When superhero comics first came around, they were full of invincible gods and genius billionaires, but nowadays we're starting to see the more human side. With the release of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts earlier this year, we had a deep dive into the psychology of our favourite (anti)heroes, along with seeing Superman's love for his dog in James Gunn's take on the Man of Steel. Their problems range from the mundane to the extreme, and we all recognise the fact that this resounds with us, but why?

I personally think that it has two different effects. One: it shows that what we feel isn't just a thing for some people, it shows that our emotions are felt by everyone. And two: it makes us feel stronger.

If you see a superhero struggling to cope with something on screen, but you're dealing with it fine? It's going to make you feel a lot better about your coping mechanisms.

Thunderbolts

In Thunderbolts, we were all super shocked when we saw Bucky Barnes on our screens as a congressman—crazy, right? What was even crazier was the look into his life. It was just a small, brief scene but in it we saw him being frustrated by the little things—having to read a really boring piece of information, spilling ketchup on a white shirt—the generic issues that people face.

We saw new fan favourite Yelena grappling with depression, which is becoming increasingly common since the global quarantine in 2020. Larger than life John Walker was shown having his own issues, still reeling with the guilt and confusion of his wife leaving him and taking their child.

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Superman

In Superman, we saw Clark Kent battling Lex Luthor, Ultraman, and... relationship problems? That's right. In the movie, we saw him and girlfriend Lois Lane have a huge argument, almost resulting in a breakup.

This is such a weird concept for some people, because what do you mean, Superman has romantic dilemmas? But when watching it, it really develops the character.

This method of character development is particularly effective because it helps us to see ourselves in the characters, allowing us to make further inferences on their morality, characteristics and personality traits. It's an automatic reflex for us, recognising our own situations on screen, and it makes you feel for the character that you're watching.

Iron Man

In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark ends up breaking into a garage after his suit is battered and broken. He hides in the garage until the owner—well, the owner's son, Harley, finds him.

Harley and Tony form a close relationship throughout their brief five minutes of screen time. In this, we see Harley absolutely bombarding Tony with questions resulting in Tony having a panic attack. Once again, it's brief, but the audience can clearly see the struggle that he's facing and interpret what's going on.

It's familiar for many people, and encouraging to see it on screen. It makes you feel more normal, knowing others face it too.

Modern Relatability

In the past twenty years, we've entered an era of superhero reliability. You'd be surprised how many people could say "my comfort character is Bucky Barnes" because, well... he's not presented to be perfect. He has issues, he is portrayed as an almost broken character with pain being conveyed incredibly well (somebody give Sebastian Stan an Oscar, honestly), and yet people still love him.

Because he's like us. He's not perfect.

Lately, Hollywood is leaning into that. Personally, I'm here for it. We need to have these iconic characters seeming mundane at times, it's both great character development and reassuring to viewers. I feel like we're going to see a lot more of it with the upcoming Spiderman and Supergirl movies, and I'm so ready.