Category: DC

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:  

  1. 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”  
  2. 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.

What if Wonder Woman had Social Anxiety

If Wonder Woman had Social Anxiety Disorder, then Steve Trevor would have lived. Ares (God of War) would never have known Diana was there.

The mind is the most powerful weapon in the world. So powerful, in fact, that it can even make the dominantly powerful Wonder Woman develop social anxiety. You’ll know if she has it if you see her blush and sweat for no real reason.

Princess of the Amazon’s

As the princess of Themyscira, Diana Prince (better known as Wonder Woman) is considered to be one of the most dominant heroes in all the DC Universe. In fact, she is so strong that her strength actually rivals that of Superman’s, falling only slightly short to that of the Man of Steel. Growing up on a magical island, Themyscira, Diana was raised with the most love and support you could ask for. Here she trained with her Amazonian sisters, honing her skills for the inevitable day she would go into combat.  

Magical Islands will keep you safe from SAD

As interesting a life that Diana has, what impact would social anxiety disorder (SAD) have on her story? Unless you live on a magical island like Themyscira, Social Anxiety can come for you. You should know something about it.

The Social Anxiety Scene that Wonder Woman would need to endure

Wonder Woman (2017) 

Scene: Diana enters a male dominant military room as the only female present, catching the eyes of all inside. She then re-enters the same room again to publicly translate a German scientist’s notebook before harshly and publicly criticizing a British General in front of other high-ranking military and political officials, including (unbeknownst to her) Ares, the God of War. 

Anxiety Provoking Event: Drawing attention to herself by being the only woman in the room, walking into a room with seated people, and by criticizing an authoritative figure in front of others causing all eyes to be on her

If Wonder Woman had social anxiety disorder (SAD), Steve Trevor would have lived 

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) standing in a room filled with seated people. This is a social anxiety event
Diana (Wonder Woman), played by Gal Gadot enters the meeting room filled with politicians and military commanders. She is the only woman walking around in a room filled with seated authoritative figures.
Warner Bros. Wonder Woman, 2017.

What happened to Wonder Woman during this Social Anxiety scene

Walking into a room as the only woman there causing all eyes to be on her

With a room full of high-ranking British military commanders and politicians, Diana enters as the only woman there. She was immediately noticed by the man speaking at the podium, Sir Patrick. Unbeknownst to her, Sir Patrick is really Ares, the God of War, in disguise. Sir Patrick was noticeably distracted by Diana, which led to everyone else in the room turning and looking at her. While the room was distracted by the fact that a woman is now in the room, Sir Patrick was distracted because he knew that the woman was Diana of Themyscira. He knew that she is an Amazon warrior.  

Berating an authoritative figure in front of a room full of people

A few scenes later when Diana returned to the room with Steve, she recognized the languages in a notebook belonging to the German scientist, Dr. Maru. She decoded the languages in the book in front of the entire room and presented the information about a new type of hydrogen bomb being made by the Germans. In an effort to stop this bomb manufacturing, Steve Trevor requested to go to Germany on a mission. A British General quickly denied him and forbid Steve from going. This frustrated Diana as she unleashed a verbal assault on the General in front of the entire room. And again, all eyes were on her. 

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) berates a military general. Social Anxiety can occur here.
Diana (Wonder Woman) played by Gal Gadot scolding the military general for cowering behind his desk while he sends his soldiers out to die. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) unsuccessfully tries to hold her back.
Warner Bros. Wonder Woman, 2017

This scene leads to Diana’s victory and Steve’s demise

Before Diana and Steve exited the room, Sir Patrick publicly sided with the General and encouraged ending the war through an armistice. Later, however, he actually helped Steve and Diana go to Germany with the condition that he will run and monitor their mission  from his office. He even gave them the money they need to survive there. By keeping tabs on Diana, Sir Patrick (Ares) would be able to watch her every move and guide her to where he wants her to go. Eventually this would lead to the battle between Ares and Wonder Woman at the German airfield in which Wonder Woman defeats him. Steve Trevor, however, was not so lucky as he carried out a suicide mission by flying a plane full of bombs away from the population and blowing them all up midair. 

If Wonder Woman had Social Anxiety Disorder… Steve Trevor would have lived

SAD stops you from walking into a room full of seated people

If Wonder Woman had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), she would never have entered the room filled with all those people, especially knowing she would be the only woman there. SAD would overtake her with the fear of being judged by everyone else and being humiliated by their judgements. And even if she did somehow overcome the anxiety to walk into that room, she would not have ever scolded the British General.

Symptoms of Social Anxiety disorder all over Wonder Woman’s face

Berating a person, particularly an authoritative figure, in such a public manner would cause massive attention and judgement. Knowing that all eyes would be on her, Diana would develop the Red Face of SAD. She would blush bright red, sweat profusely, have a rapidly thumping heart rate, and would develop trembling hands and fingers. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, it can! If someone points out her red, sweaty face, this would worsen the symptoms and she would blush and sweat more. There is no situation more uncomfortable than that. Diana would rather not enter the room at all and spare this traumatic event from ever occurring.  

Steve Trevor would have lived

If Diana doesn’t enter the room, Ares would not have noticed her. Therefore, he wouldn’t have helped her and Steve get to Germany. He wouldn’t have been monitoring their progress throughout their mission leading to their fight at the airfield. So, if Diana is not busy fighting Ares she would have been available to dispose the bombs herself, rather than having Steve carry out a suicide mission to rid of the explosives. Remember, these hydrogen bombs would not have had any effect on Diana (as we saw earlier in the movie) and thus she would have had way more options of discarding them than a regular human would like Steve Trevor. There is a very high likelihood that Steve Trevor would have lived if Diana had SAD.