While celebrating the great dads in our lives today, let's consider how lucky we are. Witty, kind, intelligent, our fathers are a noble group. But in fiction, that's not always the case. Not all literary father figures have the principles and compassion of, say, an Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Writers from Shakespeare to Stephen King have penned some of the most villainous patriarchs on paper, so while we can take comfort in our real-life fathers, we've rounded up some fictional doozies right here. So, have a laugh and a shiver while perusing this bunch -- it'll make you appreciate the decent dads in your own life even more.

Humbert Humbert in Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
Winning the award for worst stepfather is Humbert Humbert. He married to be near his wife's twelve-year-old daughter with whom he was sexually obsessed, then kidnapped and molested her on a demented road trip. How she got away is another twisted chapter.

King Lear in King Lear, by William Shakespeare
A master manipulator, King Lear favored and rewarded his two daughters who flattered his ego, giving them control of his kingdom, while disinheriting his daughter, Cordelia, who truly loved him -- leading to her murder and his own death.

Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Power-hungry and single-minded in his quest to overthrow God in a parallel universe, Lord Asriel lied to his daughter for most of her life, masquerading as her uncle, and stopped at nothing, including risking her life, for his dark cause.

Alexander Zalachenko in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
Talk about a traumatic childhood: Lisbeth Salander's father, Zalachenko, was a criminal mastermind who periodically appeared in her home to brutally beat, rape, and emotionally torment her mother while she watched. Spoiler alert: At the ripe old age of twelve, Lisbeth got her revenge.

Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
Papa Capulet was determined to keep his daughter, Juliet, from her true love, Romeo, because he wasn't deemed suitable -- and we know how that one turned out. Goes to show that when it comes to snuffing out teen romances, daddy doesn't know best.

Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope, by George Lucas
This half man, half cyborg is one bad dude, and the definition of a deadbeat dad. In his quest to be a sinister overlord and rule the galaxy, he paid no attention to his kids, Luke and Leia -- except when he was trying to kill them.

Pap in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
There's a good reason Huck took off down the river with Jim. Huck's father, Pap, was the mean town drunk who dished out harsh physical punishment, locked him up, and disappeared for months. Jim was a much better father figure, indeed.

Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller
Willy is not violent, just a loser dad and a poor role model. He misleads his sons with misguided lessons about life and love, and imparts delusional ideas about the ticket to success, which end up being the key to his own tragic demise.

Jack Torrance in The Shining, by Stephen King
Stashing your family in a haunted mountain resort while you get violently drunk and become possessed does not make one father of the year. This terrifying dad went after his son in a crazed manner, but thankfully King put the breaks on before truly freaking us out.

Now -- aren't you that much more thankful for your own father?