Superhero Ethics

Paul, Ashley, and Matthew team up to talk about The Witcher, Season 2! In this episode we cover episodes 1-2 of the second season. We'll have 3 more episodes coming soon, covering the rest of the season.

This episode was recorded for Pandavision, but we're having trouble uploading so I'm posting it here as well. Season 2 of The Witcher just went up, and we're helping you get ready for it! Ashley Coffin, Paul Hoppe, and Matthew Fox talk complete our primer on Season 1.

Paul and Matthew jump into ethical questions from the 2nd half of the live action CowBoy BeBop!

We're talking about Season 2, episode 1-2. SO many character reveals!

What happens when a pastor and a pastor's kid talk about the ethics of church leadership, using faith to justify terrible things, and vampires? Matthew and Matt Carroll get into all the ethical questions raised by Netflix's Midnight Mass

Let's talk Cowboy BeBop, episodes 1-5. Are Spike and Jet heroes. anti-heroes, or something else? What's going on in this post earth society? Paul and I jump into these questions and more.

Would you disturb an ant-hill to build a garden or something else you needed? What if humanity was the ant-hill? Is it better to force people to do good things, or let them do terrible ones? Eternals raised some great questions, and Pete Wright of The Next Reel joins me to explore them.

Could the Jedi have been saved? Was their downfall inherent in their structure, their rules, their repression? Did Anakin just need a good HR officer to take his complaints to? Rob and Jonah join me to talk about the fall of the Jedi, and how we might have rebuilt the order.

Let's talk multiverses! Paul Hoppe and I dive into the questions raised by telling stories in a multiverse. Note- this episode may be a bit controversial, as both of us are not as gung-ho as many others about the way the multiverse is playing out in the MCU. This episode is NOT an attempt to argue with people who are loving the multiverse, or to shame them or to in any way question that. If you're...

Is there such a thing as benevolent colonialism as Duke Leto tries? How does Dune explore the idea of a messiah, and the way those effect and are effected by Paul, the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen? My friend and former colleague from my days as a pastor, Chris McArdle, joins me to dive into these topics and more. Chris McArdle is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ who serves the F...

Ashley and I continue our discussion of True Blood, covering S1 Eps 5-8 on this 2nd episode of Superhero Ethics After Dark! 18+ only please.. This week I am on my honeymoon, so this will be the only Superhero Ethics episode. But most of the time, After Dark will be a bonus episode, not a replacement for the normal weekly episode. Superhero Ethics After Dark is a new series where Ashley and I will...

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.