What makes a good father in fiction? That is the ultimate question reserved for such a day as this. Is it the strength they provide, or the lessons they teach their children? Maybe it’s the legacy they leave behind, or their efforts to make amends when everything falls apart? There are many different types of fathers; everyone’s dynamic to the man they call “dad” is different, but valid all the same. This day every year is a chance to celebrate all the wonderful dads out there; taking care of their children, and paving ways for them to walk on. Today, we focus on Stoick as a father in How to Train Your Dragon.
He’s not the perfect father. Yet no one can ever deny how hard he tries his best for his son. Sure, their relationship might not always be so rosy; sometimes, both their prides get in the way of their understanding. But at the end of the day, Stoick will go through the ends of the earth for Hiccup; doing whatever it takes to keep his son safe, even at the cost of himself. Has he always done right by Hiccup? No. He probably has done more wrongs in Hiccup’s over twenty years of life.
But it’s the effort that he puts into fixing what is broken. It’s the way he ensures Hiccup is always protected, even in his absence. And most importantly, it’s the pride he has for his son; not because of Hiccup’s achievements, but simply because of who Hiccup is. He may not be the perfect father, but he is a father worth celebrating. And so, here’s some of the greatest hits of Stoick the Vast – chief of the Hooligan tribe, rider of Skullcrusher, and father of Hiccup Haddock III.
SAVING TOOTHLESS
HTTYD is almost the perfect film. It has fantastic animation, an even better story, and one of the best scores to ever exist in animated film history. There are a lot of very important themes that it tackles; of people living in harmony with nature, coming-of-age and being an outcast, and the divide between father and son. That last theme in particular is one of the most well-handled storylines throughout the entirety of the series as a whole. And the first HTTYD film sets the foundation flawlessly for this.
Not a typical Viking, Hiccup does his best to earn his father and village’s approval. Unfortunately, his efforts often lead to disasters. He’s just too different from everyone around him; a little more sarcastic, a little more inventive, and a whole lot more reckless. Stoick’s hard-headed and very set on the traditional Viking way. This causes a lot of miscommunications between him and Hiccup. In HTTYD’s third act, everything falls apart and Hiccup tries his best to make his father understand. Angry at his son’s betrayal, Stoick refuses to listen and disowns Hiccup. However, there’s a slight pause in the moment—Stoick stumbles and catches his breath, realizing what he has just done. But instead of dwelling on it, he soldiers on forward to what could be his death.
Of course, Hiccup comes to the rescue, regardless of everything. But he can’t do it alone. With Toothless muzzled and trapped, the two of them fall to the water and Hiccup almost drowns. That is until—Stoick dives in to save his son and the dragon. In the moments after the rescue, he apologizes to Hiccup. It’s not an automatic fix, but it’s the first step in redemption for Stoick as a father.
PRIDE OF BERK
It’s easy to mistake Stoick as only ever proud of Hiccup’s achievements. That’s why their little exchange after saving Toothless in HTTYD is a very important one. Stoick tells Hiccup he’s proud of him—even before killing the Red Death. Which means Hiccup never had to prove himself to his father. Still, years of perceived disapproval isn’t something so easily fixed. The TV series dives deep into Hiccup’s insecurities and how Stoick as his father plays a part in them. One episode from Riders of Berk that really highlights this tension is ‘Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man’.
Stoick and Hiccup have their picture drawn for the Great Hall, a tradition that comes with being chief of Berk. Bucket initially draws Hiccup as buff, which Stoick heavily approves. This makes Hiccup feel like Stoick doesn’t accept him for who he is. In order to prove himself as enough, Hiccup follows a dangerous treasure map. Instead of gold, the map leads Hiccup to a journey of self-acceptance. Stoick, worried for his son’s safety, follows and realizes his mistake. Upon finding Hiccup, he hugs him tight in relief, and lets his son know that he never wanted to make Hiccup feel like that.
As the series progresses, Stoick subtly shows his pride in the man Hiccup is growing up to be. Episodes like ‘Crushing It’ and ‘Team Astrid’ in Race to the Edge sees glimpses of Stoick smiling behind Hiccup; he sees the great leader Hiccup is and finds so much joy in that. All of this build-up culminates in How to Train Your Dragon 2 when he finally decides to make Hiccup chief of Berk. The intricate build towards that one moment in the sequel is some of the last showings of Stoick as a good father.
FLYING THE NEST
Stoick and Hiccup don’t always see eye-to-eye. They’re Vikings, which means they have stubbornness issues; the Haddock family especially are known to be the most stubborn of them all. There are plenty of instances across the entire series where the father and son disagree. In HTTYD, Stoick disowns Hiccup for befriending the dragons. Episodes like ‘How to Pick Your Dragon’ in ROB and ‘No Bark, All Bite’ in RTTE are just a few instances of their constant squabbles. Even all the way up to the second film, they butt heads on how to tackle the Drago problem. While their relationship has grown better over time, old habits die hard; Stoick’s inability to listen, and Hiccup’s disobedience.
That’s not to say that there’s never any understanding between them. In fact, there many episodes where Stoick and Hiccup do get along very well. Sometimes, they even stand with each other against the tide. One really great example is in ‘Imperfect Harmony’ when Hiccup first discovers the Dragon Eye. After Hiccup tells his father about it, Stoick asks the council what they think of the riders going beyond the boundaries of the archipelago. Hiccup is met by a chorus of ‘no’ and hesitance, discouraging him.
