History Characters / KingOfTheHillHankHill

* BoyfriendBlockingDad: Averted, at least in the case of Luaanne. While Hank probably ''would'' be like this to his own birth daughter, he doesn't interfere with Luanne's dating whoever she wants. When Dale actually asks Hank why he lets Luanne go out with her "hairball" of a boyfriend (Buckley), Hank explains that since she isn't his actual daughter, he doesn't think it's his decision. That said, if Hank suspects that Luanne is being mistreated or may come to harm in some way, he will rush to the rescue.

** A minor example is Hank's reaction to drag queens. In "The Peggy Horror Picture Show", he literally cannot comprehend Jamie as a man and continues to think of him as a woman, despite encountering men in drag beforehand (and being mortified) in "Next of Shin", "Pretty, Pretty Dresses", and "My Own Private Rodeo". In the second example, he even puts on a dress ''himself'' to try and cover for Bill (acting as Lenore) at his Christmas party, saying, "It's ''that'' kind of party!" The following season after "The Peggy Horror Picture Show" also has the episode "The Powder Puff Boys", which ''explicitly'' features Hank pushing Bobby into crossdressing. All for the sake of football, of course, which makes it okay.

** This goes so far that when Peggy tells Hank that her new friend "Caroline" is a man in drag, he simply doesn't understand the concept of a man wanting to dress like a woman. Not only this, Hank goes on thinking Caroline is actually a woman, despite the explanation, [[WeirdnessCensor because it's the only circumstance he can realistically fathom]] (even though he had [[CharacterizationMarchesOn actually previously encountered men crossdressing]]).

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In "Westie Side Story", Hank eats Kahn's mesquite-grilled burger and declares it "the best damn burger" he ever ate. This was long before Hank's obsession with propane and outright hate for any other form of cooking became a defining trait of his, and a very far cry from the man whose wife and son would later have to [[GRatedDrug hide their own charcoal-grilling like a drug habit]], knowing that Hank would consider this an unforgivable act of betrayal. It's also possible he's more tolerant when wood is involved, since he doesn't mind smokers or BBQ.

** This goes so far that when Peggy tells Hank that her new friend "Caroline" is a man in drag, he simply doesn't understand the concept of a man wanting to dress like a woman. Not only this, Hank goes on thinking Caroline is actually a woman, despite the explanation, [[WeirdnessCensor because it's the only circumstance he can realistically fathom]].

* TheUnFavorite: Cotton tries to name his second child "Hank", even going so far as to tell Hank it's not his name anymore. When Hank protests that you can't just take a grown man's name away from him, Cotton elects to name his new son "''Good'' Hank".

* BigApplesauce: [[spoiler:Hank was born in the ladies' room at Yankee Stadium. He is ''not'' pleased to learn about it, since he always thought that he was a native Texan.]]

* BrooklynRage: Hank was born in New York City, a fact he is ''very'' unhappy to learn, and he is prone to getting angry easily. It gets worse when he finds out he was born in the women's restroom of Yankee Stadium, all because Cotton dragged a pregnant Tilly there so he can assassinate Fidel Castro. A DeletedScene however, wherein Hank and the guys converse about the year, has Hank state that this never happened, and was nothing but a vivid dream of Bill.

** Hank's fear is not wholly unjustified: In a later episode, he again told Cotton he hated him. This time, Cotton didn't take it too well and [[UnstoppableRage went on the rampage]] in a house they were building. [[spoiler: It took the peacemaking efforts of former US president Jimmy Carter to talk him down and reconcile him with Hank.]]

** There's also the instance in [[spoiler: "Strangers on a Train", where he and Peggy have sex in the bathroom of a moving train.]]

** When interviewing perspective job applicants at Strickland Propane, Peggy chastises Hank for some of the (illegal) questions he's going to ask the applicants, such as whether or not they are Christian. She also gets on his case about his refusal to hire a qualified female applicant. [[spoiler: And for good reason as the man he hired turns out to be a drug addict.]]

