“With great power comes great responsibility.”

It also, apparently, comes with some serious anger management issues. Even though super-heroes have abilities that most of us can only dream about, it’s very rare to see one that is happy. Just because they can fly doesn’t mean they have to like it. In fact, most of the time, they seem to be even more angry then the general population. Maybe it’s the pressure of having to constantly save the world. Maybe it’s the strain of being an outcast from mainstream society. Or it could just be the pain of constantly wearing those skin-tight costumes. Whatever it is, there’s no denying it, super powered beings are an irritated bunch.

The quintessential example is, of course, The Incredible Hulk. I mean, come on. In order to become the powerful brute, Dr. Bruce Banner must get angry. Hulk angry, Hulk smash. Anyone whose special power necessitates getting pissed off is clearly unstable. And this isn’t just any regular guy, he’s a world renowned physicist for crying out loud. But there are many other, less obvious, examples besides Banner’s infuriated alter-ego.

Just look at possibly the most popular of all the X-Men, Wolverine, a guy who will never turn down a fight. Actually, he’s normally the one starting it. Hellboy sure enjoys using that Right Hand of Doom to pummel evil mythological creatures. The only reason that Batman exists is for revenge. Same goes for The Punisher. In fact, even traditional do-gooders like Super-Man, while not furious, are at least not happy. Come on, when was the last time you actually saw the Man of Steel smile?

The counter to this, however, is that those rare few heroes who approach their jobs in a light-hearted fashion tend not to be the most responsible. Take The Human Torch, for example. The hot-headed Fantastic 4 member is reckless and this tends to get both him and his team mates in trouble. This helps give credence to the idea that super heroes should be angry. After all, it seems to help them out. If Star Wars has taught us anything, it’s that anger makes us stronger. Then again, that only worked for the bad guys, and they lost.  Nevermind.

So, while it may not be the same for everyone, whatever the reason, it seems to be working. Heroes may be mad, but they tend to be pretty good at their jobs. I haven’t been under the control of any kind of evil dictator or alien invasion, so they must be doing something right.

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Andrew Webster is a freelance writer based in Toronto who covers comics, movies, videogames, and anything else that will rot out your brain. Check out his personal site to read more of his incoherent ramblings.