Meet The Guests

Paul Hoppe

The Un-Tropes of Queen’s Gambit

Paul and I talk about tropes in our favorite movies and shows, using the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit as our launch point. What makes a trope annoying or problematic, and where can they be helpful to a story, especially one involving superheroes? How does The Queen’s Gambit both embrace and subvert tropes in ways that make it such an engaging story? And we ponder the question: Is chess a superpower?

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The Boys • Ethics of Season 2

Season 2 of The Boys has wrapped up, and we’re diving into some of the ethical questions it raised. When superheroes are the product, who holds the real power? How did this season hold up a mirror to questions in our own world? And what role will AOC… I mean Congresswoman Neuman play in season 3—will she be an anti-hero, or the new big bad?

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Mercy, Honor, and Karate in Cobra Kai

Paul and Matthew dive into the Karate Kid ‘verse with the hit TV show Cobra Kai. What does it mean to be a bully or a hero, and how do we lock ourselves, and others, into those boxes? What happens when the victim gains enough power to become a bully themselves? Is physical violence an ethical response to verbal bullying?

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Villains vs. Systems

You’ve killed the evil queen—but what happens to the kingdom? Does the evil gang/company/movement just go away when you kill their leader? And if your goal is to kill that leader, is it your responsibility to come up with a plan for what happens next?

Paul joins Matthew to dive into these questions and more. We use Avatar: Legend of Korra as a jumping-off point and look at how the questions are addressed in a number of ‘verses.

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Transforming Ethics

What happens when the revolution ends, and it’s time to give up power? Is there value to fighting with honor? And what is a robot society like when they are the only form of life?

Paul and Matthew dive into these questions and more. Their conversation starts with Transformers: War for Cybertron, but no matter how much or little you know about Transformers, the discussion has plenty to explore.

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Avengers Accountability

Who should Tony Stark answer to for Ultron? What about Scarlet Witch, for the events in Nigeria? Who should the Avengers be accountable to, and were the Sokovia Accords reasonable? Paul and I discuss issues of accountability across many of the Avengers movies and wrestle with the age-old question—Team Tony, or Team Cap.

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All-Star Guest Line-Up

For our milestone 100th episode, we assembled a panel of FIVE distinguished guests for a riveting discussion on some of our favorite ethical quandaries. Who should heroes answer to? What defines a compelling villain? And in these trying times, would it be ethical for a person with mind-control powers to compel universal mask-wearing until the pandemic’s conclusion?

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