What does it take to put on spandex and fight super-powered villains? The mental state of all superheroes can easily be called into question. Some heroes have superpowers that give them an edge over the villains. Regardless, they are dedicated to their jobs. Heroes dress up in their costumes and will risk their lives in order to protect the innocent and to uphold justice in society.
Superheroes rarely get a chance to have a personal life. Everything they do is in order to combat evil. If they're out having lunch and a threat comes about, they will drop everything. Being a dedicated hero isn't a reason to question a person's sanity. They are simple dedicated to their jobs, although some could be considered obsessed with it.
There are some heroes that are in fact mentally challenged. These heroes have bigger issues than what outfit should they wear or what city block should they patrol. In some cases the mental deficiencies were in place before going into the superhero business. For others, something happened to cause the desire to fight evil. It's possible the continued stress of facing impossible odds simply caused them to snap. Depending on the severity of their mental state, some heroes will seek out medical or professional help. Others continue to operate, potentially placing themselves or innocents at risk. If a superhero is found to be insane, how could they be forced to seek assistance if they refuse to acknowledge the problem?
== TEASER ==Who are some of today's crazy heroes? One of the craziest and most dangerous was Bob Reynolds, the Sentry. The Sentry started out as a simple drug addict. Breaking into The Professor's laboratory, he found a serum while looking for something to get him high. If you think about that, he was either extremely desperate or already a little crazy to drink down an experimental serum that simply stated, "Do Not Touch."
The serum did give him incredible power. It transformed him. It's possible the serum caused his mental problems or simply increased what was already there. Soon the power resulted in the Void. Was the Void a dark entity or simple a twisted evil persona of Bob's?
Some of the other heroes had to know he was mentally unstable. Norman Osborn quickly picked up on this and used it to his advantage. Norman did what he could to keep Sentry under his control. How come Tony Stark or Reed Richards couldn't save Bob before it was too late? He was simply too powerful. Bob did try to go through therapy but that was voluntary. Those heroes that were his friends, should have seen the bigger problem. Sentry was unstable and a threat to the world. Yet they treated him like a hero in the hopes that his heroic persona would stay in control.
Moon Knight has been known to be a little unstable. Marc Spector was a mercenary. He did some terrible things. When he tried doing the right thing, he was killed and then reborn by the Egyptian god Khonshu. Did he really die or was this a traumatic experience that started his mental downfall? Establishing himself as a hero, he used different personas in his fight against evil. He didn't really use his Marc Spector persona but had billionaire Steven Grant and cab driver Jake Lockley. It's no surprise that those, along with being Moon Knight opened the door to having multiple personalities. There was also the period when he was speaking to Khonshu...or at least thought he was.
Moon Knight became a member of the Avengers once again, in particular, Captain America's team of Secret Avengers. Despite this, he has relocated to Los Angeles and is a TV producer, using the Marc Spector identity. He doesn't appear to be using his other identities but is now having conversations with fellow Avengers Captain America, Spider-Man and Wolverine. The problem is, when he talks to them, they're not really there. He's even taken to fighting in their style, almost taking on their identities, depending on the situation. It could be that he moved away from New York in order to avoid the watchful eye of the other heroes.
Is the Punisher sane or is he just really determined to end crime? His entire family was killed before his eyes. Throw in any post-war trauma and he's a powder keg waiting to explode. Losing your loved ones in enough to push anyone over the edge. Would talking to a therapist bring him any inner peace? His thirst for revenge may have been satiated but it goes beyond that. He doesn't want anyone else to suffer what he did. By taking such extreme measures, that could be an indicator of his mental stability. Getting treatment or medication could be what he needs. Getting him started on sessions would be another story.
Then you have someone like the Plutonian from Irredeemable. We're talking a character, similar to Sentry, on Superman's level. This is a man that went over the edge and set out to murder all his former teammates. As the world's greatest hero, trying to stop him was out of the question. He did lose his mind and any attempts to stop him or reason with him resulted in complete obliteration. It took some clever thinking and help from aliens just to get a handle on him. Trying to treat him wouldn't be possible. So he was taken to an intergalactic insane asylum. What are the chances of this actually curing him?
Of course there have been other characters that have lost their grip on reality from time to time. Hank Pym, John Walker, Scarlet Witch, Deadpool, Polaris and others have all visited Crazy Town before. While someone like Moon Knight can use his bit of crazy for good (he has been kicking butt in LA with his new...fighting style), others like Sentry and Scarlet Witch are perfect examples of how dangerous insanity can be when combined with superpowers. You can't slap a straight jacket on someone capable of rewriting reality in order to try to get them treatment. Doc Samson used to work with heroes and any problems they might have. That isn't really an option anymore and wouldn't be enough.
If Batman were involved, you know he would have protocols on dealing with everyone (although even Batman's sanity or obsession could be called into question). Would this be a solution to prevent a superpowered psychotic episode?
If a powerful hero loses their mind, there needs to be a way to apprehend them and get them sedated. The proper treatment will be needed in order to avoid any dangers to innocent lives. A well qualified psychiatrist (or team of them) needs to be on hand in case a situation arises. Superheroes can't be forced to go to support groups but any heroes that are loners should be watched over. Hopefully superheroes have someone to talk to at the end of their shifts. This is also why having a civilian identity is important. They can't be on duty all the time. They need to be able to unwind and take care of themselves instead of trying to save the world every minute of the day.
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