Does Ice King from ‘Adventure Time’ have BPD? (+5 Alternate diagnoses)
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This detailed post will be explaining if Ice King has BPD. We will also be exploring the other mental health disorders and issues Ice King may have in ‘Adventure Time.’ Finally, we will also take a look at some of the signs of mental health issues which Ice King portrays in the series.
Does Ice King from ‘Adventure Time’ have BPD?
No, Ice King does not have BPD. Ice King does not have Borderline Personality Disorder, nor does he show any signs and symptoms of this personality disorder in the series ‘Adventure Time’
Ice King is originally portrayed to the viewers as a villain. But, later during the series, his back story reveals his painful story arc and even gives him a shot at redemption. However, this is not before revealing his sad emotional state of affairs.
In the series, Ice King is an elderly character who wears a magical crown which causes his skin to turn blue. The crown also allows the Ice King to control ice and snow and also live forever. Ice King is often seen as evil, but is almost powerless due to his terrible logical reasoning.
Ice King is originally a man named Simon Petrikov, whose personality is the complete opposite of the Ice King. However, after he starts wearing the crown, the personality of Simon deteriorates, while that of Ice King strengthens and becomes more permanent.
At the end of the series, Simon is freed from the curse of the crown. Despite this freedom, his mental health and personality are never fully restored. He goes on living his life using his painful experiences and emotional trauma.
Ice King’s mental health issues
The series ‘Adventure Time’ has been widely appreciated for its deep and accurate exploration of mental health. One special character whose mental health and personality have been studied by fans and critics is ‘Ice King’. Some of the mental health issues ‘Ice King’ may have are:
Alzheimer’s disease
This theory of Ice King having Alzheimer’s disease is quite possible and widely accepted by critics of the show ‘Adventure Time.’ Ice King definitely finds it hard to remember things and even forgets Marceline, the Vampire Queen.
Even though he is essentially a father figure to Marceline and has raised her from a child, he actually forgets their times together. The main factor which leads people to assume Ice King has Alzheimer’s is because he forgets who he actually is.
Ice King was originally called Simon Petrikov, who finds a magical crown. In order to protect Marceline, he continues to wear it despite it deteriorating his mental health and his memory. Ice King’s memory issues are mainly blamed on the presence of the crown.
However, even after Ice King is freed from the curse of the crown, he is still not able to make a full recovery and continues to live with his problems. This also further fuels this theory, since there is no actual cure for Alzheimer’s disease as of today.
Bipolar disorder
Another possible mental health disorder which Ice King may have is Bipolar Disorder. The character truly shows intense emotional swings. However, the actual manic and depressive phases associated with bipolar disorder are not properly seen in Ice King.
Depression
Ice King may also have depression. The character can be seen going into depressive phases and even having crying fits at many times. This can especially be seen in the episode where Ice King tries his best to remember his old self and his times with Marceline, but is not able to do so.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Some fans and critics of the show have also expressed that Ice King may indeed have Body Dysmorphic Disorder. The character is obsessed with his appearances, especially since he looks very different from his original self as a result of the crown’s magical powers.
Schizophrenia
Yet another fan theory is that Ice King may actually have Schizophrenia. Although he does not show hallucinations, he certainly lives with many delusions. These along with his lapses in memory along with poor social skills have led fans to assume this theory.
Signs of Ice King’s mental health issues
Ice King from the animated series ‘Adventure Time’ is an interesting character whose story arc gains traction as the series progresses. Once thought to be a simple one-dimensional villain character, Ice King soon became one of the best case examples for mental health and senility.
Ice King truly struggles with his mental health, but his diagnosis has never been confirmed apart from fan theories. Some of the signs that Ice King demonstrates that he is truly struggling with his mental health are described in the section below.
- He is constantly worried about his appearance: Ice King definitely is obsessed with his appearance and shows a lot of anxiety about his looks. This has led many people to assume that the character struggles with Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
- He goes into depressive phases frequently: Ice King can also be seen going to depressive phases frequently in the series. During these phases, he tries to avoid socializing, and does not interact with others much.
Apart from the social isolation, Ice King also seems to hold a major hatred and contempt for other people and never speaks highly of others. He also holds extremely negative views of his own life and that of others.
- He is not able to remember his true self: Ice King is majorly introduced as a villain in the animated series ‘Adventure Time.’ While he definitely holds enormous potential as a terrific villain, his backstory reveals a painful metamorphosis.
Ice King was originally Simon Petrikov who was transformed into the villainous character through the magic crown. He continued using the crown despite its detrimental effects, not for its powers but in order to protect Marceline.
The crown wreaks havoc with Ice King’s memory and he is unable to remember things, including his own identity from the past. These memory lapses and loss of memory toward the self is often seen in dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some forms of psychoses.
- He struggles in his social relationships: Ice King is a very lonely character, and although he tries to create relationships with others, he struggles to maintain them. This is also mainly blamed on the magical crown.
Before the crown, Ice King/Simon Petrikov is actually engaged to Betty Grof, who leaves him after his personality changes as a result of the crown’s interference. Later on, Ice King seems to adopt Marceline as his daughter, even going as far as wearing the crown to protect her.
He also has a very close relationship with Gunter, a penguin. Apart from the relationships with Marceline and Gunter, Ice King does not open up to others. When Finn and Jake become friendly with Ice King and invite him to parties, Ice King can be seen struggling with his social skills.
- He is obsessed with princesses: Ice King is a villain who seems to be obsessed with princesses. Throughout the series, Ice King is bent on kidnapping princesses. This leads many other princesses to fear him, and Finn and the others to detest him.
The actual reason why Ice King is obsessed with princesses is because of his ex-fiancée Betty Grof whom he used to call ‘his princess.’ When she leaves him after he obtains the crown, Ice King develops this unhealthy obsession of kidnapping princesses.
Conclusion
This detailed post has explained if Ice King has BPD. We have also explored the other mental health disorders and issues Ice King may have in ‘Adventure Time.’ Finally, we have also taken a look at some of the signs of mental health issues which Ice King portrays in the series.
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