Superhero psychological disorders
10 Marvel Superheroes You Didn’t Know Were Suffering From Mental Illness
Mental health awareness is a major issue in American culture. Previously, most mental health conditions were met with significant and unfair stigma. That sentiment is becoming rarer as research shows us how complicated mental health really is. Interestingly, Marvel Comics has been a part of the discussion surrounding mental health for quite some time.
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Sure, Marvel has made its fair share of missteps, just like the rest of American society has, but the comic publisher has also introduced its readers to several sympathetic protagonists who were struggling with these problems. By highlighting these heroes, Marvel's helped further the discussion surrounding mental health and has helped people understand that even the strongest among us can need help.
10 Daredevil - Depression
Daredevil has had an incredibly dark history. He's probably had more of his love interests murdered than any other Marvel hero. Some of DD's greatest stories, such as Born Again and Guardian Devil, involve his psyche being totally dismantled.
It should be no surprise then to learn that Matt Murdock has suffered severe, long-term bouts of depression over the course of his crime-fighting career. With sheer determination and the help of his friends, Matt is able to push through this darkness. His depression has nevertheless returned at several moments in his career.
9 Legion - Dissociative Identity Disorder
Although often portrayed as an enemy of the X-Men, Legion has also spent his fair share of time fighting alongside Marvel's favorite mutant heroes. The son of Charles Xavier, Legion, carries with him many great powers. Unfortunately, they come at a cost.
Each power Legion possesses comes with a unique personality. This means Legion suffers from a dissociative identity disorder. Some of his personalities have good intentions.
Others, not so much.
8 Storm - Claustrophobia
One of the most powerful, and most popular, members of the X-Men, Ororo Munroe has nearly mastered her weather-controlling abilities. There are very few ways to stop her and only a few weaknesses that she possesses.
Related: X-Men: 5 Reasons Why Storm Is Their Best Leader (& 5 Why It'll Always Be Cyclops)
One of those weaknesses in a debilitating case of claustrophobia. After being buried under tons of rubble, Storm developed an intense fear of tight spaces. This is the case so much so that Ororo will enter a near-catatonic state if she is forced into any sort of tight space.
7 Hank Pym - Bipolar Disorder
Hank Pym is a founding member of the Avengers and an absolute staple of the Marvel Universe. He's taken on many superhero identities, from Ant-Man to Giant-Man and even Yellowjacket.
Nobody's perfect, however. Known for his volatility, Hank has a hard time controlling his temper. At one time he even hit his wife, Janet.
This is due to Hank's mental illness, bipolar disorder. While there is no excuse for many of his actions, it is important to note that there is more going on with Hank than meets the eye.
6 Sentry - Schizophrenia
Robert Reynolds, aka the Sentry, has a very complicated history as a hero. His fractured psyche contains not only Sentry but also the villainous supervillain known as the void. While this symptom can be attributed to dissociative identity disorder, it is Robert's schizophrenia that haunts him the most.
Since his debut in New Avengers, comic book readers have watched as Sentry's psyche continues to deteriorate. It is a sobering reminder of a real mental illness that many people have to deal with in the real world.
5 Hulk - Intermittent Explosive Disorder
While Hulk is another character that could easily be labeled with dissociative identity disorder, it seems that there is much more going on beneath the surface here. A group of clinical psychologists analyzed and diagnosed the Hulk's mental health.
They determined that he suffers from an intermittent explosive disorder.
Described as "recurrent behavioral outbursts representing a failure to control aggressive impulses" this disorder explains why Hulk can't control his anger. In some of his tamer forms, such as Professor Hulk, it seems as though this mental illness goes away. Let's hope the jolly green giant can get the help he needs.
4 Scarlet Witch - Psychotic Break
In the Avengers: Disassembled and House of M storylines, Scarlet Witch suffered a psychotic break. Often occurring after severe emotional trauma, Wanda had her break when she lost her children.
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With a lot of help and time to heal, Wanda was able to regain some semblance of her former self. This serves as a great reminder to the rest of us that no matter how bad someone's mental health gets, with support and the proper treatment, they can be saved.
3 Jessica Jones - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
When Brian Michael Bendis created Jessica Jones in 2001, she quickly became one of Marvel's most iconic characters. She is without a doubt the most iconic character to debut in recent decades. What made her so special wasn't her powers, but rather her battle with mental illness.
Having been repeatedly abused by the Purple Man, Jessica was forever changed. She carried with her the trauma of his abuse for many years. Eventually, she was able to overcome her trauma, burying those traumatic memories in the past where they belonged.
2 Moon Knight - Dissociative Identity Disorder
Perhaps the hero most well-known for his mental illness is Moon Knight. Often described as Batman with multiple personality disorder, Moon Knight's illness has made his fight against crime quite difficult.
Many issues of Moon Knight comics involved the hero not only battling psychopathic villains, but also his own psyche.
His struggle to both remain sane and save the innocent makes for some very compelling stories.
1 Deadpool - Psychosis
Deadpool has constantly battled his fractured psyche throughout his comic book existence. It turns out that while his regenerative healing factor does protect against physical injury, it also greatly damages his mental health, resulting in severe psychosis.
While oftentimes it is easy to treat Deadpool's strange behavior as a joke, it is important to note that his abnormal behavior is caused by a severe mental disorder. As "crazy" as he may appear at times, at Deadpools core is a good man with a good heart. This is the case with many individuals suffering from psychosis. It might be easy to write them off as "crazy," but in reality, they just need help.
NEXT: 10 Marvel Superheroes with Side Jobs You Didn't Know About
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues: Mental health is an important aspect which is often overlooked.
