Dante Rogers

**Sir Dante Rogers**, previously **Sir Dante Doo**, is a Scooby-Doo fancharacter and the father of the reimagined Shaggy from the fanseries, Scooby-Doo? Who Whitewashed You?.

He's an alien superorganism, called a "Doo", whose own overwhelming power caused him to become wheelchair-bound at a young age. He's a well-known astronomer, who, despite his illness, continues to work from home.

He appears throughout the story as nothing but a mention or a minor character, until the ending reveals he's the only source of information left who knows of Scooby's background, which automatically reveals his and that of his son.

He was conceived on March 5, 2023, but has not made an official online appearance yet.

## Original Shaggy's father

*To read about the father(s) of the original Shaggy and recognize the differences mentioned below, click any of the following links:*

* *Mr. Rogers (from The New Mysteries and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo)*
* *Mr. (Colton) Rogers (from Mystery Incoporated)*
* *Mr. (Lamont) Rogers (from Velma)*

## Reimagined Shaggy's father

Dante was born from a prestige, secret family of alien mutants that have long struggled to expand their influence because of their kind's short lifespan. Since the virus that turns organisms into "Doos" mostly affects animals, human Doos are a rarity, and by the time Dante was born, he only had relatives to consider for marriage.

After another family member had already left a stain on their reputation by forming a union with a once equally revered clan of canine Doo, the next course of action couldn't be taken lightly.

While any infected creature is considered a Doo and the virus makes interspecies relationships possible, it also urges Doos to be attracted to those who most physically look like them as some way of preservation. Doos take pride in keeping their bloodline as pure as possible, and the few families that managed to do so were celebrated and envied.

Infected animal species in the minority had little choice but to mingle, though some Doos began arguing that going for absolute purity was what was killing them. They theorized their Earthly bodies weren't built for the foreign gene, and the solution to establishing their new evolution on the planet lied in diluting their blood by producing half-offspring with their "primordial selves".

Despite it being a controversial stance amongst Doos, Dante understood there were no good options left and greatly felt the pressure as his body began destroying itself before entering his high school years. Already having lost his parents, he refused to let the bloodline die with him and took solace in the excuse regular humans weren't that mentally inferior to Doos -a struggle animal Doos have always dealt with. He sought out a partner with a prestige background of her own to make up for breaking the rules.

He was still a teenager when he came across the Rogers and swooned their daughter to become his girlfriend. With the help of an overdose of medicine, he kept himself running long enough to establish a relationship with Nora, but with time pushing his body towards immobilization, he made the decision to have a child with her before the age of 17. As hoped, the Rogers wished to keep the child and urged Dante to marry their daughter.

Though Nora was glad he appeared genuine about their relationship, her social position and Muslim faith left her embarrassed over the situation. She worked hard to make up for it, and both of them finished up on their studies and earned a respectable job, but also overcompensated by lowering their tolerance for matters and people who didn't match their standards. This was reflected in Shaggy's upbringing, who grew up in a home with overly strict rules and no freedom.

When Shaggy was a toddler, Dante attempted to share with him the truth of his being, but as his son seemed unremarkable in every way, it convinced him he failed to produce a proper heir with the Doo gene. He decided to stay silent and treated Shaggy as if he were a regular human child. Dante grew sicker and switched his cane for a wheelchair just a few years after Shaggy's birth, bringing an official end to his failed quest, with nothing left but to wait and die.

His imminent death in combination with Shaggy's perceived worth made him reluctant to build a relationship with him, and he adapted a silent, disappointed act with an air of melancholy.

When Shaggy found a puppy and wished to keep him, he initially declined, but then felt remorseful for the emotional neglect that led to his son's crying. Understanding he was just an innocent party in all of it, he talked it over with the allergic Nora and the decision was retracted.

But soon, he picked up on Scooby's slow ageing process and ability to speak. When it became clear what breed of dog he was, Dante realized Scooby wasn't just a half-Doo, but a descendant of his shunned relative. Disgusted by the animal and worried that keeping him around would end up revealing the existence of Doos to his son, he sought for a reason to kick him out. As Nora had already expressed concern over Scooby's size, he argued the same, unintentionally leading to a fight and Shaggy running away from home.

Despite not believing Shaggy was a Doo, Dante still panicked and he and Nora would hire people to find him. Since neither parents truly knew Shaggy, they'd give the men wrong suggestions on where to go, and even when Shaggy became part of a famous mystery solving team, his changed name and appearance kept him off the radar.

Dante became a spiralling drug addict; trying to extend his life and witness his only son be returned to him.

2 years later, Shaggy would suddenly appear in his office with a group of people unknown to him, including the despised Scooby. They wished to know about the Doo race and he agreed to tell them the basics, though not without the underlying expectation Shaggy would stay and abandon Scooby.

Many weeks had passed when Shaggy returned home again, by himself. Dante's life could no longer be prolonged, and expecting some closure, he came to see him. While Dante clarified some matters that bothered his son -like his love for him and his mother- his stance on Scooby hadn't changed. He passed away letting him know he'll forever disapprove of him.

## Personality

Dante is a serious man, who's not only gone through rigorous etiquette training as a child, but also has inherent intelligence and grace.

His overly sophisticated behaviour makes it hard for normal people to casually engage with him, though it's also the knowledge of his early death that makes him unwilling to, which is a trait most Earth-born Doos have. Having that said, he doesn't have a genuine relationships with anybody, and his only purpose in life was to find a suitable partner for his offspring and keep up appearances until his passing.

Even so, Dante came to understand on his death bed that the few acts of kindness he entertained his son were moments he felt the most satisfied about himself, making him especially regretful he failed to see the value of it when it mattered. Since he looked down on humans in general, most of his relationship with his wife was a facade as well, yet he felt grateful for her kindness and tolerance of him. He apologized to her for making her a young mother, then having to deal with the stress of a paralyzed partner.

While he came to love his family, the proud man could not accept Scooby and died without making amends with him.

## Appearance

Dante looks of African descent and is remarkably tall and muscular, despite his wheelchair-bound state and barely having been able to move for more than 10 years. He has a pale, exhausted look to him, and his weakened muscles create a sloppy posture where he's rarely able to raise his neck or head straight up.

He has pitch-black, half-curled hair and a beard, but as with all pure Doos; out in the sun, you'll see a faint red shine. He always dresses himself in expensive suits, no matter how sick he feels or whether he plans to go outdoors for the day.

## See also

* Noori Faheel "Shaggy" Rogers
* Scooby-Doo? Who Whitewashed You?