Superheroes are a great example of an ideal, unattainable body, but what if they’re differently abled? Heroes, especially super ones, seem to always stand for something. Superman, for example, stands for the American dream, a perfect specimen who is strong, white, and has good samaritan morals. Superman is considered a hero because of what he stands for, but what about Anti-heroes? To bring it further, differently abled heroes?
Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Deadpool are all super, but not necessarily heroes. Deadpool is called a “merc with a mouth,” also with chronic pain issues. Hawkeye is amazing with a bow, and is deaf in the comics. Daredevil is an amazing fighter and fights without sight. These three are all mercenaries/ vigilantes when it comes down to it. Each of these characters seems to be missing a key element of being a hero. Deadpool does not have a moral compass and kills people, so he is labeled a mercenary. Hawkeye is dark and brooding, almost batman like, and also kills people, as seen in Avengers: Endgame. Daredevil is a vigilante, very similar to Hawkeye, also very brooding. Not to mention there are not many differently abled women in the graphic novel world.
The problem with these characters is that they seem to be too similar, along with the fact that they are all labeled something other than a hero. It almost seems as though their “missing” abilities are making them very deranged and dark characters. These examples feel as if representation of differently abled characters is that they all have sad backstories. In the case of Daredevil and Hawkeye, making them moody and angry, or in Deadpool’s case, completely crazy. These three characters are some of the only superpowered personalities who are not “perfect” and have something “wrong” with them. Is there a correlation between being differently abled and being mad at the world?
Unruly Bodies 
It’s no coincidence that a hero’s positively-framed different abilities (ones that enhance their bodies) often manifest themselves as their strengths/powers, and that their negatively-framed different abilities (physical disabilities or disfigurements, mental illnesses, etc.) often manifest themselves as their weaknesses/flaws/tragic origin stories. It’s also no coincidence that villains often become villains as a result of negatively-framed different abilities and that they use these negatively-framed different abilities as their powers to do harm. The characterization is definitely influenced by pre-existing discriminatory cultural perceptions of ability, and in return, the depictions go on to further reinforce and reproduce these cultural perceptions.
As for your question: “Is there a correlation between being differently abled and being mad at the world?” In short, yes, but unfortunately this is not narratively approached in the ways that it could or should be. It would be one thing if these (anti)heroes/villains’ experiences of different ability were used to have candid conversations about ableism and the ways in which the discrimination they have faced has negatively impacted their life, and therefore, influences their disposition and the choices that they make. However, rarely do authors ever know how to go about this without further perpetuating ableism themselves, nor do they really know how to represent differently abled people outside of milking their lived experiences for the sake of trauma porn (not every moment of differently abled people’s lives is brooding and suffering nor is this the universal personality). Resolution for this is even more so non-existent for villains, whose only fate is to be killed or jailed forever.
Really interesting points here, Posh Spice. Thank you!
This post made me think about the movie Split in which the main character had dissociative personality disorder. He had several different personalities which were seemingly harmless, but there was one deep, dark, secret personality. Turns out that personality was this evil, barely human monster that could climb walls, run incredibly fast on all fours, and kill people. The mental health advocacy community was strongly against any support of this movie because of the extremely harmful way it portrays the experience of people with dissociative personality disorder. I think like the ‘anti-heroes” you mentioned, pop culture media like tv, movies, and comics often chose to use disability as an add-on to make a hero’s story a bit more interesting or a villain a bit more menacing. Representation like that is actually what contributes to the oppression of disabled people by portraying them and their bodies as somehow non-human.