Super Hero Thoughts – No Small Madness
January 13, 2011No Small Madness
Insanity in the Comics
I thought that I would say a few words about the portrayal of insanity in the comics. The title ‘no small madness’ sums up the usual view of insanity and metal illness in the comics. Characters in the comics are never ‘just a little crazy’, if insane, they are always in the full grip of madness. Examples of such characters are Dr. Doom and Lex Luthor (megalomania), the Joker (homicidal mania), the Comedian (sociopath), Sabretooth (psychopath) and Rose and Thorn (split personality). Madness abounds in the comics especially among the villains (indeed most of the Batman’s foes end up not in jail but in Arkham Asylum). After all why else would people dress up in crazy costumes, take weird names and risk their lives for money? Fame? Revenge? Doesn’t sound entirely sane to me.
Just as the heroes and villains in comics are larger than life, so must be their madnesses. After all how could you separate a touch of anxiety from the typical Marvel Super Hero Angst? If you have already exaggerated the other personality traits, surely insanity must also be explosively visible. But such insanities are also simplified and focused, usually the villains can use their insanity rather than being used by it. Dr. Doom’s megalomania gives him the will to attempt to conquer the world (again, and again, and again), the Joker (and the Batman’s other foes) refuse to be cured and will return to their goals but combined with a cunning and intelligence that makes them truly dangerous. In the comics, an insanity is often just another character trait no more dominating that another (Dr. Doom’s sense of aristocracy and honor clash with his megalomania and often comes out on top).
For the heroes, their obsessions often verge on madness, such as the Batman’s quest for justice combined with a refusal to kill, or Reed Richard’s belief that he can save the world, always, or Iron Man’s ‘Armor War’ obsession when he decided that all other suits of powered armor were based on his design and that he had to destroy them to keep them out of the hands of ‘evil’. So, in many ways the heroes are just as crazy as the villains, but at least the heroes have good motives (we hope).
Occasionally insanity is handled in a better, more sympathetic, way. Such as the treatment of the characters in The Watchmen or of Crazy Jane in Grant Morrison’s The Doom Patrol (a multiple personality case with each of her persona having a different super power). But that is rare, madness, like everything else in the comics, will continue to be exaggerated.
Notes: This is adapted from an article I wrote for the MOTiVE APA back in the day. Thought that I would break out some of my older writing for people’s use and amusement.
Excellent point–and good post, though a bit of your terminology and diagnosis is a outdated. There’s no real diagnosis called “homicidal mania”–the only thing I can really diagnosis the Joker with is antisocial personality disorder. Ditto Sabretooth and the Comedian. Rose and Thorn would be a case of “dissociative identity disorder.”
Of course, fictional “madness” (particularly in comics) doesn’t well translate to real-world psychiatric diagnosis so that’s all a bit of a guess.
Well, it was originally written many years ago and I have never tried to keep up with psychiatric studies. But thank you for your comments and glad that you sound it interesting.
And the Joker varies radically in portrayal from writer to writer, Heath Ledger’s Joker is a far cry from the one of Batman: the Animated Series, sometime he is a nihilist, other times more a a humorous character, but he does love the killing.