In honor of Mother’s Day, Infinite Ammo wanted to honor some of our favorite geek culture moms… good and bad. We’re celebrating what makes each mother special (or what doesn’t) with a little background on what they have been through, what makes them tick, and what’s made them who they are as moms.

Please enjoy!

Best Moms!

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Sue Storm

Special Mom Trait:

Support

From: Marvel Comics: Fantastic Four

Not Jessica Alba… No, Sue Storm in the comics has always been the motherly type, whether it be in grounding her rocket scientist husband, bringing light to the Thing’s grim days, or keeping her younger brother out of trouble.

When she had her son Franklin, it was no surprise she took to the role naturally, being a loving, capable, supporting, protective mother. Now a mother of two and still facing the wondrous, the insane, the cosmic, Invisible Woman continues to set the bar for what it means to be a superhero mom.

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Sarah Conner

Special Mom Trait:

Sacrifice

From: Terminator

Sarah Conner has learned a lot in her time. Especially about survival. It’s hard to raise a son, especially when trying to protect him from a killer robot from the future.

If there’s one word that Sarah embodies as a mother, it’s sacrifice. Once she finds out the truth about the future, she spends all of her waking moments preparing for the apocalyptic road ahead, by training her son to be a leader, capable of survival, and capable of adapting. Even in death she was thinking three steps ahead, leaving John Conner an arsenal of weapons to rely on in his fight against Skynet.

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Piper Halliwell

Special Mom Trait:

Responsibility

From: Charmed

One of the Charmed Ones, Piper has been the heart and soul of her sisters from day one. After the death of their sister Prue, Piper became even more of a leader, stepping up to take even more responsibility over her newly discovered sister, Paige, and her remaining sister, Phoebe.

After dozens of dangerous encounters with demons and monsters and more, even a witch wants a family, leading to her having a son. And with even more responsibility on her shoulders, Piper never, ever caves in to pressure, instead choosing to face obstacles head on and maintain the well-being of the Halliwell family.

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Lois Griffin

Special Mom Trait:

Adoration

From: Family Guy

Lois had it all—riches, beauty, smarts. And yet, at the end of the day, she fell in love with a fat, clueless, yet adorable idiot and settled down to have a normal suburban family. Of course this sounds like the ultimate nerd fantasy: but it’s also the ultimate fantasy about love. Loving a guy no matter how dumb and unattractive he is because he makes you laugh is a remarkable thing for someone who could probably have her pick of models and upper class socialites.

And to raise a somewhat dimwitted son, an unlikeable daughter (poor Meg), and a genius toddler—whose murderous intent is overlooked by her unconditional love—well, that takes a certain kind of adoration.

Plus she can kick MAJOR ass. Don’t mess with her when she’s angry.

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Joyce Summers

Special Mom Trait:

Acceptance

From: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Going through divorce isn’t easy. Finding out your daughter is the chosen hero against a world full of vampires, demons, and ghosts (oh my!) couldn’t have been that much better.

But Joyce Summers swallowed that pill and soldiered on, becoming a crucial pillar of strength not only for her two daughters, but for the whole “Scooby Gang.” It is her ability to look past the impossible and give support in situations she can’t even comprehend that make her an invaluable asset in the war against darkness.

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Elastigirl

Special Mom Trait:

Elasticity

From: The Incredibles

Like a certain other mom on this list who Helen Parr undoubtedly borrows some traits from, she is the heart and soul of her family, even when life is far from incredible. Even when her family struggles from the drudgery of a mundane, ordinary life, she finds a way to adapt, to survive, if even for one more day, just to maintain the safety of her family.

Even with numerous obstacles in her way, uncertainty everywhere, and death staring her in the face, she pulls herself together and pushes for her family to come together and work as a team, as a unit. And no matter what trials they face, the Parr family can always rely on Mom to keep her head on straight and get them to where they need to be, physically and mentally.

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Aunt May

Special Mom Trait:

Kindness

From: Marvel Comics: Spider-Man

The world can be a cruel place for children. Especially for children who have lost their parents, as Peter Parker did (which I’m sure you know). What you may not have known: May Parker initially wanted nothing to do with young Peter. Reliving the emotional turmoil of her youth, May thought the boy would destroy her marriage the way her parents blamed her for their unhappiness. But she couldn’t look the poor, orphaned child in the eyes and turn him away.

Her husband’s murder, attempts made at her own life, her dwindling finances, her nephew’s double-life, her failing health: this could have made her a very bitter woman. But through it all, May Parker smiled and made it through to another day, if only to encourage her nephew, her son, that he had more to worry about than his dear ol’ aunt. Since the day she took him in, May has fought every day to keep a smile on Peter’s face—to remind him (a hero who faces guilt and public hate on a daily basis) to take it all in stride, to smile, and keep on swinging.

