Couverture de Superhero Ethics

Superhero Ethics

Superhero Ethics

De : Superhero Ethics
Écouter gratuitement

3 mois pour 0,99 €/mois

Après 3 mois, 9.95 €/mois. Offre soumise à conditions.

À propos de ce contenu audio

 Exploring ethical questions from Superhero movies and TV shows, sci-fi, and everything else geeks love© TruStory FM Art Sciences sociales
Les membres Amazon Prime bénéficient automatiquement de 2 livres audio offerts chez Audible.

Vous êtes membre Amazon Prime ?

Bénéficiez automatiquement de 2 livres audio offerts.
Bonne écoute !
    Épisodes
    • Frankenstein: Exploring Ethical Questions Across Mediums

      Frankenstein: Exploring Ethical Questions Across Mediums
      Jan 20 2026
      Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to captivate audiences centuries after its publication, but not all adaptations emphasize the same ethical questions. Matthew and returning guest AK dive into both the original novel and Guillermo del Toro’s recent film adaptation—not to catalog their differences, but to explore how each medium handles the story’s core moral dilemmas and which approach proves more compelling.How Does the Film Emphasize “The Other” Differently?While both the book and film explore themes of parentage, responsibility, and scientific hubris, they emphasize different ethical questions. AK notes that the novel places stronger emphasis on the responsibilities of individuals in medicine and parenting, particularly through the lens of abandonment. The film, however, foregrounds questions about the grotesque other, the monstrous other, and how appearance shapes moral judgment. The visual decisions in del Toro’s adaptation—juxtaposing the creature against beautiful backdrops that shift with emotional moments—underscore this emphasis.How Does the Shift from Abandonment to Abuse Change Victor’s Responsibility?One of the most striking differences between the book and film lies in Victor Frankenstein’s initial interaction with his creation. In Shelley’s novel, Victor creates the monster, goes to bed, wakes up, and immediately flees—abandoning the creature with almost no interaction. Del Toro’s film takes a dramatically different approach: Victor spends considerable time with the creature, engaging with it in ways impossible in the book. This changes the fundamental ethical question. Does Victor bear responsibility for abandonment and neglect, or for intentional, directed abuse? The film’s choice to show an extended period of interaction—where Victor treats the creature as an object rather than a being—shifts the moral weight of his culpability.Why Does the Composite Body Matter More Now Than Ever?Victor’s method of selecting “optimal” body parts from different corpses to create his creature resonates uncomfortably with contemporary debates about human enhancement and biotechnology. The discussion explores how Victor’s approach—viewing the creature as an optimization project rather than a living being—connects to modern questions about CRISPR, genetic modification, and who decides what constitutes an “optimal” human body. These questions inevitably involve ableism and the commodification of bodies. The film’s emphasis on Victor literally selecting bodies at prisons raises urgent parallels to current concerns: Who becomes test subjects for experimental procedures like Neuralink? Are they being viewed as humans or as subjects for experimentation?Other Topics Covered:Why the novel’s nested narrative structure (stories within stories) creates a unique moral complexityHow both works explore humanity’s relationship to nature, science, and the line between achievement and hubrisThe challenge of adapting works from different historical contexts when what counted as scientific hubris has radically changedThe concept of viewing people as player characters (with their own interiority) versus non-player characters (existing only to advance your plot)Why Frankenstein’s relevance grows as biotechnology makes questions of life preservation more immediateThe conversation reveals how both Shelley’s novel and del Toro’s film use the Frankenstein story to explore timeless questions through different emphases—one focusing on neglect and parental failure, the other on abuse and the othering of those who don’t meet conventional standards of beauty or normalcy. **************************************************************************This episode is a production of Superhero Ethics, a The Ethical Panda Podcast and part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Check our our website to find out more about this and our sister podcast Star Wars Generations.We want to hear from you! You can keep up with our latest news, and send us feedback, questions, or comments via social media or email.Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.comFacebook: TheEthicalPandaInstagram: TheEthicalPandaPodcastsTwitter: EthicalPanda77Or you can join jump into the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics channels on the TruStory FM Discord.Want to get access to even more content while supporting the podcast? Become a member! For $5 a month, or $55 a year you get access to bonus episodes and bonus content at the end of most episodes. Sign up on the podcast’s main page. You can even give membership as a gift!You can also support our podcasts through our sponsors:Purchase a lightsaber from Level Up Sabers run by friend of the podcast Neighborhood Master AlanUse Audible for audiobooks. Sign up for a one year membership or gift one through this link.Purchase any media discussed this week through our sponsored links.
      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      45 min
    • Marvel’s Drift, DC’s Reset: 2025 Review + 2026 Preview

