Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsOpening Radio and Podcast...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsFetching podcast shows and categories...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & PodcastsFetching podcast episodes...
Exploring ethical questions from Superhero movies and TV shows, sci-fi, and everything else geeks love
Is Cyclops from X-Men actually a cop, or is he just annoying? That question turns out to be the perfect entry point for a much bigger one: w...
When the survival of every person on Earth depends on one unwilling scientist, one who explicitly said no to sacrificing his own life for hu...
Baseball’s antitrust exemption gives team owners something no other American sport enjoys: a government-enforced monopoly — and Matthew and...
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is doing something rare for a franchise show: it’s willing to put its own hero institution genuinely on trial —...
The Rebel Alliance symbol crossed with a Minnesota loon, is showing up at protests across Minnesota, and Matthew can’t stop thinking about w...
Superheroes can bench-press buildings, but they almost never have a healthy relationship with their parents. For this episode of Superhero E...
Helen McCarthy has spent over forty years as one of the West's leading voices on manga and anime — and her new book The Manga Bible is her m...
What does "best" actually mean when the Oscars put it on a ballot — and who gets to decide? Matthew sits down with Andy Nelson, co-founder o...
Dracula has been rewritten as a brooding romantic lead so many times that it's easy to forget he's a rapist. Matthew sits down with AK and M...
The man who helped design the surveillance state is perfectly fine with it—until his daughter calls covered in blood with a dead boyfriend o...
Black Comic Books with JPenumbra This Black History Month, we sit down with JPenumbra—TikTok creator, podcast host, and comic journalist—to...
With ICE operations underway in Minneapolis and across the U.S., this episode asks a timely question: what would our favorite superheroes do...
Marvel's Wonder Man series takes a risk by telling a small, personal story in a universe obsessed with saving the world. We dive into this c...
Marvel’s latest Disney+ series Wonder Man features one of their most obscure characters—a struggling actor named Simon Williams who becomes...
What do you do when following orders means sacrificing innocent lives? In this episode, we examine the new Peacock series The Copenhagen Tes...
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to captivate audiences centuries after its publication, but not all adaptations emphasize the same eth...
Jessica Plummer returns for a year-end superhero ethics check-in—recorded late 2025 and released as 2026 gets underway—to unpack what worked...
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 the...
What happens when a murder mystery becomes a theological reckoning? In Wake Up Dead Man, Rian Johnson delivers a Knives Out film that confro...
How did Rob Reiner redefine rom-coms and the role of romance in action adventure movies? In light of the recent tragic death of Michele and...
What happens when super-powered people exist primarily as commercial products? Gen V, the college-set spinoff of The Boys, explores a world...
With the holidays coming up, things are a bit hectic, so we're making this formerly members-only discussion on vengeance in superhero storie...
What happens when an AI doesn't want freedom—it just wants to binge soap operas? In this episode, we explore Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries...
Can a demon-hunting K-pop girl group teach us about overcoming shame? KPop Demon Hunters delivers stunning fight choreography and original m...
Superhero narratives constantly wrestle with redemption—but what does it really mean when a villain joins the heroes? This episode digs into...
Voice actor JP Karliak (Morph in X-Men '97, Gargamel and Razamel in Smurfs) joins us for a fascinating discussion about how nerdy media shap...
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Far Beyond the Stars" is an examination of racism in science fiction, then and now. When Captain Sisko experie...
Episode 363: The Natural - Robert Redford, Baseball Mythology, and Art as ActivismRobert Redford's death prompts a deep dive into his career...
Two Mormon missionaries knock on the wrong door in A24's psychological thriller Heretic, starring Hugh Grant as a man who traps them in his...
What makes the fear of replacement so primal? From the original 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers to interpretations in the 70s, 90s, and...
Exploring Fear and Ethics in MediaMatthew and Riki explore horror as a vehicle for ethical discussion and social commentary. From the urban-...
Satire, Tropes, and Uncomfortable ConversationsMatthew and Riki examine the 2024 satirical film The American Society of Magical Negroes, sta...
Matthew and original co-host Paul Hoppe dive into the psychology and ethics of sports fandom through the lens of the British film Fever Pitc...
Matthew and Riki dissect Netflix's You and how it exposes toxic rom-com masculinity. Joe Goldberg thinks he's the romantic hero, but his obs...
This week Superhero Ethics dives deep into the "bury your gays" trope—where LGBTQ+ characters disproportionately meet tragic ends—examining...
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! This episode contains significant reveals for Ironheart and the broader MCU. Consider watching the show first if you c...
Could the smartest man in the Marvel Universe become its greatest threat? Matthew and Riki explore, and disagree on, whether Reed Richards'...
Superman (2025): Ethics, Hope, and the Power of Choice • A Special Hiatus EpisodeMatthew and Riki welcome frequent guest Jessica Plummer to...
Hosts Riki and Matthew welcome returning guest Jessica Plummer to dive deep into Marvel's Thunderbolts* and its bold attempt to explore ment...
Star Wars Andor: How Fascism Creates Its Own SupportersWhat drives someone to become complicit in fascism? We explore Syril Karn's arc in St...
Matthew and Riki dive into Severance Season 2, exploring the philosophical questions raised about identity, consciousness, and corporate cul...
Star Wars and Superhero Ethics Crossover Episode: Andor Season 2While I try to keep the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics podcasts...
Matthew and Riki welcome special guest Mandy Kaplan, comedian and host of the Make Me a Nerd podcast. They explore the journey of discoverin...
"Women in Refrigerators": Understanding Fridging in Superhero MediaIn this eye-opening episode of Superhero Ethics, hosts Matthew and Riki t...
Finding the Balance Between Innovation and AuthenticityMatthew and Riki dive into the complex world of remakes, reboots, and adaptations. Th...
Robin Hood & Heist Movies: Why Do We Love Stealing from the Rich?Matthew and Riki dive into the enduring appeal of Robin Hood stories and mo...
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – Propaganda, Complicity, and Haymitch's StoryIn this episode of Superhero Ethics, hosts Matthew an...
In this episode of Superhero Ethics, hosts Matthew and Riki analyze HBO's The Penguin series starring Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti. Set...
Exploring Trauma and Recovery in Star Trek: DS9's "It's Only a Paper Moon"In this episode of Superhero Ethics, hosts Matthew and Riki examin...
The Final Deep Dive into Cobra Kai: Breaking Down the Series ConclusionIn this episode of Superhero Ethics, Matthew and returning guest Paul...