(A special nod of appreciation to Rosemary Harris’ portrayal of Aunt May—a real example of unending kindness and love).

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Debbie Grayson

Special Mom Trait:

Endurance

From: Image Comics: Invincible

Debbie Grayson used to have a great life. Married to a rich novelist and the world’s greatest superhero, and mother of a smart, handsome son, she was grateful, she was happy, she was in love. And then it all went away.

Her marriage was a sham, an illusion with a man who wasn’t at all what she thought he was. Her son faced death everyday, taking on the worst supervillians, alien tyrants, and other would-be world-conquerors toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow. She was left without a source of income, leaving her, for once in her life, financially unstable. Plus the absence of her husband and her son left a void in her heart that literally drove her to drink.

And yet, while she struggled mentally and emotionally, she gradually pulled herself up, pushing herself to remain strong even when later, more harrowing events threatened to pull her down again. She is a shining example of fortitude, taking the worst life has to offer and still staying sane, supportive, and loving.

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Stephanie Powell

Special Mom Trait:

Balance

From: ABC/Netflix: No Ordinary Family

There was a time when Stephanie Powell couldn’t figure out what she was first: a successful, brilliant scientist or a failing, negligent wife and mother. Finding it hard to balance what felt like the lives of two different women, Stephanie assumed that getting superhuman speed as a power would solve the issue of prioritizing. If you were fast enough to do everything, you could be everywhere and do everything, after all.

But that so-called revelation was short-lived when she had to face superhuman criminals, a growing conspiracy regarding her work, a superhuman vigilante husband unable to keep himself out of danger, and two teenagers with superpowers and adolescent issues.

With the advent of her speed powers, she actually learned to slow down and take time to really digest what it means to be a mom—which involved listening to her family, finding out what made them tick, and keeping them stable when things got out of whack. It’s her balance of two lives that reminds her that every parent must be more than just a wife, a mother, and a provider; it has to be a little of all—sometimes more of one than the other—ever changing to fit the role her family needs most. And with her at their center, the Powell’s are more than ready to face disasters, fatal futures, superhuman killers, and a twisting web of lies, and still make it home in time for a good family dinner.

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Sindel

Special Mom Trait:

Strength

From: Mortal Kombat

Some may judge her by her later misdeeds, but not many know her past. Facing the possible invasion of her world, Sindel stood by her husband, the king, and their young daughter, Kitana, even as their defenses dropped and Shao Kahn ravaged Edenia. Never once did she falter from her hope and faith, not even when Shao Kahn defeated and killed her love, Jerrod. Facing a dictator, a tyrant, a killer, she had two choices—marry him, give up Edenia, and be his trophy, or else. She chose the latter.

Sacrificing herself was a two-fold act that had little to do with escape. Sindel’s suicide enforced a spell that ensured Shao Kahn would never be able to merge the realms, and also it served to spite him that she’d rather face death’s cold embrace than his warm one.

It was her strength that kept Shao Kahn at bay for a time, and her strength that forced him to have her the only way he’d ever be allowed: to have her resurrected as his undead puppet queen, made into a loyal servant and wife. But even in this unholy act did her strength and love save her when her adult daughter Kitana was able to convince her of her past and stir her rebellious nature to fight. Sindel has faced death, faced pain, and faced the unrelenting will of a conquering demi-god, and still she never faltered or gave in. She is an example of what a woman can do when pushed to their breaking point, of the character a Queen would need to protect her subjects, and of the strength a mother must have to protect her young.

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Worst Moms!

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Mystique

Special Mom Trait:

Abandonment

From: Marvel Comics: X-Men

Sexy. Dangerous. Manipulative. Nurturing. Three of those words describe Mystique, one doesn’t.

In her long lifespan, Mystique has given birth to two children. One, a human she mothered with the murderous psychopath Sabretooth, she deemed not worth her time: he grew up to be one of the most dangerous mutant-hating political leaders of all time. The other, an obvious mutant from birth, she admittedly abandoned for his safety, but never returned to to see if he lived, never searched to see if he had proper care. The poor, conflicted soul thankfully found refuge in a circus where freaks could be accepted, and found salvation in the pages of the Bible, which taught love for all… even demonic looking men like himself.

Later she raised an emotionally tortured foster-daughter, only to use her time and again for her own goals, robbing the young teenager of the childhood innocence she was desperately searching for. In her wisest decision yet, she chose—after a major mentally damaging experience for the young girl—to leave the teen with one of her sworn enemies.

For a woman so adept at mimicking others, she never learned how to play the role of a mother, which may earn her a role as a “best” mom… if only because she kept her children as far away from herself as possible, ensuring they wouldn’t be anymore screwed in the head than they already were.

