Superhero Ethics

Hollywood Strike? ScarJo vs. DIsney? What's a fan to think and do? I'm joined by 3 friends from the The Next Reel podcast network, all of whom are industry professionals, to discuss what is happening and how it effects what we choose to watch. Here is the petition we discussed during the show: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-amptp-to-make-a-deal-with-behind-the-scenes-workers Mandy Fabian...

A homeland for the X-men and all mutants? Should mutants be thought of as their own nation? Does this mean Magneto won? Will and Steve from Hype is my Superpower Podcast join me to discuss these questions and more as we talk about the Krakoa story line in X-Men comics. Never read the comics- neither have I! We use them as a jumping off point to discuss the characters and issues on both screen and...

What are the questions that come up when we militarize space? Is there a problem when you show up to a first contact in ship loaded with weapons? Who makes decisions when messages to the civilian oversight back home take days or weeks to be delivered? Rob McKenzie is back to talk about these issues and more in Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate and sci-fi fiction. We recommend a number of b...

Welcome to our first episode of Superhero Ethics After Dark! 18+ only please.. Ashley and I are discussing True Blood, the HBO series about Vampires coming out of the Coffin in rural Louisiana, starting with Season 1, Episodes 1-4. We talk about the ethics of Vampires, is Sookie compassionate or naïve, all the ways this show is a metaphor for issues in our own world, and can Ashley talk about anyt...

What morality do you develop if no one ever tells you no? Do you learn not to hurt people, when you can always change their emotions? Will and Steve of Hype is my Superpower join me to discuss these issues on page and screen with a focus on Purple Man from Jessica Jones and Empath from the X-Men. Check out Will's twitch channel: http://twitch.tv/sylverdreamer

We dive into the ethical questions from Shang Chi! Is Wenwu a villain, an antagonist or just the best Anakin Skywalker ever?

What if raises so many great ethical questions and we're here to explore them! With Will and Steve of the Hype is my Superpower Podcast! https://hypeismysuperpower.podbean.com/

Batman may face down the Joker, Cap was ready to take on Thanos by himself- but no hero is braver than the middle school teacher! Social Studies teacher and long time Panda Emily Cissell joins us to talk about how she uses comic books in her classroom. Emily Cissell is a middle school social studies teacher also known as a real life superhero. She has a borderline obsession with Captain Marvel, Lo...

What happens when Robin goes out on their own? Jessica Plummer joins me to discuss Tim Drake coming out as queer, Dick Grayson wrestling with the effects of growing up Robin and Jason Todd trying to find his way out of Dick's shadow. Jess has a new book out, and if you buy it through this link you get a discount, and help support the podcast! https://bookshop.org/books/sword-stone-table-old-legend...

Paul Hoppe and Jessica Plummer join me to discuss ethical questions in The Suicide Squad! Jess has a new book out, and if you buy it through this link you get a discount, and help support the podcast! https://bookshop.org/books/sword-stone-table-old-legends-new-voices/9780593081891?sscid=71k5_dqqyo&utm_source=ShareASale&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=2805314&utm_term=1535322&fbclid=IwAR3hbVPAI_...

The evil king is dead, the empire has fallen, the story is over! But what comes next? On this specially-commissioned episode, Paul Hoppe and I explore that question and many others that go into the making of sequels and prequels. This episode was commissioned by the 50th follower of Paul's Twitch Stream, freecplad3454. You can find Paul at twitch.tv/zenmadman, and if you're interested in commissio...

Paul joins me to talk Luka, and Raya and the Last Dragon! We dive into questions raised by each of these movies individually, as well as talking about why Kids Movies are so often dismissed, and the power that can be found in their version of storytelling. We go into questions like trust, identity, queer representation, and where legend and myth meet reality.

Did he who remains have to die? Did Loki miss the mark on queer representation? And how did the phrases Thank you Daddy Disney, and Schrodinger's Kang, make it into our episode? Paul Hoppe and Fox Kaye join me to discuss these questions and more.

Paul and Ashley join me to discuss ethical questions from Black Widow! We talk about character agency, the importance of this movie, and falling fortress fight fiascos.

Returning Guest Becky Allen joins us to discuss Shadow & Bone- the TV series, and the book it was based on. Even if you haven't seen the show or read the movie, there's lots to enjoy!

Our thirst episode, and the ongoing discussion of thirst and queerness has brought a lot of feedback and Ashley joined me to go over it. We talk about all the great support we've gotten, some of the negative comments that have come in and, amazingly, we kept our conversation under 35 minutes! (a bit longer with ads)

Paul and I are talking about deep ethical questions like- is it bad to genocide entire civilizations when they make choices you think are bad? What was the importance of Loki becoming canonically bi, and has the show addressed his gender fluidity? And no discussion of Loki would be complete without one of our old favorites- redemption arcs.

Its Pride month so we're talking queer representation in our sci-fi/fantasy/superhero stories. Why does representation matter? Why is it particularly important for the queer community, and why does Hollywood consistently do it so badly. We are joined by special guest Shiri Sondheimer. Shiri is a pansexual crone who rants about books and comics on Book Riot and the Roarbots. Her own short stories c...

Mail Bag! Paul and I dig into your feedback. Spoiler Warning- because we're answering specific questions about different stories we've covered and there are a lot of spoilers, below are the different topics we cover, with the time it starts and when the next one starts, so you can skip ahead to not be spoiled. 3:20 Invincible 28:46 Who can be a guest 45:06Avatar the Last Airbender 54:28: The ethic...

Should Superheroes promise to never kill? Is killing in the heat of battle the same as killing a supervillain so they cannot do harm again? We look at these questions and more in a discussion of Jupiter's Legacy and other stories. If you haven't seen Jupiter's Legacy, don't worry- neither has one of our guests! We use the show as a jumping off point, to focus on the topic itself. With Paul Hoppe a...

Ashley Coffin joins us for a discussion on the ethics of thirst in fandom.

What makes Matt Murdoch decide to become Daredevil? What troubles his conscience, and his faith, about putting on the mask, and how does the on screen version of those questions differ from that in the comic books. Will and Steve of the Hype is my Superpower join us for the first in our On Screen & Page series, in which we will look at characters and questions and compare how they are addressed in...

Zuhair Ali of the Animation Deliberation Podcast joins us to discuss ethical questions from Invincible, Season 1, a show that takes many of the common superhero tropes, and turns them on them on their head. Whether or not you've seen the show, there is a lot of great topics for any fan of superheroes to enjoy.

Can you be a hero while part of a mafia, gang, tong, or cartel? Paul and I use the HBO show Warrior to explore that question and more.

Comics Code gets ignored, teen angst and diversity in our heroes and Wonder Woman on the cover of Ms. Magazine -The Bronze Age of comic books was a wild time. Jessica Plummer returns to talk with me about this fascinating chapter in comic book history.