#superhero philosophy

[bobafettishhh-blog]

Matt Murdock visits Clinton Church late at night. He sits in a pew alone, reflecting on his recent sins. The church's emptiness at this hour is usually reliable, but this time he notices a second heartbeat. Not in the seats, but in the rafters.

Nightcrawler teleports into the pew behind him, crouching on the backrest.

"Odd that you are not in flames, mein freund," he says with a smile.

Matt tenses. He’s not in his horns.

“…how do you know?"

Kurt teleports into the seat next to him. "I am not without connections. Also, I work with several telepaths."

Matt relaxes. He knows he can trust this X-Man.

Kurt looks toward the pulpit. "What brings the devil to God's house then?"

“'I didn't realize you yourself were a man of God." Matt follows Kurt's gaze, though just for show.

"I admit it is not easy." Kurt pulls a Bible out of the pew in front of them. "I have met, and fought, my fair share of gods."

Matt chuckles. "And how do you know none of them were yours?"

Kurt turns to face Matt. "They fell."

They sit silently for a moment. Matt sighs.

"I come here for what I tell myself is guidance, conviction." He rises. "But what I really want is justification. Reassurance that the people I harm are the bad guys. That when I break a bone, I'm breaking it to better God's world." He faces a stained glass window of Paul. It’s been there since before his accident. "But who am I to say who's bad?"

Kurt remains sitting. "Hm. You are asking the wrong questions I think, Mr. Murdock. We are all the bad guys, as is our nature. I am as much devil as you, and in fact, may even resemble him more. It is our attempts at good that make us who and what we are."

He teleports in front of Matt. "Our abilities, given by God? Maybe. But our desire to use them in the way we do? Most definitely."

Matt sniffs and smiles. "You're not wrong. I wear the horns, but you wear the brimstone.”

Kurt laughs. "Yes, a lovely gift for the clergy come Sunday morning."

The pair pace around the chapel. Matt continues the conversation.

"Our work takes us offworld, outer space, other dimensions. We meet living proof of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian deities. The Avengers once fought a representative of the supposed writer of the universe. Ghost Rider's powers come from a Hell nothing like Revelation and the Infinity Stones work nothing like Genesis. In a world proving the legitimacy of so many beliefs, do you not wish for your own validation?"

Kurt makes eye contact. "Of course I do. But that would not be faith, mein freund.”

[captaingimpy]

Loki: Skimming the Philosophical Waters - A Deeper Dive into Stoicism and Taoism in Season Two

“Loki” Season 2 emerges not merely as a continuation of a saga but as a profound philosophical journey, weaving the ancient teachings of Stoicism and the reflective principles of Taoism into the very fabric of its narrative. This essay delves into the intricate layers of the series, exploring how it navigates the philosophical waters of identity, fate, and morality through the tumultuous…

[kacievvbbbb]

I need someone that believes in magic to get ahold of Batman again. He is an overly serious man that runs around in an admitted bat suit fighting a gimmick rouge gallery. And he is doing it because he sincerely believes in a better tomorrow and somewhere along the way we have lost the plot. Batman wasn’t created to punish the guilty that is actually completely antithetical to his beliefs he is not the fucking punisher.

Batman just like wonder woman and Superman primarily wants to save people! sure he doesn’t do it in a sunny way but that is still what drives him. Hell he even goes a step further and actually builds a case he’s not just waiting for criminals to commit the crime he is shutting down smuggling and trafficking rings foiling plots he is a detective! For Christs sake it’s what made him so unique and fun as a superhero.

Also His desire to save people is literally what compels him to adopt Dick, Jason, Stephanie. Cass because he wanted to give these kids a chance, to save them in ways 8year old him wasn’t. Someone who just wants to punish the guilty wouldn’t do that, And now they have turned him into a borderline physically and emotionally abusive absentee parent all in the name of making him an edge lord. Where is the heart! Where is the fucking heart in it all! Where are the kids and the bright colors and the zaniness. Let Batman and Gotham be FANTASTICAL! I’m tired of the greys and the browns.

