When we think of superheroes, it’s usually in terms of what they can do for the world, not what they can do for us personally. But what if that wasn’t the case? This was the question posed over on the subreddit r/marvelstudios, where user RavioliSquidward posed the question, “If you were having a bad day, which MCU character would you want to be comforted by?”
User mikepictor picked probably the most obvious choice: “Mantis. She would really get me.” User ALucidGrooveSlave agreed. “It’s like she was made for this.”
Mantis is of course a female superhero who appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and a slew of other Marvel properties. As an empath, she has the ability to sense what others are feeling. With a touch of her hand, she can manipulate their emotions to soothe them or induce sleep.
User mi_go_miskatonic picked a villain.
“I’d pick floaty Wraith Red Skull. His soothing, monotone German accent, limited cosmic awareness coupled with his upheaving life experience would make him a superb counselor.”
This version of Red Skull appeared in Avengers: Infinity War as the keeper of the Soul Stone on the planet Vormir, and he was surprisingly chill about the whole thing.
Another user, EightBiscuit01, picked a popular character, but not a villain.
“Vision. He would hit you with some wisdom but he wouldn’t be a suck up. He would say exactly what you need to hear, not what you think you need to hear.”
Not everyone agreed with this, like user yakpmt, who highlighted a different superhero.
“I’m gonna disagree with this one only because I don’t always wanna hear the logical response on a bad day. I’d rather have Nat who I feel like would throw in some sarcasm.”
Nat is of course Natasha Romanof, aka Black Widow. User Passive_aggressiva agreed: “Nat. She’s very emotionally intelligent and kind (in an understated way that people don’t really talk about), but isn’t the type to lie just to make you feel better.”
The Nat love was strong in this thread, like this comment from SageRiBardan.
“Yeah, really felt that she and Cap connected well in Winter Soldier. My favorite part of that movie was the relationship between Cap and Nat, they bantered throughout and slowly opened up and trusted each other. Felt like a natural evolution.
“Nat seemed like she’d be able to cut through the bullshit and get to what was hurting you while also offering a shoulder to lean on.”
What about someone who needs help with PTSD? User awayfromcanuck had an answer for that. “Sam Wilson is a counselor for veterans suffering from PTSD. He seems the most apt person to talk to.”
User LawrBK agreed.
“He was great talking to karli one on one and had almost talked her down but I hated the self righteous tone hectoring by the last episode. It didn’t seem like him. Sam and Steve both possess empathy which is a true superpower.”
However, user MattTheSmithers pointed out an important distinction between PTSD and a bad day. They prefer someone a bit more fun.
“Dealing with trauma is not the same as dealing with a bad day though. After a bad day, I don’t want to work through grief. I want to cut loose and have fun. That’s why I’d pick Tony Stark. Where ever the evening goes, you know it would be a great time.”
User ShowNext445 probably had the most unorthodox choice: “Rocket for sure.” User GuteLord said that probably wasn’t the best idea. “He’d definitely just roast you for whining.” GulianoBanano shared a similar sentiment.
“I love Rocket but I wouldn’t choose him. He’s the kinda guy to slap you and tell you to man up. He literally did that with Thor in Endgame.”
Others, like user TheBigby picked a superhero more on the smaller side. “Ant-Man/Scott Lang, he has a very down to earth approach to life and can always turn a frown upside down.” User tydal-wave shared a pleasant addendum: “He’s got orange slices too.”
Let’s not forget the Scarlet Witch, said user JamesD-TV.
“Wanda was very good about comforting the boys about Sparky and about death. Even though it was all just a ploy by Agatha to see if she could raise the dead. But it’s also exactly what Wanda needed to hear about her own situation- we can’t just bring people back, no matter how sad it makes us.”
Other superheroes (or superhero-adjacent characters) that got honorable mentions include Aunt May, Loki, Taweret, and T’Challa.
