Are All Superheroes Really Insane?

[MrAkuma201]

Spider-Man lives by the motto, "With great power comes great responsibility." Does that mean he isn't allowed personal happiness? He has suffered personal loss time and time again. He's had so many failed romantic relationships due to his commitment to being Spider-Man. He feels guilt over failing to stop the criminal that killed his Uncle Ben when he had the chance but does that mean he has to live the rest of his life placing his personal happiness behind his need to be Spider-Man?

Batman is one of the world's best heroes and he also rarely allows any time for himself. His personal life as Bruce Wayne is a sham. It's a persona he created to cover the cost of his activities as Batman. He was a child when his parents were killed in front of him. There wasn't anything he could have done to prevent it. Now he is pretty much obsessed with putting a stop to evil.

Dressing up as a giant bat was a way to instill fear in the cowardly criminals but this is a guy without any true superpowers. Batman has trained both his body and mind to always be prepared against any contingency. He is even willing to stand up to the likes of Darkseid if given the chance. Is Batman just confident in his personal training or is he a little wacky in the head?

(Comic Vine)

I think some like Batman are.
What do you think?

 

[Thaluikhain]

You used the word "all", so the answer is "no".

Many of them are fucked up in some way...I'd got so far as to say the more relatable and believable ones. You should be a tad odd to fit the normal superhero profile.

On the other hand, if they are just a police/military type in a stupider uniform...well, not all police or military personnel are insane.

 

[Toriver]

Some are, some aren't.

You can make a pretty good case for Batman being as nutty as the guys he locks up in Arkham.

But given all the shit mentioned in the OP that Spider-man has to put up with, I'd say he actually deals with it rather well, all things considered. Heck, he had to learn to deal with his issues properly to get rid of the black suit.

Other possibly crazy heroes:
Jean Grey: nobody dies and comes back that many times without some problems
Iron Man: Marvel's Bruce Wayne, who dresses in a big iron suit to deal with his own mortality and make his dead father proud; also, alcoholism
Hulk: HULK SMASH! Explosive temper, much?
Wolverine: living personification of Antisocial Personality Syndrome
Deadpool: living personification of Asperger's
Charles Xavier: two words: God Complex

 

[tippy2k2]

Some are, some aren't.

Iron Man: Marvel's Bruce Wayne, who dresses in a big iron suit to deal with his own mortality and make his dead father proud; also, alcoholism

I've always seen Iron Man and Tony Stark as the same person. If Stark wasn't pouring himself into the Iron Man suit, he'd be pouring himself into his work. Becoming Iron Man just means that his work and personal life have super merged into one.

To your question OP, I think that super heroes are kind of stuck. They're the heroes for a reason and have to deal with the villains that no one else has the ability to. If they do not step up, the bad guy wins. It probably sucks but their character would not allow them to put their needs above the needs of the many.

 

[Something Amyss]

Spider-Man suffers because the writers make him suffer. His whole shtick is to be a perpetual loser. He's a really bad example.

 

[Vegosiux]

I actually find it quite galling that just about every super hero in fiction has to be suffering some episode of "dark and edgy". It's as if they so desperately tried to make their characters "deep" that they instead made them completely clichéd.

Also, with great power comes great insanity.

 

[DarkPanda XIII]

Some, indeed. I don't really care how they throw it for characters like Batman, who does have his fair share of problems, though not all as crazy as the majority of the world make him out to be. He is a scared little boy that grew up with the affliction of never wanting to see people die again. Plus he's a workaholic who just so happens to be rich. Side job includes pretending you're a fool by day that does acts to help society, then kicks ass by night.

Deadpool? Crazy as all hell.
Hulk? Anger issues
Iron Man? Drunk as hell.
Hal Jordan? God complex...oh, wait, personality disorder...no wait, spirit making him do things...

 

[HardkorSB]

Dressing up as a giant bat was a way to instill fear in the cowardly criminals but this is a guy without any true superpowers. Batman has trained both his body and mind to always be prepared against any contingency. He is even willing to stand up to the likes of Darkseid if given the chance. Is Batman just confident in his personal training or is he a little wacky in the head?

He defeated Superman.
Wouldn't you be confident if you would defeat Superman?

 

[CODE-D]

I like to think of Batman as insane, but unlike his villains its a more positive version. The creeper as well.

The creeper even punched out batman....who came from the shadows
<youtube=OjRCUhds0hU>

 

[StealthyNinja]

Batman is probably pretty close to being insane. Guy has some serious issues. ''My parents were killed in front of me, better vow vengeance against all crime and dress as a bat''

 

[Virgilthepagan]

Spider-Man lives by the motto, "With great power comes great responsibility." Does that mean he isn't allowed personal happiness? He has suffered personal loss time and time again. He's had so many failed romantic relationships due to his commitment to being Spider-Man. He feels guilt over failing to stop the criminal that killed his Uncle Ben when he had the chance but does that mean he has to live the rest of his life placing his personal happiness behind his need to be Spider-Man?

