Editing Stepfather (section)

==In fiction==
Though less common in literature than stereotypical evil [[Stepmother|stepmothers]], there are also cases of evil ''stepfathers'', such as in the fairy tales ''The Gold-Bearded Man'' (in a plot usually featuring a cruel father) and ''[[The Little Bull-Calf]]''. One type of such tale features a defeated villain who insists on marrying the hero's mother and makes her help him trick the hero and so defeat him. Such tales include ''[[The Prince and the Princess in the Forest]]'' and ''[[The Blue Belt]]'', although the tales of this type can also feature a different female relation, such as the stepsister in ''[[The Three Princes and their Beasts]]''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In media, evil stepfathers include Claudius in ''[[Hamlet]]'' (though his role as uncle is more emphasized), Walter Parks Thatcher in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (though this is debatable), Murdstone in [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[David Copperfield (novel)|David Copperfield]]'', the King from the movie ''[[Radio Flyer (film)|Radio Flyer]]'', and Gozaburo Kaiba (who adopted Seto and Mokuba Kaiba) from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''. ''[[The Stepfather (1987 film)|The Stepfather]]''  depicts an evil father who has murdered his family and subsequent families.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} 

In his opera ''[[La Cenerentola]]'', [[Gioacchino Rossini]] inverted the tale of ''Cinderella'' to have her oppressed by her stepfather. His motive is made explicit, in that providing a [[dowry]] to Cenerentola would cut into what he can give to his own daughters.<ref>Warner, pp. 213–4</ref> An analogous male figure may also appear as a wicked uncle; like the stepmother, the father's brother may covet the child's inheritance for his own children, and so maltreat his nephews or nieces.