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Talia

Special Mom Trait:

Endangerment

From: DC Comics: Batman

The daughter of the Demon, Talia al Ghul may not have had the best parent around to show her what it means to be a mother. With a terrorist father and a possibly sociopathic vigilante lover, it’s almost understandable that Talia found herself at odds when she’d given birth to a baby boy.

Although at first wisely giving the boy up for adoption to give him a normal life, Talia decided to throw caution to the wind and steal him back, raising him to be a killer in her League of Assassins. In the course of a few events, her young son repeatedly found himself in dangerous environments, facing enemies perhaps a little more dangerous than he believed he was… enough that he had to have all of his major organs replaced after a particularly damaging explosion.

Talia may have the intellect, the grace, and the beauty, but her maternal instinct is a little warped.

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Granny Goodness

Special Mom Trait:

Tough Love

From: DC Comics: Jack Kirby’s New Gods/Fourth World

While she may not be anyone’s real mother, let alone “granny,” she sure as hell is the closest thing to a guardian that anyone on the planet Apokalips has. But this doesn’t stop her from treating each child she encounters as a soldier, ready to be put through the gauntlet at a moment’s notice to prove their worth.

She is incapable of mercy; she is incapable of love. Her only concern is your worth to her, and the only way to prove one’s worth is to survive. The only kindness Granny Goodness shows is sending the young defeated souls of her camps to an early grave.

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Sally Jupiter

Special Mom Trait:

Fulfillment

From: DC Comics: Watchmen

You’ve all seen a commercial of Toddlers & Tiaras, or, god forbid, an episode. Sally Jupiter is the epitome of the Pangeant Mom, living her life through her daughter, trying to recapture her glory and sex appeal in someone who wanted as much to do with the superhero life as Mother Teresa (although there are rumors the saintly woman occasionally masqueraded as a gun-toting vigilante on weekends).

Having a host of emotional hang-ups from lovers who either verbally or sexually abused her, Sally Jupiter was a woman struggling to find her identity by crafting her daughter into it. The only redeeming factor in this is that she taught her enough to make for a pretty good hero—one who played a small role in attempting to save the world. Hey, at least she tried.

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Chi-Chi

Special Mom Trait:

Prioritizing

From: Dragon Ball Z

Seriously, the world is set to be destroyed by mystical or alien threats once a week, with only a handful of barely-capable fighters to protect it. And instead of encouraging her son, at once the strongest person on Earth, to be a hero like his dad and ready to save their victimized planet, she nags at him to study.

Education is important, don’t get me wrong: but the kid can fly as fast at the speed of sound (or faster), lives in a forest, and faces the end of the world every three hours. Cut ‘em a little slack, would you?

Jeez.

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Malory Archer

Special Mom Trait:

Selfishness

From: FX/Netflix: Archer

Although we love Malory Archer, we know that any love she gives anyone comes with a price: expect any kind of gift to come with a favor behind it, expect any kind of kindness as a double-edged sword to be used against you in the future.

It is these traits that make a good spy: and despite the failures of ISIS, Malory Archer is quite good at the espionage game. What she isn’t good at is raising a son. Malory uses the same deceit she uses on her enemies and allies on her son and his colleagues, giving him a host of emotional issues and egotistic traits that have made him an occasionally successful agent, and occasionally lucky-to-be-alive agent. But despite entrusting her butler with her son’s care taking, some merit must be given to Malory; as self-centered as she is, at the end of the day, she usually cares very deeply for her son, and would do anything in her power to save him.

And then later hold it against him.

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Mami

Special Mom Trait:

Negligence

From: Nickelodeon/Nick Jr.: Dora the Explorer

Everyone may have expected the mothers of Pokemon to make an appearance here, but no, this spot goes to Dora’s mother, “Mami.” Sure, Ash and countless other children have been sent to hell and back all for the sake of some silly dogfight tournament with unbelievably adorable monsters, but for the most part, they live in a pretty nice world, where people “faint” when hurt, and where there are friendly eyes everywhere. The criminals are so laughably incompetent that police must feel too sorry to actually jail them.

Yet, everyday, Dora the Explorer, and later Diego, are sent to the wilds of the forest. The forest. Do you know how fricking dangerous that place is? At least in Pokemon you can potentially catch and master a dangerous foe. In a rain forest populated by the most dangerous, poisonous snakes, insects, frogs and amphibians, the only thing you’re likely to catch is a disease. Not to mention that she’s stalked day and night by what could be a kleptomaniac fox. And while it’s cute to meet these kiddie tigers and jaguars and other predator animals, one of these days that girl is going to meet a Momma Bear that’s ready to slice and dice her like grated cheese.

And you know what that means en espanol? A Dora Subway Footlong, that’s what. Someone call ACS on Mami, please.