Hiccup and Stoick's Relationship

Stoick and Hiccup shared a very complicated relationship which got better as Hiccup grew older and more secure in his position. Their biggest misunderstanding was built on how Hiccup thought his father perceived him. It had been made clear from the beginning of the first movie that Stoick's main problem with Hiccup was not so much his small size, which Hiccup wrongly assumed, but that he never listens and has difficulty following the simplest orders. That, along with having the attention span of a sparrow. Stoick considers him reckless and rash, and often has to abandon his chiefly duties to save Hiccup from the dangers he got himself into, and then clean up the mess Hiccup left in his wake. Stoick considers Hiccup to be an embarrassment with how little he fits in with the Viking lifestyle, even claiming he has difficulty showing his face in public after one of Hiccup's clumsy incidents.

Hiccup won his father's respect and pride when Stoick witnessed first hand the courage Hiccup displayed in training and riding Toothless, and then stepping up to lead his friends in helping defeat the Red Death, thus saving Berk and their tribe from destruction. However, Hiccup still harboured the same insecurities for a while and some of them resurfaced in the TV series. Most notably during Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man when Bucket drew Hiccup considerably more muscular than he actually was, and his father loved it. Since Hiccup was convinced that Stoick still looked down on him because of his size, he went out of his way to prove himself to his father again. The episode, however, ended with Stoick realizing his mistake and assuring Hiccup he accepted him just the way he was.

Stoick and Hiccup also had trouble communicating at first and often ended up upsetting one another. During the first movie, their conversations were abrupt and one-sided, always in Stoick's favor. After Stoick learned that Hiccup befriended a dragon and seemingly sided with the animals rather than the Vikings, he refused to let his son explain and instead, disowned him. He immediately regretted it though and once Hiccup caught up with him again during the battle with the Red Death, Stoick apologized for his earlier words by saving Toothless' life and telling Hiccup he was proud of him. Hiccup seemed a bit bewildered but grateful at the apology, and apologized as well for not being more honest.

It is implied that due to disconnect, they weren't very talkative while Hiccup was growing up, and things were incredibly awkward when they tried. But once they found common ground as Stoick started to resonate with his son, he began to make more of a conscious effort to have meaningful conversations. Hiccup in return started to rely on his father's advice more and confided in him about his ideas and plans.

Slowly but surely Stoick began to realize how strong his son truly had been all along, and that strength came in different forms. It still never made him any less protective of Hiccup. Throughout the entire second movie, he showed deep concern for his son and in the end, sacrificed his own life to protect him from harm.

During Stoick's funeral, Valka revealed that Hiccup was born prematurely and she had feared he would not survive for long. But that his father never doubted; he always knew Hiccup would become the strongest of them all.

How to Train Your Dragon
"I'm proud... to call you my son"

- Stoick to Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon

Stoick is the Chief of the village, making Hiccup the next in line to become Chief. However, the two seem to be complete opposites of each other: whereas Stoick is large, strong, brawny, and the best dragon fighter in the village, Hiccup is lanky, weak, brainy, and perhaps the worst fighter on the island. Their relationship is strained because of these differences, as Hiccup wants to make his dad proud by conforming to Viking norms and attempting to slay dragons, but ends up making things worse most of the time.

Though confused as to what to do about Hiccup's peculiarities as a Viking, Stoick is very protective of his son. During the dragon raid, it is shown that Stoick, along with everyone else in the village, prefers that Hiccup stay inside and out of harm's way. He is at first reluctant to send Hiccup to Dragon Training for fear that he will be killed before the first dragon is even let out of its pen.

Stoick becomes proud of Hiccup when he hears of Hiccup's success in Dragon Training and is elated to finally have something in common with his son, although his attempt at conversation with his awkward son ended in failure. However, after his son's relationship with Toothless is revealed, their small progress with one another is destroyed. Stoick accuses Hiccup of siding with the dragons and later no longer considers Hiccup to be his son. Their relationship is later mended when Hiccup comes to the rescue of the older Vikings during their confrontation with the Red Death with the help of his classmates and the dragons used in training, showing his dad his otherwise unseen bravery and leadership. This causes Stoick to apologize for his prejudice against dragons and say that he is proud to call Hiccup his son. Stoick shows how deeply he cares for Hiccup when he mourns at the belief that Hiccup is dead, apologizing for not having listened to him before. He shows great happiness when he learns that Hiccup is still alive thanks to Toothless' efforts. Later, Stoick and the village welcome Hiccup as a hero and Stoick finally accepts his son for who he is.

