Which heroes and villains do you want to see visit Tom King's "Sanctuary"?

[BatmanJones]

Also want to say how much this idea has the power to remove the stigma associated with seeking therapy or similar help.

In truth probably every person in the world should be in therapy and would benefit mightily by seeing the right therapist. So I'm not thinking of characters with known mental/emotional health issues like Jessica Cruz's well documented anxiety.

I'm looking forward most of all to seeing Sanctuary used for characters you'd never imagine might benefit from therapy.

So I'll start with Clark Kent/Superman. Because having a well-adjusted hero avail themselves of the benefits of therapy would be what I'd most like to see.

In this day and age there shouldn't be ANY stigma associated with mental health issues or therapy but we're not at all there yet. Seeing someone like Superman seeking help could help with the stigma of seeking mental health care at all. So many people die each and every year owing exclusively to that stigma and the resultant resistance to seeking this sort of help. No one is so "sane" or well-adjusted that they wouldn't benefit from talking to a wise, trained listener about all the things one can't say to a person they know without fear of judgment or reprisal. That's the power of therapy to me and, again, I think 100% of people would benefit from being able to speak openly about such things without fear of judgment.

I don't care to see Arkham inmates in Sanctuary as it only underlines the existing stigma. I'm looking to see the most well-adjusted characters opening up in a way that tells us that it's strong, not weak, to seek such assistance.

[Agent Z]

Cassandra Cain

Bruce Wayne

Guy Gardner

Victor Stone

Roy Harper

Jason Todd

Frances Kane

Also want to say how much this idea has the power to remove the stigma associated with seeking therapy or similar help.

In truth probably every person in the world should be in therapy and would benefit mightily by seeing the right therapist. So I'm not thinking of characters with known mental/emotional health issues like Jessica Cruz's well documented anxiety.

I'm looking forward most of all to seeing Sanctuary used for characters you'd never imagine might benefit from therapy.

So I'll start with Clark Kent/Superman. Because having a well-adjusted hero avail themselves of the benefits of therapy would be what I'd most like to see.

In this day and age there shouldn't be ANY stigma associated with mental health issues or therapy but we're not at all there yet. Seeing someone like Superman seeking help could help with the stigma of seeking mental health care at all. So many people die each and every year owing exclusively to that stigma and the resultant resistance to seeking this sort of help. No one is so "sane" or well-adjusted that they wouldn't benefit from talking to a wise, trained listener about all the things one can't say to a person they know without fear of judgment or reprisal. That's the power of therapy to me and, again, I think 100% of people would benefit from being able to speak openly about such things without fear of judgment.

I don't care to see Arkham inmates in Sanctuary as it only underlines the existing stigma. I'm looking to see the most well-adjusted characters opening up in a way that tells us that it's strong, not weak, to seek such assistance.

This I can agree with. In fact, one of my proposed ideas in one of these threads was a book revolving around a support group for kids with super villain parents.

[WonderScott]

As others have mentioned, Jessica Cruz is probably the most candidate.

Based on some lines in Doomsday Clock, characters like Man-Bat, Lady Clay, and Metamorpho, who have been transformed by seemingly scientific means could appear. (I haven't been reading The Terrifics, so I don't how Metamorpho has been dealing with his transformation.) Same with Plastic Man - being stuck in a plastic "egg" form for a long duration of time may have been like solitary confinement to him. (Again, same as Metamorpho, I don't know how Plastic Man is currently being portrayed in The Terrifics.)

I wonder if they'll have a children's center, because Damian Wayne, Cass Cain, and Stephanie Brown could probably use the time spent talking about their families.

I could see Donna Troy having a some existential issues "being" that might be good to get help with.

If they ever Rebirth Triumph, that guy always had anger issues regarding being forgotten and he had control issues to boot.

The entire Wilson family - Slade, Adeline, Jericho, and Rose - could sit down for family therapy. (If it was the YJ animated universe, I'd have Sportsmaster, Tigress, Cheshire, and Artemis sit down together.)

They might even devote a wing of the facility to the Doom Patrol.

Pantha experienced a lot of trauma and identity issues that are unresolved, that's not always easy to deal with.

[dietrich]

I don't want to see Jason appear in anything written by King.

Sanctuary isn't a book.

