Superheroes go through the ringer. The toll they take when saving lives goes much farther than just on their bodies -it’s mental too. It could happen on the job, before they got the job or as a consequence of the job. And it’s never pretty, as is the case with regular people. If you’d like to learn about the superheroes who had to battle baddies, but also their inner demons, keep reading.
Iron Man
Let’s face it, Tony Stark was already dealing with some issues with his dad before he became an Avenger. And in every Avengers film, he comes ridiculously close to death, until finally dying in End Game. Remember Loki’s attack on New York? Or having to shatter Sokovia (with Thor), almost dying and claiming a few lives in the process? Or when he was stabbed by Thanos then lost in space with no food? It’s no wonder he had to him deal with not only anxiety but also PTSD. And somehow, he still found the will to help save the Earth, until the end. We love him 3000.
Thor
Thor may have been a god, but boy did he have a rough go of it. In the Marvel Cinematic universe, we’ve seen him lose it all, from his hammer to his mother and father, to his girlfriend Jane, brother Loki and best friend Heimdall. And let’s not forget his home, Asgard. Then when he had the chance to take Thanos out but didn’t aim for the head, we saw years and years of loss finally catch up to the god of thunder in the form of depression, alcoholism and PTSD. While it was nice to see that he didn’t lose his sense of humor, we wish he’d gotten the help he needed.
The Hulk
It is believed that Bruce Banner suffered multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder long before he became the Hulk. He struggles with his dark and light side and has issues with control, which didn’t help when the other Avengers initially saw him as a loose cannon. What many don’t know is that the Hulk was just as scared of Bruce as Bruce was of him. But unlike many of his teammates, Bruce managed find a balance and come to terms with who he was.
Captain America
When people think of the perfect superhero, they think of Captain America. He had the strength, the looks, the moral compass and the hopeless optimism. But we often forget that he was a man out of his time, a man who had fallen in love just before losing it all to save the world. Most of his friends died, the love of his life died, he lost to Thanos in Infinity War. He felt the impact of it all in End Game, where we saw him depressed, after discovering he had a sleep impairment in a previous film. Which is why we fully supported him giving up the shield and staying in the past to be happy with his love, Peggy.
The Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff, or the Scarlet Witch, is another person in the MCU who has experienced tremendous loss. We know she had a very rough upbringing, which included her being experimented on, starved and isolated, that she lost her twin brother, Pietro when they just decided what to do with their lives, then lost her love, Vision to Thanos. So she became mentally unstable and embraced the name “Scarlet Witch.”