Gift of the Night Fury
Stoick has a heart-to-heart with Hiccup while he's heartbroken and worried at Toothless' absence for three days. To cheer him up, Stoick suggests that Toothless is probably with the other dragons and will be back. He reminds Hiccup that even in his absence, Toothless can be celebrated during Snoggletog, so the holiday can still be enjoyed.

When Hiccup returns with the all the other dragons, Stoick gives Hiccup a crushing hug in greeting, proud of him for what he's done for the village and their dragons.

At seeing Toothless and Hiccup reunited in the Great Hall during the holiday festivities, Stoick laughs and beams with pride at his son's bond with the dragon.

How to Start a Dragon Academy
Stoick gives Hiccup control over training the dragons on Berk so they'll be easier to live with, showing growing trust in his son's abilities. At his apparent failure, Hiccup is ashamed and afraid of any discipline Stoick might enforce. But instead, he hands over what was once the killing arena so Hiccup and his friends can have their own space to train dragons.

Viking for Hire
Hiccup advises his father to take on Gobber as an assistant. Stoick can see why Hiccup things this is a good idea and gives it a try. When Gobber didn't work out as an assistant, Stoick hands him off to Hiccup, to teach him valuable lessons in delegating.

How to Pick Your Dragon
Stoick appears to be back to interrupting and not listening to a work weird Hiccup says, no matter how helpful Hiccup is trying to be, which frustrates Hiccup greatly. When Hiccup attempts to teach Stoick how ride a dragon, Stoick seems to ignore Hiccup's teaching about how dragons need trust. He even gives Hiccup's friends orders instead of letting him less on his own. Stoick ends up using Toothless instead of finding his own dragon, which leaves Hiccup feeling helpless and hurt. With Hiccup's help, Stoick finally manages to train Thornado and ward off some wild boars from preying on an injured Thunderdrum friend of Thornado's. Gobber told Hiccup that "it's a father's job to listen to his son, without letting on that he's heard a word", and Stoick confirms that he in fact did listen to Hiccup's advice and instructions more than Hiccup thought. The two end up sharing a magnificent flight together on their own dragons as father and son.

Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man
After being painted to appear much bigger and stronger than he is, Stoick implies that he loves the false image of his son more than the real one. Feeling inadequate, Hiccup sets out on a treasure hunt that Stoick failed to finish years ago in an attempt to prove himself. Stoick apologizes at the end for making his son feel he had to do something big and dangerous to be accepted, and they share a genuine hug. A more accurate picture was placed in the Great Hall to replace the fist one.

Thawfest
Stoick is firm with Hiccup that there's no pressure in him winning the Thawfest Games. He still smiles in pride at his son when he gives Snotlout the medal for winning them again.

When Lightning Strikes
Even when the rest of the village accuses Toothless for causing the devastating lightning storms, Stoick assures Hiccup that he doesn't believe it. However, for their own safety, he instructs Hiccup to take Toothless to a safe place until the commotion is over. When Hiccup is struck by lightning and knocked unconscious, Stoick is greatly concerned and kneels next to his son's body in a similar way as he did in the first movie. When Hiccup wakes up in bed (also similar to how he did in the first movie), Stoick is overjoyed to see that he's ok, and gives Hiccup a crushing hug.

Breakneck Bog
Stoick and Gobber are searching for Trader Johann, but won't tell Hiccup why, so Hiccup decides to venture out on a mission of his own to help his father. It turns out Johann was bringing an old forgotten toy from Hiccup's younger years that his mother had made for him. The two share a sentimental moment when Hiccup opens the chest reveal the toy, reminiscing about their lost wife and mother.

We Are Family, Part 1 and Part 2
Stoick shows trust in Hiccup in having Gobber let him take full charge of the very old and treasured Bork's Papers. When Hiccup leaves alone despite promising the other Riders could come with him, Stoick pressures Fishlegs into telling him where Hiccup went, and insists on accompanying the Riders to find his son and bring him home.