      Marvel’s Drift, DC’s Reset: 2025 Review + 2026 Preview
      Jan 13 2026
      Jessica Plummer returns for a year-end superhero ethics check-in—recorded late 2025 and released as 2026 gets underway—to unpack what worked, what didn’t, and what Marvel and DC’s biggest swings revealed about power, responsibility, and heroism.We talk Marvel’s post-Endgame sprawl: scattered continuity, delayed payoffs, and what “superhero fatigue” looks like when it’s less about quantity and more about momentum. We also dig into standout projects like Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four, and why individual entries can succeed even when the larger arc feels unclear.Then we shift to DC’s early steps under James Gunn, including why Superman felt like a tonal reset, and what we’re watching as 2026 brings Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the upcoming Green Lantern series, and Marvel’s road to Doomsday.Resources
      • Jessica’s work: Book Riot • JessicaPlummerWrites.com
      • Sword Stone Table: Penguin Random House

      **************************************************************************
      This episode is a production of Superhero Ethics, a The Ethical Panda Podcast and part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Check our our website to find out more about this and our sister podcast Star Wars Generations.We want to hear from you! You can keep up with our latest news, and send us feedback, questions, or comments via social media or email.
      • Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com
      • Facebook: TheEthicalPanda
      • Instagram: TheEthicalPandaPodcasts
      • Twitter: EthicalPanda77
      • Or you can join jump into the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics channels on the TruStory FM Discord.

      Want to get access to even more content while supporting the podcast? Become a member! For $5 a month, or $55 a year you get access to bonus episodes and bonus content at the end of most episodes. Sign up on the podcast’s main page. You can even give membership as a gift!
      You can also support our podcasts through our sponsors:
      • Purchase a lightsaber from Level Up Sabers run by friend of the podcast Neighborhood Master Alan
      • Use Audible for audiobooks. Sign up for a one year membership or gift one through this link.
      • Purchase any media discussed this week through our sponsored links.
      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      1 h et 4 min
    • Theodicy & Thor: Love and Thunder

      Theodicy & Thor: Love and Thunder
      Jan 6 2026
      Thor: Love and Thunder opens with one of philosophy's oldest questions: if gods exist and have the power to prevent suffering, why don't they? But does the film actually engage with this theodicy question, or does it abandon the premise for jokes and spectacle? We compare the movie's treatment of Gorr the God Butcher to the comics' more sustained exploration of divine accountability.Questions we explored:
      • What is theodicy, and why does it matter to Gorr's story?
      • How does the comic version of Gorr differ from the film's portrayal?
      • Does Thor: Love and Thunder set up the theodicy question well but then fail to follow through?
      • Is Thor innocent of Gorr’s accusations of other gods, since Thor doesn’t cultivate the worship of mortals?
      • Why does the film version of Gorr lack encounters with other cruel or indifferent gods?
      • How does comic Thor resolve the God Butcher arc by becoming a god who suffers alongside humanity?
      • Has Thor regressed to his character from the first movie, undoing his growth from previous films?
      • Is Thor: Love and Thunder's tonal inconsistency its biggest weakness?

      **************************************************************************
      This episode is a production of Superhero Ethics, a The Ethical Panda Podcast and part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Check our our website to find out more about this and our sister podcast Star Wars Generations.We want to hear from you! You can keep up with our latest news, and send us feedback, questions, or comments via social media or email.
      • Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.com
      • Facebook: TheEthicalPanda
      • Instagram: TheEthicalPandaPodcasts
      • Twitter: EthicalPanda77
      • Or you can join jump into the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics channels on the TruStory FM Discord.

      Want to get access to even more content while supporting the podcast? Become a member! For $5 a month, or $55 a year you get access to bonus episodes and bonus content at the end of most episodes. Sign up on the podcast’s main page. You can even give membership as a gift!
      You can also support our podcasts through our sponsors:
      • Purchase a lightsaber from Level Up Sabers run by friend of the podcast Neighborhood Master Alan
      • Use Audible for audiobooks. Sign up for a one year membership or gift one through this link.
      • Purchase any media discussed this week through our sponsored links.
      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      58 min
    Aucun commentaire pour le moment