Adaptational Upbringing Change

Top: Captain Underpants.
Bottom: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

An easy way to alter an established character's personality, circumstances or moral standing in a Derivative Work is to change their upbringing. In this What If? scenario, sometimes even minor differences in how the hero is raised can influence the story in a major way. This trope often goes hand in hand with Upbringing Makes the Hero and Nature vs. Nurture, sliding towards Nurture over Nature. Common ways to raise a character differently include:

• Changing the personality of the parents, from Good Parents to Abusive Parents or the other way around.
• If the character is an orphan originally, exploring how they would have turned out if their parents were still alive and could have raised them. Alternatively, making an orphan out of them to increase the Angst.
• Changing the parents out completely, through adoption or other means. This can overlap with Related in the Adaptation, Related Differently in the Adaptation or Adaptation Origin Connection. If the new parents are the parents of a different character in the original Canon, the resulting kid may become a Composite Character. Also an easy way to meld two media properties in a Crossover by having the parents be from a different canon altogether.
• In the case of a Muggle upbringing in the original setting, raising the character with knowledge of the fantastical world by The Mentor or someone else in the know.
• Changing the circumstances in another major way by e.g. a different homeland or different parental socio-economic status or education (from poor to rich, rich to poor...).

The consequences can be massive: Adaptational Angst Upgrade or Adaptational Angst Downgrade can occur, the Stations of the Canon can be thrown out immediately, the character's badassery takes several levels — or, In Spite of a Nail, very few important things actually change.

Altering a character's upbringing is an easy way to shake up the established origin story of Comic Book superheroes. This is also a common presence in Fanfiction: in the case of a tragic backstory, Fix Fics may improve a character's lot in life. Making the backstory more tragic can be a catalyst for Dark Fic or Hurt/Comfort Fic.

Subtrope of Adaptational Backstory Change. Compare Raise Him Right This Time, when a character is reverted to an infant to be raised as a much happier and better person.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Di Gi Charat: In the Original Series, Usada/Rabi~en~Rose has Abusive Parents who abandoned her to go to America when she was young and left her with only a pair of dice to help her become a great idol. In Di Gi Charat Nyo!, Usada lives with her parents at their salon and she has a very close relationship with both of them. Her dice, and by extension transformation into Rabi~en~Rose, are also explained as something that is passed down through the family.

Comic Books

• The Flash: Downplayed. Originally, Barry had a happy childhood with both of his parents before becoming The Flash. Post-The Flash: Rebirth^note No relation to The Flash (2016) released during DC Rebirth, however, Eobard Thawne went back in time and killed Barry's mother, which Barry's father took the fall for. While Barry retains most of his personality, he is a sadder, more driven character due to this, and his trauma over this backstory leads him to almost break the universe in the infamous Flashpoint storyline.
• Futurama: In issue #74, "What the What If?", the professor's What If? machine explodes, splitting New New York into a variety of different self-contained universes. In one of them, Leela was never given up by her parents to live on the surface, so she was raised in the sewers to be meek and naive. She's also dating Leg Mutant.
• Superman: It's popular for writers to tweak Superman's backstory in Elseworlds stories.
  • In Flashpoint, Superman's rocket lands in the middle of Metropolis along with a meteor shower instead of Kansas. As a result, he's seized by the military and kept inside a bunker his entire life.
  • On Earth-10, his rocket ends up in Czechoslovakia in 1938 and is subsequently taken in by Nazi Germany. He would later become Overman, a brutal enforcer of the Nazi regime.
  • On Earth-23, Kalel resembles an African-American boy and is raised by black parents in the city, resulting in him taking special action against racial discrimination and successfully running for the Oval Office in his civilian identity, Calvin Ellis.
  • Superman: Red Son sees an infant Superman land in the Soviet Union instead of the United States on Earth-30. In contrast to the main canon's Superman's standard MO of upholding "truth, justice, and the American way", this Soviet Superman is a Totalitarian Utilitarian.
  • Another Elseworlds story, Superman: Speeding Bullets, has Superman found and raised by the Waynes as their son Bruce. After watching his parents brutally gunned down by Joe Chill, Bruce incinerates Chill with Heat Vision before becoming a social recluse haunted by the constant crime in Gotham City. Eventually, he snaps, taking to the night as Batman.
• Teen Titans: Teen Titans: Earth One overhauls the origins of the Teen Titans, giving them far different family backgrounds from their mainstream counterparts. In this version, all of them are adopted; Cyborg is raised by domineering single mother Elinore Stone, Terra is the adopted daughter of Rita Farr, Raven was raised by a grandfather on a reservation, Joseph is the adopted (rather than biological) son of Slade Wilson, and while Garfield Logan was adopted by Steve Dayton, as in the normal timeline, in this version, Dayton has a husband. The result is that Raven is much more well-adjusted than her normal counterpart, while Joey is more spoiled and cynical, Vic has a massive chip on his shoulder, and Tara is even more troubled than usual. Gar is more or less the same... until he loses his dad to The Conspiracy.
• Young Avengers: Originally in the Marvel Comics universe, America Chavez was raised in a Utopian dimension, which her mothers sacrificed themselves to save, and she left Utopia of her own accord when inspired by them to be a hero. In Marvel Rising, America's mothers tricked her into being teleported to Earth before they made their sacrifice. Consequently, Marvel Rising's America is a lot more cynical than her comics counterpart, due to her bitter feelings about her parents instead of wanting to follow their example.