Live and Let Fly
Stoick still shows great protectiveness of Hiccup after he had been captured and held prisoner by Alvin, and sets a strict "no flying" rule for Hiccup and his friends to keep them closer to home. He struggles again with trusting his son, especially when it's found that Hiccup broke the rule. But when Hiccup's rule breaking actually saves Berk fem a surprise Outcast attack, the two reconcile, and Hiccup even tells his father about the "Secret Dragon Flight Club".

Zippleback Down
When Hiccup learns of the increased fire danger, he immediately goes to warn Stoick. To which Stoick replies that he didn't have time to talk to Hiccup, because he's preparing for fire weather, which both amuses and frustrates Hiccup.

Frozen
After being locked inside the Academy for days to stay out of the horrid winter weather, Hiccup begs Stoick to let him go look for Trader Johann, saying "If you ever cars for me like a father would care for his son, you'd let me leave!" Stoick agrees and let's Hiccup go. At returning and seeing the devastation the Speed Stingers left, Hiccup is especially concerned and saddened at seeing Stoick had been stung and paralyzed by the wild dragons.

The Eel Effect
Stoick is ill with the Eel Pox, and when he visits the teens at the Academy, Hiccup advises him to rest up at the Great Hall, because the village needs a well chief.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Hiccup and Stoick team up and work well together to fight off Dagur and the Berserkers, as well as get all their metal objects back, which had been carried off by misplaced Smothering Smokebreath dragons.

Bing! Bam! Boom!
Stoick is the first Hiccup shows his new invention, the Thunder Ear, to. With it, Stoick hears juvenile dragons in tyre distance, and the two go to check it out. Stoick keeps trusting Hiccup to get three Thunderdrums under control, but they always manage to evade Hiccup's efforts. So Stoick lets Thornado take charge of them, which works brilliantly. During an attempt to leave the young dragons at Dragon Island alone, Stoick stresses that sometimes teenagers need a bit of tough love, at which Hiccup rolls his eyes. When they learn that the only way to keep the young dragons safe, and also Berk safe from their antics, is for Thornado to stay behind on Dragon Island to watch out for them, Stoick sets his beloved Dragon free. Hiccup is sad but proud of his father at the decision, and voices his pride whole on the flight back to Berk on Toothless.

Cast Out, Part 1 and Part 2
Hiccup goes to Stoick for advice on how to handle Snotlout, who is disowning every command and jeopardizing the safety of the other Riders. Stoick mentions that Hiccup will be chief some day, and how it's not always easy being a leader. Hiccup is also frustrated when Stoick refuses to tell him the back story with Alvin, later getting it from Gobber instead. When Stoick is captured by Dagur and is threatened to be killed if Hiccup doesn't surrender Toothless, Hiccup becomes acting chief for the first time and sees how difficult it really is. He teams up with Alvin to save his father while also sparing Toothless, and the rest of Berk. Stoick exhibits great pride in Hiccup for using his smarts to get out of sticky situations and somehow also managing to keep his friendship with Snotlout in tact.

Dawn of the Dragon Racers
While Stoick sails off to find a special wood to build his Regatta boat, he makes Hiccup acting chief again, leaving him in charge of organizing the Regatta. Hiccup succumbs to his friend's wishes and organizes Dragon Racing instead. Stoick is initially disappointed that Hiccup disobeyed him, again, but understands and even helps come up with new ideas for Dragon Racing. When the races are over, Stoick officially takes the reigns as chief back, to which Hiccup expresses great relief, telling his father "It's all yours!" before flying off on Toothless to enjoy being a kid a little longer.

Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 1 and Part 2
Feeling depressed that all his friends have something going on in their lives but not him, Hiccup shares his feelings with Stoick. At first they share the usual awkwardness, but Stoick manages to get Hiccup to relax and share his thoughts.

When Hiccup finds a mysterious Dragon Eye, he has a strong urge to go see where it's leading to. The rest of the Berk Council don't think it's a good idea to let Hiccup and his friends venture out on a possibly dangerous adventure, but Stoick understands that urge, and talks the council into letting them go. As Hiccup runs off, Stoick tells Toothless to keep his boy safe.

Crushing It
"And Hiccup? I do miss you. A lot, in fact."

- Stoick in Crushing It

Gobber appears on the Edge to inform Hiccup that Stoick is under some kind of stress back home. So Hiccup flies back to Berk on Toothless, only to find his father being completely unreasonable and erratic with everyone. In his rage, Stoick almost accidentally throws his axe at him when Hiccup startles him at the Academy. But Stoick instead gives him another crushing hug.

