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The Cartoon That Does It Better:

It totally doesn't. Just ask Steven Universe.

Steven is the titular character in a show about himself and his fantastical gem-themed buds protecting the world from a rogue's gallery of gem-themed villains. Steven is a bubbly, quipping action hero who dispatches bad guys the way you'd expect a cartoon character to. And then comes the episode "Mindful Education."

In it, Steven is helping his friend Connie deal with her guilt over accidentally beating someone up. His stellar advice? Shove everything deep, deep inside you and pretend it doesn't exist.

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As hilarious as it would have been to just end the episode there, soon Steven is faced by hallucinations of things he's done in the war that he feels terrible about, things that no one (including the audience) knew he was still dealing with. He's literally left in the fetal position crying and screaming, "I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

After four seasons of Steven consistently saving the day with a punchline and a smile, we learn that he's been internalizing every single horrific memory of what he's had to do to save his planet. Think about how profoundly the pop culture landscape would change if every movie and series had to do this. Not in gruff, "We didn't ask for this war!" kind of way, but actually letting the heroes show utter vulnerability in the face of guilt. Here's the exchange: