No dad in 1978 Superman gets a ton of screen time, but Jonathan (Glenn Ford) raises Clark and, along with Martha, helps him instill the values he needs to use his incredible powers for the benefit of others. Marlon Brandos Jor-El is also commended, not only for developing and building the strangely tiny rocket that sent his son to Earth, but also for showing up to offer advice from beyond. Kal-El was the only survivor * of this doomed planet, and that’s almost entirely thanks to his father, who sent Kal an interactive virtual dad to talk to if the young Superman needed a morale boost, or just one kryptonian history lesson. I say it took two fathers (and some great mothers too) who worked together from all over the universe to shape Clark.
(Between salary and earnings points, Marlon Brando made roughly $ 20 million in 1978 for less than 20 minutes on screen, making him not only one of the best, but also one of the highest-paid fathers on the list.)
* Or one of dozen, including at least one dog, depending on which version of the story we’re talking about.
Where to stream: HBO max
