Superhero Ethics

Is fighting crime the best use of a superhero’s powers? Is there a better way for Bruce Wayne to spend his money to make Gotham a safer place? And who is the superhero for the people in the suburbs?

Should Superman kill President Lex Luthor? What should superheroes do when supervillains are elected by the people? Tune in as Paul and Matthew do their best to get themselves on an FBI watchlist by exploring these questions and more, along with a surprise guest appearance halfway through!

Contains spoilers for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and episodes of The Justice League.

Was Astra right in Supergirl Season 1, that some terrible acts can be justified in order to save the world? Is there some value to authoritarianism if it leads to solving our problems? Should we just put the scientists in charge?

More on Luke Cage & identity, along with the upcoming Iron Fist and Dr. Strange.

With the launch of Luke Cage, we discuss identity politics and the significance of a black bulletproof hero in today’s world.

We had a lot to say on the topic, so this is part 1 of 2.

Dr. Greg Haley, a lifelong fan with a doctorate in rhetoric and identity construction, joins us this week to discuss the ethics of mind-reading. We’ll focus on Professor X, the Jedi, and Babylon 5.

Do Chitauri lives matter? We analyze how superhero movies and TV shows justify who the heroes can kill, and how it relates to our own world.

This week, Paul returns to talk about revenge. Why do we cheer when Inigo Montoya finally gives the six-fingered man what he deserves in The Princess Bride, yet think Frank Castle is wrong in Daredevil? Major spoilers for Daredevil, The Princess Bride, and more.

A deep dive into the new Suicide Squad movie, exploring how it deconstructs the good guy/bad guy binary.

Part 2 of my discussion with Paul Christopher Hoppe about Batman.