adoptive) as heroes, in the hope that they will go on to defeat Emperor Evulz.
- Vincent is a veteran hero who has wanted to defeat Emperor Evulz most of his life. However, he is now too old to do much on his own, so he assembles a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits.
- The heroes' previous mentor has just died. Vincent sees that they are still hopelessly unprepared, and decides to become a father figure to them as well as a mentor.
- Exploited: Emperor Evulz captures Vincent to create a diversion for the heroes.
- Defied: "Thanks, Vincent, but we don't need you anymore. You said it yourself; we've completed our training."
- Discussed: "Our mentor is too emotionally distant. If only he saw himself as a father figure to us."
- Conversed: "It's so sweet how that old man acts like a father to the heroes."
- Implied: Vincent is only shown in background appearances, but he clearly cares for the heroes.
- Deconstructed: The Team's reactions to Vincent's fathering varies. Some of them appreciate it and some of them don't. "You're not my dad!" is likely to be said at some point.
- Reconstructed: Vincent being the Team Dad is what happens naturally when the learn to trust each other.
- Played For Laughs:
- Played For Drama: Vincent dies in the final fight with Emperor Evulz.
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