To answer OP I think it's quicker and easier to list heroes who are so well balanced and regulated they don't need to visit the place

[TheCape]

The entire Bayfamily could really use some theraphy, but Bruce, Jason and Cassandra are probably the most urgent cases, maybe Tim too depending of the status of his parents.

[Kaijudo]

I don't have a particular character (and given what I'm about to say, it'd have to be one who is a bit further down the food chain and not already earmarked for use), but I've always it'd be interesting to see a Golden Age hero get brought forward to modern times and wind up being fully incapable of dealing with the changes/ramifications/what they left behind/etc. Captain America struggled for a bit but he obviously adapted well. The only book I can think of that even started to touch on the idea was JMS's The Twelve, and even then they didn't go too deep into it all.

[Soubhagya]

Pretty much anyone can be here.

I would say take some time for the recent heroes. Heroes who have just started can feel the same as going to battlefield for the first time. Like Sideways for instance. Rookies gaining from veterans' association is great. Plus, you can have guest appearances which feels quite natural.

[TheCape]

A therapy session with the Wilson family should be interesting, it probably would go in the same way than the DeSanta family on GTA V but with more stabbing and insults (also Slade and Adeline would end having sex for some reason ).

[Jon Clark]

If they were going to put a mandate in place that the therapy actually has lasting impact on the DCU, I'd love to see the non-Batbooks version of Bruce visit. Maybe have him regain a bit more of his Pre-Crisis attitude of not being obsessively driven and anti-social. But if this was treated like every other time Batman has learned his lesson where the next writer reverts Bruce to the same brooding mess, forget it.

Damian could also use some serious deprogramming as well.

[Raijin]

I really don't like the idea of villains being involved. Seriously? What kind of sympathy or pampering do they truly deserve?

But to answer the question. I'd like to see Roy, Mister Miracle and Plastic Man involved. I actually want to see group therapy sessions in this book.

[Sacred Knight]

Healing a villain's mind though, if at all possible, does more than help just that individual. If a madman is no longer mad, that's one less person making innocents their victims. To me that would make the attempt worth it in some cases, until revealed to be lost causes, and there certainly has to be a ton of lost causes out there. I'm cool with some "sympathetic" villains but I also like the ones that are just pure evil, no questions asked. So I don't mind the idea of trying to help villains with the caveat that I don't want it perceived that anyone can be treated. You're just not going to get through to a Joker, for instance. Its just an act of futility and should be.

[Denirac]

Healing a villain's mind though, if at all possible, does more than help just that individual. If a madman is no longer mad, that's one less person making innocents their victims. To me that would make the attempt worth it in some cases, until revealed to be lost causes, and there certainly has to be a ton of lost causes out there. I'm cool with some "sympathetic" villains but I also like the ones that are just pure evil, no questions asked. So I don't mind the idea of trying to help villains with the caveat that I don't want it perceived that anyone can be treated. You're just not going to get through to a Joker, for instance. Its just an act of futility and should be.

So would Harvey Dent work. I get that there’s no point even trying with Joker, but I always saw Dent as theoretically redeemable, its just that Two Face is the problem

[Sacred Knight]

Harvey I could see being the very first potential patient that Bruce would want to introduce to the program and vouch for. He's made for a story like this.

[BatmanJones]

But to answer the question. I'd like to see Roy, Mister Miracle and Plastic Man involved. I actually want to see group therapy sessions in this book.

All great ideas, especially group therapy. If only it were going to be a book. It's just going to be a new part of the DCU, a la S.T.A.R. Labs. I would love for this to be a book.

[BatmanJones]

Healing a villain's mind though, if at all possible, does more than help just that individual. If a madman is no longer mad, that's one less person making innocents their victims. To me that would make the attempt worth it in some cases, until revealed to be lost causes, and there certainly has to be a ton of lost causes out there. I'm cool with some "sympathetic" villains but I also like the ones that are just pure evil, no questions asked. So I don't mind the idea of trying to help villains with the caveat that I don't want it perceived that anyone can be treated. You're just not going to get through to a Joker, for instance. Its just an act of futility and should be.

Good post. Batman, lately in particular, seems very interested in redemption and rehabilitation. It's one of the things I love about King's run but it's in Detective, JLA, everywhere.