I’m tired of “grounding a story” meaning sucking all the joy and color out if it. Also superhero stories don’t need to be grounded in your fucking abysmal reality they are literally superheroes they exist outside of reality, let them!

A story does not have to be joyless to have depth and it does not have to be nihilist to be compelling.

I am sick and I am tired of it. 😔

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

"Murder is Werewolves" - Batman

I don't got the SPOONS to do this thought train justice, I have seriously been trying to write this thing for MONTHS so just, idk, have this half baked skeletal outline of the essay I guess:

I don't believe that Batman's no-kill rule is primarily about rehabilitation or second chances.

His refusal to believe that Cassandra could have killed someone when she was eight years old because "how could a killer understand my commitment not to kill" is absolute fucking MOON LOGIC from a rehabilitationist standpoint. No jury on the planet would think for even a second that she could reasonably be held accountable for her actions in that situation! Her past cannot condemn her to being incapable of valuing human life under a rehabilitation centering framework. However, Batman's reasoning makes perfect sense if he believes that killing is a spiritually/morally corrupting act which permanently and fundamentally changes a person, and that corruption can never be fully undone.

Dick Grayson killing the Joker is treated both narratively and by Batman as an unequivocally WIN for the Joker. The Joker won by turning Nightwing into a killer. Note that this is during a comic in which the Joker transforming people was a major theme! Batman didn't revive the Joker because the Joker deserved to live; he revived the Joker to lift the burden on Dick.

His appeal to Stephanie when she tried to kill her dad is that she shouldn't ruin her own life. He gives no defense of Cluemaster's actual life. Granted this is a rhetorical strategy moment and should be taken with a generous pinch of salt, but it fits in the pattern.

When Jason becomes a willful killer, he essentially disowns him, never treats him with full trust ever again, and... Well, we can stop here for Bruce's sake. Bottom line is that his actions towards Jason do not lead me to believe that he thinks Jason can become a better person without having his autonomy taken from him, either partially or fully.

The Joker is, for better or worse, the ultimate symbol and vessel of pure, irredeemable evil in DC comics now. He hasn't been just another crook in a long time. He will never get better, he will only get worse. If you take it to be true that the Joker will not or can not rehabilitate, then there's no rehabilitationist argument against killing him.

Batman does not seem to consider it a possibly that he'll rehabilitate. Batman at several points seems to think that the Joker dying in a manner no one could have prevented would be good. Yet Batman fully believes that if he killed the Joker, he himself would become irredeemable.

Batman's own form of justice (putting people into the hospital and then prison) is fucking brutal and clearly not rehabilitative. He disrespects the most basic human rights of all criminals on a regular basis. It is genuinely really, really weird from a rehabilitationist standpoint that his only uncrossable line is killing... But it makes perfect sense if he cares more about not corrupting himself with the act of killing than the actual ethical results of any individual decision to kill or not kill.

In the real world cops are all bastards because they are too violent to criminals, even when that violence doesn't lead to death. Prison is a wildly evil thing to do to another human being, and you don't use it to steal away massive portions of a person's life if your goal is to rehabilitate them. In the comic world, Batman is said to be necessary because the corrupt cops are too nice to criminals and keep letting them out of jail. I don't know how to write a connector sentence there so like I hope you can see why this bothers me so damn much! That's just not forgiveness vibes there Batman!!

I want to make special note here of the transformative aspect. You don't simply commit a single act when you kill, no, you become a killer, like you might become a werewolf.

The narrative supports this a lot!

Why did Supes go evil during Injustice? He killed the Joker. Why did Bruce become the Batman Who Laughs? Bruce killed the Joker. Why was Jason Todd close to becoming a new Joker during Three Jokers? Because he killed people, to include the Joker.

Even if these notions of redemption being impossible aren't the whole of his reasoning (people never have only one reason for doing what they do) it is a distinct through-line pattern in his actions and reasoning, and it is directly at odds with notions of rehabilitation, redemption, and second chances.

So why does he give so many killers second chances?

Firstly because this doesn't apply to all versions of Batman. Some writers explicitly incorporate rehabilitation and forgiveness into his actions. You will be able to provide me with examples of this other through-line pattern if you go looking for them. The nature of comics is to be inconsistent.