Fan Works

• Blackened Masks is a Persona 5 Anthology Series that puts the different members of the Phantom Thieves in the position of the Black Mask killer. Because Goro Akechi, who was the original Black Mask in the main game, is no longer a Dragon-in-Chief, he ends up having a much healthier upbringing as a result of him being Happily Adopted by much more well-meaning people like Yoshida, resulting him in undergoing Adaptational Nice Guy or straight up Adaptational Heroism.
• The Blood of the Covenant:
  • Unlike in canon, here Zuko was abducted by the assassin Ozai had hired to kill him (as she refused to kill a baby). She eventually finds the baby a home with the Southern Water tribe. Despite the baby's obvious Fire Nation heritage, Bato and his wife happily take him in as their son, renaming him Kallik. Unlike his canon childhood, where Zuko grew up with an abusive father and sadistic little sister, Kallik was raised in a healthy environment with his cousins Sokka and Katara (both of whom stood by him even after it was revealed he could firebend).
  • This happens to Azula, too, but in a downplayed example. She's still raised by her father to be a soldier/leader/master firebender, but she doesn't have her canon mommy issues due to Ursa showering her with affection due to losing her first child. As such, Azula has more morals, empathy, and is more prone to Pragmatic Villainy than in canon (which actually makes her MORE dangerous).
• In Fate/Reach Out, Shirou was originally Yu Narukami. Instead of being The Ace and a Cloudcuckoolander, he's somewhat familiar with supernatural events already and aims at being a Hero of Justice. He also suffers from intense hidden Survivor Guilt and lives with his guardian and surrogate sister Taiga Fujimura until she introduces him to his birth family.
• The Great Ace Detective: In The Great Ace Attorney, Iris Wilson was raised by Herlock Sholmes after the death of her parents Klint van Ziek and his wife Lady Baskerville. In the What If? fic, Iris's birth father is alive and she raised by him along with his brother Barok, though she is still a talented young girl and an anonymous mystery writer. Additionally, Iris's name is changed to Henrietta since it was her father that named her rather than Sholmes.
• Many Harry Potter fanfics use this premise to explore how different Harry would be if he wasn't abused by the Dursleys:
  • The Accidental Animagus: Having escaped the Dursleys after becoming the titular Animagus, Harry ends up finding the Grangers, who adopt him, meaning that he and Hermione grow up as siblings. Additionally, because Dumbledore tracks down the missing Harry, both children learn about the wizarding world at a far younger age, resulting in them being raised with more knowledge of magic, and the dangers they will face in Hogwarts, resulting in the Grangers signing their children up for Karate lessons, as well as them teaching themselves wandless magic.
  • A Better Man: Vernon Dursley, originally Harry's abusive uncle, gets a second chance at life after his death and becomes a better person. He and his wife Petunia raise Harry and their son Dudley as Good Parents. Instead of becoming a bully, Dudley turns into a protective big brother type to Harry, and Harry has a much happier, less lonely home life.
  • The Boy Who is a One-Shot Fic collection, with various Crossover possibilities of alternative guardians for Harry Potter getting Played for Laughs. For example, Harry raised by Christian and Ana Grey becomes a terrifying perverted sadist to the point that Voldemort gives himself up to Dumbledore rather than deal with Harry, and Harry raised by Mary Poppins is a smart and well-behaved student who just has an unfortunate tendency of occasionally flying away with the east wind.
  • The Dogfather: Instead of being raised by his abusive aunt and uncle, Harry was adopted by a loving family. He turns out more well-adjusted, less lonely (he has ordinary Muggle friends) and less prone to reckless heroics (as he doesn't need to prove himself as much).
  • Harry Potter & Seven Years of Chaos: Harry is kicked out by his abusive aunt and uncle at age eight, becoming homeless. Harry becomes much more violent and cynical in turn, and gets sorted into Slytherin.
  • Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: Instead of being raised by his abusive aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon as in canon, Petunia instead married a scientist and became much nicer. Harry, in turn, grows up a confident person with a rational outlook and is much more intelligent and cunning (and more of a jerk) than his original counterpart.
  • Harry Potter and the Mother Who Lived: Harry's mother Lily does not die as in canon, and he is raised in a loving single-parent household instead of an abusive home. Harry grows up more well-adjusted, trusting of adults, and immersed in the magic world from the start.
  • Harry Tano: In this fic, Harry Potter was found/adopted by Ahsoka Tano when he was four years old. She raised him as her son and Padawan, teaching him the Jedi Way. This makes him notably more calm and mature than he is in canon, as well as more willing to forgive others.
• If Wishes Were Ponies: Rather than spend his entire childhood with the Dursleys, Harry (due to accidentally discovering a portal to Equestria) spends the latter half of his childhood (from age nine to adulthood) as the ward of Twilight Sparkle.
• Intercession is a Harry Potter/Worm Crossover fanfic where Taylor, transported to the Harry Potter world, takes baby Harry in and raises him as her son instead of his uncaring aunt and uncle. Harry grows up with a loving mother, becomes more self-assured and questions authority like Taylor, makes different friends, and is less interested in his birth parents compared to canon.
• JoJo New Universe:
