Superhero Ethics

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 recorded on the day of Stan Lee's death, so we also take a moment to pay tribute to the man who gave us so many of the stories we love and love to talk about.
**** SPOILER WARNING ****  This episode contains a lot of spoilers for Luke Cage Season 2. Do NOT listen unless you've already seen it or are ok with learning major plot details.
One important note- Jacob and Matthew are aware that the last thing the world needs is two more white guys talking about race and Luke Cage. As such, they were intentional in focusing on other issues, and want to encourage all of our listeners to check out some of the great black voices writing and podcasting about that. Below are just a few options, but there is a lot of great stuff out there.
Blackness, Birthright, and the Battle for Harlem: Intra-Racial Conflict in Marvel’s Luke Cage Season Two by Nicosia Shakes, The Black Scholar
Luke Cage’ Season 2 Taps into Black Consciousness by Christina Santi, Ebony Magazine
Sweet Christmas in Summer: A ‘Luke Cage’ Season Two Endorsement by Shawn Taylor, Nerds of Color
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 [email protected]

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 Gathering events. He's also been a fan of superhero stories ever since he found a comic book store he could walk to when he was 12, and his favorite hero is Boo, the only Miniature Giant Space Hamster in the Realm.
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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 Facebook Group, which is the best way to join in the conversations. You can also find us on Twitter or email us at [email protected]

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 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 [email protected]
This is the voter registration website we mentioned during the PSA at the end.

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 highway seems rather fitting, we know that the sound quality is a lot lower than what we like to provide you. Thank you for bearing with us, and we will be back to our normal recording conditions (and sound quality!) for our next episode.
Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or want to add your own thoughts? Let us know! We recently started a Facebook Group, which is the best way to join in the conversations. You can also find us on Twitter or email us at [email protected]

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 or on Stitcher.
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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 your own thoughts? Let us know! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us at [email protected]

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 Itunes or on Stitcher.
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 [email protected]
Also of note- we were a bit punchy for this episode. It led to a great, and funny, discussion, but also a few slips of the tongue- including Matthew’s references at various points to “Chris Kapernick” and “Stuporman.” Please forgive those errors.
Here are the podcast episodes we referenced:
Ep 3: Suicidal Villains: Suicide Squad and the Nature of Bad Guys.
Ep 4: Vengeance!  Exploring Desperado
Ep 10: Killing President Luthor
Ep 19: Why so Serious? The Joker
Ep 24: Logan on Logan
Ep 33: Ethics of our Robot Overlords
Ep 39: Thor and the Value of Fluff