Secondly the existence of that other pattern does not negate the existence of this one. People and characters are complex, and perfectly capable of holding two patterns of belief within themselves, even when they conflict to this degree. You can absolutely synthesize these two ideas into a single messy Batman philosophical vibescape.

Finally and most importantly to this essay: he has mercy on killers the same way that werewolf hunters sometimes have mercy on someone who is clearly struggling against their monsterous nature, especially if they were turned in exceptional circumstances or against their will. They understand that they are sick, damned beasts, cursed to always be fighting against themselves and the evil they harbor within. It is vitally kind to help them fight themselves by curtailing their autonomy in helpful ways and providing them with chances to do some good to make up for their eternal moral deficiency.

I think in many comics Batman views killers as lost souls. Battered and tormented monsters who must be pitied and given mercy wherever possible. (The connections to mental health, addiction, and rampant, horrifying ableism towards people struggling with both is unavoidable, but addressing it is sadly outside of the scope of this essay.)

Above all, the greatest care possible must be taken to never, ever let yourself become one of them, because once you have transformed the beast will forever be within you growing stronger.

To Batman, it is the most noble burden, the highest mercy, the most important commandment: Thou shalt suffer the monsters to live.

[disgruntledexplainer]

the characters of Generator Rex as living symbols

Something interesting that's been bouncing around my head for years is the inherent symbolism of several of the characters in Generator Rex.

Van Kleiss is transhumanism; the philosophy that humanity can and should be changed into something new through technology. in other words, he is the idea that humans should abandon their humanity to become gods, at any cost. he's brilliant, but menacing, and everywhere he goes unsettling change follows. he commands nature, enslaves time and space, and nearly becomes what he seeks to be, but he leaves suffering and misery in his wake.

White Knight is the inverse of this, a reactionary fear of change. he sits alone in his sterile room to insulate himself from change. he is the last vestige of the old order, the last memory of humanity before the event. he may be a "good guy", but in the first 2 seasons he's a nasty old bastard all the same. ultimately his efforts preserve humanity, but also hold it back from truly growing.

Black Knight is something of a synthesis of Van Kleiss and White Knight. She is a symbol of the old order, but specifically the part of the old order which brought about the new order. she is power hungry but calculating and manipulative, and willing to crush others under her heel if it allows her to get what she wants. she is in many ways similar to a bureaucrat, ceo, politician, or career military officer, or some kind of combination of the most dangerous and callous elements of all four.

Caesar Salazar represents science, in all it's glory, and all it's horror. He is capable of creating devices which can entertain and make life easier for others, and to solve problems which everyone else is unable to solve. but he also creates weapons of terrifying power, and has a knack for inventing things that nearly end the world by accident, over and over again.

So where does that leave Rex? well, that's simple. Rex is the living manifestation of all the positive aspects of science and technology, all of the potential of humanity's mind and spirit. He heals the sick and defends those who cannot defend themselves. he builds, he fixes, he creates wonders. he is a living miracle. in many ways he represents humanity at it's very best, even with his disdain for authority and difficulty following directions.

of course characters like no-face, hunter cain, quarry, and gatlock are also living symbols, but I don't feel like typing all day. if anyone wants to pick up where I left off through reblogs, feel free.

[the-one-and-only-overlass]

read the first issue of The Power Fantasy last night, and basically immediately noticed the similarities between it and Cradle.

I mean. Six individuals, each with their own agendas and enough personal firepower to level entire continents, have caused the political scene of the world to turn into a nightmarish standoff of mutually-assured-destruction cold war. The only safety for most people comes in the form of being beneath notice, and even that doesn't work a lot of the time. It's made immensely clear that the world would be unquestionably a better place if these people straight-up didn't exist, and yet there's no real solution to the problem that doesn't involve millions of people getting caught in the crossfire.

[mcmorare]

@fircbug sent: see, this is the scene in the movie where you help me out.

"I'm not an asshole." Well, she kind of is, that's definitely true, but she's not a complete asshole. Not enough of one to leave behind someone who clearly needs help. Not this one, at least. Okay, maybe she is an asshole, but she's not being an asshole right now, and that's what matters.