But Stoick stands by him through it all. He reasons with the members of the council, and tells Hiccup to follow his heart, reminding him that he always has a home in Berk. What makes this scene even better is the small exchange between father and dragon. As Hiccup leaves, Stoick turns to Toothless and asks him to take care of Hiccup in his stead. Ever the protective father, Stoick supports Hiccup from behind and ensures his safety from afar.
NO BOUNTY TOO BIG
The TV series has a reputation for putting Hiccup’s life in constant mortal peril; getting struck by lightning, multiple drownings, several kidnappings, even almost by Toothless once or twice. It’s no surprise to anyone when Viggo Grimborn gets this amazing idea of putting a bounty on Hiccup in ‘Midnight Scrum’; all hell breaks loose as the boy is traded from one hunter to another.
What follows after is a beautiful back and forth between Hiccup’s feeble attempts to escape, and Stoick and Toothless working together to save the boy. As Hiccup wrestles both hunters and his own insufficiencies, Stoick begins to understand the kind of pressure he has placed on his son. Both father and son learn lessons along the way; Hiccup now knows to depend more on his dad, and Stoick balances his role as a chief and a father. The whole episode beautifully elucidates how far Stoick will go to save his son. There’s also this wonderful parallel between Stoick and Toothless shown throughout.
In one scene, Savage blames Hiccup for his own kidnapping. This ticks Stoick off and he charges at Savage to violently injure him. Toothless stops him just in time with a pitiful look on his face, calming Stoick down. When they finally find Hiccup in the clutches of Ryker Grimborn, Toothless is ready to bare his teeth and blast the man to Hel. But Stoick stops him on his tracks and Toothless relents, tending to his rider instead. These two moments signify an understanding between the two characters; they know that Hiccup wouldn’t want anyone’s death on his behalf. It’s a testament to how far both father and dragon will go for the boy; and how much Stoick and Toothless are willing to compromise for Hiccup.
NEEDING EACH OTHER
It’s no secret that Stoick and Hiccup have a lot of differences. Stoick is physically strong, big, and intimidating; Hiccup is lean, has thin arms, and looks like a kicked puppy. While Stoick leads through sheer power and charisma, Hiccup leads by logic and example. Still, it’s hard to deny that they do share some similarities; they are blood after all! Hiccup is every bit the boar-headed stubborn Viking Stoick is. They have the same leadership instincts, and hearts worthy of being chiefs. Their differences may often get in the way of finding the right solution. But at the end, they’re better together than apart.
An excellent example of this is in ‘No Bark, All Bite’. Their constant disagreements lead to Berk’s barrication and an attack by Krogan’s flyers. Luckily, they manage to resolve their issues; together, they retrieve Berk from the flyers and send Krogan’s army off. At the end of it all, Stoick reminds Hiccup that the two of them work better as a unit. He emphasizes this through a firm grip on Hiccup’s shoulders, a steady look in his eye, and the simple statement of: “Berk needs you, son. I need you”.
‘Darkest Night’ calls back to this scene when Stoick is injured and Hiccup becomes uncertain of what to do. Everyone is looking for someone to lead Berk but Hiccup feels that by assuming the role, he’s giving up on Stoick. He stays by his father’s side for fear that Stoick might die. When Hiccup finally finds his resolve, he decides he must act now or everything will all have been for nothing. As he bids his father’s unconscious body goodbye, he echoes those same words: “Berk needs you. I need you”. He reminds himself that he and his father are better together.
FINAL SACRIFICE
All good stories must come to an end. For HTTYD, the story doesn’t technically end until The Hidden World. But for Stoick the Vast, his story ends in the second film. Stoick only has five years left with his son at the end of HTTYD and he doesn’t even know it. Even up until the sequel film, their relationship – although mended – isn’t completely fixed just yet. Stoick’s redemption arc into being a better father for Hiccup completes when he finally makes that one last sacrifice that can’t be undone.
HTTYD2 begins with Stoick finally deciding to pass on his duties as chief to Hiccup. However, Hiccup doesn’t feel like he’s ready—nor does he think that’s who he is meant to be. So, he flies away from the issue. What should have been a quick vent of frustration quickly turns into a war when he meets the dragon trappers. He finds out about Drago Bludvist, and delivers that information back to Berk. Stoick who has seen exactly what Drago can do fortifies Berk to protect the village. Hiccup, ever the stubborn pacifist that he is, flies off again to try and reason with Drago.
Several happy reunions with mother, dances with father and son, and shenanigans from the other riders; Hiccup finally faces off against Drago. Stoick, desperate to keep Hiccup safe, heads straight for his son in an attempt to protect him. Drago uses his Bewilderbeast to turn Toothless against Hiccup. As the Night Fury readies to fire a plasma blast at his best friend, Stoick jumps in and pushes Hiccup away, taking the hit. In Hiccup’s speech to his father, Valka tells Hiccup that Stoick always said that Hiccup would be the strongest of them all; letting Hiccup know one last time that Stoick has always believed in him.
Do you think Stoick has been a good father to Hiccup? Could he have done better while he was still alive? What are your other favorite father and son dynamics? Let us know on our Instagram or Twitter! Be sure read up on our previous article, 6 Times Osamu Dazai Acted Like An Actual Mentor To Atsushi Nakajima.
