Jessica Plummer is back to talk Birds of Prey! What happens when Margot Robbie gets to make a Harley movie HER way? Can you be a villain who only punches up? And Is this the cinematic equivalent of a compliment in the bathroom from a drunk girl? Jessica Plummer lives in New York and loves Superman very very much. You can listen to just how much on her Superman podcast, Flights and Tights ( http://flightsandtights.libsyn.com/) . She also writes about comics and books in general at BookRiot.com ( ...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 45 min
As promised, I've been working overtime to bring you content to help get though social isolation, or to keep you company while you're one of the essential jobs we're all so grateful for. We've got episodes coming soon on Birds of Prey, The Ethics of Q, from Star Trek, and many more. Over on the Bingers Assemble podcast, Matt Carroll and I have started a special quarantine project on the TV show Altered Carbon. I wanted to share that with you all, as we go deep on a lot of ethical issues, so here...
Mar 26, 2020•47 min
Today’s episode is bittersweet as it marks Jacob’s last as co-host. To give him a proper send off, we’re diving into a topic he’s been eager to talk about- using mind control to make people stop doing bad things, in particular in the video game, Persona 5. Is altering, or even completely changing, someone’s brain, a morally appropriate way to stop people from hurting others? If so, what acts justify it, and who decides? What does mind reprogramming look like as punishment in Babylon 5 and for Pr...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 40 min
Episode 83 - Who Watches the Watchers who Watch the Watchmen? Who are heroes accountable to, is a question we frequently explore on this show. In this episode, we dive into the movie and comic book* versions of The Watchmen and its interesting take on the question of accountability. What happens when so called heroes shrug and watch as their friends do terrible things? Would the threat of alien invasion bring peace to our planet? And is anyone in this story remotely heroic? *Jacob had not seen t...
Mar 05, 2020•1 hr 38 min
We cheer when our heroes give an evil bad guy their much deserved fate. But what happens when our hero has to fight someone who isn’t evil, they are just in our hero’s way? Should more heroes be like Jessica Jones? Should it matter to our hero if the person they are fighting is being mind controlled, or lied to or it is otherwise not their fault? Should it matter to the audience? You can download the episode with a right click and clicking “save link as” or subscribe by searching for Superhero E...
Feb 16, 2020•1 hr 39 min
We’re on the road again, and we’re looking back at 2019! As we did last year, we’re looking back at 2019- what were the best ethical questions raised, what are our hopes for genre media in 2020, and what are we concerned about? Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you! You can post questions, or respond to our episode threads in our Superhero Ethics Facebook Group, or talk to us on the podcas...
Feb 06, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Picard, the new Star Trek show is about to launch and we’ve got questions! Matt Carroll, of the MCU and Star Trek Universe Podcasts joins Matthew to discuss the ethical questions we think Picard will explore. Has Data’s fear of a race of slave androids come to pass? Are the Borg still the enemy? What questions will the Borg and the Androids raise about who is a person? What has decades of war and the threat of war done to the Federation, and will this show feel more like the Star Trek than many ...
Jan 20, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Now that we’ve all seen Rise of Skywalker, we’ve brought Becky back to talk about it! On our last episode, the three of us talked about the ethical questions, hopes, and concerns we had going into this movie- this episode we revisit them, and ask, how did this movie address them? What happened with the Jedi? Did Rey get the character arc she deserved? And does Hanukkah Harry use the same merit based system of gift to child allocation that Santa Claus does? We’re pleased to have Becky Allen join ...
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 53 min
With just two days left before the release of Star Wars Episode IX, we’ve got theories! Can force users find a third path, neither Jedi or Sith? What does the future hold for Rey, Leia, Finn, and the rest of them? And how much respect will JJ Abrams have for the choices Rian Johnson made in The Last Jedi? We’re pleased to have Becky Allen join us for this discussion. Becky Allen is the author of Bound by Blood and Sand and the sequel, Freed by Flame and Storm. She grew up outside Ithaca, New Yor...
Dec 18, 2019•2 hr 3 min
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 great way to get an overview of all that has come up till now, as well as get into some good debates over...
Dec 05, 2019•1 hr 42 min
“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 character, whose portrayals span the range from wacky kids show villain to abuse survivor to kinky sex symbol...
Nov 20, 2019•1 hr 30 min
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 this episode, Jacob and Matthew dive into this complicated set of issues. Instead of offering answers...
Oct 24, 2019•1 hr 37 min
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 librarian. For more from her, check out morgantriesinsta on Instagram and Mtgvalkyrie on Twitter Want to ...
Oct 10, 2019•1 hr 54 min
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 aficionados who got Jacob and Matthew interested, Tim Aubel and Addison Fox. Tim spends a lot of ti...
Sep 20, 2019•1 hr 34 min
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 link as” or subscribe by searching for Superhero Ethics on Itunes or on Stitcher Want to continue the di...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr
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 discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? We’ve...
Jul 31, 2019•1 hr 32 min
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 McKenzie as a Bondsmith Steve Peterman as a Windrunner Here are the links mentioned in the episode: For mor...
Jun 28, 2019•1 hr 56 min
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 continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own ...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 30 min
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 important notes- we had some technical difficulties near the end, and by the time we got Jessic...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 22 min
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 2, but for now, enjoy this wide ranging episode about the moral traps heroes can find themselves in....
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 22 min
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 studio and with an actual outline, soon, but we got into some great questions this time we think you w...
Apr 11, 2019•1 hr 40 min
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 thoughts? We’ve got options for you! You can post questions, or respond to our episode threads in our Super...
Mar 28, 2019•1 hr 32 min
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, or want to add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you! You can post questions, or respond to ...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 32 min
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. Jonah cares far too much about Star Wars, particularly the extended universe. When not ranting, he can...
Mar 04, 2019•1 hr 22 min
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 examines. Whether you are a hard core Orvillian, or never seen the show, there is a lot here to thi...
Feb 15, 2019•1 hr 21 min
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 can understand the questions the show raises that we are diving into. ALSO! This is the first new* epi...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 11 min
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 Itunes or on Stitcher. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let ...
Jan 14, 2019•1 hr 45 min
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 listen to just how much on her Superman podcast, Flights and Tights ( http://flightsandtights.libsyn...
Dec 12, 2018•1 hr 31 min
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, history, father-son and mother-daughter relationships, and whether Harlem needs a hero or a king. We reco...
Nov 20, 2018•1 hr 18 min
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, Jess Dunks. Jess is a former USAF Korean Linguist and a professional level judge for Magic: the Gatheri...
Nov 08, 2018•2 hr 1 min
