The connection you feel to your favorite Marvel characters might go even deeper than you realize. In the latest episode of GQ’s Mental Breakdown, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Eric Bender takes a look at mental health in Marvel universe.
Take Thor, for example: after failing to defeat Thanos in Thor: Ragnarok, Dr. Bender explains,Thor deals with feelings of shame and loss that result in him putting on a few pounds during Avengers: Endgame. Luckily, his friends are there to help him out of his downward spiral. “These friends—these Avengers—are a source of support for him,” says Dr. Bender. “They come to him. They want him to know that they care about him and they want to recruit him back.” Where Thor copes with food and alcohol, Deadpool turns to comedy. “He [Deadpool] is going to watch people in his life die one by one,” says Dr. Bender. “He’s someone who is coping with that reality and he’s probably pushing that away and not even dealing with it. Not even wanting to think about it.” According to Dr. Bender, Deadpool’s love for breaking the fourth wall is a technique he employs to escape his own reality, joke around, and ignore his real emotions.
Iron Man is another Marvel character who, in Dr. Bender’s reading, is dealing with a lot of inner demons. “Iron Man has been through a lot of trauma,” Dr. Bender says. “Often people who have a lot of trauma will try not to think about it—and how they try not to think about it is by using alcohol, by using substances,” explains Dr. Bender. “In Tony’s case, he does have alcoholism.” Elsewhere in the clip, Dr. Bender digs into Norman Osborn’s possible struggle with personality disorder, and Loki’s complicated relationship with his father. Marvel’s movie stars might be superheroes—but like the rest of us, they could benefit from a therapy session or two.