It can affect anyone, even superheroes, who are often portrayed as being larger than life and immune to the challenges that ordinary people face. In reality, even superheroes can struggle with mental health issues. Today we will explore the stories of 10 superheroes who have faced mental health challenges and how they were able to overcome them. These heroes serve as an inspiration to all of us, showing that it is possible to overcome mental health struggles and live a fulfilling and meaningful life. Their stories demonstrate the importance of seeking help when needed and the power of resilience and determination in overcoming adversity.
- Batman
- Daredevil
- Scarlet Witch
- Polaris
- Storm
- Moon Knight
- Hank Pym
- Captain Marvel
- Sentry
- Jessica Jones
Batman
BatmanThe First Superhero in our list is the epitome of human will and capabilities, “Batman”. However, the vigilante has had his fair share of mental health issues.
As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents in Crime Alley, a traumatic event that would shape the rest of his life. In order to cope with his grief and channel it into something positive, Wayne dedicated himself to fighting crime in Gotham City as the superhero known as Batman. However, the vigilante struggled with mental health issues, including depression and persistent depressive disorder. In challenging situations, he often turned to his butler and confidant, Alfred Pennyworth, for support and guidance.
Despite the struggles he faced, Wayne was able to use his pain and grief as a source of motivation to become a better hero and protect the people of Gotham. Through determination and resilience, he was able to overcome his mental health challenges and continue his mission to rid the streets of crime.
Daredevil
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues – DaredevilMatt Murdock aka Daredevil, has struggled with depression throughout his life.
This struggle has been compounded by several traumatic events, including the murder of his girlfriend Elektra and the death of another loved one, Karen Page. Additionally, Murdock’s wife, Milla, experienced a mental breakdown, adding to his challenges. Murdock’s depression is depicted as a demon that he cannot escape, and he has struggled to find ways to cope with his mental health challenges. In the 1986 “Born Again” story by Frank Miller, Murdock experiences a series of setbacks, including losing his job, his house, and the security of a sound mind. His depression threatens to overpower him, but he is able to overcome it through determination and resilience.
Murdock’s struggle with depression has resonated with many comic book and superhero fans, particularly those who also suffer from the disorder. His story serves as an inspiration to those who may be struggling with mental health issues, demonstrating that it is possible to achieve great things even in the face of challenges.
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet WitchWanda has had a complicated and tumultuous history. Along with her brother Pietro, Wanda experienced a difficult childhood (characterized by isolation and neglect). These experiences had a lasting impact on Wanda’s emotional well-being, leading her to rely on men who were unable to meet her emotional needs. Eventually, Wanda found happiness with Vision, an android, but their relationship was not without its challenges. The couple had two children together, but they were tragically reassimilated by Mephisto, leading to the couple’s divorce. In the aftermath of this loss, Wanda turned to Agatha Harkness for comfort.
The events of Wanda’s past, coupled with her unstable childhood, contributed to a psychotic break in which she wiped out several mutants. As a result of this break, Wanda has sometimes struggled to control her powers. However, Wanda has shown resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
Polaris
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues – PolarisLorna Dane (Polaris), is a young superhero who has struggled with mental health issues throughout her life.
Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Lorna has experienced a number of traumatic events that have impacted her emotional well-being. One such event occurred when Lorna’s mutant powers were triggered during an argument between her biological mother and her husband. As a result, Lorna unleashed a magnetic pulse that caused the plane they were on to crash. She was later found by her father, Magneto, who had her memories of the incident erased by his colleague Mastermind. In her adult life, Lorna experienced a mental breakdown and attempted suicide. However, she was able to take control of her life and move towards a more positive direction by rejoining X Factor and rebuilding her relationship with Magneto. Lorna’s experiences make her an inspiring role model for young people living with bipolar disorder.
Storm
StormShe is considered to be one of the most powerful members of the X-Men. She is known for her roles as a queen, goddess, leader, warrior, and teacher.
However, the X-Men Member has struggled with intense claustrophobia, a fear that stems from a childhood trauma. When Storm was six years old, her parents were killed in a military aircraft attack that sent the plane crashing into their home. Buried in the rubble of her house, Storm developed a fear of small spaces that continued to affect her as she grew older. Her claustrophobia manifested in panic attacks and could only be alleviated when she was able to see the sky.
Despite the challenges posed by her claustrophobia, Storm has shown incredible resolve in the face of overwhelming circumstances. This was demonstrated in a defining moment when she traveled into the New York underground to rescue her teammate Angel from The Morlocks, overcoming her fear of small spaces in the process.
Moon Knight
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues – Moon KnightMoon Knight is a superhero who has been depicted as struggling with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a complex mental health condition characterized by the presence of multiple identities.
Since his introduction in 1975, Moon Knight has been depicted with a range of identities, including that of the tough-as-nails mercenary Marc Spector and the unassuming taxi driver Jake Lockely. It seems that Moon Knight’s DID may be linked to changes in the lunar cycle, with some scientific theories suggesting that the moon can cause people to become insane. However, the exact cause of Moon Knight’s disorder is unclear. However, Moon Knight has not let his condition hold him back from trying to do good. In a recent comic written by Jeff Lemire, Moon Knight confronts all of his personalities within an illusionary mental health hospital and ultimately embraces every part of himself, demonstrating his determination to move forward with his life.
Hank Pym
Hank PymHe is a scientist who has accomplished a lot in his professional life. However, throughout his life, Pym has struggled with mental breakdowns, bipolar disorder, depression, and dissociative identity disorder.
