Representations of Mental Health and Trauma Care in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
With a growing social consciousness in the contemporary milieu, even large corporations such as Disney have begun to take an activist turn. Of late, Marvel has been especially sensitive to ongoing issues regarding race and gender. This is particularly evident in its latest incarnations available through Disney +: Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Solider. Accompanying this messaging has also been a positive representation of mental health care and the effects of individual and collective trauma. These are not superheroes who take a beating and walk away unscathed; these are highly developed and nuanced characters whose arcs take shape over several different films and multiple episodes.