According to WHO, a 25% increase in anxiety and depression occurred just within the first year of the pandemic. Due to the increase, access to therapists, social workers, and counselors surged. All three professions are trained in psychoanalysis and diagnostics. Psychoanalysis is a means of determining an individual’s personality and its development. While many mental health professionals begin with talk therapy, which is what is typically seen on TV and in movies, others specialize in treatments like 12-step programs, support groups, rehabilitation centers, and medication.
In the end credits scene for Iron Man 3, where Tony is laying on a couch recounting how he met The Mandarin, his science best friend Bruce Banner reminds him that his PhD is not in psychology. This tongue-in-cheek scene mimics talk therapy, with Tony laying on the couch talking while Bruce listens, but eventually interrupts him. One thing the MCU has done well is developing characters who struggle with mental health disorders. Though the process of diagnostics is quite complex, audiences can see how Thor struggles with depression or that Tony and Bucky Barnes have PTSD. Diagnoses are complex and show up differently in each person based on their life experiences. This is why each mental health diagnosis requires a specialized approach.
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Wanda Maximoff
Marvel Studios
Although depression is one of the stages of grief, outlined by psychologist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Wanda Maximoff does not necessarily suffer from depression, but from PTSD. Healthline describes PTSD as a reaction to experiencing traumatic events while depression is a chronic mood disorder, though the symptoms of both illnesses are similar. Wanda experienced trauma due to war, losing her family, and becoming radicalized by an anti-government group. Her tenure with the Avengers only exacerbated her trauma. All of these events point to severe PTSD that is being left untreated, which is possibly why the events of WandaVision led to the occurrences of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Tony Stark
Paramount Pictures
Tony Stark hides his PTSD fairly well. After Tony’s parents were murdered, he dove into all that wealth can buy to mask his grief until he was captured in Iron Man. However, Tony’s trauma only increased after creating Iron Man and joining the Avengers. For every traumatic event that occurs, people learn different ways of coping. People who have PTSD will cope by avoiding traumatic events. In Iron Man 2 and, more explicitly, in Iron Man 3, Tony spent most of his time creating suits, one better than the other. Ultron was invented because Tony tried to protect everyone while avoiding the dangers of a rigid AI program.
Bucky Barnes
Discussions of mental health within the MCU typically lead to the mention of Bucky Barnes, who has PTSD. Bucky was given the super soldier serum, fell from a train, and became a formidable assassin for HYDRA all within a few months of being called to war. The next time Bucky appears in an MCU film, he is buying plums from a street vendor. Plums and other fruits are being studied for their potential link to improving cognitive function. By the time The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres, Bucky is facing his past by making amends with the families of those he killed with the support of a therapist.
Loki
Disney Platform Distribution
The Mayo Clinic outlines the various symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD, including reckless behavior, shifts in identity, and intense anger. People with BPD have low self-esteem and are highly suspicious of other people’s intentions. In the Disney+ series, Loki, each Loki variant feels they were abandoned by their adopted family and act in the same way towards each other with outbursts of anger and multiple stabbings. Despite their murderous streak, the themes of the series are self-love and acceptance, as creator Michael Waldron pointed out to Marvel.com. By the end of the series, Loki views himself and his family in a whole new way.
Marc/Steven/Jacob
Disney Platform Distribution
Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID, presents itself in adulthood in response to a traumatic childhood event. Two or more distinct personalities appear in the individual. In Moon Knight, Marc discovers he was once Steven, the Moon Knight for the Egyptian god, Khonshu. While Marc and Steven are the two main personalities shown, Jacob is revealed at the very end. Marc is rather reckless while Steven is childlike. Marc is the personality that lets Khonshu take over. Hopefully, Season 2 of Moon Knight allows more of Jacob to be on-screen.
Matt Murdock
Marvel Television
Regardless of how depression shows up in an individual, one thing is for certain, help is always available through various hotlines. Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, has symptoms of depression like irritability, trouble sleeping, and hopelessness. Even though he is a lawyer, he is less than hopeful in the system he studied as he takes on villains on his own. When Wilson Fisk emerges from the shadows in Daredevil, Matt trashes his apartment out of anger. He also adopted the persona of Daredevil because he can’t sleep. His coping strategies are less than ideal, though.
Nebula
When Thanos abducted Nebula and Gamora from their respective homes, he made the two fight for survival, replacing parts of Nebula with robotic parts, as we saw in Guardians of the Galaxy. Gamora and Nebula both cope with their childhood traumas differently. Gamora found stability with Peter Quill while Nebula found a friend in Tony Stark. Indeed, children who survive abuse grow into adults with a myriad of mental health issues ranging from attachment issues to PTSD to substance abuse.
Thena
In Eternals, Thena suffers from Mahd Wr’ry, the equivalent of dementia. For Thena, she has outbursts of rage that make her a danger to those around her. Dementia affects each person differently, but many symptoms are the same after a certain point of brain deterioration. Though there is no cure for dementia, Mahd Wr’ry’s cure is a full reset. People with dementia often rely on a caretaker or facility to help them with daily life. Gilgamesh acts as Thena’s caretaker after the Eternals part ways.
Thor
Within a week, Thor loses his family, best friend, home, half of his people, and two fights against Thanos. No one would blame Thor for his coping strategy with depression, which was overeating. In fact, experts believe the link between overeating and depression is cyclical because they fuel one another. Of course, by Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor is able to overcome his depression by exercising and surrounding himself with people who support him.
Norman Osborn
Marvel Studios / Sony
One of Peter Parker’s most formidable foes is the Green Goblin, aka Norman Osborn. As a villain who copes with DID, Norman feels at a loss as the Green Goblin haunts him. Sane gives advice to those who are aware of their DID. First, they remind people to use positive affirmations instead of shaming, research what DID is versus how it appears, and have a support system. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Norman reveals that he doesn’t want to be the Green Goblin, but he feels he cannot control himself.