These struggles have had a significant impact on his personal life, leading to the breakdown of his marriage to Janet Van Dyne after he lashed out at her. Realizing that he needed help, Pym worked hard to redeem himself in the eyes of the Avengers and took steps to manage his mental health. He eventually diagnosed himself with bipolar disorder and has learned to manage his condition one step at a time. Pym’s story serves as a reminder that even the smartest people can struggle with mental health issues and that it is possible to find ways to cope with these challenges.
Captain Marvel
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues – Captain MarvelCaptain Marvel (Carol Danvers) is one of the strongest cosmic superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Despite her physical strength, Carol has struggled to cope with issues like PTSD and alcoholism. These struggles were at the center of a story called “The Life of Captain Marvel” by Margaret Stohl, in which Carol is forced to confront unresolved childhood trauma involving her late father.
When Carol returns to her New England home to visit her family, she experiences panic attacks that leave her feeling paralyzed. With the help of her mother and brother, Carol is able to resolve her trauma and improve her mental health. Captain Marvel’s story serves as a reminder that even those who appear strong on the surface can struggle with mental health issues. It is important to recognize that it is okay to feel vulnerable and the best way to address these feelings is to confront them openly.
Sentry
SentryNext on the listy is Sentry (Robert Reynolds). Sentry is a character who is the best example of being one’s own worst enemy. Reynolds has struggled with a range of mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia. These struggles have manifested physically in the form of The Void, a creature of pure darkness that represents the negative aspects of Reynolds’ mental health. The Void has often fought with The Sentry, Reynolds’ more positive side, causing chaos in the world.
However, in the recent graphic novel “Sentry: Man of Two Worlds,” Reynolds was able to confront and merge these two conflicting parts of himself, leading to a sense of wholeness.
Jessica Jones
10 Superheroes Who Struggled With Mental Health Issues – Jessica JonesPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder that can affect anyone who has experienced trauma, including superheroes. Jessica Jones is one such superhero who has struggled with PTSD for years. In the comics, the source of Jessica’s PTSD was the time she spent under the control of Zebediah Killgrave, also known as The Purple Man. Killgrave used Jessica as his personal puppet, subjecting her to emotional, physical, and psychological abuse. Even after she was able to break free of his control, the experience left Jessica traumatized for years.
To cope with the pain, Jessica turned to alcohol and dangerous situations, doing everything she could to ignore her PTSD and pretend it wasn’t there.
However, after meeting Luke Cage and learning to accept her trauma, Jessica was able to find a path towards healing. When she became a mother, Jessica promised to always remain strong for her daughter, which gave her a renewed sense of purpose and helped her manage her PTSD one step at a time. Jessica’s story serves as a reminder that it is possible to overcome trauma and find healing with the right support and self-care.
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From the Joker to Jessica Jones. How are mental disorders portrayed in comics? | Art on 2x2
Disputes about the representation of disorders in the media have not subsided over the past five years: by the release of the films Split and Joker, dozens of columns were published about how disorders are often associated with violence, which gives rise to a new wave of fears of "mentally ill people" . According to statistics, most often they are not the ones who commit crimes, but they are used to placing accents with reference to diseases - fear of the unknown will certainly make you read the article.
Comics have not been left out, and the trend of "superheroes with disabilities" has intensified in recent years. Katya Novikova, the author of the telegram channel about comics and the psychology of unquiet mind, understands how the creators of comics themselves spoke about this topic.
In 1942, Sensation Comics #1 featured the first character with a pronounced depression. Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloan) was smarter than other children in his school years, achieved all his goals while studying in college, and then lost the meaning of life for himself. No one directly says that Terry is depressed, this word is not yet used in the comics, and they see the solution as a distraction from their own problems and the help of others - he saves the brother of his friend from a criminal group, and then establishes a club to help teenagers. With the restarts of the universes, the place of Mister Terrific is taken by a completely different character, so the theme of being lost and meaningless is no longer developed in this vein.
How villains with disorders are treated in comics
In comics, the existence of disorders is forgotten for many years, which is logical: psychiatry then only developed as a science. The heyday of this topic roughly coincides with the anti-psychiatry movement, the fight against electroconvulsive therapy, and the reform of hospitals. In the USA there were two waves in the psychiatric movement, and the second in the early 70s was just related to the question of the maintenance of patients: is it possible to forcibly contain those who do not show violent behavior? In court cases that are actively covered in the press, exactly the same topic is raised, so that in response to this, Arkham appears - a psychiatric hospital for villains who are prone to violence and also suffer from various disorders.
The most famous villain in the DC Universe, the Joker, ends up in Arkham in the 70s, so he is declared insane. Why was the Joker even given a diagnosis and sent to a psychiatric hospital? For contrast.
The screenwriter wanted him to be clearly opposed to Batman, took him away from the image of a "clown", so that the illogicality of the Joker was visible. Madness here is just a way to show the otherness of the villain, to explain his actions: most often we recall the story of how the Joker fell into a vat of chemicals, but in one of the first appearances in Detective Comics # 168 (1951) he jumped there himself.
Only 30 years later, experts began to discuss the Joker as a sociopath, a person with antisocial personality disorder. Simply put, sociopathy is a reduced ability to empathize, self-centeredness and deceit, due to which all actions cease to correlate with public morality. For example, for a long time in comics, he did not put Harley Quinn and what she was doing for him into anything: he criticized any of her actions, even the capture of Batman, and eventually threw her out of the window (“Batman. Adventures. Crazy love", The Batman Adventures: Mad Love 1994).
"Harley Quinn" - how did the friendly sitcom about supervillains turn out
At the end of 2019, the animated series "Harley Quinn" was released about the Joker's assistant, who decided to leave the clown and become an independent woman and villain. It turns out she is so-so, but her best friend and solomate, Ivy (aka Poison Ivy), helps her in every possible way.
