Staff, Author at Red Face Cinema

Major Social Anxiety Scene in Thor Love and Thunder

It’s the anticipation of being in a social situation that would really be devastating to Thor. Not the actual social event itself.

Developing social anxiety is not something Thor would expect, but even being the god of (love) and thunder cannot protect against SAD.

One of the most intriguing questions about Thor is what would he be doing after the events of Avengers: End Game. When he fought Thanos, he was completely out of shape and made a complete mess of himself. He then gave up the thrown of Asgard and jumped on a ship with the Guardians of the Galaxy. So now what will he do? Keep fighting of course! That is what he has been doing his whole life. So why stop now, right?!

Thor: Love and Thunder was probably the funniest movie that the MCU has put out thus far. Chris Hemsworth really transformed the Thor character into a hero with the best sense of humor. His comedic brilliance, combined with Taika Waititi’s Korg really made this movie more than just action and CGI. Then throw in guest appearances like Matt Damon reprising his screenplay actor role and the movie really outperforms in any other comedy the MCU has shown.

Thor, God, Thunder, Hammer, Axe, and Social Anxiety

Being Thor comes with a ton of really cool benefits. Lightening flows through your veins, access to mystical weapons, super strength, flight, space travel, and healing abilities are just some bonuses of being the god of thunder. But the one thing it doesn’t save you from is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). No amount of lightening can prevent SAD and the awful Red Face. So whether you are a god or just a regular human, it would be a good idea to be aware of this major SAD scene below.

Social Anxiety Scene: Anticipation

Left to Right: Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). The three are watching Zeus’ introductory performance at Omnipotence City. Thor stalls as Jane and Valkyrie continue to pressure him to interrupt Zeus and ask for his help.
Thor Love and Thunder, 2022

Movie: Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

Scene: Thor and friends at Omnipotence City watching Zeus’ performance

Anxiety Provoking Event: Thor is seated with his friends waiting to take center stage to publicly interrupt his hero Zeus, while thousands are looking on.

One of the biggest and most terrifying triggers for someone with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is anticipation of a social event. Particularly an event which will cause all eyes to be on you. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we witnessed a major scene of anticipation when Thor and company visited Omnipotence City. This is a magical, floating city which is home to the gods of the universe, including Thor’s childhood hero, Zeus.

Thor and friends were on a mission to recruit some of the mightiest gods in the universe to form a “god army” to eliminate Gorr, the god butcher. They were in attendance at a magical coliseum-like building when Zeus (the god in charge) started the show. Thor was very excited to see his hero in real life. As he was looking on like an excited child, Jane and Valkyrie tried to egg Thor on to interrupt Zeus and ask him for his help. But the god of Thunder kept stalling as he was in awe of Zeus’ performance. He replied to Val and Jane that he could not interrupt Zeus at this time because his introduction performances are legendary. He told them that he’ll have to wait for the right time.

Left-to-Right: Korg (Taika Waititi), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) watching Thor on the center stage in front of thousands of gods in Omnipotence City. Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

While performing his introductory show and making an impassioned speech about orgy’s (so weird), Zeus calls out Thor for speaking while he was speaking. He instructs Thor to come to the center of the stage and speak his mind in front of everyone. So, Thor did as he was told to do and made a public plea for help in front of the gods of the universe. This eventually led to a battle between Thor and friends vs Zeus and his weird security guard things.

The Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

Thor knew he had to address Zeus (his hero) in front of the hundreds/thousands of other gods in attendance. Valkyrie, Jane, and Korg were all with him and were pressuring him to start already. Thor decided to keep stalling until the time was right. He kept making excuses about the importance of letting Zeus finish his show and how much he has admired him since childhood. But as Zeus kept performing and speaking, Jane and Val kept putting more and more pressure on Thor to interrupt him and ask already. The anticipation of a major social event, like interrupting Zeus, taking center stage, and publicly speaking out for help, is a major trigger for SAD sufferers.

Zeus (Russell Crowe) addresses the gods of the universe on the grandest stage in Omnipotence City. In the crowd are Thor, Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg watching on.
Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

If Thor had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), then the whole time he was sitting and waiting for this majorly public social event he would need to do would be devastating to him. This social event which would cause so much anxiety is composed of four (4) parts:

Interrupting an authority figure
Being in the lime light by taking the center state and having all eyes on Thor
Speaking in front of everyone and to the authority figure
Being watched by his friends (Val and Korg), and more frightening, the woman he loves: Jane

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) standing in front of Zeus and thousands of gods in attendance at Omnipotence City. Zeus just “flicked” Thor’s clothes off, leaving him completely naked in front of the crowd.
Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

Symptoms of the Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

While sitting and waiting for “the right time” to interrupt Zeus, Thor would be feeling super anxious. He would have butterflies in his stomach, he would be sweating profusely, and would even be blushing in anticipation of what would be happening in the next few moments. His heart would be beating out of his chest a thousand times per minute and would even feel lightheaded and nauseous. His hands would be sweating and noticeably trembling. And since he was sitting next to the woman he loves, Jane, Thor would be making considerable effort to hide his symptoms from her. His mind would be racing with a million thoughts on how he can buffer his symptoms or prevent Jane from noticing them.

So ultimately, Thor would develop the dreaded Red Face symptoms without even being put in a social situation. It’s the anticipation of being in a social situation that would really be devastating to Thor.

Two Social Anxiety Scenes in Jurassic World: Dominion

Dinosaurs eat people. People worry about what other people think of them. Dinosaurs don’t get Social Anxiety. People do get Social Anxiety. That’s what happens when you’re at the bottom of the food chain.

Social Anxiety did not exist in the actual Jurassic World millions of years ago, but it certainly does in it’s Dominion.

Home to the largest creatures the planet has ever seen, Jurassic World: Dominion has certainly made an impact on the big screen. New dinosaurs, old dinosaurs, and even original characters from the original Jurassic Park movie from 1993 made this movie as suspenseful as it did nostalgic. Watching dinosaurs towering over the human population is always cool, but seeing the villains in the movie about to be eaten is even cooler. That has always been one of the most exciting things about the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies.

Like the previous Jurassic World movies, Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady is the ultimate hero in the film. Saving not just his daughter (sort of), but also the offspring of his most loyal dinosaur friend, Blue. Having help from a few of his old friends (Barry, Franklin, and Claire), a bad-ass pilot named Kayla, and some of the original Jurassic Park experts, Grady saves the day one last time in the conclusion to this 20 year sequel.

Prehistoric Social Anxiety

Although the oversized animals with enormous teeth were the center of attention in this prehistoric film, there are two parts that were social anxiety cringeworthy. If you’ve lived in pre-historic times and are unfamiliar with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), then click here to learn a thing or two about it. I promise, it won’t bite!

Two Social Anxiety scenes in Jurassic World: Dominion

In today’s Jurassic World, Social Anxiety does exist. An act of desperation from Claire might help her overcome social anxiety disorder this one time, but Ramsay’s betrayal is a whole different story.

Scene: 1

Claire meets Kayla (the pilot) for the first time in the restroom of the underground dinosaur black market.

Pilot Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) in the underground dinosaur black market shortly after speaking to Claire in the restroom. She is holding a dinosaur taser (which she’s used a few times) making her even more badass and awesome.
Jurassic World: Dominion, 2022

Anxiety provoking event: Asking and pleading with someone you don’t know for their help

While desperately looking for her (sort of) daughter, Claire enters the restroom of a very dangerous underground dinosaur black market. It is here that she meets a pilot, Kayla Watts (played by DeWanda Wise). After realizing that Kayla is American, Claire leverages that fact to try and speak with her. Even more so, Claire immediately asks her for help in finding her daughter. Kayla refuses several times, even making fun of Claire for being in such a dangerous place as it’s really “not her vibe.” Kayla even tells Claire that just because they are both American, Claire does not have the green light to speak to her. She made it very clear that they are not friends and Kayla would never befriend someone like Claire. Later on, we see that Kayla actually was extremely helpful and even critical to Claire and Owen.

