Miraculous Ladybug thoughts (4/21/22)
Emilie Agreste not only embodies the Dead Mother trope, but also the Supermother trope, in that she sacrifices her life for her child.
However, what makes ML different compared to other stories is that it's the male character with the dead mother.
In fairy tales, the stepmother or the mother-in-law is the Terrible Mother, but in ML there's a Terrible Father instead. Which means that instead of villainizing menopausal women or non-bio moms, it's villainizing the single Dad, which can be seen as the next step in the Dead Mother trope.
The Dead Mother trope is based on the idea that the mom is the "angel of the house," so not only does she gives stability to the kids, but also the husband.
The Dead Mother created the Villain Father, as opposed to the already villain who happens to become a Dad.