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Stills from The Batman Adventures: Mad Love / DC Comics But even in this case, the diagnosis is far-fetched: the causes of the disorder in science are considered genetic mutations or problems of upbringing, the social environment, and according to the conditional "canon" the changes are associated with the same chemicals (Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988). Over the years, the image of the Joker has become overgrown with myths and other interpretations that have nothing to do with the diagnosis - he is already forever insane villain that no one can cure.
Arkham simultaneously becomes a temporary shelter and a cardboard building, where villains lick their wounds, although some of them are mentally healthy. In comics, psychiatrists are not able to help their patients, so they are also cardboard: most often they themselves become villains (like Scarecrow or Harley Quinn, for example) or completely lose their minds. But even if there are doctors in the comics who can help, they will most likely use patients for their own purposes, like Hugo Strange. In Batman: Gotham Knights #11 (2001), Hugo mentions that he brainwashed a patient who turned to him for help - she began to consider herself Catwoman and help him in crimes. And this is a game on one of the main fears - the doctor is able to remake your personality, and you will no longer be yourself. Obviously, this does not help the fight against stereotypes, but only exacerbates them.
Images from Batman: Gotham Knights / DC Comics In the recent "Joker. Killer smile ”(Joker: Killer Smile, 2020) by Jeff Lemire, another psychiatrist decides to cure his patient, but in the end he ceases to be aware of reality and falls into the same cell.
The comic has been widely discussed in the media as a study of human vulnerability and the imperfection of the psyche, but, like with Hugo Strange, this play on the stereotype of the failure of psychiatry. The problem with stigma here is that our perception of disorders is based on the images and vocabulary we see in front of us: if comics actively reject psychotherapy as an element of help, will readers seek it in real life?
For Marvel, the institution of psychiatry has not become a permanent theme: Ravencroft, an Arkham-like place, does not feature as often in comics. Most often, he appears in stories about Spider-Man (Spectacular Spider-Man # 241-246, 1997), but here the same trope: the villain Chameleon pretends to be a psychiatrist in order to drive Peter Parker crazy and defeat him. Ravencroft (2020), a not-so-successful series with a history of a mental hospital, was launched last year, but the criminals in the publisher's comics usually end up on Rikers Island.
Mental disorders of supervillains are not so actively discussed: they are practically not emphasized.
What happened to the disorders of heroes in comics before?
True, the topic of disorders has not bypassed the superheroes themselves. The most famous examples in Marvel are Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch). We will return to the sorceress a little later, and Hank is widely known for the issue in which he beats his wife, so the label “wife beater” hangs on him, from which they are in no hurry to leave in the comics of recent years. But his story is actually deeper than it seems at first glance: due to the loss of his first wife, Pym is emotionally unstable, and further in The Avengers #60 (1969), he inhales nerve gas and develops schizophrenia. The comic says that Pym's personality has broken into several. From the point of view of science, this is not entirely true: genetic and social factors still become the causes of schizophrenia, and certainly in the course of the disease the personality is not split - rather, hallucinations, delusional and paranoid thoughts appear.
Alas, at the time of the release of the story, scenario moves did not always correlate with the classifications of diseases, but were also based on stereotypes.
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Partly in the Pim comics, frustration is used as a way to whitewash the character, to give a logical explanation for what is happening, but frustration is not a search for an excuse, it is everyday life for many, and causing pain to loved ones is not justified by the fact that you are now in depressive phase. However, Hank Pym remains in the comics without psychological help for years to come. Only in Avengers A.I. (2013) they will return to the topic of how to live on, and even then without much success: in 12 issues, Pim will mention bipolar disorder a couple of times and tell what ways he came up with for himself not to return to the “bottom”, but this is rather pointless without explanations for past experience.
Another example: Tony Stark's addiction to alcohol is part of his identity, on which many further plots are built. A bipolar Hank Pym in the comic book "Modern Avengers: Team Ultimate" (The Ultimates, 2002-2004) is forgotten almost immediately, and the main plot is an abusive relationship with Janet van Dyne. The disorder does not complement the plot, it exists in a vacuum, and we can only guess about the reasons for Pim's aggressive behavior.
But the Scarlet Witch in the comics is manipulated by the writers as they want: she lost loved ones, even her children, who are actually literally creatures of the devil, so the reaction to what was happening was a nervous breakdown. Wanda has lost control of her powers and created an alternate reality where there is no hint of her pain in the "Day of M" arc (House of M, 2005). Her story was effectively limited to the well-known phrase "No more mutants", and only in the Scarlet Witch series (Scarlet Witch, 2016) did we see a discussion of her mental state and coming to terms with trauma.
The problem is that both her disorder and other troubled characters have long been used to plug plot holes. Readers in this case did not perceive the trauma as a problem and did not think about the difficulties of a person with a disorder - they thought that this was just a bright marker that characterizes the hero.
Both Marvel and DC have had a special love for split personality (dissociative identity disorder) over the years, which the movie Fight Club partly popularized. For a screenwriter, this is a great tool because of the ability to play with a character's duality. Most of them, however, confuse the symptoms, so there can be no question of a clear representation in this case: Moon Knight, aka Mark Spector, before Lemire's arc "Moon Knight" (Moon Knight vol.6, 2016) appears before us a hero who has several other people in his head to help him make a decision. In fact, the change of personality occurs randomly and does not depend on the desire to defeat the enemy: this is a daily story when you do not know who will come home.
At some point, Mark is even accompanied by Wolverine, Captain America and Spider-Man (Moon Knight vol. 4, 2011-2012), which only adds to the comedy, but does not show the seriousness of the problem.