Owen (Chris Pratt, left), Kayla (DeWanda Wise, right) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard, back) on an airplane before being attacked by a flying dinosaur. Kayla agreed to help Claire after their confrontation in the underground dinosaur black market. She flies Claire and Owen to Biosyn to retrieve their daughter.
Jurassic World: Dominion, 2022

Meeting new people

Now lets be clear about something right off the bat: people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) have a tough time meeting new people. If Claire had SAD, she would not be pleading with someone she just met for help. And she definitely would not continue to plead after being told several times to stop. This would be to anxiety provoking to even think about. Now given the circumstances about her missing daughter, she probably would develop the courage to petition Kayla like that. It desperation adrenaline running through her would allow Claire to overcome the inhibition of pleading. So I can see that working out for her. But generally speaking, SAD sufferer’s would not have an easy time pulling that off.

And what makes it even more difficult for Claire is that she is in a very dangerous place with no real fighting skills, while being told by a tough-ass woman to go away. This by itself builds a degree of anxiety, which would only add to the social aspect of it.

If Claire had Social Anxiety Disorder

As mentioned, because Claire was desperately trying to find her daughter, she would have been strong enough to overcome the SAD. Her brain chemistry would be altered in a way where it wouldn’t care about SAD. It would be one of a few times where SAD sufferer’s don’t need to worry about Red Face.

In general however, if nothing urgent was happening, Claire wouldn’t have even tried to talk to Kayla in that restroom. Approaching a stranger is not easy for an SAD sufferer, and even more difficult is asking a stranger for help. In fact, just the thought of approaching a stranger and sparking a conversation could be really daunting for social anxiety sufferers. Within seconds, Red Face will develop and lead to a humiliation and a ton of regret. Bright red facial blushing, profuse sweating, trembling hands, and thumping fast heart rate are just some of the symptoms to deal with. And if that really did happen to Claire, and Kayla notices, then Red Face becomes worse. Drawing attention to the blushing and sweating causes a person to blush more and sweat more. It’s really uncomfortable.

Scene 2:

Ramsay Cole betrays his boss, Lewis Dodgson, throughout the movie

Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeffrey Goldblum, left), Ramsay Cole (Mamoudou Athie, middle), and Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott, right). After Cole betrayed Dodgson by notifying Dr. Malcolm of Dodgson’s plan to control the world’s food supply, a confrontation was had by the two which led to Malcolm’s termination.
Jurassic World: Dominion, 2022

Anxiety provoking event: The thought of getting caught and developing Red Face in front of the boss is amplified in an SAD sufferer. In fact, Ramsay can get Red Face even when he hasn’t been caught. He could be alone in his office just thinking about Dodgson finding out of his betrayal and how Red Face he would get. That thought by itself can be enough to get SAD symptoms, like Red Face.

Doing the right thing is not always easy. For Mamoudou Athie’s Ramsay Cole, it’s especially difficult. After receiving a ton of praise from one of the world’s richest and most powerful men, Lewis Dodgson, we find out that he was betraying him the whole time. Dodgson, the CEO of Biosyn, was intentionally creating a ecological food chain shortage using genetically modified locusts. He would leverage this disaster to control the world’s food supply and gain a huge profit. Ramsay, Biosyn’s head of communication, notifies Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) who works as a consultant at Biosyn. Malcolm then informs his old pals from the first Jurassic Park movie, Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler, who then help take down Biosyn by the end of the film.

The problem with ramsay’s plan

Ramsay’s proactive approach in preventing Dodgson’s plan from occurring was the right thing to do. The problem is that his plan required lying, deception, and betrayal. If Ramsay had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), the dreaded Red Face would plague him every time he see’s Dodgson or even thinks about him. The fear of getting caught and then dealing with the social event that would transpire afterwards is so nerve racking for SAD sufferers. This fear will lead to the social anxiety symptoms causing a rush of heat and blood to the face, blushing, sweating, fast heart beat, and shaky hands.

Ramsay Cole (Mamoudou Athi) exiting a Biosyn helicopter to greet Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant, who are the friends of Dr. Malcolm. Grant and Sattler were notified by Malcolm of the corruption inside Biosyn after Cole betrayed Dodgson and told Malcolm.
Jurassic World: Dominion, 2022

One of the most fearsome and anxiety provoking thoughts that would cause havoc on Ramsay is “would he blush and sweat if he were caught?” And the answer to that is a resounding “yes”. When he does blush and sweat, that would be a huge indication that he is guilty. Ramsay would then need to defend himself on two things now: (1) his actions of betrayal and then (2) defend himself against anyone criticizing him for showing signs of lying (sweating, blushing). Which by the way, no one suffering from Red Face wants to discuss their Red Face symptoms. This would only make it last longer and the symptoms would be more intense.

The SAD fear of being caught

Whenever someone is doing something wrong, unethical, or immoral, it takes some effort to cover it up and prevent anyone from finding out. That is usually the hard part. Now if someone has Social Anxiety Disorder the hard part isn’t covering up their wrong actions, but rather dealing with the thoughts of the social event that would transpire after getting caught. Scenarios of getting caught and the conversation between you and the person you wronged would play out in the mind. All these scenarios might have different ways in which you get caught, but all will unfortunately lead to the same conclusion; an intensely red and moist Red Face.

The Social Anxiety Scene in Top Gun Maverick

Flying a navy fighter jet at hyper sonic speeds is exhilarating, but even at those speeds Tom Cruise’s Maverick can’t outrun Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety comes for Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick when the golden bell rings at a popular Navy bar. It doesn’t matter how fast you can fly, sooner or later, Social Anxiety Disorder will catch you.

There are plenty of reasons why we should all love Top Gun: Maverick. The hyper sonic speed of fighter jets, the call back scenes from the original Top Gun movie in 1986, and the authenticity of being a Navy Aviator. Not to mention, it was another brilliant performance by the legendary Tom Cruise again. The story of Top Gun: Maverick ties nicely with the original film made over 35 years ago, while incorporating a really suspenseful modern-day plot. And it’s always cool to learn the call-signs of the new pilots (Bob made my day).

Fighter Jets can’t outrun Social Anxiety Disorder

Although Tom Cruise’s newest aviation thriller is filled with action, speed, and suspense, we’ve got to look at one of the scenes that doesn’t have any of that. It’s the one scene that would be a juggernaut of a trigger for people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). If you’re flying through life too fast and don’t know what SAD is, click here to find out. If you’re good to go, then check out the one major SAD scene below.

Social Anxiety Scene in Top Gun: Maverick

Penny (Jennifer Connelly) watches as Maverick (Tom Cruise) is being carried out of her bar for failure to pay the bill. The occurs after she rings the bell for the second time causing everyone to watch as Mav is being thrown out.
Top Gun: Maverick, 2022

Social Anxiety Disorder can always catch up to you, regardless of how fast you’re flying. Tom Cruise’s Maverick triggers a huge Red Face moment when he is at the Naval bar and the bell rings. Twice!

Usually going to the bar isn’t considered a big deal. You have a drink, watch a game, see your friends, and go home. But in Maverick’s case (played by Tom Cruise), there was a serious social anxiety problem going on at that bar. The owner of the bar (who was also the bar tender), Penny, has a bell hanging behind the counter which she seemingly uses to punish patrons who don’t abide by the rules. Well Penny decided to punish Maverick as she rung the bell for everyone inside the bar to hear. This was a specific ring which indicated that all drinks were on the house at Mav’s expense. This put all eyes on Mav as the patrons celebrated the fact that he had to pay for everyone’s drink.

A few minutes later, Mav decided it was time for him to leave and gave Penny his credit card. After Penny tried to charge the card, she came back and notified Mav that his card was declined. So now you probably can guess what happened next, right? Penny rings the bell a second time which again leads to all eyes on Mav. Only this time, everyone in the bar was watching and laughing as Mav was picked up and literally thrown out of the bar by three of his students (unbeknownst to them at the time).

It was a tough day for Maverick at the Naval bar that day. He was put on blast by Penny not once, but twice. And on top of all that, he still owed her a large debt for all those drinks he couldn’t pay for.