  • Downplayed with Joseph Joestar. He still grows up without his parents thanks to his father being killed by one of DIO's zombies and his mother forced to go under the radar. It's just that along with his grandmother Erina he's also raised by his grandfather Jonathan, making him much more polite than the Jerk with a Heart of Gold he is in canon.
  • In canon Jolyne Kujo had to deal with her father Jotaro being absent from her life to protect her from enemy Stand Users, causing Jolyne to grow up to resent him and be Locked Out of the Loop of Stands until she is arrested. In New Universe, Jotaro is fully present in her childhood along with his wife and Jolyne's mother Fluttershy. Having both parents not gives Jolyne a much happier childhood and a closer relationship with her father, but she's more aware of her Joestar heritage and has her Stand by the events of Diamond is Unbreakable thanks to both of her parents being Stand users.
  • While in canon all of DIO's son had horrible childhoods (shown especially with Giorno and Donatello), here Ungalo, Rikiel, and Donatello had pampered and sheltered lives with their mothers being Midler, Mariah, and Enya respectively.
• Light of the Moon: In canon, Varian was raised by his beloved father, Quirin. While Varian lived the first eight years of his life with his father, he was abducted by Gothel and taken to the tower. He was raised by her for six years, and came to see Rapunzel as a sister. Unlike Rapunzel, however, he's fully aware that he was kidnapped and is being kept from his family. He doesn't tell Rapunzel this because Gothel threatened to harm his entire village if he didn't cooperate.
• Luz Clawthorne has Luz being adopted by Eda and brought into The Owl House as a baby after the former's parents were killed in a car crash.
• In Medicated, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy were transported to Amphibia as babies and temporarily transformed into a frog, toad, and newt respectively. As a result, they're familiar with Amphibian customs, don't even know what humans are called, make a lot of wrong assumptions about their true forms, and meet each other later in life.
• In Neither a Bird nor a Plane, it's Deku!, Kal-El lands by Mount Fuji instead of Smallville and is subsequently adopted by Inko and Hisashi Midoriya. So instead of becoming a Farm Boy turned Intrepid Reporter Clark Kent, he's raised as the nerdy Hero-Worshipper Izuku Midoriya. On the same note, growing up with Kryptonian superpowers from the age of four has left him terrified of his own strength, as he nearly killed Katsuki Bakugou after losing control of it when they were kids, not helped by the immense Fantastic Racism this world has. He swears off becoming a hero until his teenage years when All Might encourages him to become a hero despite his past mistakes.
• Obito-Sensei:
  • Sasuke's mother Mikoto, along with other Uchihas, survived the massacre by Itachi. Though Sasuke still wants to avenge his clan, he's a lot more mentally adjusted and more willing to socialize.
  • While in canon Naruto was an orphan, here his parents survived and he was raised in a happy household, giving Naruto greater social and shinobi skills and never became a prankster desiring attention from the village that shunned him or wanting to become Hokage and earn the people respect. However, his lack of status as either an orphan or a Jinchuriki means he isn't able to connect to enemies like Gaara.
• Once Upon a December Night: In canon, April had a normal upbringing until the events of the series' first episode. Here, she was kidnapped alongside her parents when she was a toddler, and lost both of her parents while escaping (her mother that same night, her father later when the Kraang killed him via experimentation). Splinter, honoring Mrs. O'Neill's dying wish, took April in and raised her alongside the Turtles. She has a much less traditional upbringing, but she's kept safe and clearly adored by her adopted family.
• The Sea Shadow: In canon, it's implied that Vivian was raised by Beldam, who was a complete Big Sister Bully to her which left her a Shrinking Violet Socially Awkward Hero. This fanfic, on the other hand, had her get adopted by Admiral Bobbery early in her childhood and, due to him both giving her more support growing up as well as her different environment, leads to her being a flirty, Hot-Blooded Deadpan Snarker as well as on the heroes' side on the get-go rather than having to pull a Heel–Face Turn.
• Something More (Adventure Time): Has this as the premise's Point of Divergence, Martin's getaway from his enemies in which he took Finn ends up with both washed back to Founders Island instead of sent far away; causing Finn to be raised by Minerva on his homeland instead of being raised by Joshua and Margaret on Ooo, this causes him to grow up far wiser than he did in canon and thus he ends up much more thoughtful upon becoming the hero of Ooo.
• Son of the Sannin:
  • The premise of this fanfic is that Naruto was adopted by Jiraiya and Tsunade shortly after the Kyubi's attack on Konoha rather than growing up without any parental figures. His personality is similar to canon, but he has an easier time making friends and becomes much stronger than he was in canon.
  • While Sasuke still loses most of his clan, he's raised by Itachi and Shisui. Like Naruto, his personality isn't much different either, but Itachi and Shisui are able to successfully rein in most of Sasuke's worst traits.
• Spider-Ninja: In this Spider-Man/TMNT crossover, Petra Parker lost her aunt and uncle when she was four. Thus, unlike most Peter Parkers who were raised by their respective Aunt Mays, Petra is found and adopted by Master Splinter. As such, Petra, while sharing many traits in common with her male counterpart, has more respect for authority, is a trained martial artist, and has never been a solo act (having always fought alongside at least one of her brothers).

