this is a logical fallacy. Brown is not just an actor, he is playing a character, and if there had been a clear paternal dynamic in the script, he would have reflected that in his performance. The fact that Clancy Brown explicitly stated that Hank does not view Connor as a son suggests that in his perception of the character (based on the script and performance), there was no such connection. This is an opinion supported by canon, not a "misunderstanding due to personal experience."
How not giving a room for any romantic interpretation proves a fatherson bond? How them being canonically mutual friends and buddies proves they cannot be romantically involved? It is also funny, how people choose Dechart/Williams/Cage's words as a proof while gladly ignoring Clancy's.
Also, how Clancy being a father proves hankcon cannot be a thing? All of this above is nothing more than speculation.
That doesn’t mean Hank didn’t feel fatherly
Which also didn't mean Hank did feel fatherly.
Age gap argument will be always invalid. Because
Their age difference is Hank's age minus three months. Would you no longer feel weird about it if Connor had been designed to look like he was 50? Same personality, same everything, but he has wrinkles and gray hair?
A father/son relationship would require a maturity gap at least, Connor has never once been in need for a parental figure, he’s pretty much fine on his own, while Hank also doesn’t seem the type to “mentally adopt” some guy that he worked with for like less than two weeks, they have good chemistry and their relationship is canonically established. However, we can say it’s up to the player to decide how their relationship will EVOLVE, not how it already is, because if we’re gonna stick to canon then they’re just good co workers and that’s about it.
If devs wanted me to know they were intended to be ''father and son'' then devs would have put that in the game, if I have to dig up story-impacting lore from somewhere not directly in the story, then it's not actually canon, if a tidbit is that important to the lore then you include in the plot, not after the fact.
It is important to understand, however, that these opinions, while interesting, are not supported by the context of the game itself. There are no overt indications in the game that Hank views Connor as his son. Instead, we see a more complex, nuanced relationship that develops out of professional interactions and personal experiences rather than paternal love.
As for Cage, as with Williams, these statements are more of a personal reflection on the creators' part than a canonical interpretation of their relationship. Players can choose how to interpret this relationship, but the fact remains that the game does not portray it as a direct reflection of a father-son bond.
We can say the same about romance, can't we?
Found family is one of my favorite tropes, but can your partner not be your family? Is your partner not your friend, your confidant, and the person that helps you heal and uplifts you? Those things aren’t locked to just platonic or familial relationships.
Fan opinions and cast and creator interpretations aside, within the context of Detroit: Become Human itself, Hank and Connor's relationship is not that of a father and son in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a dynamic and complex relationship between partners that goes through stages of hostility, trust, and mutual respect. They do become emotionally close, but that closeness is more of a partnership than a father's love. Their bond is not one of family, but of understanding and professional work.
The opinions of Williams and Cage, while interesting, do not change what is depicted in the game itself. In the official canon version of the game, Hank and Connor are not father and son. Rather, they are partners who become important figures to each other through shared experiences, but their relationship does not reach the level of a family bond.
Pedro Pascal and Troy Baker prove the difference
Meaning that Hank and Connor are like Joel and Ellie.
How an actor may interpret a relationship does not affect canonicity. For example:
If Troy Baker feels a father-daughter bond between Joel and Ellie, it is supported by the TLOU plot because it is literally written in the game;
Hank and Connor have neither the recognition nor the direct care that Joel and Ellie have.
So the analogy with other actors only works where the script supports it.
How do people know that? It is still a speculation, not the canon.
And I don't understand the need for people to prove otherwise. If you want to see them as father and son, go ahead. But why are you so vehemently against romantic relationships, as if it were the most problematic thing eve while it really doesn't hurt anyone??
First of all, if people see Williams/Cage/whoever's words as the truth, they should deal with the fact, that Clancy's words have the same power. Him being a father still doesn't mean he couldn't see Hank and Connor as lovers, or juts as who they are, which is friends. Because Connor isn't human.
would it feel fine to you if Connor had been engineered to look 50? Because you understand he's a different species that is born knowing about and comprehending the world, right? He's not three months old in a human sense.
I still don't understand the need to prove to anyone that shippers are wrong and have no right to ship Hank and Connor romantically. Shippers often begin to prove their vision only when they are bombarded with hate simply for daring to see Connor and Hank (who are two adult fictional consentin men) as lovers.
Th fatherson bond, while appealing to some fans, is not a canonical part of the game and does not match what is shown in the game. Hank and Connor go from hostility and resentment to a partnership, but it is a partnership based on respect and empathy, not paternal feelings.
“The Beauty of Found Family” - Fan Perspective
Yes, "found family" is an important and touching theme. But in Detroit: Become Human canon:
Connor is not trying to become Hank's son;
Hank is not trying to adopt him;
Their emotional connection develops through the player's choices, and may not form at all;
In one of the endings, Hank can kill Connor if he sees him as a threat.
Clancy spoke as an actor who had read the script and gotten into character. His words reflect an interpretation based on the game's materials. If the game had framed this relationship as a father's, he would have voiced it. In TLOU, for example, the actors talk about the parental dynamic because it was written into the text.
Conclusion: What does the canon say?
There is no clear paternal dynamic in the game canon;
Relationships can develop into partnership or friendship, but not into fatherson bond;
The words of Cage, Williams, fans, or actors are interpretations not supported by the game itself;
Hank does not say that Connor is his son;
Connor does not try to become one;
Endings with Hank's betrayal, death, suicide contradict a strong paternal bond.
Fan interpretation ≠ canon
The fact that fans feel paternal warmth in this relationship does not make it canon. It is an emotional experience, and it has a right to exist, but it cannot be used as an argument against the text of the game itself. If the game says: "This is a partnership, perhaps friendship," then an attempt to impose paternity is already an out-of-game romanticization that does not correspond to the material.