First SAD Trigger

Penny (Jennifer Connelly) speaking to Maverick (Tom Cruise) at the Naval bar just before ringing the bell the first time. She playfully rings the bell because Mav broke one of her rules.
Top Gun: Maverick, 2022

The first time the bell was rung on Maverick, everyone was looking at him and celebrated that their drinks were free. If Maverick (Tom Cruise) had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), this would be a problem. All those eyes on a person who suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder is a huge trigger in developing the awful Red Face of SAD. Maverick would get a rush of heat to his face, followed by bright red blushing, and ending with profuse sweating. This is extremely uncomfortable and really difficult to hide, especially when everyone is looking at you.

Second SAD Trigger

Maverick (Tom Cruise) being carried out of the Naval bar after Penny rings the bell again. This time however, she rings it because he could not pay the bill. All eyes are on him as he is being evicted from the bar.
Top Gun: Maverick, 2022

The second time Penny rang the bell on Maverick, things only got worse for the SAD sufferer. This time, the problem is a compilation of two things:

Mav’s credit card was declined right in front of his love interest, Penny
All eyes are on him as he is getting thrown out of the bar

Imagine having your credit card declined at a store or restaurant. That is an uncomfortable, awkward situation to be in. Now imagine it gets declines while you’re with your romantic interest. That is much more embarrassing, especially if you’re trying to make a good impression. Maverick’s card getting declined is an impression on Penny that he wishes he could erase. It’s embarrassing and would cause a huge Red Face reaction if he had Social Anxiety Disorder.

Now imagine that after your love interest see’s that your card was declined, she and everyone else watches you as you get thrown out of the bar and onto the floor. Again, now all eyes are on you and people are laughing at your broke ass being evicted for not paying a bill. Super embarrassing and Red Face would be triggered immediately once that second bell rings. There is no hiding it. All Mav could do if he developed Red Face at that time is endure the humiliation.

Top Gun: Maverick definitely revealed a major Social Anxiety trigger. Having all eyes on you as an embarrassing event is going on leads to the dreaded Red Face. This in turn converts to utter humiliation. Let’s just be thankful that Tom Cruise or his character, Maverick, suffer from SAD.

Three Social Anxiety Scenes from Dr. Strange

As the confident, arrogant, and master of the mystic arts, Dr. Strange would need his powers to defeat an enemy he couldn’t see coming: Social Anxiety Disorder

For Dr. Strange to have Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), it actually wouldn’t be so bad for him. He has magical abilities that seem to stretch the imagination beyond the point of fairy tales and wizardry. Strange could use a spell to hide facial blushing and profuse sweating or he can simply open a quick portal and leave. Either way, he’d be alright.

In the Multiverse of Madness, we learn a lot about Dr. Strange and the MCU in general. We saw him fight a one-eyed monster using magical hands which can lift a spear to the single eye. Then we learn that there is such a thing as physically travelling to different universes (multiversal travel). We even learned that you can Dream Walk to different universes simply by using the Dark Hold. So yea, it’s a crazy world they live in.

But as absurd a world the MCU is and regardless of which universe you live in, Social Anxiety Disorder does not discriminate. It’ll attack aliens, androids, or even wizards (thanks Falcon and the Winter Solder). Meaning, Dr. Strange could still be vulnerable to the dreaded Red Face of Social Anxiety Disorder. Let’s look at three scenes from Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness that could cause SAD.

Three Scenes from Dr. Strange that cause Social Anxiety

Scene 1: The Indirect Blame

Dr. Strange and Dr. West attend Christine’s wedding. West starts a conversation with Strange in which he shows how displeased he is with Strange’s decision to allow Thanos to take the Time Stone. This indirect and passive-aggressive sense of blame is felt by Strange throughout the conversation.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, 2022.

Setting: While seated at Christine’s wedding, Dr. Strange has a conversation with Dr. Nic West.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Dr. West indirectly places blame on Dr. Strange for the 5 year-long blip, during which his brother died and West never got to see again.

At the beginning of the movie, Dr. Strange is seated at Christine’s wedding when Dr. West (former colleague from the first Dr. Strange movie) sparks a conversation. He tells Strange that during the blip his brother died and he couldn’t say goodbye to him because he was blipped out of existence. West was saddened by the death of his brother, but his death isn’t what keeps him up at night. Instead, he is most distraught about whether the blip even had to happen. West asked Strange if there was any other way it could have happened.

Dr. Strange was honest and upfront with his answer when he replied that there was no other way. West then indirectly and passive-aggressively blamed the blip on Dr. Strange by mockingly stating that “only the great Dr. Strange could have made that call.” He was essentially pointing his blame finger at Strange for causing trillions to be removed from existence for five years. And although Strange was rightly justified for making that decision against Thanos, West didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted Strange to know that he held him responsible.

Being blamed is a Social Anxiety trigger

If Dr. Strange had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), the blame from Dr. West would have been a huge trigger for the cause of Red Face (the most prominent symptom of SAD). Being blamed and finger pointing can trigger the mind to be on the defensive, especially if the results of the blame were catastrophic (liking blipping out for five years). SAD sufferer’s always feel like they need to be prepared to defend themselves in social situations anyway, but being blamed really pushes the anxiety levels high. And since SAD sufferer’s care about what other people think of them, the social anxiety would be even worse. West blames Strange and thinks negatively of him for that reason. This could be a huge Red Face trigger all while Christine’s wedding is happening.

Scene 2: “Are you happy?”

While at her wedding, Dr. Strange and Christine catch up with each other. During their conversation, Christine asks Strange if he is happy. Strange replies that he is indeed happy but, as we find out later in the movie, he is in love with her. So clearly, he isn’t as happy as he leads us to believe.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, 2022

Setting:– While at Christine’s wedding, Dr. Strange speaks to Christine and she asks him if he is happy.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Dr. Strange tells the woman he loves that he is happy while attending her wedding to another man.

It’s no secret that love will make you do crazy things. What really sucks about love though is learning to let go while masking your true feelings. Dr. Strange had to tell Christine that he is happy for her and that he wished things worked out for them years ago. She then responded by asking him if he is happy. And for a bunch of different reasons, Strange lied and replied “yes.”

Telling someone you love that you are happy while at their wedding to someone else is not an easy thing to do. But it’s especially difficult for someone with Social Anxiety Disorder. Two things happen here:

Dr. Strange lies to avoid an awkward conversation
Dr. Strange wants to confess his love to Christine but can’t

SAD sufferer’s have a very difficult time lying because of the fear of being caught. Lying is a huge trigger for developing Red Face (both bright red blushing and profuse sweating will be so obvious) and someone with social anxiety disorder will avoid it at all costs. Red Face is just a huge red flag that someone is lying, and even worse, embarrassed by the lie.

Social Anxiety is all about Brain Chemistry

The brain chemistry of a man in love is absurdly difficult to comprehend. Men will do and say things that are completely out of character. In one part of the brain, Strange is feeling the warm, crazy, and totally nuts feeling of love. In another part, his chemistry is telling him to confess his feelings to her. And in a third part, his brain molecules are telling him not to confess his love. The combination of these molecular reactions causes stress and anxiety, and in the presence of the woman you love, you experience the effects of Social Anxiety. In other words, an unwelcome Red Face symptom will appear.

Scene 3: “I love you in every universe”

After stopping Wanda and saving the day, Dr. Strange returns from Dream Walking and is back in an alternate universe with an alternate Christine. He confesses that he loves her in every universe.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, 2022

Setting:– After Dr. Strange saves America Chavez from Scarlett Witch, he is back in a different universe with an alternate Christine waiting for Chavez to return him home. As he’s waiting, he has a heart-to-heart conversation with the Christine.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Confessing his love to Christine.

If there is anything we have learned about love in the presence of social anxiety, it’s that those two things don’t mesh well. Telling someone who you hold on the highest romantic pedestal that you love them triggers the fear of rejection, and worse, humiliation. It’s always a tricky thing to tell someone that you love them, but to say in the profoundly “I love you in every universe” sense will carry quite a bit of extra weight.