Films — Animated

• Justice League: Gods and Monsters: Double Subverted with this film's version of Superman. After landing in Kansas, we're led to believe that the baby Superman will avert the film's Alternate Universe setting and be raised by the Kents. Instead, the local farming couple reports the baby to the U.S. Government but, before he can be taken away, the baby is taken in by an illegal immigrant family. Named Hernan Guerra, this film's Superman is initially portrayed as more morally ambiguous compared to Clark Kent, though the film heavily implies he'll mellow out over time.
• In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the final scenes show a version of Miles Morales in a world without Spider-Man; as a result of his father being killed, the Miles on Earth-42 has taken after his villainous Uncle Aaron and turned into the Prowler of that universe.

Films — Live-Action

• The Butterfly Effect does this via Time Travel, with the protagonist's childhood friends turning out very differently depending on what he does to their pedophile father.
• Cinderella (2015) does this to Cinderella as a result of having her father die later than in Cinderella (1950). The animated Cinderella's father died when she was still a child, so she spent her entire later childhood and adolescence being abused and made to serve her stepfamily. In the live-action remake, her father doesn't remarry and then die until she's already a young woman.

Live-Action TV

• In Batwoman, Kate Kane has a stepmother, Catherine Hamilton, and a stepsister, Mary, which has driven a wedge between her and her father for years, as she views her dad's remarriage as a sign that he gave up on finding her missing sister Beth and expects her to accept Mary as a replacement. In the comics, Kate does not have a stepsister but has a cousin, Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane, who used to be her sidekick.
• In Doom Patrol, Dorothy Spinner and Crazy Jane came from different families and were recruited independently of one another (Dorothy was recruited directly by the Doom Patrol, whereas Jane was brought to the Doom Patrol by Cliff.) In Doom Patrol (2019), Dorothy is the biological daughter of the Patrol's founder, Niles Caulder, and Jane is more or less Niles' adopted daughter, who is also unaware that he groomed her to be a replacement for Dorothy while the latter was confined. This creates a complicated relationship between Dorothy and Jane in season 2, where Dorothy is delighted at the idea of having a big sister, while Jane is torn between wanting put distance between herself and Niles but also feeling obligated to stay and protect Dorothy from him.
• The Flash (2014): In the comics, post-Rebirth, Barry loses his parents and goes to live with a family friend and policeman, Daryl Frye. In the show, the policeman who takes him in is Joe West, father to Barry's childhood friend/crush Iris West. This causes the two to be raised in the same household from the age of 11 on so that, while Barry knew he loved her since before they went to live together, Iris takes longer to recognize her feelings, assuming she only loves him like a brother until nearly losing him multiple times made her realize how much she truly loved him.
• Justified: In Pronto, Riding The Rap, and "Fire in the Hole", Raylan Givens was raised by a law-abiding coal miner who he's implied to have had a good relationship with, and nothing indicates his childhood was particularly dysfunctional. In Justified, Raylan's father was an abusive con man and loan shark, and his mother died at a young age. Thus, the television Raylan is much more bitter and maladjusted than his at times naive literary counterpart.
• In Runaways, Molly was orphaned at an early age and thus was adopted by Gert's family, whereas her comic-book counterpart had her own family. The result is a much closer bond between the two of them than existed in the comics.