Nevertheless, she pulls herself to her feet, making her way quickly over to stand by the blonde's side, pistol clutched in one hand. There's a glance out from behind the corner they're pressed up against. No one coming right now, that's good, but there will be soon enough. Can't relax yet.

"Stay ready. I don't think we have much time."

[decaffeinatedanchorpirate]

Superheroes as Folklore and some quantum stuff

I don't read or watch much superhero stuff these days, but I still love the idea of it. It's modern folklore. Superheroes are our Olympic gods. The Marvel cinematic universe is our Mahabharata. You say we don't worship them like gods, but have you been to the conventions? People turn their own rooms into shrines to superman, and if they're popular enough, others visit those shrines to pay tribute, if not in person then on social media. The difference is that we know they're not real. But I ask you, in 1000 years from now, if an archaeologist stumbled upon one of these collector shrines, would they not think we worshipped superheroes as literal deities? There's a common bias against ancient peoples, that they were stupid and easily fooled, but biologically there's no difference between your brain and that of an ancient Mesopotamian. Surely a great number of them recognized that the gods weren't literally real, but still told their stories, wore their totems, and paid them tribute, just as we do today. I would posit that the majority of ancient worshippers understood the blurry reality of well-written characters who take on a life of their own. Batman has no one writer, but he has a singular identity and voice, and any work that strays from that voice is discarded from the cannon, because we intuitively sense what Batman would and would not do even if we can't think of it ourselves. He is alive in his own ambiguous way. And we look to that life for inspiration, guidance, or as a cautionary tale; the same way our ancestors did Loki and Wisakedjak.

I feel like this ambiguous semi-reality of pantheistic religions was gradually replaced by monotheistic Abrahamic ones. Monotheism isn't just about one god, it's about one right and wrong, it's a philosophy of absolutes and definitive answers, even if God is their sole keeper. The scientific revolution of the enlightenment was borne out of that philosophy, and scientists took on this bias towards reality as a definable set of true/false variables. The cat is alive or dead, it cannot be both. It's only thanks to Einstein and those that followed that we've started to wrestle with a more 'ambiguous' universe, or universes. Even Einstein had to admit his absolutist view of reality did not work with what his theory and observations were proving to him, which made him very uncomfortable.

So I think it's awesome that the superhero zeitgeist has gone all-in on the concept of a multiverse. It fits thematically with the existential ambiguity of their inherited idolatry. And maybe by embracing that ambiguity at least in science-fiction, society will have an easier time digesting the wild discoveries to come out of CERN in the next 100 years.

[maspers]

I've had enough with "hmm this villain's philosophy is actually making sense". Give me "hmm this villain SEEMS like their philosophy makes sense, but I actually bothered to examine how they reflect that philosophy in their goals and actions and guess what even if their words are right their intentions and actions are garbage crap and you should not give them respect at all ever".

[soft-girl-musings]

i need to be able to eat moon knight's judaism the way I absolutely devour daredevil's catholicism

[kingoftieland]

Hulk vs. SOCRATES??? 🏛️

[bowofbalance]

What if "another life saved by girl on girl action" is not a reference to Hannah and Max? What if House just keeps witnessing women saving each other's lives all the time? I have a vision

[themyscirah]

Just saw a bunch of atrocious wonder woman takes and I hate everything

Someone google nearest bridge to jump off of im so done w this

[sunfloweraroace]

killing time on Tumblr before course registration opens and all I can think about is “how am I going to incorporate fandom and online queer culture into my new course”

[rubyblue2005]

Aside from the debates of Justice, vengeance, responsibility/consequences, and secret identities what are other philosophical notions superheroes portray???

[justsaying4041]

What Batman is the Greatest Hero - Period!

Batman, the Dark Knight, stands as one of the most iconic and enduring superheroes in popular culture. Unlike many of his peers, Batman does not possess superhuman strength, speed, or magical abilities. Instead, he relies on his intellect, physical prowess, and unwavering commitment to justice. This makes him not only a unique character but also one of the greatest heroes ever. Here are several…