At the moments leading up to and after his confession, Dr. Strange would be thinking about the consequences. “She probably doesn’t love me back” or “she is going to let me down easy” are some things he will think about. “What if she laughs at me or tells someone about my confession” is another thought for SAD sufferers. These thoughts of rejection stresses the mind and causes anxiety in any normal person, but even more so in an SAD person. And since the anxiety is caused by Christine’s presence, it is considered to be social anxiety.

Thoughts alone are bad enough

The worst part is that just these thoughts alone can trigger Dr. Strange being swallowed in the humiliation of Red Face. Christine doesn’t even need to say or do anything. The thoughts alone can cause Red Face right in front of her. And when her eyes shift direction from Strange’s eyes to his forehead and she sees the sweat formation, it’s all over for him. Her notice of his red, sweaty face will make Strange more red and sweaty. It’s really uncomfortable.

Three Nicolas Cage movie scenes that cause Social Anxiety

Being Nicolas Cage protects you from losing against bad guys. Does being Nicolas Cage protect you from having Social Anxiety?

If any characters in Nicolas Cage movies had Social Anxiety, the below three scenes would not have happened.

One of the most bad ass action hero’s of the 90’s is Nicolas Cage. I mean, even his name is super bad ass. How many times have we seen this man beat up bad guys and drive off into the sunset with a pretty girl? Pretty much every time he was ever in a movie. But as cool as the characters are that he plays, would someone like Nicolas Cage ever have Social Anxiety Disorder? Below we look at three scenes from three different movies and breakdown potential Social Anxiety triggers.

Being Nicolas Cage is really cool. But what isn’t cool is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). So unless you’re about to boost cars, take down a plane full of convicted criminals, or save a city from poison gas, you should click here to learn more about SAD.

Three Social Anxiety scenes in Nicolas Cage movies

Movie 1: Con Air (1997)

Nicolas Cage character: Cameron Poe, U.S. Army Ranger turned convicted felon

Scene: While dancing with his wife at a restaurant/bar, Cameron Poe playfully puts his head to his pregnant wife’s belly pretending to have a discussion with his unborn daughter.

Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) having a playful discussion with his unborn baby by putting his head to his wife’s belly and speaking. This occurs at the restaurant/bar that they are dancing in at the beginning of the movie.
Con Air, 1997

Anxiety Provoking Event: Putting his head to his wife’s belly while talking to her belly in a public place causes people to stare.

It’s one thing if you are super excited about having a baby and want to talk with your unborn child through the walls of your wife’s belly. It’s something completely different if you have that discussion in public while other people are starring. That’s exactly what happened at the beginning of Con Air. Cameron Poe is dancing with his wife at a restaurant and decides to do something attention grabbing. He bends down, puts his head to her belly, and has a loud and public conversation with her belly.

Considering that there are so many people around Poe, this can be a huge social anxiety trigger. Even his wife looked uncomfortable as she was looking around to see who was staring. The stares and whispers about his behavior could cause an extreme level of discomfort, especially if Nicolas Cage (Cameron Poe) has Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). If he had SAD, his face would instantly turn bright red and would start to sweat quite heavily. People would start to notice and may actually comment on his Red Face. This would just lead to brighter red blushing and more profuse sweating. It’s really humiliating. Poe would end up stopping the dance and going to the bathroom to rinse in face with cold water. He wouldn’t dance again for the rest of the evening.

Result

Cameron Poe did not develop Red Face. His face color didn’t change and was fully dry. He also seemed to be completely unconcerned about the people around him. That is a strong sign that he doesn’t have SAD.

Movie 2: Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)

Nicolas Cage character: Memphis Raines, retired car thief who unretires to save his brother’s life.

Scene: Detective Castlebeck enters Otto’s garage where Memphis Raines and his crew are plotting to steal fifty cars, including trying to hide an already stolen car containing heroin.

Detective Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo, left) makes a surprise entry into Otto’s garage (Robert Duvall, right) where Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage, not seen here) and his crew are plotting their fifty car grand theft.
Gone in Sixty Seconds, 2000

Anxiety Provoking Event: Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage) is forced to lie to an authority figure in front of his entire team, while the proof of his guilt is right in front of both of them.

There is something to say about the leader of a team. For Memphis Raines (an expert car thief), he steals the most difficult car (Eleanor), he built his team from scratch, and he saved his younger brother from death. He is looked up to and is seen as a role model by everyone in his crew. So naturally, he must be the one that handles the nosey detective who is poking around. After Detective Castlebeck makes a surprise appearance at the worst time, Raines thinks of a clever lie to get rid of him.

Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage) speaking to Detective Castlebeck while his whole crew looks on. Raines lies to the detective, while trying to coverup the stolen Cadillac Eldorado with heroin in its trunk.
Gone in Sixty Seconds, 2000

It’s important to realize that Memphis Raines is being looked at by everyone in his crew, has heroin on the floor of the stolen drug car behind him, and has a really annoying detective just itching to throw him in jail poking around. There is a lot of pressure, anxiety, and social anxiety to consider here. For people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), speaking with an authoritative can be triggering. But when you lie to an authoritative figure, the anxiety trigger is much worse. You’ll end up with the dreaded Red Face (blushing and sweating), trembling hands, rapid heart rate, etc. Not to mention, you’re the role model to everyone on your team so you must maintain composure. Having Red Face definitely makes it look like you lost composure.

Social Anxiety = Dishonesty?

The question then becomes, “would Detective Castlebeck really believe Raines if he saw his red, sweaty face?” Of course not! He is a detective and the Red Face is a sign of dishonesty. Even if you are being honest, people will typically think you’re lying if you blush and sweat. No one would think that it’s just social anxiety. That’s a real problem in today’s society.

Result

Memphis Raines does not develop Red Face, trembling hands, or rigid posture. He visibly maintains composure and gets rid of Detective Castlebeck without problem. He doesn’t have social anxiety disorder.

Movie 3: The Rock, 1996

Scene: Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) is explaining how to disarm the VX Gas Rockets to FBI Director Womack, Agent Paxton, Commander Anderson, and the navy seals.

Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) presents instructions to a whole situation team on how to disarm VX Gas Rockets before being cut off by FBI Director Womack. HE is informed that he will be joining the navy seals on the mission.
The Rock, 1996

Anxiety Provoking Event: Presenting information to a room filled with authority figures, and then being cut-off and told that Goodspeed will join them in battle. Anxiety heightens when Goodspeed’s reaction shows that he doesn’t want to go, but cannot say no.

Presenting critical information to a group of authority figures is never easy. It can cause performance anxiety, which is fairly normal and common. However with performance anxiety, social anxiety can easily sneak in, particularly if you’re being called out by someone.

Stanley Goodspeed (a chemist for the FBI) was presenting instructions to disarm the VX Gas Rockets when surprisingly, FBI Director Womack told him that he should stop presenting because he’ll be going into battle with the Seals. Goodspeed’s reaction clearly showed that he didn’t want to go, but he had no choice and couldn’t say no. This can be a huge trigger for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Being publicly cut-off in front of others during a presentation by an authority figure can cause Red Face. But when publicly cut-off, then told to do something you don’t want to do, your brain chemistry goes haywire. In people with SAD, the chemistry leads to a rush of heat straight to the face which then causes bright red facial blushing, and heavy sweating. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling and everyone can see it.

Result

There were no visible signs of Red Face on Stanley Goodspeed. No blushing, no sweating, no trembling hands. He went to the bathroom to vomit afterwards, but that was because he was scared. He doesn’t have SAD.

Conclusion- Nicolas Cage characters don’t have Social Anxiety Disorder

Playing the role of action hero is one of the coolest, life saving characters a person can be. But as we saw, if Nicholas Cage had Social Anxiety Disorder then saving the day as a convict, car thief, or chemist for the FBI won’t save him from Red Face. Thankfully for Cage characters, they don’t have SAD. If they did, I would advise them to avoid triggering events like the scenes we just saw. Otherwise they’ll be in one of the most uncomfortable social situations imaginable.