Video Games

• In the original timeline of the Mortal Kombat games, Mileena was a half-Tarkatan clone of Kitana created by Shang Tsung at Shao Khan's orders and was introduced as her twin early on in their lives. However, in the new timeline started in Mortal Kombat 9, her backstory was changed so she was a fully-grown woman who was created shortly before the first tournament between Outworld and Earthrealm. The discovery of this information plays a very large role in Kitana's decision to defect from Outworld while Mileena continues to faithfully serve the emperor as a personal assassin. However, in the New Era created by Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 1, Mileena's story is given an even bigger change in that she's no longer a clone but now Kitana's actual twin sister who was raised to inherit their mother's role as Queen of Outworld, making Mileena a more sympathic and heroic character with a much more loving relationship with Kitana.

Webcomics

• In the Walkyverse, Beef and Sal were Switched at Birth, with Beef being raised by the Walkertons as Walky's twin brother, and Sal by the Waters, presumably in the South, before learning the truth as an adult. In Dumbing of Age Sal was raised by the Walkertons as The Unfavorite ... until they decided to send her Off to Boarding School. This hasn't really resulted in any notable changes in her personality — acts cool and mysterious, occasionally violent, hates using doors, finds her brother exasperating, understandably resents Linda Walkerton and, since the boarding school was in Tennessee, she even has the same accent as Sal Waters. On the other hand, what little we've seen of Dumbiverse Beef suggests that without Walky, he's a Jerk Jock.

Web Videos

• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: In the original novel, there are five Bennet sisters, with Elizabeth and Jane and Lydia and Kitty having closer bonds to each other. In addition, Mrs. Bennet dotes on Lydia, since they have similar personalities. Along with the Setting Update, in the modern vlog adaptation, there are only three Bennet sisters: Jane, Lizzie, and Lydia (with Kitty becoming an actual pet cat while Mary is now a cousin). This means that while Jane and Lizzie are still close, Lydia is the odd one out. Combined with Mrs. Bennet being harder on Lydia for not doing well in school, this makes Lydia's Attention Whore personality more of a Desperately Craves Affection variety, feeling ignored by both her parents and sisters and making her more sympathetic than her book counterpart.
• Masako X - Dragon Ball What-If: A popular Point of Divergence, with several stories exploring this trope:
  • What if Gine Went With Goku?: Because she accidentally fell into her son's pod, Goku/Kakarot is raised by both his mother Gine and Grandpa Gohan, instead of just Gohan.
  • What if Goku Landed at Capsule Corp?: Goku's pod lands at Capsule Corp instead of the wilderness, and he is raised as Bulma's adopted brother Bocksa. This gives him a certain pragmaticism and intelligence the canon Goku lacks.
  • What if Raditz Went to Earth Instead of Goku?: attempting to evade Frieza's forces caused Raditz to go to Earth and be raised by Gohan instead, making him a much nicer person, while Goku is raised by Nappa and Vegeta, serving as a soldier in Frieza's forces.
  • What if Android 21 Raised Goku?: Goku lands at the Red Ribbon Army headquarters and is raised by the future Android 21, Dr. Gero's wife, as Jasper.

Western Animation

• In the seventh episode of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, the vampire world is an Alternate Universe in which Marceline wasn't raised by Simon. Instead, Simon ends up dead before he meets Marceline who instead gets turned into a vampire by the Vampire King who raises her. The result is The Star, a Marceline who lacks the original's kind heart and who enjoys sucking humans' blood and killing.
• In the second episode of What If…? (2021), T'Challa, not Peter Quill is kidnapped by the Ravagers. As a result, he ends up reforming the Ravagers and getting Thanos to give up on his plan.

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