* AllLovingHero: He has his limits, and will kick someone's ass if he, his family, or his friends are threatened, but he generally assumes the best of most people until proven otherwise and is accepting of others.

** ''He'' was a bully, as shown in "Husky Bobby" when Hank made fun of a fat student. When Bobby asked him how he dealt with bullies when he was younger, Hank responded with chuckling and wondering why bullies would ever bully him. Flashbacks of his days with his friends support that he used to be rather rash and reckless as a jock.

* ParentsAsPeople: He is a very flawed individual, as seen in many entries in this list; his sense of values and standards can reach BlueAndOrangeMorality levels at times, and he can very insistent on his son following the exact same values he grew up with, or believes in. But all the same for all of his errors, Hank does mean well by Bobby, cares for and will defend him despite their inherent differences, and outright says in the first episode no less that Bobby has never disappointed him compared to many in Arlen.

** Downplayed, and mostly falling under this to [[DependingOnTheWriter fulfill the needs of the story or]][[AnAesop to fulfill a moral]]. Hank is rather emotionally controlling with Bobby and doesn't always have a good read on what his son's emotional needs are, to the point of being rather negligent. Hank continually tries to shape Bobby into being like himself, and is skeptical of allowing his son to indulge in anything he disapproves of (fantasy books, rap music, clouds on his wall, video games, and any other things that could make people see Bobby as a nerd). Some he learns to accept, others are retroactively revealed to have a justification. In the GrandFinale, Hank finally accepts his son and shows joy in what he's doing... because [[BrokenAesop he's doing something Hank's been pressuring him to get into probably since he got into propane]]. In short, Hank is trying to do right by Bobby, but Hank's view of "right" is slightly myopic at times. He's ultimately more ParentsAsPeople rather than truly falling into this trope, but specific episodes on their own can give off this vibe.

** Downplayed. Hank is rather emotionally controlling with Bobby and doesn't always have a good read on what his son's emotional needs are, to the point of being rather negligent. Hank continually tries to shape Bobby into being like himself, and is skeptical of allowing his son to indulge in anything he disapproves of (fantasy books, rap music, clouds on his wall, video games, and any other things that could make people see Bobby as a nerd). In the GrandFinale, Hank finally accepts his son and shows joy in what he's doing... because [[BrokenAesop he's doing something Hank's been pressuring him to get into probably since he got into propane]]. In short, Hank is trying to do right by Bobby, but Hank's view of "right" is slightly myopic.
** Alluded to in the pilot episode, where, after witnessing angry outbursts from Hank, and seeing Bobby sporting a black eye (obtained in a softball game), a social worker jumps to the conclusion that Hank abuses Bobby and calls Social Services on him.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Hank is shown to be more physically fit than most beer-bellied good-ol'-boys you see.
* ActionDad: He doesn’t show it often due to the show being a realistic sitcom, but he is ass kicker of both the figurative and literal varieties and more physically fit than many of the other characters in the show; he once survived a tornado by grabbing onto a freaking telephone pole.

* AfraidOfDoctors: Owing to his overall tense nature, Hank often tries to solve any medical problem by himself. His wife Peggy will usually have to drag him to one, much to his own chagrin.

* BornInTheWrongCentury: [[NostalgiaFilter He often wonders when people stopped believing in hard work, honesty, decency, modesty, and plain old common sense]]. Of course, Hank's definition of decency, modesty, and common sense are all rather skewed.

* BrooklynRage: Hank was born in New York City, a fact he is ''very'' unhappy to learn, and he is prone to getting angry easily. It gets worse when he finds out he was born in the women's restroom of Yankee Stadium, all because Cotton dragged a pregnant Tilly there so he can assassinate Fidel Castro.
* TheBully: ''He'' was a bully, as shown in "Husky Bobby" when Hank made fun of a fat student. When Bobby asked him how he dealt with bullies when he was younger, Hank responded with chuckling and wondering why bullies would ever bully him. Flashbacks of his days with his friends support that he used to be rather rash and reckless as a jock. He does later get a bully in an obnoxious kid living across the street in "Hank's Bully."

