Where it all started...

Like countless others, I have always enjoyed superhero movies. The ongoing action, incredible world bulding, and complex characters have always drawn me in, inspiring me to find a way to connect this interest to my AP Research project. When initially considering the idea of doing an analysis of certain superhero characters, I was having trouble finding an employable research topic that both interested me and held a higher value to the research world.  Seeing as many view such films as "childish" or "nerdy", I was struggling to find a connection to the real world in which a critical analysis of a superhero could possibly lead to advancements in the research world. As I was searching for initial literature on the topic, I stumbled upon an article written by Lucas Neilson in which he analyzes the ways Marvel films can be used in cognitive therapies as a form of relief for patients struggling with mental illness. Upon reading this source, I was finally struck with inspiration.

It was at that point that I decided I was going to do an analysis of the ways mental health was portrayed in a superhero film. Logically, this led me to narrow my scope of interest to Marvel and DC due to the fact that they are the most popular and well known superhero film enterprises, which further led me to consider which characters I would be looking at. I ultimately landed on Bruce Wayne (Batman) in The Dark Knight trilogy and Tony Stark (Iron Man) in the Iron Man trilogy due to how incredibly popular the two characters are and the potential for a comparison of the two rather than an individual analysis. Their popularity causes the two characters to be seen as role models, in a way. The actions taken by the two characters have been watched hundreds of millions of times all around the world, giving them a significant level of impact on society and the ways many people view certain things.

Viewers, whether simply watching the movies due to their popularity or due to their enamoration with the fandoms, often see both Stark and Wayne as individuals suffering from PTSD. Both characters have unique and complex backgrounds resulting in this view, with Stark's PTSD coming from a number of terrorist activities he witnessed throughout his life and Wayne's PTSD coming from viewing his parents' muder when he was a young boy, that play significant roles in the development of their superhero personas. When considering this, I began wondering why each character was portrayed in such wildly different manners on screen. This is what ultimately led to my topic of research, that being an analysis of the differences in the portrayal of PTSD in the two characters.

As I began some more in depth inital background research and my research proposal, I began forming the outline of my methodology and data collection methods. I decided that, in order to get an accurate and realistic base line to compare each movie trilogy to, I would need to base much of my analysis on the most recent definition and characteristics of PTSD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). These characteristics, namely Criteria A-H, outline the necessary symptoms for a person to have in order to be diagnosed with PTSD and the common symptoms affecting those struggling with the disorder. This led me to decide that my project will include the application of these criteria to each character to determine the most prevalent criteria as well as the most prevalent characteristic highlighted in both Stark and Wayne, as well as a comparative analysis of these data points to data points collected on the same topics from real life case studies of people suffering from PTSD.

As my ideas became more concrete, I was able to finalize my research question: How do Marvel's Iron Man trilogy and DC's The Dark Knight trilogy differ in their representations of PTSD within their respective main characters? Shortly after, I completed my research proposal (linked below) and my project was approved. At this point in the year, I am just beginning my rough draft of the first half of my paper and starting my initial data collection. In pursuing this research and answering my research question, I hope to inspire a more significant focus on the impacts that differing representation of PTSD in the media can have on the ways people view the disorder and those struggling from it. I could not be more excited to continue learning more about my topic, and I am greatly looking forward to the knowledge I will gain throughout this process.

Below, you can find my initial pitch for my project as well as my research proposal. While I have slightly changed some factors of my project since these two steps, the provide a look into the process that I underwent when initially coming up with and expanding upon my topic of research, as well as a more in depth view into my future plans.