Thor: Love and Thundercontinues the Marvel trend of heroes losing their loved ones. But this persistent and unresolved pain among heroes runs the risk of them becoming like Wanda. Thor endured countless losses and his smiling face reveals the sad truth behind his mental health. The lack of awareness on the issue regarding Thor’s mental health could be intentional for a number of reasons. However, if his next film doesn’t address the ongoing decline, Marvel could risk portraying mental health concerns as trivial or something worse.
What may appear to some asthe best Marvel Thorbeing comical and lighthearted is most likely the symptoms of a person living with high-functioning smiling depression. Thor’s behavioral response to the grief he’s endured is not normal relative to the Thor first introduced to fans onscreen. He’s become more reckless, apathetic, jaded, and uncharacteristically hysterical. These changes are likely coping mechanisms he developed to avoid appearing weak, unworthy, or human. He may be a god but not even gods are immune to mental health issues. What these symptoms can lead to, however, is what the next Thor film needs to prevent lest he become like Wanda.
How Thor’s Unresolved Smiling Depression Affects The Tone Of His Movies
Thor: Love and Thunderis a modern tragicomedy that dramatizes the plight of mortal love and immortality. It’s an homage to classic Greek plays featuring the conflict between humans and gods. While the absurdist comedy drew some criticism, it was also necessary to further illustrate Thor’s Uber conflict and ailing mental health. His smiling depression hides the grief and pain he refuses to confront. Likewise, the absurd comedy downplays the magnitude of Thor: Love and Thunder’s more serious problems. Mortal matters are frivolous to gods. Yet, it was a mortal, Dr. Jane Foster, who inspired Thor to fight for humanity.
The comedy thus becomes a defense mechanism of Thor, andsquandered one ofMarvel’s most impactful stories, to deflect his pain after losing many Asgardian lives, his brother, Loki, and the love of life, Jane. Thor exhibited many symptoms of high-functioning smiling depression including drastic changes in appearance, weight, and diet, feelings of guilt and hopelessness, as well as experiencing a loss of interest in being a hero. The comical tone is a denial or self-delusion that allows Thor to cope without actually healing. These feelings could worsen to the point that led another powerful Avenger to ultimately turn her back on heroism to seek a self-serving justice that could rid her of her pain and suffering. If Marvel wants toavoid the mistakes ofThor: Love and Thunder, his smiling depression must be resolved in his next film or else he could be featured as the God of Thunder pitted against the Avengers.
Why Resolving His Mental Health Can Prevent Him From Becoming Like Wanda
After Thanos' snap, Wanda created a reality where she and Vision could live happily with their family. When that was also taken away from her, Wanda ventured down a path to become the Scarlet Witch in search of power to restore her family. Wanda’s painful journey began long before Thanos became a threat to the Avengers. But her inability to heal from that pain only led her to seek more power to prevent losing those she held dear. When that didn’t work, hercharacter development fromWandaVisionrevealed Wanda using her power to threaten the stability of the multiverse for the sake of her own happiness. Like Thor, no one could see the hurt Wanda was enduring and there were no heroes coming to her rescue.
Thor has lost as much as Wanda in theMCU. They’ve both lost their homes, their siblings, and significant others. What’s keeping Thor together is the false happiness of his smiling depression and the responsibility to care for Love,Gorr the God Butcher’sdaughter. That may be the key difference that prevents Thor from sinking further into depression and ultimately losing all hope to continue as a hero. Heroes need a reason to fight for something or someone beyond themselves. With Asgard under the protection of Valkyrie, friends abandoning him, and no romantic interest in sight, Love can be the reason Thor continues to fight as a hero.
That being said, Love can also be the reason Thor succumbs to the same darkness that turned Wanda into a heel. The irony of the name of Gorr’s daughter and Thor’s predicament is fit for a “love conquers all” or “love is healing” theme. Thor’s next feature should address his mental health to alleviate these concerns, as well as eliminate the potential trend of Marvel stories creating a stigma that mental illnesses lead to antagonistic or criminal behaviors. Whichever direction the next film takes afterThor: Love and Thunder, it should aim to resolve Thor’s mental health in a positive way so the God of Thunder can have a less depressing reason to smile.