I think other people have pretty well covered Batman, but I've got to point out something here. With your definition, wouldn't this qualify most monks as insane? They live a life of self denial, much like your definition of Spider Man here, and if you replaced "failed relationships" with "does not pursue love" it sort of lines up here. I don't think Spider Man's insane, that's a little too drastic, but he's certainly dominated by the guilt he feels over Uncle Ben.

I guess how I see heroes like Spider Man is through the lens of an altruist, they really do feel they're doing the right thing. For who and why are other questions entirely, but for the most part they're doing what they really feel is for the greatest good (cue Hot Fuzz joke). Insane, probably not, but certainly a little off kilter.

Would you prefer if they acted like most human beings would with powers? By taking over a small country or forcing their agenda on the world?

 

[Tiamattt]

If they didn't start off that way, I would imagine years after years of almost non-stop battles and tragedies would've pushed them toward the nutty end. No one should be able to deal with all the crap they get for long, and the only vacation they get usually involves a priest, a shovel and a whole lot of dirt.

 

[WolfThomas]

First off the bat the key problem is Insane is not really a psychogical term anymore, more a legal one. You can have a mental disorder and a court can still rule that you did something while sane and vice versa you can have been insane momentarily without a prior diagnosed condition.

So do Superheros have some psychological disorders? Likely a great number of them, as well as their villains. But a great many do not. Are Spiderman and Superman crazy? No they have "great power" and they choose to use it to help people. For every Moon Knight you have a Steve Rogers.

Batman is probably pretty close to being insane. Guy has some serious issues. ''My parents were killed in front of me, better vow vengeance against all crime and dress as a bat''

In our world most certainly. But in a world filled which has had superheroes and supervillains since the 40s (at least prior to the reboot/relaunch), it's not that unreasonable. He has the training and the funds to do what he does so why not?

The Batman of these days, especially under Grant Morrison is a pretty stable and responsible figure, he has an unconventional but loving family unit with his pseudo-father Alfred and his sons both biological (Damian) and adopted (Dick Grayson, Tim Drake), he helps restore Gotham as Bruce Wayne finiancially and defends it (and the world) as Batman. It's far more admirable than if he was snorting coke off supermodels and skiing in the Alps as a spoiled millonaire.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Captain America isn't insane...

Although he is crazy about freedom!

 

[Wushu Panda]

Spider-Man lives by the motto, "With great power comes great responsibility." Does that mean he isn't allowed personal happiness? He has suffered personal loss time and time again. He's had so many failed romantic relationships due to his commitment to being Spider-Man. He feels guilt over failing to stop the criminal that killed his Uncle Ben when he had the chance but does that mean he has to live the rest of his life placing his personal happiness behind his need to be Spider-Man?

Batman is one of the world's best heroes and he also rarely allows any time for himself. His personal life as Bruce Wayne is a sham. It's a persona he created to cover the cost of his activities as Batman. He was a child when his parents were killed in front of him. There wasn't anything he could have done to prevent it. Now he is pretty much obsessed with putting a stop to evil.

Dressing up as a giant bat was a way to instill fear in the cowardly criminals but this is a guy without any true superpowers. Batman has trained both his body and mind to always be prepared against any contingency. He is even willing to stand up to the likes of Darkseid if given the chance. Is Batman just confident in his personal training or is he a little wacky in the head?

(Comic Vine)

I think some like Batman are.
What do you think?

He became Spider Man the hero due to suffering a personal loss, a loss due to his own fault of not stopping the man who killed his Uncle.

Not ALL superheroes are insane, but to be able to don a costume and go out into the world to fight bad guys...you cant be completely sane. But for some, its the key factor that motivates them. Peter Parker originally used his powers to wrestle for money right? Yea, who wouldn't want to have a sure fire way of earning cash. But he blames himself for allowing the criminal to escape and kill his uncle. Distraught, he tries to make up for letting his uncle die by living to the last words his uncle said.

Similar with Batman. I dont know if you have lost a parent, but it sucks. It messes with your head and does strange things to you. Have you ever seen the show Dexter? That actually happens to some people. Only with Bruce Wayne he takes it upon himself to clean up the city as his father was trying to before he died.

The psychology is sound, but not ALL heroes are motivated quite the same way. Green Lantern wasnt, he was chosen for his strength of will. Superman hasnt suffered any one particular loss, he was raised with good parents and eventually with the teachings of Jor'el.

 

[WolfThomas]

Captain America isn't insane...

Although he is crazy about freedom!

Absolutely made my day.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Batman yes, superman no. Ones without powers are definitely nuts!