Probably the most famous movie franchise in the whole world is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first movie that started the craze would be The Avengers (2012). While it's possible to argue that Iron-Man (2008) could have created the MCU's popularity, the Iron-Man duology would have worked fine on its own (if you eliminate Natasha's and Fury's appearance). Digressing, The Avengers won four Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actor (Clark Gregg), Best Director (Joss Whedon), and Best Special Effects (Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Daniel Sudick). The film was also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Achievement in Visual Effects category. While it didn't win the Oscar, the film still gathered 38 wins from 2012 to 2013. In 2012, the movie was added to the Guinness Book of World Records for the Highest-grossing domestic opening weekend of all time, amounting to $207,438,708 (£128,806,936). The story is relatively stand-alone, only using the characters and details from Stan Lee's Avengers comic book series. The film was directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), Joss Whedon.
The Avengers consisted of Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the titular 'Avengers.' The film also included Tom Hiddleston as the villain, Loki. The Avengers was mainly filmed on location in New York; however, many scenes were filmed in Cleveland, Albuquerque, and studios in Los Angeles. Overall, the film rated very well, with 8.0 on IMDb and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes (both critical consensus and audience score). The movie follows Earth's mightiest heroes who must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity. Being a hero is a 24/7 job and can have many strains on their mental and physical well-being. What kinds of mental illnesses do the Avengers have, and how does Marvel present them? Please note that I will be using scenes from multiple MCU movies, so if you have not seen all of them, there will be spoilers ahead!!
TONY STARK / IRON MAN
While Stark's expected to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, it's not as accurate as you may think. To be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, one must have a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents and expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements). While it's true that Stark likes to boast about his accomplishments, he does not exaggerate any of them. He brags about their uniqueness, but that's because they are unique. In the second Iron-Man movie, we saw that countless other organizations attempted to duplicate his inventions but failed miserably. Narcissists expect others to think and feel the same as they do and seldom think about how others feel. They are also rarely apologetic, remorseful, or guilty. This is ultimately the opposite of Stark's character. He becomes Iron-Man for the sole purpose of saving people. It would be a false assumption to group Stark in the same personality disorder as Gilderoy Lockhart, Patrick Bateman, or Gregory Anton. A narcissistic trait that Tony does exhibit is "regularly shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes." Although the behaviors serve as a defense mechanism, he still displays the trait.
While we have established that Tony Stark is not a narcissist, Iron Man 3 has shown the side of Tony Stark that he's so eager to hide away from the media and his friends. In Iron Man 3, we can see just how much the Battle of New York affected his mental state. Unlike his past experiences, the events in New York had Stark accepting that he was going to die. His thought process consisted of coming to terms with his inevitable death. He's always had tricks up his sleeve: new configurations on his suit, a joke, or a conversation. In the wormhole, there was nothing like that. P.T.S.D occurs when individuals think their world is safe and realize it isn't. While Stark always knew that his world wasn't safe, he assumed that he was smart enough to never be in danger. Therefore, it would be a wise assumption that Tony Stark suffers from P.T.S.D due to the Battle of New York in The Avengers movie.
STEVE ROGERS / CAPTAIN AMERICA
Steve Rogers, as we all know, served in World War II. Many soldiers suffer from P.T.S.D after going through something as traumatizing as war, meaning that Steve (most likely) suffers from P.T.S.D. Steve portrays sad/depressive moods, loss of interest, flashbacks to traumatizing events, severe guilt, and reckless behavior. Steve has shown that he holds extreme responsibility for anything related to Bucky. In Captain America: The First Avenger, we saw Steve try to get drunk out of guilt, but he can't due to the serum's limitations. Rogers also states that he doesn't know what makes him happy in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and he also has severe flashback episodes. In a deleted scene in The Avengers, Steve is depressed as he leaves through old paperwork that shows all his friends have died. With all the listed symptoms, it would make sense that Steve Rogers suffered from P.T.S.D and possibly Persistent Depressive Disorder.
BRUCE BANNER / THE HULK
This one is pretty easy to spot. The A.P.A. defines Intermittent Explosive Disorder as "recurrent behavioral outbursts representing a failure to control aggressive impulses." These outbursts can appear as a verbal tirade or physical aggression, and they are impulsive in nature. The outbursts must be unpredictable and disproportionate to the trigger or stressor and occur about twice a week for at least three months. The Hulk clearly meets these criteria. But, think about Hulk's current condition as him undergoing therapy and treatment to keep his temper under control.
NATASHA ROMANOFF / BLACK WIDOW
Black Widow, or Natasha Romanoff, has the worst background story out of all the Avengers. She was raised in a Russian community to become an assassin, bred to be a killing machine. While not very much is known about her past except for the fact that she wants to get away from it, the Scarlet Witch's ability to show people their worst nightmare makes it all very real for her, revealing a side of her that we don't really see at any other time. While the Avengers are fighting Ultron in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Scarlet Witch manipulates Natasha's brain to show her a vision very much unlike that of her teammates: while the other Avengers are shown visions of their worst nightmares, Natasha is instead shown a flashback to her childhood, specifically her time spent in the "Red Room." Even though Wanda affects everyone, Natasha is most affected by what she sees and has to be carried out of the battle: it has obviously had a toll on her body and mind. When she does regain control of herself, she is obviously changed by her flashbacks. Thus, I believe that Natasha also suffers from P.T.S.D, much like the other Avengers.
CLINT BARTON / HAWKEYE
Barton's guilt and developing mental illness is probably the only one we see manifest during The Avengers. Barton bears guilt over the treasons he committed under Loki's control. No matter how much Natasha assures him that he wasn't to blame, Clint still feels he is. His intellect, skills, traits, and knowledge all went into those actions. His guilt is similar to what people suffer over things they've done while tortured, brainwashed, sleepwalking, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It isn't easy to just shrug the guilt away. Since Barton dwells on the past and the victims he's killed, he also starts to obsess over future implications, worrying that he might lose control again. Because of this, Clint begins to develop depression and anxiety. On the bright side, he can confide with Natasha, which means his mental health is rising. Being able to apprehend Loki, the person who brainwashed him was also helpful in providing closure. In my research, I saw many blog posts and articles pointing out that Barton shows signs of Bipolar Disorder. However, since I did not read the comics, I cannot comment. I'll attach the post here if you want to see their evidence.
THOR
In The Avengers, Thor doesn't seem to show clear signs of mental illness. However, the infamous 'Fat Thor' appears in Avengers: Endgame showing his deteriorating mental health. Thor clearly exhibits symptoms of depression, alcoholism, and P.T.S.D. I could probably write a whole essay solely on 'Fat Thor,' but I will try to keep this brief because I'm already over 1000 words at this point. Five years after the "Snappening," Thor has become a grief-stricken recluse. His habits point towards addiction, as he remains viciously drunk throughout the film. He even tries to bail on Rocket during their mission for the Reality Stone so he can find more alcohol. After encountering Thanos many times, he struggles to cope with his defeat and the deaths of his loved ones (his mother, his girlfriend, his father, his brother, his best friend, half of Asgard, and his eye). Thor's realistic response to his trauma allowed filmmakers to add depth to his character, but instead, the film played it for laughs. It would have made a profound recovery arc, but the filmmakers and writers really screwed him on this one.
While the MCU does show signs of mental illness in the characters, it isn't visible in The Avengers, mainly because the attack on New York is the catalyst for many of their traumas. I believe that superhero movies are just money machines for the film industry. I feel no connection to the characters, and many of them are made to be unrelatable. However, I think that their reactions to their experiences and their emotions are relatable and accurate to those who suffer from the same or similar illnesses.
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