History Main / IllegalGuardian

[[folder: Film ]]

%%* Edgar, the butler in ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats''

* A movie for ''Literature/TheLittles'' focused on Tom and Lucy befriending an orphan boy who's abused and locked up by his uncle, who only took him in for the access to boy's inheritance. Later the boy finds a letter from his father saying that his uncle was ''never'' meant to adopt him, someone else was.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'' the titular duo meets with Robyn, a girl with a DisappearedDad who is under the care of Aunt Figg and Mr. Lickboot, and her guardians are more concerned for money than her well-being.

This is the Illegal Guardian, who may be an EvilUncle or WickedStepmother or no relative at all with an EvilPlan to get all the money from those darn ''cough, cough'' beloved children.

Our favorite HeartwarmingOrphan has recently lost his [[ParentalAbandonment beloved parents]] and is in danger of being sent to an OrphanageOfFear. But what's this? [[EvilUncle That uncle we've never heard of has agreed to be our legal guardian!]] The family fortune is saved! We just have to wait until we're 18 and... what's uncle doing with that axe?

* Edgar, the butler in ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'' the titular duo meets with Robyn, a girl with a DisappearedDad who is under the care of Aunt Figg and Mr. Lickboot, and her guardians are more concerned for money than her wellbeing.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Harry believed his Uncle and his Aunt would have stolen his father's fortune if they knew about it. Given how they treated him, it's a reasonable fear.

* In ''Anime/MichikoAndHatchin'', Hana is adopted by a priest after her mother is arrested. The entire family is abusive, and the priest's main motivation for keeping Hana around is for the welfare payments. And that's ''before'' said priest decides to just try and kill her after she runs away so he can cash in on the insurance money.

* Count Olaf throughout ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', who is after the family fortune and otherwise shows nothing but contempt for the Baudelaires. Esmé Squalor as well, though she cares less about the money and more about reversing and getting revenge for a wrong she blames on [[spoiler:their mother]]. A few others ("Sir", Principal Nero, and the Village of Fowl Devotees) clearly do not have the children's best interests at heart and are happy to exploit them, but aren't as outright evil. (That really only leaves Monty, Josephine and Emsé's husband Jerome as the only guardians that are ''not'' this trope.)

[[quoteright:184:[[Theatre/{{Annie}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rooster_hannigan.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:184:[[BlatantLies They look like kind, loving guardians for a heartwarming orphan girl]]]]

Not to be confused with a nanny whose only crime is [[TheIllegal being undocumented]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Count Olaf throughout ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Harry believed his Uncle and his Aunt would have stolen his father's fortune if they knew about it. Given [[CinderellaCircumstances how they treated him]], it's a reasonable fear.

* In ''Series/HelpImATenageOutlaw'', Sir John Snakelaw is Lady Devereux's EvilUncle and legal guardian who keeps her a virtual prisoner in her own castle while he schemes way to seize permanent control of her lands and fortune.

* In ''Anime/MichikoToHatchin'', Hana is adopted by a priest after her mother is arrested. The entire family is abusive, and the priest's main motivation for keeping Hana around is for the welfare payments. And that's ''before'' said priest decides to just try and kill her after she runs away so he can cash in on the insurance money.

[[caption-width-right:184:[[BlantantLies They look like kind, loving guardians for a heartwarming orphan girl]]]]

* WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry helped a girl who lived with that kind of guardian in TheMovie.

* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' Barnaby was raised by his parents' friend and business partner following his parents' murder. It turns out Maverick [[spoiler:used his super power a type of MindRape to control Barnaby and make him believe the murder was someone other than Maverick himself, while using him as a means of raising the profile of HeroTV, the superhero tv show Barnaby works for.]] All while staging many of the the crimes Barnaby and his coworkers stop, directly against the wishes of his Baranby's parents.

* Edgar, the butler in ''Disney/TheAristocats''

* Creator/RoaldDahl's ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'' features the terrifying Agatha Trunchbull, evil aunt to the angelic Miss Honey, who fits this trope to a tee. Not only did she force Miss Honey to do all the housework as a child, she also [[spoiler:mistreated her, leaving her a nervous wreck]]. All this ''after'' she had [[spoiler:forced the emotionally battered Miss Honey to forfeit all rights to her inheritance]].

* Sheridan [=LeFanu=]'s ''Uncle Silas''. Played with a bit, as the dying father intentionally leaves his daughter in his brother's care to clear his name, as he thinks Silas was wrongfully accused of murder years ago.