Superhero Ethics

Paul Hoppe joins me to talk about Batman: The Long Halloween, an animated movie based on the comics run of the same name. Patrons get access to bonus content with every episode! To show your support for this podcast, and all things Ethical Panda, please join us at - https://www.patreon.com/theethicalpanda We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at Email: Matthe...

Ashley, Katy, & Mark join me to try and find the good parts in the first season of Willow. We had varied success, but we had a lot of fun talking about it! Ashley Coffin claims many titles, including Stranded Panda Supreme Leader, MCU Co-Host, Empress of all Things Thirst, F*ck Around & Find Out Enforcer, co-host of Bill & Ashley's Terror Theater, and frequent guest on both this and th...

Its been 10 years since Karl Urban kept his mask on for a full movie, but the questions that this story about police as judge, jury, & executioner raises continue to be relevant today. We talk about the movie, the issues it raises and how Karl Urban grunted so that Pedro Pascal could tilt his head.

Matthew and Paul talk about stuff they watched in 2022, as well as the future and history of Superhero Ethics. Paul Hoppe AKA ZenMadman lives in a cave on a mountain in the mind in Las Vegas, where they frequently talk about deleting all social media, yet can still be found at zenmadman.com and on Twitch, Twitter and YouTube as ZenMadman. They either will or won't start writing a bunch of stuff.

What happens when you mix Hebrew & Greco-Roman ideas of divinity into a single mythology? How does a story of a blessing for all become a center piece of consumerism? Prof Matthew Kappel joins me to talk about the Jesus birth narrative through the lens of mythology.

What is critical theory? Can we use it to analyze the superhero & sci-fi shows we love? Gabriel Cruz is an assistant professor of media studies at North Carolina Central University. He has a PhD in Media and Communication Studies from Bowling Green State University. His research areas include critical race, class, and gender analysis of superhero narratives as well as narrative analysis of whi...

With the new Willow series coming out we go back to the original, looking at one of the classic fantasy movies of the 80's- Willow! Mark Garkusha & Ashley Coffin, along with first time/long time Katy O'Leary Brennan join me to talk about epic storytelling, Val Kilmer in a pink skirt, and why this movie was an important part of our childhoods. Ashley Coffin claims many titles, including Stranded Pa...

Matthew and Paul discuss the Rings of Power and possibly write a better description at some point.

Ashley and Matthew discuss Dream, Desire and the rest of the Endless, Ashley's love for the sad goth boys, and Matthew's realization that much as they want to the brooding pretty boy, they will always be the bird who keeps the brooder company.

Jessica Plummer joins me to talk Black Adam! We talk about the ethical questions and international political issues the movie comments on, and whether any of it was intentional! Here are the links Jessica mentioned during our episode Hawkman: https://bookriot.com/hawkman/ Black Adam's first appearance: https://bookriot.com/first-appearance-flashback-black-adam/ Adrianna/Isis's history: https://boo...

Jessica Plummer and Paul Hoppe join me to mark the passing of a superhero acting legend by talking about what made Kevin Conroy's portrayal of Batman so iconic, and some of our favorite moments of his work. Jess mentioned a number of articles worth checking out, and here are the links. Kevin Conroy Obituary: https://bookriot.com/kevin-conroy-iconic-voice-of-batman-has-died/ Hawkman: https://bookri...

Ashley Coffin joins me to talk all things House of the Dragon.

Its a bird! Its a plan! Its... an animated movie about superpowered animals that raises a lot more questions, and a lot more laughs, than you might think. Matthew and Paul discuss DC Superpets, with a side of Appa's Lost Days.

Jess Plummer joins us to talk season 1 of She-Hulk!

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!