Superhero Ethics

Star Wars Ethics - Ranking the Movies and TV Shows!   This is a special cross over episode between Superhero Ethics and Matthew’s new Star Wars universe Podcast. Matthew and original superhero ethics podcast co-host Paul Hoppe, look back at all of the Star Wars movies and TV shows to date, ranking them and talking about what we loved or didn't love, and the questions they raise. We hope this a gre...

“By all means, keep selling Mad Love. But do you have to sell it as a coloring book?” Jessica Plummer, “A Close Look at the Paradox of Harley Quinn” in BookRiot.  Harley Quinn has quickly become one of the most popular, and the most controversial, characters in comic book media. Returning guest and comic book nerd and critic extraordinaire joins us for an in depth look at this fascinating characte...

What should you do when your favorite author turns out to be a transphobe? When your childhood favorite movie has a cringe-worthy romance? When the star of the movie you where really excited for gets called out for being awful? How do we separate the art from the artist, and should we? How do we draw the lines of what we can or cannot accept, and how we will spend our money and our attention? In t...

This week, we are joined by special guest Morgan Wentworth as we discuss the ins and outs of superhero dating! Should heroes only date other heroes? What are the problems with trying to ‘protect’ your love by making decisions for them? And why do so many superheroes gaslight their love interests in order to protect their secret identity? Morgan Wentworth is a long time gamer and a soon to be libra...

This episode, we’re talking about the ethics of professional wrestling- both the stories themselves, and the meta questions about wrestling as entertainment. How far can or should a heel go, before it becomes a problem? Can wrestling storylines be cathartic for the performers? What role do performers have in picking their story, and so many more! This episode, we are joined by two of the wrestling...

How many kings could a kingpin king, if a kingpin could king pins? Jacob and Matthew are talking Spiderverse! What are the ethical questions about multiple dimensions and the role of destiny, or fate? What makes this movie so important, and so damn good? How do these spiderfolk approach the question of a hero’s responsibility? You can download the episode with a right click  and clicking “save lin...

Jacob and Matthew put on their house robes, pick up their quills and talk Potter! We’re talking Wizard-Muggle relations, the house system and whether Slytherins are all evil, and if Hermonie’s quest to save the House Elves is noble, colonialist, or a mix of both! To make this episode accessible to Potter fans of all ages, we made a point to keep our language PG this time.  Want to continue the dis...

  One returning and one new guest join besieged host Jacob Milicic to discuss the Knights Radiant, from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives, and where different heroes and villains from the MCU and other media would best fit? How do the Knights Radiant work?  What kind of heroes fall in the framework of the 10 orders?  What order of knights is Nick Fury? Loki? Javert?!? Guest Starring: Rob McK...

Ep 70 - The Ethics of Endgames The game is at an end but the debates are just beginning! What did we love, and what left us scratching our heads? What happens when killing the bad guy doesn’t change anything? Did Tony get the plot arc he deserved? Did Thor, or Natasha? And who did time travel better- The Avengers, or Marty McFly? Spoiler Warning for Avengers: Endgame and the entire MCU! Want to co...

Ep 69: A Punishing Take on Heroism, & Moral Agency In Season 1, Punisher raised some hard questions about vengeance, justice, and why audiences enjoy revenge fantasy. How did season 2 measure up? Does Frank have any accountability for the people he puts in danger? And did the world need another Harleyesque plot where a therapist bangs her dangerous patient, and the writers try to make it sexy? Two...

What does co-dependence look like in a superhero?  Should heroes compromise their own ethics for the sake of the people they love? And can Matthew escape the wrath of the EZ Pass machine he offended? On our drive back from Cleveland, we once again took advantage of the drive to bring you a car talk episode, recorded on a phone in a car. Next episode we go back to the studio to talk Punisher Season...

How do you honor the rights of all in a society where some people have great powers, and others do not? What responsibility is it fair to put on those with great power, if any? And can Jacob and Matthew record a podcast, and a caraoke song, while zooming down a highway? We took advantage of another long car trip to bring you a car talk episode, recorded on a phone in a car. We’ll be back in the st...

