The Arkham Sessions: Psychology of Batman & More Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward

The X-Men discover their home completely destroyed and set out to search for the person (or mutant) responsible for the attack. They encounter two suspects--Colossus, a Russian immigrant who is helping construction workers; and Juggernaut, a titanic super-powered villain committing crimes in the city in order to lure Professor X out of hiding. It is revealed that Juggernaut is Professor X's half-brother and is harboring resentment toward his more accomplished sibling. 

For this year's WonderCon, we pulled together some amazing old and new friends to examine the psychology of the X-Men. Included in that list of friends was original X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES showrunner Eric Lewald; X-MEN: TAS writer Julia Lewald; X-MEN '97 writer JB Ballard; and X-MEN superfan and co-founder of Hero's Journey Fitness, located in Burbank, California, David Nett!

A small group of X-Men are captured and taken to labor camps on the island of Genosha. This episode depicts multiple responses to oppressive-related stress, ranging from learned helplessness to psychological fortitude to organized rebellion, and carries a throughline reminiscent of real-life liberation movements led by civil rights leaders: "knowledge is power."
 
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Feeling rejected, Wolverine leaves the X-Mansion on a search to find some inner peace. Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men are sent by Professor X to investigate the island of Genosha, a seemingly pleasant vacation destination rumored to be welcoming to mutants. Both quests raise tensions related to ingroup and outgroup relationships.
 
Dr. Drea also revisits the practice of "trigger warnings" and whether those disclaimers are necessary or effective. 
 
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The X-Men discover an underground band of Morlocks, a gang of mutant misfits who perceive themselves as "too unsightly" to live and socialize among non-mutant humans, so they live in the tunnels below the city. With Scott and Jean captured, the X-Men set out to rescue them, but must also address their own safety, specifically, psychological safety.

To celebrate the holiday season, The Arkham Sessions takes a detour back to Gotham City! Merry Little Batman (2023), a new animated film by Warner Bros. and DC Studios (but released on Amazon!), is an Elseworld holiday special that takes place on the night before Christmas. Bruce Wayne has retired to focus his attention on raising his son, Damian, in what has been a crime-free Gotham. However, little Damian's obsession with becoming a superhero lands him into a lot of trouble--and triggers the resurgence of the city's most contemptible villains.
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