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In over 15 years since Marvel Studios birthed the all-encompassing multiverse known as the MCU, the franchise has upheld a family-friendly reputation. Not every entry into the shared universe is PG-13, however, which presents its own set of challenges. There have been numerous occasions where Marvel Studios stunned the masses by delving much deeper into mature themes than anyone ever expected.
Whereas DC Comics established a rapport with an audience of mainly adults, Marvel Studios has always been known to target all ages. As of lately, however, Kevin Feige and his fellow Marvel execs are lapping up every second of harrowing backstory they can get. One would never expect Marvel to deal with topics of mental illness, abuse, and mass genocide, but here we are. Let’s look back on the times when the deceptively age-appropriate multi-million-dollar corporation took us by surprise.
Jessica Jones’ Relationship With Kilgrave
Just a few years after Iron Man 3 weaved in small inclinations that Tony Stark may be suffering from PTSD, Marvel Studios said: “Hold my beer.” Perhaps one of the darkest, most disturbing stories to ever grace Marvel’s repertoire is that of Jessica Jones, Hell’s Kitchen’s very best PI. When we first meet Jessica, she’s struggling to make ends meet with dead-end jobs as tedious as saving proverbial cats from trees. We soon learn that Jessica, in all her hard-bitten rage, harbors a dark past involving a man named Kilgrave.
Kilgrave has the innate ability to control minds, which he abuses to no end, though often for his own selfish gain. When Kilgrave meets Jessica, another gifted individual, he becomes enamored by her. This sets in motion many miserable years spent as Kilgrave’s personal slave from tending to his every whim to providing sexual favors. Throughout the course of the show, Jessica gradually overcomes her fear and shame, but Marvel won’t ever let us forget the torment she endured.
Iron Man’s PTSD
As previously mentioned, Iron Man 3 took a drastic detour from the charismatic, fun-loving billionaire playboy we’ve come to love. During the Battle of New York (as seen in The Avengers) when Loki invades Earth with the Chitauri, Stark intercepted a missile fired by the Chitauri and guided it through a wormhole. Inside the Sanctuary (the Chitauri’s home), the missile detonated and Tony Stark very nearly lost his life to the suffocating atmosphere of an uninhabitable realm.
This whole ordeal caused severe PTSD for Stark, who would repeatedly experience severe panic attacks as a result of his reliving the trauma. Iron Man 3 reference and depicts these panic attacks throughout the plot, which brings the facade of Tony Stark’s fragile ego crumbling down. Stark continues to struggle with PTSD in later movies, as it manifests itself in nightmares, visions, and paranoia.
Thanos Wipes Out Half of Humanity
Arguably Marvel’s most notorious dictator is Thanos, the Mad Titan who wiped out half of the known universe. Thanos believed that the universe’s massive population would eventually — and inevitably — use up all the resources and supplies at its disposal. He thought that halving the population would eliminate the issue of mass consumption. He set out to find the Infinity Stones, in turn controlled by the Infinity Gauntlet. With it, he could snap his fingers and annihilate half of life on all levels.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos’ plan comes to fruition as he successfully wipes out half of all life with a mere snap of his fingers. Post-snap, The Avengers tracked him down to Planet 0259-S, where Thor executed him with Stormbreaker. Although Thanos’ act of mass genocide was reversed by Hulk, his temporary extermination of the Avengers’ family, friends, and loved ones was undoubtedly mortifying.
Wanda Watches Her Family Die
On the surface, WandaVision appears to be a light-hearted sitcom centered on family values, but in actuality, the idyllic town of Westview isn’t all that it seems. In fact, heartbroken by the events of Avengers: Endgame, Wanda fabricates a reality where she, Vision, and their two sons live an unassuming life. When Agatha Harkness comes knocking on her front door, Wanda is forced to decide between preserving her make-believe lifestyle or saving her family’s lives.
Ultimately, she chooses the latter. After a confrontation with Agatha and some convincing from S.W.O.R.D., Wanda collapses the Hex that surrounds Westview and watches on as Vision and their twin boys disintegrate. Wanda’s tampering with the Darkhold and obsession with reuniting with her family turned her grief into blind fury in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Rocket’s Disturbing Backstory
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 proved to be one of Marvel’s most impressive cinematic feats to date. It was praised profusely for Gunn’s direction and writing, as well as Bradley Cooper’s performance as Rocket Raccoon. The story concludes Rocket’s character arc in a rounded and satisfying manner as he finally meets his maker — literally. Once Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had kick-started its theatrical run, many animal lovers were warned of the heart-wrenching scenes involving Rocket’s past.
The High Evolutionary found Rocket as a baby raccoon and experimented on him in an attempt to create a docile society called Counter-Earth. There, he would act as a God to the monstrosities he created. Rocket befriends his fellow test subjects, whom he then watches die. Needless to say, Rocket’s agonizing screams over his girlfriend Lylla’s body are nightmare-inducing.
