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, which is the best way to join in the conversations. You can also find us on Twitter or email us at s...
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 43 min
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 talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! We recently started a Superhero Ethics Faceb...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 19 min
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 link as" or subscribe by searching for Superhero Ethics on Itunes or on Stitcher. Agree or disagree wit...
Sep 20, 2018•1 hr 25 min
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 to record under our normal conditions, and while talking about Supernatural while driving down the ...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Jacob and Matthew explore the second season of Jessica Jones on a number of levels, looking at the decisions of both the characters and the writers. How should the law treat someone like Alissa? What responsibility does Jessica hold for her mother’s actions? How do we view Trish’s actions, and the writers' decisions to put so much conflict between her and Jessica? You can download the episode with a right click and clicking "save link as" or subscribe by searching for Superhero Ethics on Itunes ...
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 19 min
This week, we take a step back from the things we are fans of, to talk about fandom itself. What rights or ownership do we as fans have over the properties we love? What is the interaction between media, and the fan-created things it inspires, such as fan fiction? And why do fan responses to media sometimes turn so horribly toxic? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us at superheroethics@gmail....
Jul 26, 2018•1 hr 30 min
This week we dive into questions from our listeners and fans! inspired by our friends at the MCUCast, we start with a lengthy discussion about Kingpin and The Punisher, what separates them and what makes them similar. Why do we cheer for one, and root for the other to be taken down, or do we? From there we dive into listener questions about Civil War, Cap, the portrayal of mental illness in genre fiction and a number of other topics. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add yo...
Jul 10, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Here it is, our 50th episode! All three hosts, Paul, Jacob, and Matthew, come together to re-examine some of our favorite questions and discussions from past episodes. We talk about the Joker, different ways of understanding violence, when heroes can or should kill, humorous vs. serious portrayals of heroes, and plan for the eventual ascension of our robot overlords. You can download the episode with a right click and clicking "save link as" or subscribe by searching for Superhero Ethics on Itun...
Jun 26, 2018•1 hr 33 min
What makes someone a hero? Does it matter if they choose their path is chosen, or it is assigned to them? Does a hero have to have something terrible happen to them, to inspire them to become heroic? And which villains come the closest to being heroes in their own right? To celebrate our 50th episode, we got all three hosts, Paul, Matthew, and Jacob, on the line to look back at some of our past discussions. Unfortunately, there were technical issues, and we lost a lot of that conversation. We wi...
Jun 06, 2018•32 min
*** SPOILER WARNING *** Even our show notes have spoilers Is Cap’ right to claim “We don’t trade lives?” Could Thanos have been stopped if our heroes made different choices? What role does hubris play when heroes don’t want to make tough choices? And how much of an idiot was Peter Quill? In this episode, Jacob and Matthew dive deep into the questions that came out of Avengers: Infinity War, exploring Thanos himself, the various ways the Avengers tried to stop him, and our hopes for where things ...
May 17, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Should the heroes who enforce justice, also decide what is or isn’t just? Where are the lines between heroism, vigilantism, or just using your powers to do what you want? And does great power actually come with great responsibility, or is that too much to ask of people with powers? In this episode, Jacob and Matthew use Kingdom Come, a fantastic 1996 run of Superman comic books, as a jumping off point to dive into these questions and more. This episode explores questions around justice, power, l...
May 02, 2018•1 hr 12 min
What is the responsibility of a filmmaker to stay true to a book? What is the problem with 'girl as prize' romance plotlines? And is it possible Jacob and Matthew enjoyed the movie of a book they are so critical of? This week, Jacob and Matthew throw down their quarters for a two player, two part, deep dive. They start out talking about the book and their hopes and concerns about the movie- than hit pause, watch the movie, and finish recording the podcast that same night! We dove into a number o...
Apr 11, 2018•1 hr 26 min
In part 2 of our discussion with Author and Star Wars Geek Extraordinaire, Becky Allen, we dive into Rey’s Journey, explore Luke’s issues with the Jedi, and critique some of the critiques of the movie. You can find the first part of our discussion in our previous episode. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us at superheroethics@gmail.com Becky Allen is the author of Bound by Blood and Sand and...
Apr 03, 2018•1 hr 6 min
What is the narrative power of failure, and how is it used in The Last Jedi? What did we learn from Admiral Holdo and Po about power, and trusting leaders, and the role of gender in that? Author and Star Wars geek extrodinaire, Becky Allen, joins us again to discuss these questions and more. It turns out the three of us had a lot ot say on this topic, so this is only part 1, of a 2 part episiode! Stay tuned for part 2 to hit next week. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add ...
Mar 19, 2018•50 min
Should life always come before death? Should we favor the journey over the destination? And can there be an episode of Superhero Ethics without Matthew? In this episode, Jacob is joined by special guest Rob McKenzie for a discussion of The Way of Kings, book 1 in the Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson. In particular, they focus on the oaths of the Knights Radiant, discussing the ethical implications of this moral code within the book, and as it applies to other stories, and the real world....
