MCU: 10 Real World Issues Addressed In Marvel Films
6. Iron Man 3: PTSD
A fascinatingly nuanced and mostly accurate portrayal of PTSD, Iron Man 3 shows what most other MCU films, or mainstream action films in general, do not: the psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of those who go through serious, life-threatening situations.
This idea of Hollywood heroism often leads to a misconception that people can just shrug off violence. Iron Man has always been the closest to reality of all the Avengers; the realism of his story as a superhero is what made the MCU so appealing. This realism came to its natural conclusion in Iron Man 3, where the trauma of nearly dying in the emptiness of space has affected Tony in a way that he can't just fix, the way he's fixed so many other problems in his life.
The film sees Tony Stark triggered by something as innocuous as a child's drawing, having nightmares that ramp up his paranoia and nearly end in violence, and even shows him having an anxiety attack and making rash decisions.
Despite all the violence in action and superhero films, few of them touch on the real life effects of trauma the way Iron Man 3 did, and for that alone, it deserves lauding.