In an attempt to distract him from his issues at home, Hiccup tells Stoick about a rouge Dragon problem they're having back at the Edge and asks his father for help in catching it. So the two head back to the Edge to look for this dragon. They spend a lot of time alone, to which Stoick states "This is great!", having some quality time with his son, and seeing first hand how he manages things on the Edge. They finally catch the Rumblehorn dragon, and Stoick eventually trains it, and with it saves the Edge from a giant tidal wave. Hiccup figures out that his father's recent problems were because he missed Thornado, and now that he has the Rumblehorn, whom Stoick names Skullcrusher, his emotions should be back in check. Before Stoick leaves with Skullcrusher to had back to Berk, he tells Hiccup that he misses him too, a lot.

Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1 and Part 2
Hiccup rushes home to Berk with a pressing question to ask his father about Heather. Though in the midst of Berk's Gripe Day, Stoick takes time to talk to Hiccup in the Great Hall. Hiccup shows Stoick Heather's horn bearing Stoick's seal, and asks if Heather is his sister, to which Stoick replies no, Heather is Oswald the Agreeable's daughter, and he simply gave the horn as a gift when she was born.

Team Astrid
Stoick calls for Hiccup's and the Rider's help after a random attack on Berk. The two discuss together a plan, and Astrid decides to stay on Berk after taking to Stoick. When Dagur attacks the Edge while Astrid is on Berk, Stoick accompanies her back to the Edge to help defend hers and his son's home.

A Time to Skrill
Stoick sees Hiccup's flight suit for the first tube and it's a bit shocked at their existence, but glad to see they work. They later learn that Stoick's is the only house attacked during a random dragon attack, as it turns out it was the Skrill coming after Hiccup and Toothless for revenge.

Turn and Burn
Snotlout's dad, Spitelout, had been missing for a month, and is driving Stoick crazy the same way Snotlout drives Hiccup crazy, and the three go searching for Spitelout, hoping he hasn't gotten himself into to much trouble. At finding him, they help drive off a Singetail to save a storehouse that Spitelout spent the last month building. The two older men can't seem to agree on anything, and Stoick and Hiccup eventually abandon their efforts to leave the other two to face it alone. Hiccup comes to the conclusion that Spitelout's actions might be an effort to win Stoick's approval, and feeling guilty for abandoning them, the pair head back to help the other father/son duo out some more. They eventually have to give the island, and Spitelout's storehouse, up to the wild dragons, and head back to Berk.

A Grim Retreat
Hiccup is thankful when Stoick and Gobber agree to watch over the Edge while the teens take a little break from work and gather more minerals to help prepare for attacks.

Last Auction Heroes
Hiccup comes up with a plan to stop the Dragon Hunters in their tracks, but he's going to need to borrow all of Berk's gold to carry it out. So he flus back to Berk to ask his father's permission. At first Stoick laughs at his son's plan and doesn't agree to it, but Hiccup's portraying his father's stubbornness well, and finally gets Stoick to agree.

Midnight Scrum
For Berk's 400 year anniversary, Hiccup and the Riders return to Berk for the festivities. It's the first time Stoick has seen his son since he lost all of Berk's gold to the Dragon Hunters, and he's very upset with him. Hiccup is clearly ashamed and embarrassed but owns up to it, and Stoick's attitude softens. When Hiccup disappears during the night, Stoick frantically searched the village for him and calling his name. After Astrid tells Stoick about the bounty placed on Hiccup, he joins the Riders in search for him, knocking around everyone who attempted to abduct his son along the way. When Stoick and the Riders finally find Hiccup, Stoick punches Ryker for threatening to harm Hiccup, saying "you put a bounty on one of us, you get all of us!". On the flight back to Berk, Stoick confesses that the loss of Berk's gold was just as much the fault of his as it is Hiccup's, and that he's glad the two of them can spend some quality time together on the way back.

Dire Straits
No trade ships have made it to Berk in too long, and Hiccup and the Riders return to help find out why. Stoick and Hiccup work well as a team again to organize others to gather rations, feed the village, and find out what happened to the trade ships.

The Longest Day
After not sleeping for a week, Hiccup is losing some of his cognitive abilities, and asks Stoick if he can borrow the Auxiliary Riders to help blow Viggo and his "dragon Hunter psychopaths" off the face of the earth, without much planning involved. Stoick talks him out of it, insisting that revenge isn't the best way to go in this situation. Hiccup is left frustrated and storms out of the house, but before Toothless can follow, Stoick tells the dragon once again to keep an eye on his boy.

