Introduction

Vengeance Dad is an image macro meme that humorously depicts a father figure's regrets through a family photograph, blending humor with dark themes.

Background

The Vengeance Dad meme is centered around a digitally manipulated family photo featuring a balding father on the right and a mother with two children on the left. Similar to the PTSD Clarinet Kid meme, these images are captioned in a first-person narrative style, where the father shares confessions about disastrous events affecting his family, often implying his own culpability or intent.

How It Began

The original photograph emerged on 4chan's /b/ board on July 1, 2010, accompanied by a request for Anonymous users to create captions. This initial image was first featured on the blog Awkward Family Photos on June 18, 2010. While intended to be a classic family portrait, the peculiar separation of the father from the rest of the family suggests underlying tragic themes. Captions typically revolve around the father committing violent acts or experiencing a psychological breakdown, reflecting his remorse over his family's knowledge of his actions.

Internet Reaction

Vengeance Dad image macros rapidly gained traction on custom meme generator websites like MemeGenerator and Quickmeme. The meme subsequently spread to social media platforms such as BuzzFeed, Tumblr, and Reddit, along with humor sites like eBaumsworld and FunnyJunk, where it became a topic of discussion and sharing.