Also derived from real life. Gary Martin, Iceman of the Sinister Six, had died that year.
In regards to crazy mothers, my mom is bipolar and displayed psychotic symptoms. Currently, she's off her meds and working to overturn her diagnosis. She hasn't been on her meds for a while, and while she was living with her dad, she destroyed property and was violent toward him. He called me several times when he would be hiding from my mom, and I had to talk him into calling the police.
My brother and I were smacked around growing up, though the majority of the abuse was directed at me. Can't say I don't blame my mom, as I was a very difficult child. I was aggressive and obstinate, at times downright stubborn, and a lot of my disobedience stemmed from not understanding what was being asked of me. My brother had asthma when he was younger, and was often sick, so Mom doted over him and worried every time he had the sniffles. From age two to age five, I was sickly as well, and shuffled around from doctor to doctor until I had my tonsils removed. Then, I was healthy and Mom turned her attention toward my brother, while I got the brunt of her anger and frustration.
A lot of the bullshit stems from her simply either not being treated or refusing to take her medication for bipolar. She won't go to therapy, won't take her meds, and claims that she's fine and everyone else is to blame for her behavior. She claims that she is not bipolar.
She hits every single diagnostic criteria on the head with a sledgehammer, and then some. Mom, if you can't fool me, you can't fool a trained psychiatrist.