Superhero Ethics

Will & Steve of the Hype is my Superpower Podcast join Paul and myself to talk about Ms. Marvel, Moonknight, and the way they are portrayed in comics vs on screen. You can hear more of Will and Steve on their podcast, Hype is My Superpower - https://hypeismysuperpower.podbean.com/

Paul & I's conversation on the latest season of Cobra Kai can be summed up as follows: Matthew: ok, this season really jumped the shark Paul: Look at all this cool stuff on the other side of the shark! Plus a stinger about training montages.

We continue our series on the ethics of AI by diving into Wargames, game theory, machine learning and the ethics of treating warfare as a game.

Rounders has long been one of Paul and I's favorite movie, so its fitting we're covering it for our 200th episode! We talk about poker itself, why this movie represents it so well, and all the ethical questions poker and the movie bring up. Never seen the movie, don't know anything about poker? No worries, we explain it all as we go.

Sometimes our podcast episodes are born out of careful planning and deliberation- and sometimes the stinger of one episode shift into a whole new conversation and we're recording a new episode (while continuously saying we just want to make one more point, then we'll stop.) At the end of a different episode we got into a discussion of how we can talk about topics that have become the targets of at...

Space: The Final Frontier. The Frontier has been an essential part of America's mythology from the beginning. It has led to exploration, adventure- and all the problems wrapped up in seeing 'undiscovered country' as a land where no white man has been. Prof Matthew Wilhelm Kapell joins Paul and myself to talk about the idea of the frontier, and the way Star Trek has engaged with it over so many dec...

Comic book nerd extraordinaire Jessica Plummer joins us to talk about ethical questions in She-Hulk, episodes 1 and 2. Does Abomination have a case? What's the importance of Jennifer having such a different relationship to being a Hulk than Bruce has? We dive into those questions and talk about She-Hulks origins in the business of comic books and how that effects her stories today. Jessica Plummer...

What would Uncle Ben think of She-Hulk not wanting to be a hero? Does she prove him wrong? Matthew Carroll on the MCUCast talked about an episode of this podcast where we discussed the question of great power and great responsibility and asked I repost it, so here it is, with a short discussion at the top of how She-Hulk continues this discussion. Enjoy, and stay tuned for our full episodes on She...

Where is the line between Canon and Continuity? Who defines canon, and what role does headcanon play? Paul and I dive into these questions.

PopCultureRabbi joins me to discuss the theology of Thor: Love & Thunder. What makes Gorr so relatable? Can a God who allows suffering be called good? What is theodicy, and how does this movie approach that question? No religion or theological background necessary to enjoy our discussion! My guest is Pop Culture Rabbi, who talks about Marvel, Star Wars, comics and pop culture on TikTok. You can al...

Can we find ethical questions to discuss in HarleyQuinn Season 3? Hells yes! Emily Cissel joins us, and Abby Neiman makes her first podcast appearance!

Does a single champion define a martial arts style? Do the high school, we have to fight it out, antics of Cobra Kai make more or less sense among adults? And can Paul and Matthew really find a way to connect Ip Man 4 and Cobra Kai 4? We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com Twitter: https://EthicalPanda77 Facebook: https://...

Stranded Panda regulars Emily Cissel and Zuhair Ali join me to talk Ms. Marvel & Representation. Zuhair Ali is one of the hosts of the Animation Deliberation Podcast, podcast dedicated to discussing and celebrating the best action focused animated series, cartoons and films. https://www.spreaker.com/show/animation-deliberation Emily Cissell is a middle school social studies teacher also known as a...

Andy Nelson, of the Next Reel and Marvel Movie Minute joins me to discuss Thor: Love & Thunder. We get into the questions the movie raised, the ones we wish it explored further and why one of us really enjoyed it, and the other- not so much. We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com Twitter: https://EthicalPanda77 Facebook: h...

Matthew takes a rare day off as Ashley, Paul, and Mark talk about the final two episodes of the penultimate season of Stranger Things. (Season 4, episodes 8 and 9.) Mark Garkusha is a podcaster and voice actor, including on Cast Die Podcast "if you need more D&D in your life." @MarkDmitri on all the social media things. Ashley Coffin has her own brand-new podcast, Bill & Ashley's Terror Theater (@...

What will it look like to bring the X-men into the MCU? How does the mutant framework change in a world already used to superpowers? Do we need to keep the Prof X/Magneto conflict, or are their other paradigms to explore? X-men X-pert Miles Stokes joins Paul and myself to dive into it! Miles Stokes is one half of Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, a weekly podcast that endeavors to walk listeners thro...

D&D podcaster and expert Mark Garkusha joins Ashley and myself to talk Strange Things Season 4 (1st half?) Mark Garkusha is an actor, voice artist, writer, and lifelong nerd. You can find him on instagram and twitter as @markdmitri and his D&D/TTRPG cast as @castdiepodcast We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com Twitter: ht...

Paul and I talk about the value placed on human life at different ages, in our own society and that of the stories we love. Is the death of a child more tragic than the death of an adult? Does a story need to show us a child in danger to establish emotional stakes? And why do so many heroes have dead parents? We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Ma...

We're talking about The Boys, season 3, Episode 1, with Matthew Carroll and Ashley Coffin. Check out the PandaVision podcast for our coverage of every episode of Season 3 of The Boys. We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com Twitter: https://EthicalPanda77 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEthicalPanda Or go to our websi...

Lets talk celebrities- or more specifically, why is everyone else talking about celebrities. Is there a trial of some kind going on, and should it impact how we feel about Aquaman 2? Why does the name Kathleen Kennedy evoke such strong feelings in certain parts of the Star Wars fandom,. and what role does misogyny, racism, and other issues play in the narratives that get formed around celebrities...

Mental health played a big part in Moon Knight, and we brought in an expert to talk about it. Saron Bryan, LCSW, returns to the show and joins Paul, Will, and myself, to talk about dissociative identity disorder (DID), how the show portrays it, and what better understanding it can tell us about Marc, Stephen, and the show. Saron Bryan is a therapist in Athens, Georgia who primarily serves queer, p...

Catherine Rae joins us to discuss the Twilight story, its toxic understandings of relationships, and her reading habits at age 14. We talk about why these books and movies are both so toxic and so popular, the ways we dismiss the things that young girls love, and what it means to have a problematic fav(orite). Catherine Rae is a thirsty and proud member of the Stranded Panda Embarrassment. She is...

We're wrapping up our coverage of Moon Knight, and talking about Episode 6! With Paul and Will This episode is made possible in part by Manscaped! Get 20% OFF + Free Shipping with promo code HEROETHICS at MANSCAPED.com!

We're diving into some heavy topics as we talk about Moon Knight, episode 5! This episode is made possible in part by Manscaped! Get 20% OFF + Free Shipping with promo code HEROETHICS at MANSCAPED.com!

Is The Batman a Hamlet story? The Joker an Iago? I’m joined by Austin Tichenor (he/him), artistic director of the award winning Reduced Shakespeare Company as we talk about the Bard’s approach to villains, and storytelling in general, and how we see those same themes in the stories we love today. Austin Tichenor (he/him) is an actor, playwright, and the artistic director of the award winning Reduc...