The story of Mad Jane in the Doom Patrol comics in the DC Universe is built in a different way: after several episodes of sexual violence, her personality split into 64 (!), All with superpowers. Jane spent some time in a psychiatric hospital, but most of her history is a process of personality integration, that is, the unification of all subpersonalities and merging into one single one. It often takes the form of a dialogue, so her metaphorical "underground", the habitat of all personalities, is a way to make friends with yourself.
Here, another problem arises in depicting the "splitting" of the personality - the obligatory presence of an evil alter ego. The causes and mechanism of dissociative disorder are not fully understood, but for the general reader of comics, they have long been criminals who can hurt at any time.
The myth actively runs through books and feature films, so for a correct presentation it is better to turn to documentaries. For example, in the documentary Busy Inside (2019) the heroines suffer from childhood traumas and cannot always cope with life - there can be no talk of any violent crimes.
How is it now with the representation of disorders in heroes in comics?
Although there have been many questions about representation in recent years, we still got a lot of new heroes who are not afraid to solve their problems and admit it publicly. In the 2016 Silk series, Silk (Cindy Moon) deals with depression and repressed aggression in therapy. Nadia van Dyne (Hank Pym's daughter) in The Unstoppable Wasp (2018) also comes to therapy, but for her it is already a way to embrace bipolar disorder.
The story of Jessica Jones in the comic of the same name (Alias, 2001-2003) began with the theme of PTSD: emotional abuse and coercion can also cause anxiety and constant flashbacks to trauma.
Writers now generalize from personal experience or specifically consult doctors: For DC, Tom King, a former military man living with PTSD, wrote "Heroic Crisis" ( Heroes in Crisis, 2018-2019). In this story, superheroes create a Sanctuary where they and their comrades can recover from traumatic events, and we learn about their experiences from mini-inserts: even Wonder Woman has nightmares at night, what can we say about others. Another King comic, Mister Miracle (2017-2019)) is a story about the New Gods, beings with superpowers from a high-tech world. Scott Free spent an unhappy childhood as a pupil of Darkseid, holding back the troops on Apokolips, and now works as an illusionist on Earth. Psychological trauma led Scott to depression, hallucinations and thoughts of trying to kill himself, and the entire comic is an exploration of his feelings and relationship to reality.
Despite the large number of stories with a psychological context, there is still no systematic dialogue and criticism: the world of comics is too wide, and in order to find a hero who is close to you, you have to re-read a lot of everything. We rather discuss the comic in the context of the artist and the like/dislike paradigm, but the reviews barely highlight whether the superhero's disorder is correctly portrayed. As a result, our representation of disorders is made up of stereotypes in scripts. The answer to this is, among other things, constant selections of heroes with disorders - a quick recap of events and a superficial look to get an impression of the character. But this only exacerbates the problem: the diagnoses are too vague, and we will draw a conclusion about the conditional Joker based on the three proposals of the creator of the collection.
Nevertheless, the path of his illness is necessary and important: we are still trying to see ourselves in the reflection of our beloved character, and if he is a little more like us (coping with trauma, burying a loved one, living with a disorder), then the connection with he will be stronger.
With superheroes, with their travels in space and eternal battles, we have in common only humanity and vulnerability, and what, if not depression or panic attacks, is a bright marker that even Carol Danvers cannot cope with something? Here we are, too, our heroes, who just sometimes can’t do something, but, like comic book characters, we live with frustrations and learn to come to terms with them.
analysis of the psychological trauma of the heroes of the Marvel Universe
Over the past couple of years, Marvel projects have delved deeper into the psychology of the hero, proving that psychological problems and disorders are not alien even to superheroes from fictional worlds. We figure out if this is for the benefit of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After Thanos made half the inhabitants of the universe disappear in Avengers: Infinity War, the spirit of the superhero team from Earth was broken - so it is not surprising that trauma takes on such a significant role in the series of the franchise.
"Winter Soldier" Bucky Barnes meets us in his spin-off almost like Tony Soprano - in the psychotherapist's chair. "Hawkeye" Clint Barton in his solo album is trying to cope with guilt over the death of Natasha Romanoff. And Wanda, who is experiencing a loss, with the help of magic creates a huge mental shelter for herself and brings her beloved Vision back to life. Streaming seems to allow the franchise to take a fresh look at established characters in viewers' minds and introduce new characters through their traumatic experiences. Or. maybe trauma just sells well?
The origin of trauma in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
It all started with Tony Stark. In Iron Man, the hero went to Afghanistan to present the Jericho rocket, manufactured by his father's Stark Industries. But the brought weapon injures Tony himself and he is kidnapped by thugs from the Ten Rings terrorist group. In captivity, Tony Stark creates a prototype Iron Man suit that helps him escape.
The first measure of the hero's drama is disappointment in his father's company. Stark Industries focused on creating lethal weaponry, which means that the Starks were indirectly involved in thousands of deaths. After the misfortunes that happened to him, the hero decided to change the industrial vector of the company, closed the production of weapons and began developing advanced, environmentally friendly technologies. And he decided to protect humanity on his own, in the form of Iron Man, and joined Nick Fury's project - "The Avengers".
The second step of traumatization was the battle over New York. After the invasion of the Earth by the Asgardian god Loki and his troops, the "World Security Council" decided to launch a rocket into the center of Manhattan, which could free the city from foreign escalation. Stark was aware of the destructive power of such a "rescue", so he intercepted the rocket, and together with it flew to the main ship of the invaders - into space. After a successful missile launch on an enemy ship, Stark's suit malfunctioned, and the hero nearly died.
After these events, Tony began to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. The loss of control over the situation greatly affected his psycho-emotional state, the hero's fear for his life grew into fear for humanity. He became obsessed with the safety of the planet and almost went insane.