Four scenes in Morbius that would trigger Social Anxiety Disorder

Dr. Mobius is one of the most brilliant people in the world. But even his brilliance cannot protect him from Social Anxiety Disorder.

Dr. Michael Morbius suffers from a rare, life-shortening blood disorder. Being physically incapable of walking properly, he is limited in a lot of things in life. Want to be a professional athlete? That’s not happening. Or maybe an astronaut? He definitely has the intellect, but still nope. How about a scuba diver? Well, he doesn’t “have very good sea legs” as he Morbius eloquently stated in the movie. The point is that Dr. Morbius is physically incapable of doing so many things. But where he lacks physically, he excels intellectually. His identity comes more from his brilliance than his handicap.

In fact, his intellect is so outstanding, he managed to cure his physical incapability’s while creating the minor side effect of becoming a blood-sucking vampire.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) does not stereotype. Whether you’re human or vampire, SAD can find you and make you blush. It will make you feel the uncomfortable experience of Red Face. So unless you are nocturnal and no one notices your red face, it’s best to learn a thing or two about SAD here.

The Four Mobius Social Anxiety Scenes

Scene 1: Dr. Morbius removes his shirt in front of Martine (Dr. Bancroft) while on the containership

Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) removes his shirt to allow Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona), who is his romantic interest, to prep his body for the treatment procedure.
Morbius, 2022

Anxiety Provoking Event: Revealing his sickly, pale body to his romantic interest

With the goal of curing himself, Dr. Morbius and his colleague Dr. Martine Bancroft, embarked on a container ship over international waters (13 miles off the coast of Long Island). It is here that they planned to do a highly risky experiment with Morbius as the test subject. This experiment eventually resulted in the death of several men (mercenaries) on board, but it also gave rise to a new super hero.

To conduct the experiment, he needed to be prepped by Dr. Bancroft. He removed his shirt so she could inject the serum into his body and also monitor his vitals remotely. A shirtless Dr. Morbius turns out to be a very sick, vein populated, pale colored, and thinly shaped body. In other words, he doesn’t look very attractive.

Dr. Michael Morbius about to receive a serum inoculation into his spine. Dr. Martine Bancroft administers the injection.
Morbius, 2022

If Morbius had SAD

If Dr. Morbius had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), there would be no chance in hell he’d allow his romantic/love interest, Dr. Bancroft, to see him shirtless. Even if he were very sick, he would feel way too uncomfortable showing her his sickly body. He would be afraid of her judgement against him, even if she doesn’t say anything. Morbius would constantly be wondering what she thinks of him and so many scenarios of what her thoughts are would be racing through his mind. With the anxiety of her judgement looming, he will develop the humiliating Red Face symptoms right in front of her. It’s game over after that.

Although Red Face (bright red facial blushing and profuse sweating) is most obvious on the face, Morbius’ body will also sweat from embarrassment. As Dr. Bancroft is attaching leads to his body, she will feel the sweat on her gloves as they become moist. She’ll then look at his face and see the embarrassment of blushing. In this case he can hide behind the excuse of being nervous before his big procedure, so he may get away with that for now.

Scene 2: Coffee shop conversation with Morbius and Martine

Martine puts her hands on Morbius as she tries to console him for killing those mercenaries on the container ship.
Morbius, 2022

Anxiety Provoking Event: Martine consoles Morbius by placing her hands over his.

This may seem incredibly subtle and not something that can trigger anxiety, but let’s not forget the background of the story. Morbius has been working with Martine for a long time. He clearly has strong feelings for her as we learn later in the movie. When a man doesn’t know what his crush thinks of him, that triggers some thought projections and possible anxiety. When his crush puts her hands on his, the wheels of the mind start spinning even more.

Now add Social Anxiety Disorder to that scenario, and Morbius’ mind would be on overdrive. His brain chemistry would be overreactive and a million thoughts would cross his mind about “why her hands are on mine.” If he had SAD, eventually Red Face would strike, and he would have to casually remove his hands from hers to avoid her feeling his hand sweat. Then he’d need to make his way to the restroom to wash his face in cold water to cool down the heat and sweat on his face. In other words, he’d need to wash away the embarrassment.

Scene 3: Interrogation by the FBI

Agent Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) of the FBI interrogates Dr. Morbius in an FBI interrogation room.
Morbius, 2022

Anxiety Provoking Event: FBI agents try to get Morbius to reveal his secret and confess to crimes he doesn’t fully understand yet (like killing nurse Sutton)

People with SAD are really worried about being observed and judged. Well, no one is more observant of you than law enforcement, especially during an interrogation. They look for physical and psychological clues from you while paying attention to every little thing you do and say. Make no mistake, law enforcement is there to meticulously observe and judge you.

Morbius has a secret about himself that he doesn’t want law enforcement to know. He also does not want to confess to killing nurse Sutton because he simply can’t remember doing it (we find out later that he didn’t kill her). He needs time to figure all this out, yet he is stuck in an interrogation room with the FBI.

If Morbius had SAD

With the amount of observing and judging going on by the FBI, Morbius would no doubt be sweating and blushing. This is especially true if he lies to them. Lying alters brain chemistry and with SAD, brain chemistry is already so erratic causing extreme anxiety and eventually Red Face. So the combination of being observed, being judged, and lying would 100% equal the recipe of SAD symptoms. In addition to Red Face, Morbius would develop trembling hands, thumpingly fast heart rate, stiff muscles causing rigid body posture, and some lightheadedness. And all of this would happen in front of the interrogating FBI agents. Their first thoughts…”oh he’s definitely guilty.”

Scene 4: Dr. Morbius attends the Nobel Prize ceremony

Dr. Morbius (Jared Leto) approaching the podium to (surprisingly) decline the Nobel Prize. Although we don’t actually see his “rejection speech”, it is referenced in a later scene.
Morbius, 2022

Anxiety Provoking Event: The aftermath of declining the Nobel Prize in front of an auditorium full of people.

Stick with me on this one… Speaking in front of a live audience is not social anxiety. Instead this is a different kind of anxiety called performance anxiety. A lot of people get performance anxiety before a big presentation. It’s that feeling in your gut, “butterflies”, that cause a person to feel really nervous. Although it’s nerve racking, it doesn’t normally cause Red Face symptoms because the context of the anxiety is different. And to get through performance anxiety, all you need to do is what everyone else does. Go up to the podium, accept the award, and leave. If you stick to that plan, you will be fine.

For Dr. Morbius however, that plan didn’t happen. Although we actually didn’t see the scene in the movie where he made a speech to decline the acceptance of the Nobel prize, a newspaper reference was made afterwards that he did indeed do that. The completely unexpected decline of a Nobel prize would send shockwaves around the world. If Morbius had Social Anxiety Disorder, he would draw massive attention to himself. People want to interview him, speak with him, observe him, etc. These are all social anxiety triggers that could lead to SAD symptoms, including Red Face. So although the actual speech in front of a live audience is not the catalyst for SAD symptoms, it’s the aftermath of that speech which is. To avoid the aftermath SAD symptoms of this speech, Morbius would have just chosen to accept the award and move on.

The Two Party Scenes that cause Wonder Woman Social Anxiety

Wonder Woman is always on a mission and frequently finds herself going to parties. Social Anxiety would make this a really bad idea.

Always on a mission, Wonder Woman frequently finds herself going to parties which is a huge trigger for social anxiety. The problem is that she attracts every eye in the room, making social anxiety even more difficult to deal with.

There is no level of fascination with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman that we haven’t seen since she debuted in Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice. All of her DC Cinematic Universe appearances have showcased her as supremely powerful, highly intelligent, and willing to make sacrifices for the good of world. We’ve seen her battle The God of War Ares, a powerful alien known as Steppenwolf, the creature of killed Superman; Doomsday, and even a…cat. Yes, a cat! Her name is Cheetah and she was a hand full.

