In recent years, the “lone wolf and cub” motif has gained a lot of popularity in shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher. The legendary manga series Lone Wolf and Cub, which was made into a beloved film franchise, is credited with creating the trope. The show follows Ogami Ittō, the shōgun’s executioner, as he becomes an assassin and travels to seek retribution with his three-year-old son Daigorō in tow after being humiliated by the Yagyū clan’s unfounded allegations. One of the most cherished films in the samurai genre is Lone Wolf and Cub.
Since then, Hollywood films in the sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and action genres have embraced the “lone wolf and cub” motif. Stories of many types have been told using the fundamental premise of the series, which features a fearless warrior defending a little kid on an adventure through a dangerous environment. In The Last of Us, a lone wolf named Joel is seen leading his young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic landscape overrun with zombies. This is a Star Wars cliche that has been lifted from The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Numerous fantastic “lone wolf and cub” pairs may be seen in films and television series.
10Ogami Ittō and Daigorō (Chief and Lone Wolf)
Of course, the classic “lone wolf and cub” pair is one of the most well-known. This theme was first used by Lone Wolf and Cub, whose Ogami Ittō and Daigorō are still considered to be among the most famous. In Shogun Assassin, Ogami offers Daigorō a choice: he either take his own ball and choose death to be with his late mother in Heaven, or he can take Ogami’s sword and choose to join his furious journey. When he choose the sword, their heroic adventure officially starts.
All the markers of this cliché were established in the Lone Wolf and Cub films. The central theme of the novel is on the parent-child relationship, despite the antagonistic and violent environment around the two individuals. While seeking retribution, they wind up becoming entangled in several side quests.
9. Leia Organa & Obi-Wan Kenobi
In the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor played the most endearing Jedi in the Star Wars story once again. When the narrative begins, Obi-Wan is in the midst of his Tatooine exile after the Purge. Reluctantly, Obi-Wan halts his cozy seclusion at Bail Organa’s request in order to protect Princess Leia, age 10, from a group of thugs sent by the Empire. Following his rescue of her, the two embark on an exciting galactic journey while evading Imperial troopers.
Vivien Lyra Blair, who played Carrie Fisher’s hesitant father role in the first three films, did a fantastic job of bringing back her rebellious energy. She also had a charming rapport with McGregor. This series explained why, in the first Star Wars film, Leia called out to Obi-Wan in her hour of need. Together, they formed an unbreakable friendship as they fled the Empire.
8The Hound and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones
A variety of strange pairings drawn together by extraordinary circumstances might be seen in the vast ensemble cast of Game of Thrones, from Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly to Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth. Sandor Clegane, sometimes referred to as “The Hound,” and Arya Stark are one example of a “lone wolf and cub” partnership. They are initially at odds with one another, but after journeying together, they gradually come to terms. When Arya has the opportunity to murder the Hound in season four, she chooses not to, despite having promised for years to do so.
In the novels A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Arya and the Hound had a brief relationship. However, the TV show’s creators realized they had a fantastic dynamic and developed it over the course of a few episodes. They developed into one of the most enduring character duos on the program.
7Mathilda and Leon
In Léon: The Professional, a corrupt DEA agent massacres the neighbor’s family, leaving a 12-year-old orphan who is grudgingly taken under his wing by a professional assassin. As they get to know one another, Mathilda is taken under Leon’s wing and taught the skill of murdering. But as Mathilda approaches real murder, he begins to regret teaching her his craft and attempts to save her from following in his terrible footsteps.
In her feature film debut, Jean Reno plays a seasoned hitman who has become cynical from years of murdering for money. He also had a great rapport with Natalie Portman, who he mentored on screen. Teaching their young charges to kill is a common theme in “lone wolf and cub” legends. However, Leon will stop at nothing to divert Mathilda from becoming a murderer.
6Eleven and Jim Hopper from Stranger Things
In Stranger Things, Jim Hopper, the chief of police in Hawkins, takes in superpowered young Eleven after she breaks out from a federal experiment and enters the charming little town. Upon welcoming her into his house, he makes a promise to keep her safe from the insane scientists who want to take her back and continue their experiments on her. Hopper is given another opportunity as parenthood by parenting Eleven after he lost his own daughter, Sara.
