Buzz
They possess the strength to lift entire buildings, withstand the force of a dying star, and master time travel to restore half of the world's population. Yet, their struggles don't vanish after defeating a purple villain or engaging in an epic battle against Steppenwolf.
No matter how impressive their powers may be, some superheroes are still faced with deeply human issues like depression, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Here are 10 of your favorite heroes who fight against both external evil and their own inner darkness.
Warning: Spoilers may follow!
10. Iron Man
Iron Man 3 begins with Tony Stark reflecting: 'A famous man once said, “We create our own demons.”' In Stark's previous appearance in The Avengers, set six months prior to Iron Man 3, he faces an agonizing brush with death. This sets the stage for the opening quote, particularly in light of the psychological challenges Stark faces throughout the third Iron Man film.
We watch as Stark deflects when Pepper Potts expresses concern about the dangers that still await him as a superhero. He attempts to cope with his persistent night terrors by avoiding sleep, though this only exacerbates the issue. When he is asked to sign children's drawings depicting the battle of New York, Stark is overwhelmed and has to step out to regain control of his emotions.
These are clear indicators of anxiety. Stark's further attempts to manage his condition include working on new Iron Man technology designed to keep him out of life-threatening scenarios. Multiple online discussions and forums have explored the possibility that Stark developed PTSD following the confrontation with Loki and his forces in The Avengers—which may explain the anxiety attacks that frequently plague him.
Many fans have lauded Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Stark's battle with anxiety and PTSD, believing it has contributed to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health challenges.
9. Thor
When Thor returned to the big screen in Avengers: Endgame five years after his victorious beheading of Thanos, he was in a state that surprised many. When Hulk and Rocket track him down in New Asgard, they are stunned to discover that Thor has put on weight, neglected his grooming, and now sports a beard that could rival ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons.
However, some fans felt let down by how the film depicted Thor’s struggles as mere comedic relief, rather than acknowledging that the hero was grappling with PTSD, depression, and alcoholism. Thor's mental health issues had been building up long before Thanos's arrival.
Thor had endured immense loss: his mother, father, cherished hammer, and girlfriend were all taken from him. After Thanos’s invasion, he lost his brother, Loki, and his friend, Heimdall, in particularly traumatic ways. On top of that, Thor carried a heavy burden of survivor’s guilt for failing to stop Thanos when he had the chance.
Many believed Thor’s mental health struggles deserved more thoughtful attention, as a more respectful portrayal could have contributed to reducing stigma, similar to the way Iron Man handled such themes.
8. Spider-Man
Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man brings a refreshing sense of relatability to Peter Parker, something we've longed for in recent years. He isn't afraid to show his emotions, particularly when he fades away after The Snap. His joy at reuniting with Tony Stark during the climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame captures the warmth of their bond.
The raw grief on Peter’s face following Tony’s death struck a chord with fans everywhere, causing many to reach for tissues. In essence, Spider-Man is one of the most ‘human’ superheroes in modern Marvel cinema.
Yet, Peter Parker’s very humanity makes him vulnerable to mental struggles. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, we see him face the formidable Mysterio, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, whose psychological warfare proves just as dangerous as any physical threat.
Mysterio takes pleasure in breaking his enemies down mentally, manipulating Spider-Man into believing he suffers from schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. This leads Peter to seek the help of a psychiatrist, pushing him dangerously close to losing his grip on reality.
While Mysterio’s manipulation might have been part of his larger plot, many fans speculate that Peter Parker genuinely struggles with a form of mental illness. Some even suggest it could be borderline personality disorder, as Peter seems to have difficulty reconciling his dual identity as both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. He often only feels truly himself when he’s in his superhero persona, and the grief from losing his parents and uncle Ben might point to a deeper depression.
7. Captain America
Captain America embodies the ideal superhero—always cheerful, ready to lend a hand, and unwavering in his fight against evil. Not to mention, as Ant-Man famously said, he has 'America’s ass.' Yet beneath this heroic exterior, the tragic events of Steve Rogers’s past have left him with emotional scars, leading to periods of depression that are visible in several scenes focusing on him.
One deleted scene from The Avengers shows Rogers flipping through documents that reveal all of his old friends have passed away. The scene emphasizes his grief by shrouding him in darkness and muting the surrounding colors.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Rogers declines an invitation to go out on a Saturday evening, still mourning the loss of his friends. Later, he admits that he has no idea what might bring him happiness and fears he would be lost if he ever had to stop being Captain America.
Additionally, Rogers grapples with sleep disturbances, overwhelming guilt over Bucky’s supposed death, and a lack of the will to preserve his own life when faced with mortal peril. These struggles paint a clear picture of the deep depression Captain America battles with throughout many of his cinematic appearances.
6. The Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff, also known as The Scarlet Witch, and her brother Pietro, better known as Quicksilver, have a murky and often reworked backstory. Their origin has been retold multiple times, creating inconsistencies in the narrative of their childhood. What is certain, however, is that Wanda and Pietro endured abandonment and starvation during their early years, which led to Pietro developing a cold, distant personality and Wanda growing emotionally dependent on men who ultimately couldn’t fulfill her needs.