But he's not the only one with problems. His colleague - "Captain America" Steve Rogers, generally had to register in the house of a psychotherapist. In The First Avenger, we meet Steve in the 40s - a weak youth, his poor health prevents him from joining the ranks of the soldiers and being sent to the front. After which he agrees to an experiment by Howard Stark and the American army to create a super soldier. But the acquired inhuman superpowers did not save Rogers from losses. Before his eyes, his best friend dies, he misses the chance to be with the woman he loves, in addition, he spends 70 years in a dream and wakes up in a completely new reality into which he will hardly be able to integrate.
Each character of The Avengers has behind their phenomenal superpowers a background of pain, sadness, loss, but their personal problems remain behind the scenes, despite the fact that it is the traumatic experience that becomes the impetus for the development of their inner strength, motivation. Marvel and Disney+ series projects deal with trauma differently, now it directs the story, it does not blurt out between times.
In a general and very simple interpretation, trauma can be characterized as the experience of experiencing obsessive, repetitive states that arose as a result of catastrophic events of the past. In this regard, trauma can be easily represented in series prone to self-repetition, in other words, since the experience of trauma involves the repetition of obsessive states and experiences, why not trauma become a leitmotif that binds the entire fragmented narrative of the series into a single whole.
This is what happens in Hawkeye: Clint Barton comes with his children to New York to watch a musical about The Avengers, and there, on stage, among the actors and actresses, he sees the incarnation of Natasha Romanoff, who was his close friend.
Her image haunts Clint, memories require action from him, but what? Coincidentally, during his time in the city, young Kate Bishop is practicing her archery skills and trying to play hero. Through a flashback, we learn that during the Battle of New York, a shell hit her house and claimed the life of the girl's father. Kate was saved from death by Clint Barton, not suspecting that his help would influence her character and direct her interests. At that moment, Bishop decided to become a superhero, to be like Hawkeye. Having found the Ronin suit, Clint's former role (between Infinity War and Endgame, Barton worked as a hitman under the pseudonym Ronin), Kate enters into battle with the Russian mafia. Their leader, the deaf-mute girl Maya Lopez, has good reason to want Ronin dead: he killed her father. As a result, the mafia goes in search of Kate Bishop, and Barton comes to her defense. Until Kate is safe, he will not leave her and decide to return home to his family.
Another heroine also joins the story, Natasha Romanoff's sister, Elena Belova, who wants revenge on Barton for her sister's death.
As a result, Clint's trauma experience is lived through three synonymous stories, against which the hero tries to forgive himself for his mistakes. Only through a clash with three heroines who personify all parts of his past, with heroines who, like him, experienced a loss, does he manage to accept his pain, cope with guilt. Living through trauma opens up new possibilities for Barton, thereby extending the life of the character and his importance to the future of the franchise.
Trauma as a locomotive of storytelling
As researcher Parul Sehgal notes in an article for The New Yorker: a modern character is almost impossible without the manifestation of his trauma, and this is a big disaster. There must be fantasy in the relationship of the reader / viewer with the character, it is necessary that the imagination fills the gaps existing in the story, the narrative must allow the character to be interpreted, maintain a balance between knowledge and ignorance.
Literary reviewer Dmitry Lyagin noted that trauma maintains authenticity, the authenticity of the hero, and authenticity is an excellent marker of commercial success. Modern narratives lead their heroes into a trap: if you are not traumatized, then what is wrong with you? A hero without trauma is mistakenly considered uninteresting, flat, insensitive. And this harms modern stories that are trying to match the spirit of modernity: to be aware, attentive, empathic.
Often, instead of inventive approaches to the psychology of the hero, screenwriters and authors turn their characters into crude manifestations of symptoms from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in a cliché. But once upon a time, movies and TV shows coped with psychologism without describing the difficult memories of a character - then the audience had to find out for themselves the reasons for the hero’s piercing gaze, his melancholy smile. Now a sad flashback is a ubiquitous template for building a character's arc, as a result, depth and psychologism are not based on the intricacies of real actions and choices, but are determined by the hero's past and obey only him.
Simply put, everything that happens in the present is an insignificant consequence of events that happened long ago.
Why are superheroes often injured now?
Maybe it all started with villains. Usually good heroes are not used to articulate their motivation, helping people is almost a natural instinct. But the villains have to explain why they hate everyone so much. And, as often happens, in their stories and memories there are plenty of reasons to feel sorry for them: one tried in a good way, but the system rejected him, the other went crazy because of mom, dad, radiation or an unsuccessful experiment. And it turned out to be a vengeful victim of the influence of society, ideology or science. His trauma through the screen acquires the status of veracity, thereby asserting the tragic (sublime) status of the character, we believe him, because the world is really cruel. Recall Flint Marko's "Sandman" from Spider-Man: Enemy in Reflection. He decided to go on a robbery in order to get money for the treatment of his seriously ill daughter, but ended up in prison.
Having escaped, he returned to his family, but no one was waiting for him there. Hiding from the police, Marco ended up on the test site of the Institute of Physics at the epicenter of an experiment conducted by scientists - and so he became a real evil. You can also remember Magneto from X-Men: Eric survived the Holocaust as a child, and this trauma blackened his path as a superhero. He devoted his life to ensuring that mutant people did not suffer the same fate as his parents and people. Resentment and grief turned him into a villain who wants to win back power from people and transfer it to mutants.
The depth of feelings prescribed to the villain by fixing on his psychological illness has penetrated into the rear of superheroes. In addition to feats and battles, it has become important for superheroics to reflect the hero’s internal fluctuations, his imperfections, fears and weaknesses, he must succinctly fit into the framework of a sick world. And, if you look closely, Marvel films prove that superheroes are even worse than unfortunate villains: there is no one to talk about problems with, and most importantly, once, the burden of responsibility is on their shoulders, and personal problems are not so terrible in the face of the prospect of the death of the world.
