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.