Eventually, Wanda found solace in Vision, an android who seemed to offer everything she was searching for. But their happiness was fleeting. In the comics, Wanda and Vision had two children, only for them to be erased by Mephisto. By the time this happened, their relationship had already crumbled, and Wanda sought comfort from Agatha Harkness.
The accumulation of these tragic events, combined with Wanda’s tumultuous childhood, ultimately drove her to a psychotic breakdown, during which she wiped out several mutants. While the comics might label this as 'madness,' the breakdown was the result of years of instability, causing Wanda to betray her allies and 'go rogue' on multiple occasions.
5. Hulk
“I’m always angry.”
This legendary line, along with the famous “Hulk, smash,” is among the most unforgettable quotes tied to Bruce Banner and his alter ego, the Hulk. However, the first phrase holds deeper insight into the angry green hero. Bruce Banner, a brilliant yet introverted nuclear physicist, transforms into the destructive Hulk when his anger takes over, wreaking havoc wherever he goes.
The transformation has led many fans to speculate that Banner may be struggling with dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder. Some believe he was already dealing with these issues well before he became Hulk. This theory is further supported by the different Hulk personas, such as Professor Hulk and the Green Scar, that appear throughout the comics.
In the comics, Hulk comes to realize the harmful effects that anger and violence are having on his mental well-being. He seeks therapy from Dr. Leonard Samson, a psychiatrist, and embarks on a path toward better mental health after facing off with the Maestro, a twisted alternate version of Hulk.
4. Wolverine
In the movie Logan, Wolverine (James/Logan Howlett) is portrayed as battling alcoholism, showing little regard for his own well-being—or that of others—and avoiding any discussions about mutants.
As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that Logan is dealing with much deeper struggles. While caring for an aging Professor X, Logan wrestles with PTSD and haunting night terrors. Even before these recent events, Wolverine exhibited signs of bipolar disorder, marked by extreme mood swings and bouts of depression following the traumatic experience of witnessing his father's murder. His anger over that tragedy also inadvertently led to his mother's death.
Unfortunately, there is no redemption for Logan. His journey ends tragically, with the demons that plagued him all his life still unresolved as he dies at the end of the film.
3. Daredevil
Matt Murdock, better known as Daredevil, also battles chronic depression. He has endured immense personal loss, including the murder of his girlfriend, Elektra, and the death of another love, Karen Page. Eventually, his wife, Milla, also suffers a mental breakdown.
Murdock’s Catholic upbringing plays a significant role in his internal struggle, as his depression is often depicted as a relentless demon he cannot escape. In the 1986 “Born Again” story by Frank Miller, Daredevil is nearly destroyed by the Kingpin. Murdock loses not only his job and his home but also his mental stability, with his depression threatening to consume him.
His mother, too, experienced postpartum depression so severe that she attempted to kill Murdock when he was just an infant. This tragic event further suggests that Murdock’s depression is inherited.
Murdock’s ongoing battle with depression has resonated with comic book and superhero fans across the globe, providing a sense of solidarity for those struggling with similar mental health issues. His resilience and ability to accomplish incredible feats despite his disorder make him a source of inspiration for many.
2. Batman
Like many other superheroes, Bruce Wayne experienced a childhood trauma—witnessing the brutal murder of his parents in Crime Alley. This tragic event drove him to fight crime in Gotham City and transformed him into an unlikely hero. Channeling his grief into action, Wayne honed his combat skills and uses them to rid the city of criminals while masked as a bat.
It quickly becomes clear that Wayne is a high-functioning depressive with persistent depressive disorder. Though he leads a productive life, he still suffers from periods of deep despair. He turns his depression into a source of motivation, cutting out anything that doesn’t further his mission.
Luckily, Batman has a close-knit group of people who help him stay grounded. Most notably, Alfred Pennyworth serves as Batman’s trusted confidant and sometimes an unofficial therapist.
1. The Unstoppable Wasp
In Unstoppable Wasp #5, Nadia van Dyne is confronted with her mental health when she discovers that she has bipolar disorder. It appears she inherited this condition from her father, Hank Pym, along with the ability to alter her size. Nadia’s mentor, Janet van Dyne, reveals to her friends that Hank also struggled with bipolar disorder, and she remarks that Nadia’s chaotic chalkboard “looks a lot like a manic episode.”
In #4, Nadia exhibits further symptoms of her condition when she struggles to recall whether she’s assembling or disassembling a walkie-talkie. She is shown as unable to sleep or eat until her work meets her high standards. Additionally, she lashes out at several of her closest friends.
In #5, Nadia slips into a depressive episode after retreating to her lab, where she faces intense bouts of bipolar rage.
Marvel introduced bipolar disorder in the comic series with the hope of raising awareness and educating readers about this mental health condition.