The Avengers, each in turn, sacrificed their mental and emotional health for the sake of others. Now the pain accumulated over the years of silence has turned into a significant obstacle to the development of superheroes, they need to speak out, transform the energy of longing into superpower. And the modern era of self-isolation, soul-searching and psychotherapy allows them to have an honest heart-to-heart conversation with the viewer. The abnormal, traumatic reality of fictional superheroes has merged with the reality we all woke up to one day. And if superheroes suffer from apathy, depression, guilt, and trauma, maybe we have more in common with them than we think?
Wooby dilemma
In Infinity War Clint Barton lost his entire family to Thanos' snap. a loved one and the symbolic death of himself - the whole world forgot about his existence. Enough reason to feel sorry for the heroes? Oh, yes, and all because at such moments the characters experience plot wubification.
Wooby is a new term for suffering characters who make viewers / readers to fantasize about their salvation. The poor, the unfortunate, they want to be pitied, helped, cured. But are these feelings so valuable for the perception of a common history?0003
The difference between a wubi and a tragic hero can be diagnosed as follows: wubi usually suffer from the actions of external forces, when the hero is ruined by the result of his own actions and wrong decisions. Wubification of superhero movie characters works great for the audience, breaks illusions, proves that the possession of power and superpowers inevitably leads to suffering, loss and self-sacrifice. But, at the same time, the formation of a wubi leads the hero into a dead end - he is sorry, but he often falls short of the greatness of the tragedy. Wubification is banal and easy to perform, it is enough to take away a loved one from the hero, when it is not easy to achieve tragedy, you can accidentally go too far and turn the superhero into a villain, as, for example, happened with Magnetto from the neighboring Universe.
"WandaVision", or how did Marvel successfully beat the heroine's injury?
"WandaVision" is a dramatic story of the Scarlet Witch, left all alone after the events of the final Avengers. This is an important statement from the authors a show about the work of a television medium with the anxiety of the viewer, and the story of the heroine's unsuccessful self-healing from a psychological crisis and mental pain.In the first episode of WandaVision, we are fascinated by the textured implementation of the formal and substantive subtleties of American sitcoms of the 60s.Wanda's beautiful wife, who even with magic barely manages to cook dinner, and loving husband Vision together face cute, everyday circumstances and, inherent in sitcoms of the 60s, naive everyday misunderstandings.In the course of the plot, it turns out that Wanda, with the help of chaos magic, created a force field that keeps the inhabitants of the town Westview under control. Wanda comes up with a comfortable TV show, and settles in it, even displays broadcast on the air, broadcasting episodes on a specific frequency.
Scientists and military outside of the dome are connecting to this frequency and trying to figure out how to destroy this powerful veil of illusions.
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With the help of magic, Wanda unconsciously controls the inhabitants, forcing them to behave like caricatured characters from a television series. And the way of life in the town is based on archaic improbable television worlds, in which the houses are props, and the actors act out the roles of positive Americans. All this produces an eerie feeling of falseness, inconsistency. The seeming idyll is more frightening than reassuring. Wanda herself is often frightened, for example, when a stranger in a protective suit suddenly appears in the city, an agent from the outside is found among the neighbors, her invented children disappear, and her show periodically closes the secondary characters, and the inhabitants of the city begin to unnaturally turn to the repressed fears of the heroine. Trauma and pain seep into her utopian fantasy world.
A stain of color forms on the black-and-white canvas of 60s family comedies: a painted toy helicopter flies into West View, a kind of evidence of television evolution. By the end of the series, nothing remains of the former naivety of retro sitcoms. The episodes get longer, more colorful, more dramatic. The format of the series chosen by Wanda is changing, as the defense system invented by her psyche collapses. The heroine begins to move towards reflection, duplicating the transformation of television, so it will not be a surprise when Wanda accidentally makes a reference to The Office and mockumentary TV shows. The narrative is getting closer and closer to the psychology of the heroine, by analogy with how the sitcoms themselves go from sentimental forms and contents to a complex combination of humor and tragedy, flatness and depth.
Finally, in episode 8, Wanda is forced to look at the terrible past she sealed. It turns out that the brightest and warmest memory she has left is watching TV with her family during the Cold War.
While the fighting was going on outside, little Wanda, her brother Pietro (Quicksilver) and parents sat at the TV, including the beloved American series of the 60s, The Dick VanDyke Show. The characters completely walled themselves off from the traumatic reality, looking at the world of the comedy show, in which everything seemed so serene. At one of those moments, a Stark Industries rocket exploded near their house, killing Wanda and Pietro's parents. In the ruins of a modest paradise torn to shreds, the indestructible TV continued to show. Dick Vandyke is on the screen, and Wanda says to her brother: “At the very end of the series, it turns out that it was all a nightmare. Sleep." The girl closes her eyes, holds out her hand, and with the help of magic, which she is not yet aware of, defuses the bomb lying nearby. She duplicates magical gestures that she could peep into her favorite TV shows, because we are deliberately left with a hint at the beginning of the flashback: in her father's chest with cassettes, you can see recordings of BeWitched series about the life of a witch, Malcolm the Middle about a gifted teenage genius.
The fixation of the heroine on television determined the way she experienced the traumatic experience. That is why, in the future, Wanda will create her own comfortable refuge in the image and likeness of the television worlds, in which she will hide from the cruelty of the world and the awareness of the loss of loved ones.
As a result of the show, Wanda manages to become even stronger. But not through working through the trauma, but by isolating it. In the finale, she acquires powers never seen before and goes to learn a more powerful magical skill. Trauma hardens her character and at the same time remains her main weakness, from which she draws a charge.
