Superhero Ethics

Does a person have to actually do a bad thing in order to be punished for it? Why does it matter that Steven ate the steak? And what in the world is this new music? Will Freeland of Hype is my Superpower join Paull and Matthew to discuss episode two of MoonKnight.

Can villains be saved? Can they be forced to change, even if they don't want to? Does Peter have trouble respecting the agency of others? And is Dr. Strange the worst babysitter in the MCU?Paul and I get into all these questions and more as we discuss Spiderman: No Way Home.

Steve and Will from the Hype is my Superpower Podcast join Paul and I to talk about MoonKnight Episode 1. Paul and I knew literal nothing about this show going into it, so there are no spoilers for anything outside the show itself.

Emily Cissell returns to talk about relatable villains, focusing on The Batman and Batman's rogues gallery. We focus on Catwoman, The Riddler, and Poison Ivy.Note- this isn't a full on review of The Batman, but we do drop some spoilers.Emily Cissell is a middle school social studies teacher also known as a real life superhero. She has a borderline obsession with Captain Marvel, Loki, and her dog Hemingway.Emily Cissell Asks What If….?https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emily-cissell-asks-what-if/id1595748844323 Network Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-323-with-reid-murphy/id1573067697Instagram/Twitter: @emilyorlou

Who decides what is 'family friendly' and for what kind of family? What kind of content should kids see or not see, and where does the responsibility fall in terms of media creators, distributors, and parents? Paul and I dive into these questions and more.

What in the world was Joel Schumacher doing with the Batman movies? Are they just bad? Can they be enjoyed as campy Batman parodies? Paul, Ashley, and Matthew look at these questions as we discuss Batman Forever and Batman & Robin

Paul and I continue our trek through Batmans on screen with The Dark Knight

Just a few more days until The Batman, and we're talking about Christopher Nolan's vision of the caped crusader in Batman Begins! With Paul Hoppe

Paul and I continue our discussion of the different versions of Batman. Today we look at animated versions of the Caped Crusader, focusing on Batman the Animated Series, Red Son, and The Lego Batman Movie.

Was Karl Marx a sci-fi author? Should we fear or welcome the continued advances in AI? And will we ever get around to discussing the Matrix on this episode? Dan McCreary and Rob McKenzie join me for a discussion of the ethics around Artificial Intelligence. The book mentioned during the podcast was -A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence, Jeff HawkinsTo support either or both of the great non-profits working to help kids learn that were mentioned in this episode, please visitCode Savvy- https://www.codesavvy.org/Magikids- https://magikids.org/

Can the superiority of one school of martial arts over another be determined in single combat? What can one martial artist do in the face of a World War? How does this movie deal with the story of Ip Man? Paul and I dive into these questions and more. The video we referenced, How to Write Superman: Ip Man, by Accented Cinema, can be found here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP2KlkBgol4

Can a Tim Burton movie be TOO Tim Burton? Would Ashley Coffin have discovered blue eyeshadow if it weren't for this Catwoman? And why, oh why, does Bruce think you should bring up your ex on a first date?Paul and Ashley join me to discuss these questions, and ask, is this our Batman, as we talk about Batman Returns!

We're going way back to the summer of '75, when the biggest concern was being eaten by a shark at the beach! We talk about the ethical questions this movie raised, along with the crazy story of how it got made, with myself, Ashley Coffin, and two special guests who have a life long interest (obsession) with this movie and its story, Mark Garkusha and Steve French.When not lending his voice to various commercial products or dubbing international reality shows, Mark Garkusha writes, produces, and acts in his actual play Dungeons & Dragons show, The Cast Die Podcast.Steve Steve French is a voice actor, currently heard as the promo voice of THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, on national commercials for Toyota, and as the host of the UNSOLVED MYSTERIES podcast.

With a new Batman movie coming out, we're looking back at earlier portrayals of the Caped Crusader. With each movie we're looking at every aspect, talking about how this version addresses the ethical issues at the heart of Batman and asking of each portrayal- is this my Batman?In this first episode, Paul Hoppe and I dive into the first Tim Burton/Michael Keaton Batman movie, Batman 89!

Why has Betty White, and the Golden Girls TV show taken on such an important place in our hearts? What did she, and this show, have to say about issues of racism, sexism, ageism, animal rights, and sexuality, in the 80's and today? And what is more of a superpower than surviving in Miami on a (substitute!) teacher's salary? With Paul HoppeHere are the articles I mentioned during the podcast:Betty White on "The Golden Girls" taught me queer self-acceptanceBy Savannah Sipplehttps://www.salon.com/2022/01/03/betty-golden-girls-lgbtq-rose/A Deep Dive into the Queerness of “The Golden Girls”By Dr. Dr. Thomas J. West IIIhttps://medium.com/queens-of-the-bs/a-deep-dive-into-the-queerness-of-the-golden-girls-5dceb363fd60

We're wrapping up our coverage of The Witcher, Season 2, with our discussion of episodes 7-8. With Ashley Coffin and Paul Hoppe.

Paul, Ashley, and Matthew team up to talk about The Witcher, Season 2! In this episode we cover episodes 5-6 of the second season.

Let's talk Disney, and light happy topics like family and generational trauma! Why do so many of us find the mental health struggles of one or more of these characters so relatable?We're talking about Encanto with licensed therapist and Disney super-fan, Saron Bryan. Saron is a therapist in Athens, Georgia who primarily serves queer, polyamorous, and kinky clients. She also enjoys taking way too long to finish reading the Wheel of Time series and questing to find the most ridiculous and gaudy earrings imaginable.This is the article we reference, that explores why the Columbian context of this movie is so important to understanding it. https://www.polygon.com/22851932/encanto-disney-latine-colombia-in-moviesTo hear more of Saron, check out her podcast- https://player.fm/series/tldr-podcast-2367090

Paul and I are talking about some of the content from 2021 that we didn't get a chance to cover, along with talking about 2021 overall. Below is a list of the content we talk about, and the times when we do each one, so you can skip the ones you don't want to be spoiled on.Squid Game 20:05 - 29:47Harder They Fall 29:47 - 36:51Kenshin (though no real spoilers 36:51 - 46:13Kim’s Convenience - 46:13 - 1:10:07Shitt’s Creek - 1:10:07 - 1:17:27Rapid fire! 1:17:27 - endWe talked about a number of different shows/movies for about 60-90 seconds each. The list was:Judas & The Black MessiahCiao, AlbertoThe Chicago 7Narcos: MexicoCasa de PapelMaster of None

Spiderman No Way Home is out, and it just so happens that it raises an ethical question or two! Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell from the The Most Excellent 80's Movies Podcast join me for the first of what will be a couple of different ethics episodes about this movie- there is just that much to talk about!But remember the most important ethical issue- no posting spoilers! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, but if you post on our social media, please nest your posts/comments. The Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast is the podcast where a filmmaker, a comedian and a plethora of hilarious guests make their way through the 80s movies we think they love or might have missed with modern eyes. The filmmaker is Nathan Blackwell of Squishy Studios. His award winning projects include Voyage Trekkers, Star Saga and the upcoming Last Movie Ever Made. The comedian is Krissy Lenz, Director of the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre in Downtown Mesa AZ! You can catch her onstage every weekend if you are in the East Va