Paul Hoppe

Throughout the years, Batman has mentored numerous sidekicks, but it isn’t until Terry McGinnis commandeers the Batsuit that Bruce Wayne truly discovers a successor. What distinguishes a successor from a sidekick, and how do factors like age and agency influence this dynamic? What obligations did Bruce have to his wards and sidekicks, and in what ways does Terry represent a departure from these relationships? Join Ashley, Paul, and me as we draw multiple parallels to Captain America, The Falcon, and The Winter Soldier. Spoiler alert: There are plenty!

Given the multitude of ethical issues that Falcon and the Winter Soldier is surfacing, we’ve decided to commit to a weekly recording schedule—there’s no holding back with minisodes. There’s just too much to unpack, reflecting the depth and complexity of the themes the show itself is addressing.

In this session, we tackle the complex themes of racism and nationalism, delve into Bucky’s ongoing trauma, and examine Sam’s intricate relationship with the military.

Is Wanda Maximoff a hero, an antihero, or does she resemble a Batman villain within the MCU? Does Agatha Harkness deserve ‘sitcom jail’ as her sentence? Moreover, did the Ship of Theseus debate present the most Star Trek-esque moment in MCU history? Join Matt Carroll, Paul Hoppe, and me as we unravel the complex ethical quandaries posed by WandaVision.

Can mutants earn love and acceptance by embodying heroism? Is Magneto’s vision of peace through separation attainable? And does Charles truly have Jean’s best interests at heart, or is he protecting her from her powers and past for his own reasons?

What if the Batman narrative unfolded in the late 19th century? What if Superman championed the ideals of the Soviet Union, having landed there instead of the United States? What happens when narratives take our cherished characters and defy canon by placing them in entirely different times, settings, situations, or tones?

When you do the right thing and bad things happen, does it mean you made a mistake? Paul and Matthew delve into the concept of results-oriented thinking and examine how Johnny succumbs to this pitfall with respect to morality and consequences in Season 3 of Cobra Kai. We also discuss the repercussions of violence, question why no one receives therapy in the Miyagi-verse, and explore how a show that began as an interesting critique of 1980s action movies ended up emulating them in its third season.