"Moon Knight", or how best not to talk about the injury
Stephen Grant wakes up bedridden, later it turns out that he skipped work and even managed to make a date. Remembering nothing, Stephen just shrugs. One day he finds himself in the middle of the unknown somewhere in Austria and finally meets his second personality - the mercenary Mark Spector, with whom he can communicate with the help of mirrors and reflections.
Mark is spying on the main antagonist - Arthur Harrow, a cult leader who is obsessed with the ancient Egyptian divine ritual of justice. Dividing one body in two, Mark and Stephen try to get along and understand how to save humanity from death. With all the plot ramifications and intrigues, everything that happens to the characters closer to the finale comes down to the space of a mental hospital, in which Harrow is a psychotherapist, and Mark and Stephen - two patients.The heroes are faced with a fundamental choice: which of them should leave, and which should follow t stay.
In the course of the story, we learn that in the past, Mark Spector, together with his partner, attacked an archaeological group in Egypt, this group was supervised by the father of Layla, the future beloved of the hero. The partner killed the girl's father, and Mark himself was injured, trying to protect people. Having met Leila, he learns about her tragedy and grief for her father. It would seem that it was a deep sense of guilt that could serve as an impetus for splitting, otherwise how to explain that his subpersonality Stephen is so similar to the girl's father in his passion for Ancient Egypt? But everything turns out to be much simpler and more banal, the hero's injury is easily guessed almost from the very beginning of the series.
It turns out that Mark's brother died in childhood, because of which his mother fell into depression and began to wash her grief down with alcohol. In fits of rage, she went up to his room and diligently beat him. According to the writers, these events were the impetus for the development of his dissociative identity disorder. Everything would be fine, but only this trope greatly simplifies the character, and the heroic line of "Moon Knight" remains inexpressive and does not help the character develop a connection with the viewer, fully demonstrate his abilities and show how useful the hero can be to the 4th phase of Marvel. Perhaps it was not worth explaining the reasons for his disorder, but leaving him in the field of a charming and strange superpower, after all, there are not so many such characters on the screen of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the dissociative Hulk / Bruce Banner seems to have gotten along with his disorder and accepted himself.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes had an appointment with a therapist.
Against the backdrop of photo wallpapers made of birch trees, the hero pours out his soul once a week, remembering all his crimes that he committed in the guise of the Winter Soldier, and at night he suffers from nightmares in which he sees the faces of his victims. His past catches up with him in the guise of the Flag Busters, a terrorist group formed during the Leap. The Flag Breakers stole the serum recreated by Zimo (a former Hydra secret syndicate scientist) to create super soldiers and injected themselves, becoming elusive. The purpose of the "Destroyers" is to undermine the activities of the "World Restoration Council", an organization founded after the return of the inhabitants of the Earth. The "ESV" is trying to return the former borders of countries and hopes to send all refugees "home". During the jump, the borders of states on the planet shifted, the returning people could not integrate, a humanitarian catastrophe arose, the consequences of which are already irreversible. The Flag Busters have become a security threat, a radicalized Robin Hood-style gang stealing from the rich, raiding food trucks and plotting assassinations.
Sam Wilson in the form of the Falcon is sent to contain the Destroyers. A bored Bucky joins him, and, having reached Europe, the heroes get to know the new villains better and even feel sympathy for them.
At the same time, the government approves military John Walker as Captain America, and he is a real dark horse. Unlike Steve, a pupil of the old era, cherishing romantic ideals, Walker is a modern military man, he is quite cruel and not prone to moral vacillation. It's hard to call him a new superhero. While Wilson and Bucky want to solve the problem peacefully, the new Captain is determined to act rudely. During the skirmish, he wounds the leader of the Flag Breakers Carly and kills one of the members of the group, which deserves his reduction in position. Captain America's shield has to be returned.
The series grows out of a single character's personal trauma, and expands the boundaries of painful experience by speaking on behalf of a wider mass of refugees, the poor, people left without work and livelihoods.
The social issues addressed in the series correlate with the real world, which makes the series especially thoughtful and timely. A deep move by writers and series director Kari Skogland is to be bold in demonstrating the crisis of the superhero as a figure. The newly minted Captain America is an assassin trained by the US Army, instead of justice, he chooses weapons. He did not cope with the acquired strength and power, but used it against people, the Avengers taught something completely different. As a result, the place of the new Captain America has to be taken by Sam Wilson, a student of the old school.
Ms. Marvel and her recovery from trauma
It seems that Marvel finally found the right antidepressants and released a charming and cute Ms. Marvel project on Disney+. The series tells about a schoolgirl Kamala Khan, who, being crazy about the Avengers and Captain Marvel, herself acquires superpowers and learns to be a hero. The series is useful for its truthful look at the routine of life of high school students, the ambitions of the younger generation who want to change the world.
Schoolchildren think about entering the university, about subscribers in social networks, they are politically active and purposeful. Lightness also adds visual experiments interspersed with elements of comics and animation into everyday life.
Dreamy Camila is constantly drawing, and the images from her head are embodied on the screen. In this project, Marvel successfully addresses current issues: the difficulties of small ethnic groups, the difficulties of emigration, the stereotypes that Muslims are struggling with in the States, the place of women in Islam. The series does not distance itself from politics either, referring to the experience of the collective trauma of the Pakistanis, to the consequences of the bloody partition of India in the late 40s and further Indo-Pakistani wars. Kamala's father and mother are refugees who started life from scratch in the United States. Their dark memories of the past are only verbalized, but not revealed through a full flashback, which brings depth to the trauma they experienced.
