Mental health awareness has been a primary issue in American culture. Initially, mental health conditions were met with unfair stigma and preconceived notions. But with the increase in awareness, it has become a part of the mainstream media, especially with Marvel comics discussing it for a long time now.
As mighty, as powerful, and fierce a superhero is shown, that much deeply disturbed and broken they are. Here are the 10 Marvel superheroes who suffer from psychological conditions.
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10. Storm
One of the most powerful and popular members of the X-Men, Ororo Munroe mastered her weather-controlling abilities. As she possesses very few weaknesses, there are only limited ways to stop her. The Storm suffers from a condition called claustrophobia. After being buried under tons of rubble, Storm developed an intense fear of tight spaces.
9. Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones quickly became Marvel’s one of the most iconic characters, when Brian Michael Bendis created her in 2001. It is not her powers or fighting skills, but instead her battle with mental illness that made her special. Jones was repeatedly abused by the Purple Man, and all she was left was with trauma that haunted her for years. Eventually, Jessica got over her it burying her traumatic memories, but a small trigger quickly fills her with anxiety and flashbacks.
8. Hulk
Hulk’s psychological illness can be easily interchanged with dissociative identity disorder, but there is something more that goes beneath Jade Giant’s surface, which is beyond rage. But a group of clinical psychologists analyzed and diagnosed Hulk’s mental health. They concluded that he suffers from an intermittent explosive disorder. Described as recurrent behavioral outbursts representing a failure to control aggressive impulses. Which is why Hulk finds it extremely difficult to get control of his anger.
7. Legion
Legion is often portrayed as an enemy of the X-Men, but he has also shared a fair share of time fighting alongside the mutant heroes. The son of Charles, Legion carries a lot of power with him, unfortunately, they all come at a cost. Each power Legion possesses comes with a unique personality, meaning he suffers from a dissociative identity disorder. While few personalities may have good intentions and few are just on the killer mode.
6. Hank Pym
The founding member of Avengers Hank Pym has taken up many titles like Ant-Man to Giant-Man and even Yellowjacket. Known for his rage and volatility, Hank has had a hard time controlling his temper to the point that he has also hit his wife, Janet. All of his behaviors point to bipolar disorder, probably rooted in because of his disturbed childhood.
5. Moon Knight
The only hero who is well-known for his mental illness is Moon Knight, who is often described as Batman with multiple personality disorder. His illness has made his battle against crimes extremely difficult as often he is found a war with himself. Many issues of Marvel’s Moon Knight comics involved the hero not only battling psychopathic villains but also his own self. His struggle to both remain sane and also save the innocent makes it a very compelling yet sympathetic story.
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4. Sentry
Robert Reynolds has a very complicated history as a hero. While these symptoms point to dissociative identity disorder, at the very core it is the schizophrenia that hunts him the most. Since his debut in New Avengers, comic book readers have watched Sentry’s psyche deteriorating.
3. Scarlet Witch
In the ‘Avengers: Disassembled‘ and ‘House of M‘ by Marvel, the storyline Scarlet Witch suffered from an intense psychotic break. She experienced severe emotional trauma especially after she lost her children. However, Wanda healed over time and got control of herself. This is not as easy as Wanda does it, but again with the help of proper guidance and treatment, people suffering from psychotic breakouts or any other mental illness can be saved.
2. Daredevil
Marvels’ Matt Murdock has had an incredibly dark history. He has suffered from severe, long-term episodes of depression over the course of his vigilante career. With sheer determination and with his friend’s assistance Daredevil was able to come out of depression. However, he never really got rid of depression, as it keeps slapping him across every step of his career.
1. Deadpool
Deadpool’s regeneration can heal his body, not his trauma. It turns out that while this regenerative healing factor does protect against physical injury, it also damages his mental health, resulting in severe psychosis. Deadpool’s strange behavior is often laughed off as a joke, but it is highly ignored that these behaviors are because of his severe mental disorder.
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