None of The Avengers have shown signs of social anxiety throughout the MCU, but if this one Avenger had it, it would completely wreak havoc on him. An Avenger with Social Anxiety seems like a very small problem considering all the battles they’ve fought. But, for this one Avenger, Social Anxiety would change his life.
Iron Man’s iron like social confidence
It takes a very specific set of skills to be an Avenger. Whether it’s leadership and shield throwing by Captain America, precision and archery from Hawkeye, or a really mean temper unleashed by The Hulk. Each one of them possesses elite skills for their jobs. Sure, as a team The Avengers combine skills and resources to be formidable opponents against any adversary (except an Infinity Gauntlet Thanos of course). But there’s more to them than just avenging and fighting bad guys all day long. Each one has a unique personality making them a very diverse group of individuals.
Specifically, regarding being socially active, the only Avenger who far outweighs all others is Tony Stark (Iron Man). Think about Stark’s highly outgoing personality throughout all the MCU movies we’ve seen him in. He consistently engages with highly attractive women, authoritative figures, aliens, strangers, friends, and large crowds. Tony Stark is the epitome of being social, and as such, he would be the most affected Avenger by Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).
The Helmet is Social Anxiety’s arch nemesis
**Click here if you are clueless as to what SAD is and why only a helmet, like Iron Man’s head gear, can hide your symptoms.**
So how would Social Anxiety affect Tony Stark?
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man, 2008
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) causes a person to feel an intense fear of being watched, judged, and embarrassed, in a variety of social situations. These situations lead to the awful Red Face of SAD. Heavy blushing, profuse sweating, rapid heart beat, trembling hands, lightheadedness, and other really uncomfortable symptoms will occur. The fear is so bad that it causes severe anxiety, which can consistently disrupt normal daily life. As we’ve seen throughout his appearances in the MCU, a normal day for Tony Stark includes:
- flirting with the attractive news reporters (Iron Man 1, 2008)
- partying with the flight attendants on his private plane (Iron Man 1, 2008)
- being center stage and in the limelight in front of thousands of people at the Stark Expo (Iron Man 2, 2010)
- mouthing off on authoritative figures in Congress on national television (Iron Man 2, 2010)
- hosting his birthday party at his California mansion (Iron Man 2, 2010)
- speaking to a group of reporters outside the hospital while making his announcement message to The Mandarin (Iron Man 3, 2013)
- hosting a party with big-time people in attendance at Avengers Tower (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015)
- attending a cultural event in India (Spiderman: Homecoming, 2017)
Spiderman: Homecoming, 2017
If Stark had SAD, he would not be able to do any of those things. Not even one! The symptoms of developing a red, blush face, profuse sweating, thumping fast heart rate, and trembling hands would stop him from even considering being social like that. These symptoms wouldn’t let him flirt, party, or sound off on anyone on Capitol Hill (especially on national tv). In fact, even if Stark planned on doing anyone one of those things, like partying at Avengers Tower for example, he would develop severe anxiety weeks before the party ever occurs. Anticipating a social event can be really devastating for someone with SAD, causing them to back out and not attend at all.
Social Anxiety Disorder would change Tony Stark’s identity
The effect of SAD doesn’t just stop someone from being social, it takes away a part of their identity. Could you imagine if Tony Stark was shy? Could you really picture him choosing to stay home and watch tv rather than going to a party? What if he wasn’t so quick and witty to defend himself or criticize others, like we’ve seen him do so many times throughout his appearances in the MCU. Look at the first Avengers movie (2012) for example. Stark was quick to defend himself and criticize Steve Rogers, like in the following conversation:
Marvel Studios The Avengers, 2012
Scene: While in SHIELD’s Helicarrier, Steve Rogers ridiculed Stark in front of the other Avengers by saying the following:
Steve Rogers: “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”
Starks reply: “Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist.”
If Tony Stark had Social Anxiety Disorder, the conversation would likely have been:
Steve Rogers: “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”
Tony Stark: “Nothing.” Beads of sweat would form on Tony’s head, heat would rush to his face, and redness will flush his cheeks.
Stark would have replied with a one word conceding answer to avoid conflict in front of the others. He would not have wanted people to watch him defend himself and therefore would have avoided the spot light. Stark would have tried to end the conversation before developing the dreaded red face.
Someone with Social Anxiety Disorder does not want to prolong any conversation, especially one similar to that above. A conversation in which others are watching, is argumentative, or is with unfamiliar people (remember Stark and Rogers only met for the first time earlier in that movie), makes SAD sufferers very uncomfortable. If Tony Stark had SAD, his personality would be completely different because he wouldn’t be able to control the symptoms of the highly uncomfortable red (blush) face, sweating, trembling, and fast heart rate. SAD would change the socially active Tony Stark to an unrecognizable, passive and quiet character.