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 16 min
What makes Netflix’s The Punisher so good, and so troubling, at the same time? Can you tell a story about the evils of guns and violence, while glorifying gun violence? And can anyone explain the concept of collateral damage to Karen? Special guest Jessica Plummer joins Jacob and Matthew as we dive into these questions and more. Jessica is a writer, podcaster, and superhero obsessive. She's written about the Punisher here and here. You can find her on Twitter at @jess_plummer, or follow her Supe...
Feb 12, 2018•1 hr 6 min
A hero is supposed to be devoted. To their country, to their cause, to their friends- whatever it may be, heroes are often defined by the thing they are willing to go to any extreme to protect and defend. But what happens when that goes too far? On this episode, Jacob and Matthew discuss the costs of devotion, looking at the ways a cause can blind a person to the damage it is doing, to themself or to others. This post contains spoilers about Captain America, Babylon 5, the Punisher, the 100, and...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 5 min
What happens when social media and public opinion rule the world? How does an all-male species react to the birth of female child? And can Seth McFarland leave behind the problems of much of his earlier writing. Like the Star Trek shows it pays homage to, The Orville uses science fiction to hold a mirror to our own world. Matthew and Jacob explore this show, the questions it raises, and some of their concerns about t. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts?...
Jan 09, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Jacob and Matthew take a look back at 2017, talking about our favorite characters and ethical questions from the year, and where we think we dropped the ball. We also look ahead to 2018, talking about what we are most excited about and what we are most concerned about, in terms of movies and TV coming to us in the next year. As we wrap up the year, here are some of the other content creators we think you should check out! Becky Allen: She was our guest on our episode on Star Wars and the Hero’s ...
Dec 29, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Thor: Ragnarok is pretty and fun, but there’s nothing here that we can dive into for an episode, right? Challenge accepted! This week we explore a number of from and about Thor. We talk about Odin’s revisionist history, and the evolving relationship between Thor and Loki. We also talk about the value of movies that don’t hit us with deep ethical questions, and how that balances with our love of heavier fare. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us kn...
Dec 12, 2017•48 min
From the Justice League to the Avengers, we know that heroes work best in teams. And sometimes the obnoxious brilliant guy does have the best idea. But both of those things can also go wrong. Join us as we dive into questions from the Magic the Gathering storyline, tying them into larger questions that are pervasive in geek literature and culture. Jacob and I are joined by Lee Henderson. Lee is a Level 2 judge in the Magic the Gathering world, an avid gamer, and all around nerd. Agree or disagre...
Nov 22, 2017•1 hr 11 min
All three of our hosts, Matthew, Jacob, and Paul, come together to talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender. We take a deep dive into a number of characters, including Aang, Toph, and Uncle Iroh, examine the way the show portrayed martial arts and alternatives to violence, and why this such is beloved by so many. Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us at superheroethics@gmail.com...
Nov 08, 2017•1 hr 14 min
This week, I'm joined by special guest Matt Carroll as we take a deep dive into the character of Tony Stark. What responsiblity does he hold for Ultron, and what lessons has he learned? Did he have a point in Civil War? And is mentoring Spiderman his way of working out his daddy issues? Matt Carroll is one of the co-hosts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast. You can find them on any podcast platform by searching for MCUcast. Matt is also a musician. Check out his band, Matt Carroll and the ...
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr 11 min
For some time, we have been given villains whose actions need no explanation-- they're just "crazy." The aftermath of the Vegas shooting reminds us how strong the stigma against mental illness still is in this country, a
Oct 11, 2017•1 hr 15 min
What can Captain America teach us about Kapernick, and vice versa? Are heroes just on screen, or can we have heroes in our own world? And what happens when our heroes fall from grace? Note- we added a brief addendum to address an issue that came up in our discussion. Thank you again to our fans for your feedback, both when we do well and when we stumble.
Sep 27, 2017•1 hr 10 min
Is Data a person? What about C-3P0 or Aida? Jacob and Matthew explore the ethical questions around artificial life.
Sep 12, 2017•1 hr 15 min
Would Daredevil share information about Nazis? Would Superman or Captain Mal? How would our heroes react to Charlottesville and what can that teach us?
Aug 30, 2017•1 hr 15 min
Babylon 5 is almost 20 years old, but the questions it raises about telepathy, fear, and how we treat the 'other' are still relevant. Jacob Milicic is our guest.
Aug 09, 2017•1 hr 4 min
The Hero's Journey is one of the strongest tropes in literature, and Star Wars its clearest example. How does this troupe limit our stories, and the messages we can take from it? What other kind of journeys and stories c
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 17 min
My guest this week is JP Fairfield, of the Nerdgasm Noire Network and Operation Cubicle podcasts. Together we explore the latest season of Arrow, Oliver’s bad choices, and why long suffering Quentin Lance deserves a b
Jul 24, 2017•1 hr 1 min
