Are adverse childhood experiences scores associated with heroism or villainy? A quantitative observational study of Marvel and DC Cinematic Universe characters.

Many superhero and villain stories include trauma, which could influence how the public perceives the impact of trauma in their own lives. Our aim was to assess whether total Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) scores were associated with heroism or villainy among Marvel and DC Characters. We watched 33 films, with a total runtime of 77 hours and 5 minutes.