Exploring the Vulnerability of Superheroes

Superheroes may be known for their superpowers but movies rarely deep-dive into the emotionally flawed aspect of their lives. Who would you pay money for? Batman kicking criminal-ass or him discussing his isolation? An article by John DeVore discusses how most superheroes are lonely people.

"Every superhero’s secret identity is a quiet withdrawn boy, terrified of his own sadness. Superman is an alien so lonely he built a home far away from other people. His whole home world is dead. He named this fortress after his loneliness. He spends his days there waiting to be of use to someone, anyone, because unless the world is in crisis, what’s the point of Superman?"

The tricky aspect of hero worship, in movies and in real life, is that it's always done from a distance. Whenever they’re crouching over rooftops and observing the city, you rarely see a civilian reach out with a mug of coffee to ask them how their day was and if this vigilante malarkey tired them.

In Endgame, Thor’s alcoholic slump is a punch-line for the movie because he’s Thor. Of course he’ll get his mojo back. He’s a God after all. The King of Asgard. But I wonder if there was a script that called for Hulk or Captain America or Black Widow to sit with him and just let him share what was bothering him. From a storyline perspective, it needn’t have happened. But wouldn’t it be nice if it did?