In this uncommon instance of a “lone wolf and cub,” the youngster indeed has more strength than the wolf. Eleven has been given superhuman skills as a result of some illegal experimenting. Although the wolf has committed his life to keeping the cub safe, in this instance the cub is also capable of defending the wolf, thus they watch out for one another.
Cini & Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
In The Witcher, destiny binds the magical monster hunter Geralt of Rivia and the crown princess of Cintra, Ciri, who is the heir to the Elder Blood. Geralt and Ciri didn’t really meet until the season 1 finale, despite the fact that they were meant to be together from the start. As a result, Geralt and Ciri’s “lone wolf and cub” tale in season 2 got off to a great start as they set out to explore the fantastical realm.
For it to be plausible that cosmic forces drew Henry Cavill and Freya Allan’s characters together, they had to have such strong on-screen chemistry, and against all odds, their dynamic didn’t let down. Geralt must repel several assailants who want to take possession of the Elder Blood along their travels. He would do whatever it took to keep Ciri safe.
Logan, Wolverine, and X-23
Director James Mangold mixed the touching father-daughter road journey of Paper Moon with the grim no-living-with-a-killing ideas of Shane in Wolverine’s sorrowful cinematic farewell, Logan. When Wolvie’s long-lost cloned daughter Laura, also known as X-23, shows up on his doorstep, just when he believes he’s done with the heroic life, he is compelled to do one final good act. She wants him to carry her over the border, to the safe refuge that her fellow young mutants have created.
The father-daughter interaction between Hugh Jackman and Dafne Keen is reminiscent of the stern but very moving bond between Ryan and Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon. Logan had no interest in Laura or her journey home at the start of the film. In the end, however, he’s prepared to give all up in order to give her and the mutant race another opportunity.
3The Grogu & Mandalorian
The Mandalorian’s eponymous bounty hunter and his little, pointy-eared ward Grogu were the “lone wolf and cub” team who revived the stereotype. Mando was presented in the first episode of The Mandalorian as a cold-blooded antihero akin to Man with No Name, but the shocking conclusion revealed a far more compassionate side to the character. He gets a change of heart upon discovering that his 50-year-old treasure is, in fact, a newborn belonging to Yoda’s species.
Mando used to murder his bounty, but all of a sudden, once he got to know Grogu and began to love him like a son, he would kill anybody to protect his bounty. In order to save his surrogate kid, he abandoned his fellow bounty hunters and faced the might of the Imperial Remnants. In a series that was made famous by a horrible parent, Mando is a fantastic father.
2Aliens: Ellen Ripley & Newt
James Cameron’s action-packed sci-fi sequel Aliens features one of Hollywood’s first “lone wolf and cub” pairs. Ellen Ripley reluctantly decides to accompany a group of Colonial Marines into an off-world human colony that has been invaded by xenomorphs after barely avoiding their fury because she thinks there could be survivors that need to be saved. As she arrives, she encounters Newt, a little child, who is the lone survivor.
They are dependent on one another since Ripley lost her own daughter while wandering across space in cryosleep and because savage aliens tore apart Newt’s whole family. A touching surrogate mother-daughter bond develops between them as Ripley works to get Newt off the planet alive. This dynamic contrasts perfectly with that of the xenomorph queen, who also wants nothing more than to keep her offspring safe.
1Ellie and Joel (The Last of Us)
After the original pair, Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us are perhaps the most famous “lone wolf and cub” pair. Joel has been charged with transporting Ellie across the terrible wasteland that remains so that a radical organization known as the Fireflies may create a cure. Ellie is resistant to the fungal plague that brought civilization to its knees. Joel lost his own daughter on the day of the breakout, and in the twenty years that followed, he became so emotionally detached that at first he merely saw Ellie as talking, walking cargo.
Joel is seen by Ellie as a father figure, although he is hesitant to accept Ellie’s affection as he fears what could happen. But eventually, after their amazing cross-country voyage and many occasions of saving one other’s lives, Joel accepts Ellie as his surrogate daughter. Joel will stop at nothing to keep Ellie safe, even if love has its share of negative consequences.
