The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
I think Rambo's personality and character remained pretty consistent throughout the franchise. He was always stoic and quiet, somewhat sad and vulnerable, even in Part II and III.
As for the PTSD, I like to think that if he's having any issues, we're just seeing it throughout the film, when he's shooting his M60 or blowing up the village with the helicopter or when he's detached from the other characters in the beginning. He seemed to be in his own world at times, like he was ignoring people. PTSD can manifest in many forms, not just flashbacks. PTSD can manifest in sadness, extreme burst of anger, and detachment from other people, all which are present in Rambo's general behavior in the sequels.
In Part II, Murdock does question Rambo's mental state in a conversation with Trautman when he asked, "Are you sure he's not unbalanced from the war? We can't afford anyone in this mission crack under pressure in that hell." So, Rambo's PTSD wasn't completely ignored. The reason Murdock asked about Rambo's mental state was because Rambo's behavior was so unusual. Rambo also ignores Ericson when he arrives to the military base, despite Ericso's attempt at being friendly.
In Rambo 3 there's a brief moment where Rambo is by himself looking around at all the destruction in the village and at the dead bodies, so it could be implied that he's having some PTSD at that moment too.
Rambo 4 and 5 showed Rambo having nightmares, which is another symptom of PTSD. So no, I don't believe Rambo's PTSD was completely ignored in the sequels. It was just more subtle without the use of flashbacks.
As for the PTSD, I like to think that if he's having any issues, we're just seeing it throughout the film, when he's shooting his M60 or blowing up the village with the helicopter or when he's detached from the other characters in the beginning. He seemed to be in his own world at times, like he was ignoring people. PTSD can manifest in many forms, not just flashbacks. PTSD can manifest in sadness, extreme burst of anger, and detachment from other people, all which are present in Rambo's general behavior in the sequels.
In Part II, Murdock does question Rambo's mental state in a conversation with Trautman when he asked, "Are you sure he's not unbalanced from the war? We can't afford anyone in this mission crack under pressure in that hell." So, Rambo's PTSD wasn't completely ignored. The reason Murdock asked about Rambo's mental state was because Rambo's behavior was so unusual. Rambo also ignores Ericson when he arrives to the military base, despite Ericso's attempt at being friendly.
In Rambo 3 there's a brief moment where Rambo is by himself looking around at all the destruction in the village and at the dead bodies, so it could be implied that he's having some PTSD at that moment too.
Rambo 4 and 5 showed Rambo having nightmares, which is another symptom of PTSD. So no, I don't believe Rambo's PTSD was completely ignored in the sequels. It was just more subtle without the use of flashbacks.
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