Shell Shocked, Part 1 and Part 2
Stoick agrees to join Hiccup and his Riders, the Auxiliary Riders, and Heather and Dagur in a planned attack on Viggo's camp. He praises Hiccup for his genius plan. And though they carry the plan out, Viggo pulls a fast one on all of them, and they're forced to take a different route. But Stoick allows Hiccup to plan out virtually the entire thing, and files his lead willingly.

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Stoick is excited for his retirement, and has full confidence in Hiccup taking over as Chief of Berk. But Hiccup doesn't feel the same, and goes out of his way to avoid his father in hopes the discussions will stop. When Hiccup and Astrid learn of Drago, Hiccup once again tries to talk to his father about it, only to be constantly cut off due to Stoick's excitement. At learning who Drago is, Stoick warns Hiccup to leave him alone and that he should prepare for war instead. They're relationship is mirrored from the first film, in that Stoick's stubbornness and want to take the more drastic route completely blinds him to Hiccup's more thought out approach to reason with the enemy in hopes of keeping the peace to begin with. When Hiccup goes against Stoick's wishes and attempts to be taken to meet Drago, Stoick has Gobber and the Riders join him in bringing his son back before disaster falls. Hiccup is again fed up with his plan being foiled, and flies off alone.

Stoick and Gobber go searching for him after sending the other Riders back home. They use Skullcrusher's tracking skills to find his location, and eventually find him deep inside an icy mountain. Stoick once again refuses to listen as Hiccup tries to tell him that he found Valka, all the while prodding him though the caves of the mountain. When Stoick comes upon Valka, Hiccup is shocked but delighted that he has both parents together again. He continues to show pure delight that Stoick and Valka still love each other, and especially when Valka agrees to return home with them.

When Drago and his army attack Valka's mountain, Hiccup and Stoick both follow Valka's lead in defending it. So while she goes to fetch her Bewilderbeast, Stoick and Gobber follow Hiccup into the battle. After Drago fights Stoick and tries to kill Valka, Hiccup distracts him and attempts his plan to reason with the villain. Unfortunately this only leads to Drago calling Hiccup a fool, and having his Bewilderbeast take control of Toothless, and ordering Toothless to kill Hiccup. Stoick notices what's about to happen and he and Valka rush to stop the events before they take place. He reaches Hiccup and Toothless just in time, jumping to push Hiccup our of the way. Hiccup reaches out his hands to stop his father, but then Toothless shoots, and hits Stoick instead of Hiccup.

After trying to catch his breath, Hiccup rushes over to Stoick, pushes chunks of ice off of him, and rolls him over. He pleads for him to be ok, but Valka listens for a heartbeat and confirms that his father is dead. In disbelief and shock, Hiccup can only mutter "no, no...", as he starts to cry and buries his face in his father's chest.

Tears are visible on Hiccup's face as Stoick's body is sent adrift in a boat, and then set ablaze with lit arrows. He apologizes for not being the person either of them wanted him to be. While Valka comforts her son by saying that Stoick always knew he'd be the strongest of them all, and it appears Hiccup finally realizes who he's meant to be.

After returning to Berk and defeating Drago and his Bewilderbeast, Hiccup is officially made chief of Berk, and orders a cliff carving to be made in Stoick's honor.

Burning Midnight
Everyone's sharing stories in memory of Stoick, but instead of a story, Hiccup says that the very fact that they're telling stories around a fire before a battle would have pleased his father greatly. In fact Stoick would have referred to such an event as "A Burning Midnight".

Letting Go
When Gobber helps Stoick herd a flock of sheep away into their pens, he then casually recounts that Hiccup had nearly lost the former's good arm on a bucking Gronckle and had taken off.

Enraged, Stoick yells that he had disobeyed his orders not to go after the dragons. Gobber questions if he was really upset merely because of Hiccup's little rebellion or if there was something deeper. The other Viking insists otherwise. With his well-known parenting advice, Gobber reminds Stoick that even though Hiccup was becoming his own man, it does not mean that he was no longer his son. Stoick tosses the last of his sheep and hesitates, before confessing that he hoped that running the village was something they could do together.