Marvel's heroes are some of the most well-known in pop culture, and it honestly seems like a pretty cushy job. They get to save the world, wear cool clothes, and are often media darlings. Their bravery has saved the world many times over and there are seemingly no drawbacks to being a superhero. Of course, that's just on the surface. In fact, looking closer at being a hero in the Marvel Universe, it can be rather terrible.
Being a superhero involves a lot of things that are legitimately bad. The realities of the job are the worst and it can ruin the life of whoever puts on a costume.
10 Psychopathic Villains Are Gunning For Every Hero
Of course, saying that villains are one of the worst parts of being a superhero seems like a no brainer. However, it gets worse when one thinks about the fact that every major superhero has a villain who is actually insane. These are the most dangerous ones and they'll go to any lengths to get revenge on the heroes they face.
It's one thing to fight someone like Rhino, who is basically just a big dumb guy who likes to rob banks and make money, but completely different to fight someone like Carnage, who only enjoys killing people. Heroes face these kinds of villains all the time and have to deal with the repercussions.
9 Innocent People Blame The Heroes For The People They Can't Save
Again using Carnage as an example, he likes to just randomly go on killing sprees. Venom, Spider-Man, and other heroes have always stopped him but they've never been able to save anyone. The amount of innocent people who have died in supervillain attacks is just about incalculable and some people blame the heroes for that.
So, while many treat superheroes as celebrities, there is a vocal contingent of people blaming the heroes for everyone they can't save. In fact, most heroes probably take this sort of thing pretty hard, as they're good people who wish they can save everyone.
8 Unless A Hero Is Independently Wealthy, They Still Have To Have A Day Job
Peter Parker is the ultimate hard-luck hero. For years, he had to juggle being a superhero with trying to pay all of his bills and this is the norm when it comes to being a superhero. Not every superhero was born wealthy or is getting that sweet Avengers stipend; they have to work for a living.
Daredevil stays up all night fighting ninjas and then has to work the next day. Even Tony Stark, who is rich, has to run his corporations and Captain America has had multiple jobs over the years. Not only are there the regular bills but also new costumes and medical bills to take into account. Being a superhero is already exhausting, so imagine having to get up the next day after fighting Thanos to go to work.
7 A Hero's Mental Health Issues Never Get Help
Scarlet Witch has done a lot of bad things over the years but not because she's a villain. Scarlet Witch has been through a lot of trauma over the years and instead of her friends in the Avengers actually getting her help, they just keep putting her back into the fray over and over again. While she's the poster woman for heroes with mental issues, she's definitely not the only one.
Multiple heroes over the years have gone through events that break their minds and yet they never get any help whatsoever. The amount of therapists who could help them is basically just Doc Samson, meaning being a superhero is one of the most mentally trying jobs out there.
6 S.H.I.E.L.D. Is The Heroes' Biggest Ally And Enemy At The Same Time
The government turns against the superheroes all the time and often the only branch that looks out for them is S.H.I.E.L.D. The spy organization is staffed by some of the best agents in the world and they often employ heroes, giving them a paycheck for doing what they'd do anyway. They've often been a great help to the heroes. Until they're not, that is.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is also the organization that goes after the heroes when things between them and the government get really bad. So, while they help when things are going well, they can also be the biggest enemies the heroes have.
5 The Top Heroes Form Secret Societies That Ruin Things For Everyone
The Illuminati was one of those ideas that seemed good but ended up making things a lot worse for every hero out there. Many of their actions put the world in terrible danger and it's their fault the Skrull invasion was as bad as it was. They aren't the only secret society that have adversely affected the lives of their fellow heroes, though.
Over the years, many secret hero societies have come together to make things better but it has only ever ended up making the rest of the heroes' lives a lot harder. The high-level heroes keep secrets and everyone else has to deal with them.
4 Telepathic Heroes And Villains Alike Mess With Heroes' Minds
The Marvel Universe has some of the most powerful telepathic heroes and villains in comics. While a team like the X-Men, itself full of telepaths, has a lot of defense against people with these powers, most heroes have no way to defend themselves against these types of attacks. On top of that, heroes have been known to use their mental powers on other heroes, as well.
A hero can never know if what they're doing is what they actually want to do. There's no way to know if their memories are their own. The worst part about it is that it could be their friends doing it to them.
3 The Only Heroes That Matter Are Avengers
The Avengers consists of the greatest heroes on the planet and are the most famous group of superheroes. They're the critical darlings and they can do no wrong in the eyes of the public. Even when members of the team do terrible things, the PR machine behind the team keeps them blameless. The government treats them the best, unless Henry Peter Gyrich is their liasion, and they're the cream of the crop.
They're basically the only heroes that matter. A superhero is only considered to have made it when they join the Avengers and if a hero isn't a member of the team, they're a menace or no one knows or cares who they are. An Avenger can get away with anything, even things that heroes who aren't Avengers would get pilloried for.
2 No One Cares About Mutant Superheroes Except Other Mutants
Mutants are the black sheep of the Marvel Universe. While one can bring up the weird logic of being racist against one group of superhumans and not another, the fact of the matter is that no one likes mutants, not even other heroes, as evidenced by their protection of Scarlet Witch after she returned to the public eye after M-Day or their support for the Inhumans when the Terrigen Mists were killing mutants.
The worst things imaginable happen to mutants and the only people who care are other mutants. Non-mutant heroes think the worst of them and the establishment of Krakoa has only made that worse.
1 Their Loved Ones Die In Front Of Them In Horrible Ways
Death is a reality for everyone but it's rarely as horrific as the things that happen to the loved ones of superheroes, whether they be civilians or superheroes. Villains are able to find out heroes' identities and kill their family members, often with the heroes getting there just in time to find their bleeding corpses.
Heroes die out of nowhere all the time as well and while they often come back, losing a friend is never easy. Many times, heroes die and no one cares or talks about them again, like Bill Foster. Being a superhero means having to watch people one loves get killed in the most terrible ways.