What made the Netflix MCU different from most other ways of telling superhero stories? What questions were raised by Daredevil S3 and Iron Fist S2? And what happens when Jacob and Matthew are actually supposed to talk Netflix MCU, instead of just constantly going there on tangents? Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thought...

Ep 65: The Angry Hero Is anger a righteous trait in a hero, or a dangerous one? Who gets to be angry, and who how does race and gender play into it? Where is the line between anger and hate, and what is the relationship between anger and power? Jacob and Matthew dive into these questions and more on this episode. Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about,...

Are the Sith the mustache twirling villains the initially appear to be, or is there a method to their madness? Where did the Jedi go wrong? Are emotions something to be held back, or fully embraced in a space wizard, and how did the Jedi and Sith codes inform each other? Jacob and Matthew jump into these questions, with the help of friend and fellow Star Wars Nerd Extraordinaire, Jonah Kellman. Jo...

Is Star Trek’s concept of the Prime Directive the only ethical way for one culture to act toward a less developed one? What are the rewards, and dangers, in intervening? And what do you do when someone builds an entire religion around you doing one nice thing? In this episode, Jacob and Matthew look at Mad Idolatry, the final episode of Season 1 of the Orville, and dig into the larger questions it...

Order or Chaos, or is that a false dichotomy? What are the dangers of one culture trying to guide and support the growth of another? Is Babylon 5 an allegory for the Cold War? In this episode, we take on these questions and more, as we look at the Vorlons and the Shadows from Babylon 5. There will be spoilers galore, but even if you have never seen the show, we will bring you up to speed so you ca...

Ep 61: 2018 Year in Review 2018 was one hell of a year, and Jacob and Matthew go deep on some of their favorite characters and questions from the year that was. We re-examine old questions, talk about what we learned this year, and what we are excited to see in 2019. You can download the episode with a right click  and clicking "save link as" or subscribe by searching for Superhero Ethics on Itune...

The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. Why do we tell so many stories about the two of them together? How do their approaches to justice differ, and why does that matter? Do they work best as enemies, allies, or in their own worlds? Special guest Jessica Plummer joins Jacob and Matthew to discuss these questions and more! Jessica Plummer lives in New York and loves Superman very very much. You can...

Need something to listen to on the long car trip home? Want a distraction from talking to your racist uncle or having to hear about your cousin's new get rich quick scheme? We've got a podcast for you! Jacob and Matthew are pretty grateful for the newest season of Luke Cage, and on this episode we dive into why we liked the show and some of the questions it brought up. We talk about revenge, histo...

Is Superman a product of nature or nurture? This episode looks at the Red Son story, which imagines an alternative future in which Kal-El landed in the USSR, and grew up to fight for Truth, Justice, and the Communist Way. We ask how Superman would be changed by being raised in a different culture, and what that tells us about his core ideals, and ours.  This episode also features special guest, Je...

What can you learn from the no-win scenario? Is Star Fleet a military organization? And are those REALLY Ricardo Montalbán's pec muscles. Jacob & Matthew watched Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and then talked about the ethical questions it raised. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! We recently started a Superhero Ethics Facebook Group, whic...

Jacob and Matthew are just a little excited about the upcoming new season of Daredevil. They dive into some of the questions they hope to see explored in this new season, such as did time in prison change Wilson Fisk, why was Veronica such an important character, and will we see more of her, and why Matt’s faux death at the end of Defenders bothered us so much. Agree or disagree with what we talke...

Does a Superhero movie need a good fight scene? Jacob and Matthew look at the role of physical violence in the stories we love, asking questions of both the characters and the writers.  Can you tell a hero story without violence? Do our heroes too often resort to their fists? And why do so many heroes see fighting as flirtation? You can download the episode with a right click  and clicking "save l...

What better place to discuss the cross country antics of the Winchester Brothers than the open road? While driving cross country, Jacob and Matthew took some time to talk Supernatural, examining the moral value of different kinds of non-humans, the relationship between Sam and Dean, and their willingness to make any and all sacrifices to save each other. Our schedules haven’t allowed us the chance...