Although we’ve seen how strong and powerful Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) is fighting these creatures, there is an enemy out there which could have given her the fight of her life. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is that enemy and it is no joke. In fact, Steve Trevor would have lived at the end of Wonder Woman (2017) if Diana had SAD. The internal struggles of SAD in a social environment tend to manifest externally for everyone to see. The combination of the internal and external beat-downs of SAD wreaks havoc on the person experiencing it. Below we look at two very similar social anxiety provoking events that Diana put herself in in both of her Wonder Woman films.

The Two Scenes in both Wonder Woman Films that provoke Social Anxiety

Movie: Wonder Woman 1984, 2020

Scene: Diana arrives at the party by chauffer, walks the red carpet right into the building, and enters with all eyes on her

Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) walks through the party with all eyes on her. Smiled at, spoken to, and approached by men, Diana remains focused on her mission to gather information on Maxwell Lord.
Wonder Woman, 1984, 2020

Anxiety Provoking Event: As soon as she steps into the building, everyone is looking at her. She is being eyed by every man in the room, including men who approach and speak to her.

Understanding that the only reason why Diana attended this party is because she was on a mission to gather information on Maxwell Lord, we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Wonder Woman does not live for the spotlight, although it’ll always be on her. She arrived at a fancy and elegant party looking stunning and catching the eye of every person there. Noticing so many people looking at her, men and women, Diana does her best to ignore them. She walked past the crowd of people who were mesmerized by her beauty, with one man even approaching her trying to spark conversation. The Amazonian warrior kept her focus solely on her mission and kept moving forward.

If Wonder Woman had social anxiety disorder

If Diana had Social Anxiety Disorder, she would never have attended that party. People with SAD don’t like being around large social gathering’s, especially one where there is a specific class of judgement by those attending. Wearing fancy jewelry, a beautiful dress, and looking glamorous is an attention-grabbing and anxiety provoking moment for SAD sufferer’s. In other words, too many eyes would make Diana too uncomfortable. She would develop Red Face and start to blush and sweat. Then when someone points out her red, sweaty face, she would blush and sweat even more. All the while, her heart is pounding, her hands are trembling, and she is feeling stiffness all over her muscles. This is an incredibly uncomfortable position for her to be in. She would feel embarrassed and humiliated the whole night. Diana would rather just quickly turn around and go home or find another way to complete her mission.

SAD causes you to lose focus

The highly underrated problem with Social Anxiety Disorder is it’s psychological effect. Diana needs to focus on her mission of gathering information about Maxwell Lord. She would not be able to do that if she developed Red Face. When you are embarrassed and humiliated, the only thing you can think of is getting the hell out of there. Not, “let me sneak in this room for some information, or open up that drawer, or eavesdrop this conversation”, etc. It’s extremely difficult to zone in on your work, your goals, and your mission, when humiliation strikes. Diana would need to find another way if she had SAD.

Movie: Wonder Woman, 2017

Scene: Diana walking toward General Ludendorff (her enemy) at the German hosted party.

Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) enters the fancy party filled with German/opposition supporters with the goal of killing General Ludendorff. As she walking toward him, everyone is starring and mesmerized by her beauty.
Wonder Woman, 2017

Anxiety Provoking Event: As she is walking through the fancy and elegant party, everyone is looking at her. She is grabbing the attention of all in the room.

As we saw in party scene of Wonder Woman 1984, Diana is stunning when she goes to these fancy and elegant parties of the upper class. She is so stunning, that people can’t help but stare in amazement. And although this scene took place in the early 1900’s, the fixation of the gazing eye has no bearing on time.

Similar to her sequel, Diana enters this German party with a mission in mind. Simply, she wants to kill General Ludendorff as she believes he is the God of War (which we find out later he isn’t). As she approaches the General, we notice that every man, woman, and miscellaneous genders are eye lusting Diana. Dressed in a bright blue dress and a sword attached to her back, Diana walks right through the center of the room sternly looking at the man she intends to assassinate.

if wonder woman had social anxiety disorder

If she had Social Anxiety Disorder however, Diana would really hate being at this party. I mean she would dread the symptoms that she is bound to get while there. With everyone looking at her, her face will turn bright red in blush, her head will start dripping sweat off her face, and her hands would be trembling. She would feel extremely uncomfortable. And just like in her sequel, she would either want to go home or find another way to accomplish her mission. The SAD symptom of Red Face would be too much for her to tolerate. Instead of focusing on her mission, she would end up focusing on her embarrassment and humiliation. This is what Red Face does to people. You cannot focus when Red Face hits you.

Social Anxiety scene Affecting the Justice League

There is one scene in the film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice which provokes social anxiety in the core three Justice League heroes: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Justice League

Social Anxiety is not something that would typically come to mind when thinking of DC’s Justice League. But unfortunately, social anxiety can get anyone.

The Justice League (DC) is a group of enhanced and skillful warriors who protect the Earth from evil. In theory, the individuals who make up the Justice League are said to be stronger than even The Avengers (that’ll always be an unresolved debate though). With physical strength and power like that of Superman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman, it’s hard to disagree with that argument. Throw in the speed of Flash, the technological masterpiece of Cyborg, and the mind, skill, and resourcefulness of Batman, the Justice League are more than formidable.

When someone says Justice League, it’s hard not to think of the three core/founding members: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They will always be the face of The League, so it’s appropriate to use them as the examples in this article. Specifically, the one scene in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice which involves the three founding Justice League members provoking social anxiety.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) does not care if you’re The Dark Knight, The Man of Steel, or the Princess of the Amazons. It doesn’t believe in justice, because SAD in itself is unjust. Click here to see why.

The Social Anxiety Scene affecting Justice League’s Batman, Superman, & Wonder Woman

Left to right: Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). While attending Luthor’s party, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne discussing Gotham and Metropolis’ respective heroes. Lex Luthor interrupts.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016

Upper class parties with important people, media outlets, and photographers in attendance can be tricky for people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). While hosting that kind of party, Lex Luthor had a large list of A-listers come by. One of these A-listers is Bruce Wayne (Batman), known as the prince of Gotham. And where there are A-listers, there will always be media. So welcome to the party Clark Kent (Superman), journalist from the Daily Planet. And hey, since we’re at it, let’s see if Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) would want to swing by for a drink. Although not completely clear how she got invited into Luthor’s party, it’s probable she snuck in or stole someone’s identity for the evening. Either way, she was in attendance.

Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) attends Lex Luthor’s party. She is waiting for her opportunity to follow Bruce Wayne and take his data transfer device.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016

Now normally, Bruce Wayne would shy away from the public spotlight. But he attended Luthor’s party as a cover while searching for evidence. He believed that Luthor possessed, or knew the location of, some kryptonite. This caught the attention of Clark Kent. Using his super hearing abilities, he found out that Bruce was not there in support of Luthor’s philanthropic events, but rather on a mission. Clark then decides to do his job and investigate. But before he could do anything, he urgently left the party to save some people from a burning building. And Diana was there, as we found out later, to search for a photograph that Luthor had in his possession. All three of these heroes were at the party for their own personal missions.

Attending a party causes Social Anxiety

At this one party hosted by Lex Luthor, the three founding members of the Justice League were there. They attended not because they wanted to socialize with the upper class, but because they were working. Now imagine you have social anxiety disorder and you were completely uncomfortable socializing with rich, uppity, white-collar folks who you’ve never met before. While trying to blend in and socialize, there is a high risk of developing the awful red face signs of SAD. Enduring bright red facial blushing, profuse sweating, trembling hands, and a pounding heart rate is absolutely devastating in front of people. All eyes around you now zoom in on your face. Even worse, someone is bound to make a comment and call attention to it. If they do, the red and sweaty face becomes even more read and sweaty. It’s really an awful position to be in.

Now let’s say that you are smart enough to know that your face will turn red and sweat while socializing with these people. As an alternative, you’ll stay to the side of the room, take out your phone, and pretend you are busy. This unfortunately, would not be enough to stop red face from occurring. There is something called anticipation. Simply, this is your mind being on overdrive and expecting people to approach you. This anticipation leads to anxiety, which then triggers red face. So you see, you don’t need to socialize with anyone at the party to get the red face of Social Anxiety Disorder. Your presence there is all it takes.

