Does The Punisher really kill to avenge his family, or is there a deeper reason? Would Peter Parker’s Spiderman outfit be different if he had been bitten by the radioactive spider later in life? Clinical psychologist Dr. Larry Lewis attempts to answer questions like these in the new web series Hero Therapy.
The series is produced by Pat Kilbane (Mad TV) and Melissa McQueen (The New In Living Color) for their YouTube channel Dorks of Yore. “Melissa and I are best known for our comedy,” Kilbane says, “but Hero Therapy takes its subject matter very seriously. We are strictly behind the scenes on this one.” Each 3-4 minute episode features Dr. Lewis addressing the camera directly, giving his working impressions of that week’s clinical subject – a fictional hero from comic books or movies.
Lewis has decades of experience treating psychological trauma and addiction. He has worked with world-class athletes and high-profile celebrities, and he now turns his finely tuned instrument onto the minds of our favorite heroes.
“The insight he gives just blows me away,” McQueen says. “It makes me look at these heroes and their stories completely differently.” Referring to characters by their first names (The Punisher becomes “Frank”; Ripley from Aliens is “Ellen”), Dr. Lewis addresses each case with a tone of professionalism and sincerity.
“Heroes are archetypes for our own life challenges,” says Kilbane, “so learning more about Peter Parker, you can’t help but learn something more about yourself.”
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Finally! Someone else gets why Punisher is indeed a hero.