# Super Heroes who are really mentally ill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137 "2014-01-30T16:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/1 "2014-01-30T16:56:13Z")
ok we did superheroes who are dead or deadish, thanks for all the input. Now how about mentally ill superheroes. No doubts the capes and tights crew all have some issues but I’m talking those who are clearly over the edge and still function in costume. There’s DCs Creeper > **[Comic Vine](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/images/1300-3385555/)** > > The largest comic database online, Comic Vine features Comic Reviews, News, Videos, and Forums for the latest in and more! Madman by Image comics > **[Religion of Madman (Frank Einstein) of the group: Atomics](http://www.comicbookreligion.com/?c=1631)** > > Religion of Madman (Frank Einstein) (Latter-day Saint) of the group: Atomics. Published by AAA Pop; Caliber Press; Oni Press The Badger by Capital Comics > **[Badger (Character) - Comic Vine](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/badger/4005-29020/)** > > A master of all martial art forms, Badger has multiple personalites, and can talk to animals. Badger fights crime such as litterbugs, people who look the other way when their dog takes a dump on the lawn, cell phone users in movie theaters, and an... who else? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/2 "2014-01-30T17:04:37Z")
Early on, Moon Knight’s gimmick was that he simultaneously maintained secret identities as rich investor Steven Grant, and streetwise cabbie Jake Lockley, and mercenary soldier Marc Spector; it wasn’t long before the writers seized on that secret-agent-esque quirk and turned it into simple craziness. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/3 "2014-01-30T17:11:17Z")
Marvel’s [The Sentry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentry_%28Robert_Reynolds%29) is a Superman-level hero who has regular delusions about being attacked by a creature called The Void. [Crazy Jane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Jane) from Doom Patrol has multiple personalities, each with their own superpower. [Robotman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotman_%28Cliff_Steele%29#Powers_and_abilities), from the same series, suffers from clinical depression. [Deadpool](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool) is just generally comic-book crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/4 "2014-01-30T17:14:51Z")
[Rorschach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_(comics)) from Watchmen wasn’t wrapped too tight. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/5 "2014-01-30T17:16:00Z")
No one in the Watchmen was wrapped especially tight. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/6 "2014-01-30T17:23:42Z")
[Ambush Bug](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambush_bug) was pretty much entirely delusional. But amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/7 "2014-01-30T17:29:02Z")
Hank Pym (Giant-Man, Ant-Man, Yellowjacket, Wasp, etc) recently revealed that he’s bi-polar. It’s a decent reveal to explain his up and down behavior over the years. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/8 "2014-01-30T17:33:57Z")
Frankly Batman’s myriad psychological issues are rarely addressed. Dressing like a bat and becoming a costumed vigilante as a rational response to the death of your parents seems to a somewhat extreme coping mechanism. Also, The Punisher’s mental problems are never adequately explored. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/9 "2014-01-30T17:38:50Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Frankly Batman’s myriad psychological issues are rarely addressed. > > Dressing like a bat and becoming a costumed vigilante as a rational response to the death of your parents seems to a somewhat extreme coping mechanism. Honestly, the whole thing is nuts. _“My father of course died empty-handed against a gunman, and so I’ve decided to – fight gunmen while empty-handed.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/10 "2014-01-30T17:44:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Honestly, the whole thing is nuts. _“My father of course died empty-handed against a gunman, and so I’ve decided to – fight gunmen while empty-handed.”_ Empty-handed perhaps, but _PREPARED!_ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/11 "2014-01-30T17:45:52Z")
The regular Batman isn’t mentally ill - dressing in tights and fighting crime is a highly respected profession in the DC universe. [The Goddamned Batman](http://www.4thletter.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/frankmiller-asbar-robin-01.jpg) (aka _Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman_), on the other hand, has serious issues. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/12 "2014-01-30T17:46:51Z")
As far as Batman goes, I think [this cartoon](http://wondermark.com/c/2013-05-24-939crime.gif) sums it up nicely. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/13 "2014-01-30T18:01:00Z")
The Heckler perhaps > **[Heckler (character)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%28comics%29)** > > The Heckler is a parody superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Heckler #1 (cover-dated September 1992), the first of an ongoing series that ended with The Heckler #6 (cover-dated February 1993). > Keith Giffen created the Heckler as "a superhero Bugs Bunny" because he wanted to work with Bugs Bunny but felt that DC Comics (who were publishing Bugs Bunny's comics at the time) would not have approved of his handling of the character. Tom and Mary Bierbaum, who ... ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/14 "2014-01-30T18:02:02Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No one in the Watchmen was wrapped especially tight. Yeah, I was thinking of Comedian. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/15 "2014-01-30T18:08:03Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Frankly Batman’s myriad psychological issues are rarely addressed. > > Dressing like a bat and becoming a costumed vigilante as a rational response to the death of your parents seems to a somewhat extreme coping mechanism. Except that analysis has nothing to do what Batman was doing. The death of his parents made him want to fight crime. It allowed him to move on by giving him a purpose in life, and Batman fought crime for decades without obsessing about it. Wearing a bat costume was pure random chance. He could have become a cop, but this gave him greater leeway (and he was named a member of the force, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/16 "2014-01-30T18:32:45Z")
Definitely Plastic Man…but Batman once noted that a sane Plastic Man would be a very dangerous thing. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/17 "2014-01-30T20:32:57Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No one in the Watchmen was wrapped especially tight. True. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/18 "2014-01-30T20:46:48Z")
Is Buffy a superhero? In “Normal Again” the idea is floated that Buffy has spent the last 6 years in a mental institution. She is not really the slayer, she is just crazy. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/19 "2014-01-30T21:25:33Z")
I don’t know if [Guy Gardner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gardner_%28comics%29) is / was mentally ill, or just a douchebag. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137/20 "2014-01-30T21:40:16Z")
[Section 8](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_8_%28comics%29) a whole team of insane superheroes. The Punisher. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-heroes-who-are-really-mentally-ill/680137.md?page=2)