Batman will get Social Anxiety

Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) just planted his data transfer device into Luthor’s network servers. He gets caught by Luthor’s assistant and quickly explains to her that he was looking for the bathroom.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016

So if Batman had SAD (which we know he doesn’t… click here to see why), he would not have been able to keep a low profile while at Luthor’s party. Remember, he needed to go down a flight of stairs, enter a computer room (sort of), and insert a device to replicate data off of Luthor’s servers. He even got caught by one of Luthor’s assistants and needed to lie to avoid suspicion (the old “looking for the bathroom” excuse). If he had SAD, his mission would have been more difficult to focus on because his anxiety would have kicked in hard. Instead of focusing on the evidence he needs, his mind would be occupied by thinking of ways to avoid the red face of SAD. He wouldn’t have even been able to lie to Luthor’s assistant without turning bright red (liar liar face is on fire…SAD people always reveal their lies when their face turns into a tomato).

Superman will get Social Anxiety

Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) speaking to Bruce Wayne while at Lex Luthor’s party.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016

While trying to figure out exactly what Bruce Wayne was doing at Luthor’s party, Clark Kent uses his cover as a journalist to ask Wayne what his thoughts are on The Batman. Despite Wayne’s attempts to dismiss the question, Kent persists and continues to dig, even saying that Batman is a masked vigilante who thinks he is above the law. Prior to this conversation, it seemed that Kent suspected Wayne is Batman and wanted to press him a bit. This could lead to a confrontation in a very public place. If Kent had SAD, he would not have even bothered grilling Wayne. Not at the party at least. The anxiety of social confrontations at a party would easily trigger red face, which is a huge sign of weakness. This isn’t something Superman would want to show Batman.

Wonder Woman will get Social Anxiety

Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) keeping tabs on Bruce Wayne while at Lex Luthor’s party. She is looking back at him so she could follow and eventually take the data transfer device which he plants into Luthor’s network.
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016

Keeping her eye on the prize and maintaining a low profile at Luthor’s party, we barely even realized Diana Prince was there. The macho egos of Batman and Superman kind of took control of that scene. Diana inconspicuously stole the device which Bruce Wayne inserted into Luthor’s network systems. We find out later that she was looking for a photograph that was in Luthor’s possession. After the device had completed the data transfer from the network, Wayne went down to collect it. He realized it was taken and saw Diana looking right at him. It’s as if she wanted him to know that she took it. He started approaching her, but she walked away and left the party before he could catch up.

Although we didn’t see her socialize with anyone at the party, Diana would still have triggered a severe SAD moment. Doing something wrong in a public place can lead to public confrontation. The fear and anxiety of being caught could trigger SAD’s red face. If Wayne shouted in front of everybody to stop Diana or publicly labelled her as a thief, we would have seen her face turn bright red and sweat drip off her forehead. She would have been so uncomfortable and embarrassed. Thankfully for her though, her powers allow her to be quicker than the mortal Bruce Wayne. As a result, she got away from him without a hitch.

Does Batman have Social Anxiety Disorder

There are five questions we need to answer to see if Batman actually has SAD. Judgement, humiliation, authority figures, attraction, and lifestyle are all in consideration.

The Batman

If there was any superhero who acts like he’s got Social Anxiety Disorder, it’s definitely Batman.

The newest rendition of Batman played by Robert Pattinson is undoubtedly the darkest version of Gotham’s hero that we have seen on the big screen. The mood is grim, the violence is uncontrollable, the city is always gray or black, and it was raining for 90% of the movie. It’s a much scarier Gotham than we have seen from previous movies. I would say that it’s a good thing they have Batman, but honestly, he’s the scariest one in entire film. But as we’ve learned from 2008’s The Dark Knight, Batman is “the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs.”

The Batman movie (2022) shows a side of Batman that is dark, silent, and very violent. Contrary to all the previous Batman movies, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne has no real social life. He does not feel compelled to make appearances, despite the advice he gets from his butler and friend, Alfred. In fact, the only time we truly see him unmasked and in public is when he was on a scouting mission to attend the mayor’s funeral. Other than that, he is true to the identity of the masked vigilante.

Considering his behavior throughout this movie, it’s a plausible question to ask whether Batman/Bruce Wayne gets social anxiety when out in public. And based on the degree of his isolationist-type behavior, it’s even more plausible to ask whether he has Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Batcave’s are great for avoiding Social Anxiety Disorder symptoms

Staying hidden in a Batcave or living alone in a huge mansion, Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) can still find you. If Batman is reading this, I invite you to unmask yourself and click here to learn a thing or two about SAD. If you’re not Batman, I still invite you to learn about SAD. Who knows… you may know someone who has it.

The Five Ways to tell if Batman has Social Anxiety Disorder

1. Is Batman afraid of being judged negatively by others?

Batman about to open a can of whoop ass on The Penguin while inside the night club. Penguin quickly identifies himself, which saves him punishment for the time being.
The Batman, 2022.

Batman fights crime, answers to no one, and doesn’t try to give a false impression of himself. He is a violent, terrifying figure and he knows it. He is fully aware that he is consistently judged by media, politicians, and ordinary citizens. He’s been called a freak, a nut, and has even been protested against by Gotham police and citizens. In fact, their negative judgement led to him being called a “masked vigilante.” Do you know what he did after he heard them refer to him as this moniker? He continued to show up. Nothing changed. So no, Batman is not afraid of being judged negatively. If he were, he would not continue to put himself in that position.

2. Is Batman afraid of being humiliated or embarrassed?

Batman starring down one of The Penguin’s cronies while fighting off the others at the nightclub.
The Batman, 2022

The man wears a tight body suit, utility belt, and a cape. Humiliation has found him a long time ago. He just doesn’t care. Have a look at the most recent film, The Batman (2022). Batman walks into a busy nightclub, filled with people dancing, drinking, and having a good time. He walks right through the club, with all eyes on him. People stare, make comments, and some even joke. To anyone with Social Anxiety Disorder, this would be very embarrassing and would make you walk out of that club immediately. But for Batman, he doesn’t seem to mind.

3. Does Batman feel overly anxious or a sense of inferiority around authority figures?

Lt. Jim Gordon speaking to Batman after the death of Mayor Mitchell and sharing the first riddle of the movie.
The Batman, 2022

Of course not. Batman is good friends with Lt. Jim Gordon (good friends in the sense that they work well together). They set up the “Bat Signal” to reach out to each other, they exchange tips and leads about criminal cases, and Gordon even protects him from being pursued by other cops.

Lt. Gordon and the rest of his police force all aiming their guns at Carmine Falconi as Batman brings him out of the night club for arrest. A few scenes earlier in the movie, those same cops were trying catch & arrest Batman. It’s a love-hate relationship.
The Batman, 2022

Speaking of other cops, Batman is consistently defying police orders. When they instruct him to freeze, he keeps going. If they attack him, he fights them off. When they tell him that he cannot be here because it’s a crime scene, Batman collects evidence and takes it home with him. He actually makes them feel a sense of inferiority.

4. Do we see any signs of Social Anxiety when he meets new people or attractive women, like Selina Kyle?

Selina Kyle (played by Zoe Kravitz) getting very close to Batman as she convinces him to help her.
The Batman, 2022

Although Batman wears a mask, it’s important to recognize that his mask is not like that of Spiderman or Deadpool. The lower half of Batman’s face is still exposed, including his cheeks. If he were to blush, which is a common sign of SAD, we would be able to see it clearly. And since his voice isn’t muffled by a mask over his mouth, we would be able to hear any trembling in his voice too (which is another sign of SAD). We have never seen him blush or exhibit vocal trembling.

The sweating however, which is a major sign of SAD, would be real tough to notice because it starts at the head/forehead and drips down. Batman’s mask would protect him from the visibility of sweat. But generally speaking, he didn’t seem to show any signs of SAD when he met Selina Kyle. Not even after she got close to him, put her hands on his face, and kissed him.

