The Marvel Cinematic Universe is not exactly realistic. We have billionaires in our reality, but instead of flying around in high-tech armor saving the day, they usually just tweet ignorant tripe or share their weird opinions on podcasts. We don't have any ancient Gods hanging around (besides claims of such from grifters and/or people suffering from mental illness) with cool superpowers. We haven't been invaded by aliens (as far as we know), and I’d bet anyone who has been exposed to extreme radiation or been bit by experimental spiders has become quite sick and possibly died as opposed to turning into a superhuman. That said, there has always been a vibe that Marvel's comics and movies kind of reflected, "The World outside your window," more than the DC Universe. I know, "Iron Man 3," has divided many a fan's opinion since it came out in 2013 due to its twist about Ben Kingsley's portrayal of the Mandarin. It turns out he is a drug-addled British actor named Trevor who doesn't realize people are actually getting hurt. I'm not discussing that in relation to the movie today, however. No, I want to touch upon how, "Iron Man 3," does a surprisingly good job portraying PTSD, anxiety disorders, and panic attacks, at least to a mainstream audience.
When real people go through horrible events, it sticks with them. A lot of comic-book superheroes have been through Hell (sometimes a literal Hell) and keep trucking along with nary a concern. In, "Iron Man 3," Tony Stark finds himself struggling to come to terms with just how much he has been through. Trauma is a complex thing everyone experiences differently; that said, I have experienced panic attacks before. You feel like you can't breathe, your chest gets tight, and when Tony Stark experiences an extreme sensation of anxiety early in, "Iron Man 3," he's convinced he's dying and someone must have attacked him, poisoned him, or otherwise done something to knock the, "Iron Man," off-kilter. Here's that scene:
Much of, "Iron Man 3," follows Tony as he experiences a bunch of loss, stress, and thanks to his hard work and friends manages to defeat the evil tech businessman behind the faux-terrorist known as The Mandarin (later movies brought in the, "Real," Mandarin, but that is a whole different story). He isn't, "All cured," however. Stark still has challenges he'll face personally and professionally throughout the future flicks and has arguably the best character arc in the MCU all the way from the debut, "Iron Man," to, "Avengers: Endgame." A big message of, "Iron Man 3," is arguably how even in a Cinematic Universe full of folks with superpowers fighting epic battles, we still can have our own personal struggles--ones that feel world-ending to us.
"Iron Man 3," has fans and detractors due to all the Mandarin business, but I'd think everyone can applaud a big Hollywood flick for at least making some effort to seriously examine and discuss mental health in a manner that doesn't reduce it to a joke or make it villainous/evil. I would think that Robert Downey Junior having gone through so much in his life before he became Iron Man resulted in him relating to the material to a degree as well. I just hope Downey's return in the upcoming, "Avengers: Doomsday," as Doctor Doom isn't too wild an idea to work. We'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment