1. Introduction
[1.1] In my clinical work in psychiatry, I find it helpful and interesting to learn about the fan interests of my clients. If provided the opportunity, some will be enthusiastic to share about their favorite media worlds. Occasionally, they will show their fan art or symbols of their fan interests that they carry with them. Taking time to discuss these affinities tends to enrich our clinician–patient relationships (Paquin et al. 2024), a process likely facilitated by my own proclivity for fan culture. One fan interest that was presented to me and that caught my attention is Hazbin Hotel, an animated musical series.
[1.2] Hazbin Hotel centers on a band of misfits ("sinners") residing in the world of Hell and seeking to find some form of redemption at a hotel (https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/Hazbin_Hotel_Wiki). Playing with the analogy of redemption, the story line of its character Angel Dust portrays recovery in the context of addiction and trauma. Hazbin Hotel and the character Angel are popular among fans and thus provide an interesting starting point to examine the kinds of recovery narratives that circulate in fan culture. To date, narratives of recovery have received limited attention in fan studies, but their analysis could help enrich the field's exploration of disability experiences by identifying opportunities for social change. In this case study, I explore the representation of Angel's recovery in Hazbin Hotel, focusing on a particular moment in the series: the song "Loser, Baby" in "Masquerade" (1.4) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sVoglgJjRg). To analyze the narrative content of the song and the broader context of the story, I use Neely Myers's framework of recovery and moral agency. I contend that Angel progresses in his recovery by developing more intimate relationships with others and replenishing his moral agency. As such, the story line of Angel echoes the observations of Myers and others about the social dimension of recovery in mental illness, illustrating a potentially fruitful framework for studying the recovery narratives that circulate in fan culture.
2. Recovery and moral agency
[2.1] Medical institutions and popular media commonly imagine the aspiration of disabled individuals as achieving remission from symptoms or "fixing" their impairments (Ellcessor et al. 2017). Since the 1980s, the mental health survivor movement, disability theory, and disability narratives have challenged this view by shedding light on the social and cultural dimensions of disability (Couser 1997; Davidson and Roe 2007; Siebers 2008), which interlock with its lived and embodied experiences (Kafer 2013; Shakespeare and Watson 2023). Social norms and dominant expectations that recovery is the correction of impairments fail to recognize the diverse experiences, values, and goals of people, whose (dis)ability intersects with other identities and life circumstances. In an effort to broaden the approach to mental health and illness, Anthony (2000, 159) provides a foundational definition of recovery as "a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even within the limitations caused by the illness," involving "the development of new meaning and purpose in one's life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness." Deegan (2002), a psychologist with personal experience of mental illness, similarly defines recovery as "a transformative process in which the old self is gradually let go of and a new sense of self emerges." These open-ended descriptions, to this day, continue to capture the essence of the recovery framework in mental health care (Dell et al. 2021).
[2.2] Aiming to understand how the recovery framework is approached within mental health care, Myers (2015) conducted a three-year ethnography of a peer-led mental health organization in the United States. One of the key recovery principles of the organization was to promote the autonomy of its members (service users) in making their own choices. Myers observed that this goal often contradicted service providers' expectation that the members should first demonstrate that they can make rational decisions for their well-being before being granted more autonomy. There was thus a dilemma between supporting the self-determination of individuals and protecting them from making poor decisions. As a possible solution to this impasse, Myers argued that recovery should be seen as a process of "rebuilding moral agency" (13).
[2.3] Moral agency is the possibility of aspiring to be recognized as good by others. Being recognized as good—having moral agency—allows for the development of intimate connections with others (Blacksher 2002). According to Myers, moral agency is crucial for recovery because it is through their intimacy with others that individuals find purpose in being accountable and taking responsibility (2015, 126). Through intimacy, individuals develop a sense of what it is to be part of a community, what the needs of the community are, and how they can become good members of that community. Hence, in the context of mental health care, individuals become more accountable and successful in their recovery if they are recognized as moral agents worthy of social relationships. This intersubjective view of moral agency, that is, as a process that involves not only the individual but also their community, challenges common tropes that attribute an intrinsic loss of agency to the mentally disabled individual (Roe 2024). However, being recognized as a good person is not simple for those whose mental illness, addiction, or trauma disrupt the relationships that are necessary to cultivate this form of agency (D'Arcy 2023).
[2.4] The implication for communities of care, such as peer-led organizations, is that they can support the recovery of their members by intervening to nurture their moral agency. For example, mental health workers can affirm the moral agency of service users through "small things" (Topor et al. 2018): seemingly trivial gestures, such as inquiring about the person's interests, making jokes, or disclosing one's own story, that implicitly affirm the person's worth. Moments of shared humanness (Ware et al. 2004) like these bring the mental health worker and service user to experience mutual understanding beyond the scope of diagnoses or medications. By affirming the moral agency of individuals through small things and moments of shared humanness, communities of care contribute to restoring the possibility of intimacy and purpose, which Myers and her interlocutors have highlighted as key aspects of recovery in mental illness.
3. Hazbin Hotel and the "Masquerade" episode
[3.1] Created by Vivienne Medrano, Hazbin Hotel is an adult animated series that takes place in Hell, a fictional world peopled by sinners: demons, fallen angels, and other nonhuman anthropomorphic characters, who were denied entry to Heaven. The story is centered on Charlie Morningstar, the princess of Hell, who operates a hotel aimed at supporting those who wish to become better persons. Charlie is surrounded by a handful of hotel employees and customers, a cast notable for its inclusive representation of lesbian, gay, and asexual characters (Queer News Tonight 2024). The series is a musical and features many original songs sung by its characters. The humor is dark, provocative, and laden with explicit references to sex, drugs, and violence.
[3.2] From its inception, Hazbin Hotel has met significant success with fans. The series began with a crowdfunded pilot episode, released on YouTube in 2019 (Ziemba 2024). Following the success of the pilot, the first season was released on Prime Video between January and February 2024 and received Prime Video's largest global debut viewership for an adult animated title (Hermanns 2024). Remarkably for the soundtrack of an adult animation show, the song "Loser, Baby" reached the first rank on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart following its release. As of November 21, 2024, the song had 60 million views on YouTube and 118 million listens on Spotify. On Archive of Our Own (https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Hazbin%20Hotel%20(Cartoon)/works) on the same date, Hazbin Hotel counted 37,903 fan productions, and the relationship between Angel Dust and Husk, the two protagonists of "Loser, Baby," was tagged in 6,232 works, making it the second most popular pairing of the show after Charlie Morningstar and her partner Vaggie.
[3.3] "Masquerade" zooms in on Angel Dust, one of the hotel's customers. Angel Dust is an anthropomorphic spider with a golden tooth and pink freckles, a flirtatious and playful personality, and a sharp sense of humor. Through the first episodes of the series, we learn that Angel is a pornographic film actor. He is under obligation to work for Valentino, the head of the pornography studio, after having sold his soul to him. Confronted with loneliness, abuse, and self-blame, Angel turns to drugs and sex to cope with his situation. As a result of his addictions and excessive work at the studio, he struggles to fully commit to his emerging friendships and responsibilities in Charlie's hotel. In "Masquerade," Charlie and her hotel barman, Husk, attempt to intervene to stop Angel's self-destructive behaviors and get him away from Valentino.
[3.4] At one point, Husk finds Angel in an underground bar in the city. Angel is drinking with loan sharks who appear to harbor ill intent toward him. Husk notices that one of the sharks is about to give Angel a spiked drink, which Angel does not seem to notice given his state of inebriation. Husk fights the sharks away and grabs Angel out of the bar. Angel, angry about this intrusion, explains that the bar is his way to escape the stress in his life. Through his self-destructive behaviors, he hopes that he will be one day too broken for work and that Valentino will release him from his contract. In response, Husk shares his own story: before working as barman at the hotel, he used to struggle with a gambling problem and lost everything. He lost his soul after gambling it to a powerful overlord (Alastor, another member of the hotel crew). Husk therefore knows what it is like to deal with addiction, self-blame, and the abusive power of others.
[3.5] The song "Loser, Baby" starts here. Husk sings that Angel must be feeling hopeless, like a loser and a failure, and provocatively offers that the feeling is justified. Husk then explains that Angel is not alone in feeling this way. He also used to think that no one could relate to his life experiences and the damage caused. However, he realized that opening up to others could be a way forward, and he invites Angel to do the same. Husk highlights that he accepts Angel for who he is, regardless of his shortcomings, saying that they are both losers. By supporting each other, Husk and Angel can aspire to change their lives for the better. The song concludes with the two characters singing in unison about the need to "let hope in."
4. Feeling worthy
[4.1] I want to preface my analysis of the song with what is (hopefully) obvious: I did not choose "Loser, Baby" with the aim of describing any group with these derogatory terms. My interest in the song is that it seems to capture something about the social dimension of recovery. In the song, Husk and Angel accept the label of "loser" simply to better reject its assumption, that is, of the two characters being unworthy of a relationship.
[4.2] Husk's initial insistence on Angel's failures stands as dark and ironic humor. But his primary message to Angel is that he is not alone in his struggles. Husk can relate to Angel because they have both experienced addiction and its destructive consequences on their lives. Through his storytelling, Husk highlights their shared humanness (Ware et al. 2004), and he invites Angel to open up to him. He points out that it is okay to be a loser and that he is a loser himself. This turns the meaning of being a loser on its head by making it a premise for establishing a relationship in which both parties are seen as worthy. In other words, Husk expresses his regard of Angel as a moral agent and prompts him to participate in a more intimate friendship. If they support each other, Husk sings, things may turn out differently. This hopeful view parallels how Anthony (2000) and Deegan (2002) defined recovery: Husk believes that Angel can transform, find a new sense of self, and ultimately live a more satisfying and fulfilling life.
[4.3] After the song and through the end of the first season, we witness Angel's burgeoning friendship with Husk and his personal transformation. He starts setting firmer boundaries with his boss Valentino and becomes more selflessly involved in his relationships with the hotel crew. Illustrating his progress in recovery, we see him in 1.6 "Welcome to Heaven" being offered drugs in a club; under the eye of Husk who worries he will relapse, Angel declines the drugs and instead proceeds to comfort a crying child (Niffty, another member of the hotel crew). Angel then spots Valentino who is also at the club. Valentino notices Niffty and becomes interested in enrolling her for work, leading Angel to intervene and pull Niffty away from Valentino. This leads to an argument where Angel refuses to concede to Valentino and Valentino hits Angel, before Angel and his friends leave the club.
[4.4] The progression of Angel's character aligns with the process of recovery as captured by Myers. Bolstered by his relationship with Husk and the hotel crew, and his replenished moral agency, Angel begins to stand up for himself and his friends. In this way, he has found a new sense of self motivating him to be accountable for others and to move away from his addictions. Starting with the experience of intimacy and moral agency, then, Angel regained a sense of responsibility for his life and advanced in his recovery journey.
5. The role of recovery narratives in fan culture
[5.1] My analysis suggests that Myers's model of recovery, with its emphasis on moral agency, is apt for describing Angel's recovery narrative in "Loser, Baby." This representation orients recovery not to the ability of body and mind but to moral agency and self-worth, which contrasts with common depictions of disability as something to be fixed (Ellcessor et al. 2017). What further distinguishes Myers's framework from other views on recovery is its intersubjective framing: the rebuilding of moral agency does not rest solely on the individual but is enabled by supportive relationships, such as that between Angel and Husk.
[5.2] Scholarly work on narratives of recovery in fan culture can enrich how we think about disability experiences. Previous literature has examined the accessibility of fan spaces online and offline (Ellcessor 2016; Kington 2015), as well as representations of disability and mutual support within fandoms (Clemons 2019; Leetal 2019), with an interest in identifying opportunities for social change in these spaces. However, the engagement of fan studies with disability narratives and disability theory remains overall limited to date, and to my knowledge, the field has yet to explore narratives of recovery. Recovery narratives are sure to be found across fan culture, from the popular creative works adopted by fans, such as Hazbin Hotel, to the lived experiences and productions of fans. Indeed, many fans draw from their personal experience of mental illness, disabilities or neurodivergence in their writing of fan fiction (Clemons 2019; Milton 2023), and many of these works may communicate personal visions of what constitutes recovery. Like disability narratives (Schalk 2018), recovery narratives challenge social norms and expectations about (dis)ability, for example by orienting to the social dimension of recovery instead of focusing on individual deficits (Roe 2024). Narratives also allow for the exploration of diverse forms of recovery at the intersection of multiple identities and life circumstances, with the potential to challenge or nuance Myers's framework. By exploring recovery narratives in fan culture, scholars and fans may broaden their understanding of possibilities for social change and envision new ways of promoting social inclusion and equity within fandoms.
[5.3] We can take Myers's recovery framework as a starting point to envision social change within fandoms and consider how fandoms may support journeys of recovery. Fans cultivate the moral agency of each other by developing mutually supportive and caring relationships. Like peer-led communities of care, or Charlie's crew of sinners in Hazbin Hotel, fans participate in a community of their choosing, drawn by shared affinities or needs that could be considered marginal in mainstream society. These shared interests provide initial ground for a form of mutual understanding, or shared humanness, which may lead to the development of more intimate relationships (Reysen et al. 2017). Yet the shared interests of fans are not sufficient to dismantle the social structures that oppress its marginalized members, and fan spaces continue to face issues of accessibility and ableism (Riley 2024; Ellcessor 2016; Clemons 2019). To promote inclusivity and equity in fandoms, Leetal (2019) argues for the role of "activism of care," a form of activism that implements mutual help, kindness, pleasure, and empowerment to support the well-being of disabled fans. As instances of activism of care, Leetal recounts fans who crafted fan fiction for someone going through difficult times, created stories that promote ideals of inclusion, or wrote to promote the visibility and representation of marginalized identities. Like the small things that occur in mental health care, these acts of care reaffirm the shared humanness between individuals and may play a role in nurturing their moral agency and recovery.
6. Conclusion
[6.1] I analyzed how the song "Loser, Baby" in Hazbin Hotel portrays recovery in the context of mental illness. Using Myers's framework of recovery and moral agency, I proposed that the character Angel Dust advances in his recovery after developing a deeper friendship with Husk. This experience of intimacy contributes to rebuilding Angel's moral agency, allowing him to become more accountable for the needs of his community and to live a more fulfilling and hopeful life. Myers's framework foregrounds the role of relationships and intimacy as key to recovery, a model that captures the essence of Angel's story line and that may be a fruitful lens for examining other recovery narratives in fan culture.
[6.2] To better understand the implications of recovery narratives in fan culture, future work should consider the reception, transformation, and production of such narratives within fandoms. How do fans react to or reimagine Angel's journey of recovery in their works? What does recovery look like in fan works, and what do these productions tell us about the diverse perspectives, needs and priorities of disabled individuals? How can the possibilities offered by fandoms, such as artistic creation, social connection, or self-expression (Zhao and Wu 2020; Yamato 2016; Qian et al. 2022), contribute to personal journeys of recovery? Ultimately, a better understanding of the ingredients for recovery within fan communities, and barriers therein, may lead to improvements in how we collectively support such a transformation.
7. Acknowledgments
[7.1] The author thanks Katherine Lynch and the editors of this journal for their helpful feedback on the text.