** He was traumatized by an attractive StalkerWithACrush female cop who pulled him over on a trumped-up charge just so she could grope him. He wound up singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" under his breath the whole time to get himself through it.[[note]]This is probably a more realistic reaction than what [[AllMenArePerverts male characters usually get slapped with on television]].[[/note]]

* DefrostingIceKing: Hank undergoes subtle CharacterDevelopment throughout the series that sees him become a little more flexible in his convictions, open to compromise (though still by no means easily malleable), and more receptive to affection from friends and family than he was when the show began.

* DoWrongRight: When he punishes Bobby for smoking by making him smoke a whole carton, he criticizes the way Bobby holds his cigarettes and teaches him how to do it properly, saying "Whatever you do, you should do right, even if it's something wrong."

** Hank also lets this shine when interviewing employees for Strickland Propane. He passes over a highly-qualified applicant because she's a woman, but is portrayed as simply being uncomfortable with having a woman around the workplace and not being sure how to interact with a woman in that setting. There's also the implication he didn't hire her for even more shallow reasons; namely that she wasn't a fan of sports. There's ''also'' the implication that he didn't hire her because he thought Peggy would get mad if he hired a woman, and accuse him of only doing so because he wanted to have sex with her. [[MortonsFork Peggy got mad anyway]], saying that ''not'' hiring her obviously means that he wanted to have sex with her so bad he didn't think he'd be able to resist the temptation if he had to see her every day.

* JerkassBall: While Hank is usually a well-meaning person, he very much lapses into {{Jerkass}} territory whenever trying to force his lifestyle and values onto Bobby.

** Hank has tried to justified his rage a few times by stating that [[SurroundedByIdiots “He doesn’t have an anger problem but an idiot problem.”]] Given the likes of [[ConspiracyTheorist Dale,]] [[FatIdiot Bill,]] and even his own Wife, [[KnowNothingKnowItAll Peggy]] and how their antics have frequently dragged him into trouble, it’s hard to argue against Hank’s point.

* RealMenEatMeat: Hank loves meat so much that he considers macaroni and cheese a ''vegetable'': probably just because there's no meat in it. This is TruthInTelevision; most barbecue restaurants in Texas consider all side dishes as “vegetables,” including macaroni and cheese.

-->'''Hank:''' You almost made me spit out beer!

** In a meta sense, he's a flip of the stereotypical sitcom dad. He's reserved and introverted, loves his dead-end job, is usually the smartest and most mature person in the room and seldom gets angry unless provoked.

* TeamDad: He is the undisputed leader of his buddies, doing his best to keep them from falling into chaos. Unusually for the trope he doesn't assume the position due to being older (as he, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer are all the same age), he's just by far the most sensible and responsible friend they've got and they all respect and admire him enough to let him steer the ship. When things do go wrong for them it's usually because they didn't involve Hank and the solution to their problems is usually calling Hank.

** This does have limits though, as Buck learned after endangering Hank's family. As the two are making their escape from an angry mob, Hank lets off the gas long enough for Buck to take a beating before driving off.

* UnusualHiringPractices: Hank hired workers based on their knowledge of football. This bit him in the ass when he hired a drug addict who was a Cowboys fan.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: "It Came from the Garage" reveals that Hank has a phobia of bats. Naturally, he has to [[FaceYourFears sail underneath a bridge where hundreds of them live]] in order to save Bobby in the same episode.

** Hank was also swindled by a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman for 25 years, ever since the salesman told the teenage Hank buying his very first car that paying sticker price was a huge discount available only to a privileged few]]. Present-day Hank is of course an extremely honest salesman ([[CatchPhrase of propane and propane accessories]]), and it seemingly never crossed his mind that a salesman could be dishonest.