5. Does Batman avoid Social Gatherings and Events?

Bruce Wayne makes his only public appearance in the movie. He is speaking to mayor candidate Bella Real at the funeral event for former mayor Mitchell. Bruce attended to see if he can identify any suspects for the murder.
The Batman, 2022

Yes. Hell yes. Whether he is Batman or Bruce Wayne, both identities stayed far away from social gatherings. He had opportunities to attend mayoral candidate Bella Real’s campaign fundraisers, make public appearances at restaurants, and even attend speaking engagements for the city. In the end however, Batman went to a night club on a mission to catch criminals and Bruce Wayne made his first public appearance at a funeral for the sole purpose of working a criminal case. Other than “work” related reasons, Batman/Bruce stay away from social events.

Now although avoiding the social light is something that SAD sufferers may do, they don’t do it to the extreme that Batman does. People with SAD will still go out to restaurants, public engagements, etc., but it would be more limited and at their own level of comfort. In Batman’s case, he was traumatized as a child which altered his behavior to be socially distant and isolated. This is by choice of lifestyle, not accommodation to Social Anxiety Disorder.

Conclusion

Although Batman may seem like he could possibly have SAD based off his behavior from 2022’s The Batman, the conclusion to this investigation is simply no. There are no Red Face signs which suggest Social Anxiety Disorder in Batman. Maybe signs that he should see a therapist though, cuz…dam!

The Three Scenes in Aquaman which cause Social Anxiety moments

Out of every man, woman, hero, or average Joe on the planet, Aquaman is the safest from the symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder. No one even comes close.

The Man is… Aquaman

There are three scenes in Aquaman which would cause him social anxiety. These scenes are from his appearance in Aquaman (2018) and Justice League (2017).

“They made me what I am: a son of the land, a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep” (Aquaman, 2018). Indeed Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa is known to be one of the most popular superheroes of this generation. Complete with the ability to breathe and thermoregulate underwater, Aquaman can live, talk, and even ride on the backs of sharks in the deepest parts of the ocean. He possesses superhuman strength, speed, and recovery abilities, all of which are used to fight villains underwater and on land. Controlling the world of DC comics from the ocean while balancing a life on land, we see Aquaman as one of the most versatile heroes from the comics brought to the silver screen.

Social Anxiety Disorder

There is a stigma attached to those who have Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) as just being shy. Uh-uh. This couldn’t be further from the truth. People who suffer from SAD are really worried about being judged negatively, being embarrassed, or being humiliated. Additionally, if an SAD moment occurs to someone, that person will end up thinking about it for the whole rest of the day, into the night, and the very next day. It becomes difficult to focus and to just let go.

Unless you plan on living in the depths of the oceans like Aquaman, it’s important to learn about Social Anxiety Disorder. Click here to learn a thing or two about SAD. Or in the meantime, check out my four least favorite symptoms below:

Heavy facial blushing
Profuse sweating (most notably from head and face)
Trembling Hands
Heart beating hard against the chest

Three scenes in Aquaman which would cause a Social Anxiety moment

*Notice all three scenes which would cause SAD occur on land, not water. No social anxiety moments will appear in water because the cool, ocean water will prevent the heat rushing to the face, which precedes the blushing and sweating. In other words, the dreaded Red Face symptoms will not be seen. Aquaman can only get the Red Face of Social Anxiety when on land.

Scene #1

Movie: Aquaman, 2018

Arthur Curry (Aquaman) confronts obnoxious, biker-dudes at a bar, shortly before the request a selfie from him.
Aquaman, 2018

Scene 1: Arthur Curry (Aquaman) at a bar with his father and is abruptly approached by tough, biker-looking guys.

Anxiety Provoking Event:

The lead biker aggressively catches the attention of Arthur Curry by harshly shoving him in the back and asking if he is “that fish-boy from the tv”
Arthur agrees to take selfies

When someone makes an aggressive scene with you in a public place, all eyes in that building are now on you to see what your reaction is. A group of four or five tough guy biker-looking dudes approached Arthur Curry, shoved him in the back while he was drinking, and then mocked his name as “fishboy.” So naturally, everyone in the bar was now looking at Arthur to see what he would do and how he would react. Having all eyes on a person with SAD will make that person very uncomfortable. The fear of people noticing you will lead to anxiety of being judged, and more so, the fear of anticipation of the dreaded red face symptoms.

At that moment, Arthur’s reaction was simply to stand up and confront the biker-boys. This would add to the red face symptoms because it would just draw significantly more attention to him.

Shortly afterwards, Arthur agreed to take selfies with the deceivingly evil looking gentlemen. Although the men turned out to be good dudes all around, Arthur wouldn’t have agreed to take pictures with them if he had SAD. Social Anxiety Disorder causes a person to worry about being seen by others, and even worse, being judged by others. This includes photos of him being shared and made public. In other words, taking pictures is a no-no for SAD sufferers.

Scene #2

Movie: Justice League, 2017

Aquaman meets Bruce Wayne for the first time. They are inside a building, surrounded by people who are listening to their conversation.
Justice League, 2017

Scene 2: Arthur Curry meets Bruce Wayne for the first time. They are in another country, located inside a building with lots of people surrounding and listening to them.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Although Arthur Curry was originally serving as a translator between Bruce Wayne and third person inside the building, Curry decided to make a joke which had everyone laughing.

Bruce Wayne {in English}: “Look, I’ll give you $25,000 to talk to this man right now”

Arthur Curry {foreign language}: “Pretty sure he’ll give it to me anyway” [Everyone in the building laughs at Arthur’s comment/joke]

Take it from someone who has Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), one of the most indecisive decisions is whether it’s worth it or not. Is it worth it to make a joke in public and have everyone laugh, or is the risk of developing a red, sweaty face to great? You make the joke, and people will think positively of you. People will like your personality for making them laugh. Or, although your joke would be a great one, all eyes will be on you when making that joke. That’s all the trigger you need to get the dreaded red face of SAD. Is it worth it?

If Arthur Curry had SAD, he would have been fighting an internal battle regarding whether he should make a public joke or not. He can earn the love and respect of people with a small degree of personality and comedy; but he would severely risk blushing heavily, sweating profusely, and trembling his hands in humiliation. If people saw that, they would think negatively of him. In fact, there is a good chance that people will call attention to his red, sweaty face. This would just amplify the red, moist face and Curry would end up sweating and blushing even more. People may actually be disgusted with him. The risk of humiliation is too big, so he would just rather keep quiet.

Scene #3

Movie: Aquaman, 2018

Shortly after smashing the video message to the ground, Mera asks Arthur of he memorized it, as she did. He deceivingly said yes, but could not answer what was in the message. She caught him lying.
Aquaman, 2018

Scene 3: Mera and Arthur see King Atlan’s final message

Anxiety Provoking Event: Right after she smashed the video message, Mera asks Arthur if he memorized the message like she did. He lied and said yes. Mera then quizzed him about what King Atlan said in the message and Arthur had no idea.

Although this is a very minor, insignificant scene in the movie, it’s an important one to help understand SAD. Arthur has a crush on Mera (as we see throughout the movie). He wants to make a good impression on her, so he tried to make her to believe that he is intelligent and can memorize quickly and effectively, as she did. The problem is that Arthur is not more intelligent than Mera, no matter how he tries to make himself look. So, he had a decision to make; should he try to make her believe that he is smarter than she realizes or should he stick to the truth and avoid any investigative questioning from her.

Well, if he sticks to the truth, he doesn’t need to worry about being caught in a lie. Now no one wants to be caught in a lie (no one should want to lie to begin with), but it’s even more devastating for people with SAD. Once someone with SAD has been caught lying, the rush of heat to the face starts immediately. The blushing and sweating will always follow. The lie becomes more apparent, and even more so, it becomes humiliating. The amount of discomfort and agony of this humiliation is not something anyone wants to endure. So, if Arthur had SAD, he would stick to the truth and not even bother with lying to Mera.

Since Aquaman can only get the Red Face of Social Anxiety while on land, it’s probably best he stays in the water.