Cappagnia-Lynne Chase is an Oneonta native. She is majoring in Theatre and minoring in both dance and philosophy at SUNY Oneonta. She is also currently transitioning from secretary to Vice President of the Class of 2021. Cappagnia-Lynne is a lover of philosophy and the arts.
Is there a fictional superhero whose philosophy you find particularly righteous or agreeable? If so, who and why?
I personally find Wonder Woman’s philosophy particularly righteous and agreeable. Her mission is to protect the weak and her motives aren’t self serving. Wonder Woman doesn’t act out of personal vengeance, greed, or recognition. She wants to do the right thing for the sole purpose of the action being the morally right and good thing to do. Wonder Woman is selfless and uses her strengths for the benefits of others.
Conversely, is there a certain fictional villain whose philosophy you find inexcusable or vile? If so, who and why?
Mr. Glass (from the Unbreakable trilogy) is inexcusably vile. Let me focus on Unbreakable specifically. Mr. Glass’goal is to prove the existence of superheroes. In this universe, superheroes aren’t like what we see in DC and Marvel stories. They are simply people with abilities that they may not even be aware of or use to help people. The protagonist in these films, David Dunn, is literally unbreakable. Everyone including himself believes he’s just lucky. He’s never gotten hurt and has never fallen ill; the only close call he’s encountered is nearly drowning when he was younger. Mr. Glass argues that water is David’s weakness and every superhero has one. David was the sole survivor of a deadly trainwreck, and it is later revealed that Mr. Glass caused the crash as a ploy to prove superheroes exist and David is one of them. Mr. Glass causes multiple high casualty incidents hoping that people will see what he sees. I don’t agree with murder in general, but I find Mr. Glass’actions extremely cruel. He kills hundreds of innocent people in a selfish act, all to prove that superheroes exist. It should not matter whether they are recognized or not, because these specially-abled people may not choose to do anything with their powers or may want to stay anonymous. Additionally, Dunn has survivor’s guilt after the crash, and that’s all because of Mr. Glass. At the end of Unbreakable, Mr. Glass says that he believes he and Dunn are meant to be nemeses. He is almost excited to be a supervillain. Mr. Glass’devastating back story isn’t even enough to humanize or justify his vile actions.
On the flip side, are there any superheroes whose philosophy you cannot stand? Do any seem misguided or even intolerable?
While I enjoy the Deadpool movies, I cannot stand his philosophy. He’s technically an anti-hero, but his brutal ways of killing people make me sick. He is selfish and he tailors his ethical principles to fit his actions. His motto is ”I’m bad, but they’re worse.”This annoys me to no end because he makes excuses for his unnecessarily violent behavior. With his abilities, Deadpool has the potential to be good. Deadpool could do the right thing in more dignified ways. He is in crucial need of moral guidance.
Following that line of logic, are there any supervillains whose philosophies have seemed excusable or even justifiable?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I agree with any super villain’s philosophies. However, there is one villain that I sympathize for and at least understand what led to his streak of evil. The Green Goblin (from the Spiderman universe) had a debilitating disease. In an attempt to cure his disease before it took his life he tried several different experiments. One experiment led to a mental breakdown that made him power hungry. He was only trying to cure his disease, but he ended up losing his mind and making it worse. He wasn’t intending on becoming evil…it was an accident.
If you were a superhero, is there a guiding philosophy you would like to adopt? Consider Captain America’s loyalty and firm morality or Batman’s harsh vengeance and strict no-kill policy as examples.
If I were a superhero I would adopt Wonder Woman’s philosophy to protect the weak. I would want to help those who were helpless and refrain from acting on a personal agenda to look good. I would do the right thing for the sake of doing what is right and good. I would hope to be as selfless and inspirational as her. I would also adopt Batman’s no-kill policy. I believe the best punishment is best served in prison, and death is almost too easy.
Do villains deserve mercy, or do they pose a threat just being left alive? Would you follow a firm no-kill policy like Batman? Or would you slip into grey areas where killing is permissible, like Iron Man?
I believe that villains deserve mercy because I don’t believe I know any villain that started being evil for the sake of being evil. I believe that if we can do restorative justice in the real world there could be some equivalent in the super world. Perhaps a mixture of restorative justice and superhero training would right some of their wrongs. What if you could take a supervillain and convince them to change paths and become a hero? If neither of those work I would still refrain from the death penalty but hope there could be a super-prison. One that utilizes the villains’ weakness to prevent escape and continuing their evil deeds.
Would you rather be a superhero, or does being a supervillain appeal to you more? Why?
I would rather be a superhero than a villain. I enjoy helping and working for people as it is, so I don’t believe having superpowers would change that. Having powers would only allow me to do more good and spread more hope and joy to people. I believe I am an ethical person with solid morals, so being a villain would not appeal to me. I would not want to be hated by everybody and do anything to hurt anyone; that just sounds lonely and sad.
What philosophical advantages do you think superheroes have over supervillains, if any? Conversely, do villains benefit more from their lack of moral tethering?
One philosophical advantage of being a superhero is that they can always take comfort in the fact that they are doing the right thing and know that if something goes wrong they are acting on the moral high ground. Villains don’t get this luxury. Villains do, however, benefit from not having to follow ethical guidelines to get what they want. They don’t seem to have a conscience that cares what the collateral damages are from their actions. Being selfish helps villains carry out their deeds without guilt. It’s kind of like having a shortcut, while superheros have to do things a certain way and follow a set of strict guidelines.
Consider Heath Ledger’s Joker. His philosophy was complete and total chaos and anarchy. Is a lack of guiding morality more appealing than having one? Does having “rules”like Batman make one less free than the Joker, or does it make their life more worth living?
I believe having rules makes life more worth living, but less free. The freedom the Joker has allows him to do whatever he wants without hesitation or regret; he has no cares. Batman’s lack of freedom doesn’t negatively impact him; it makes his fight against the Joker harder, which will inevitably make his win more meaningful. Batman will prove that there is a way to seek justice using a moral code and without murdering anyone. The Joker’s freedom will be his downfall because he will not have figured out what is truly important.
For fun, which superpower(s) would you like to have?
Selfishly, I would like the power to fly. I have extreme flight anxiety and a need for control. Being able to fly places and have my own life in my own hands would be nice. However, I would also like to have superstrength because that is something that could potentially benefit others from something as simple as helping a friend move to stopping a train crash or something. I would also like to read people’s minds so I could tell if someone were not in a safe mental place and help them cope so they don’t commit suicide.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to share student reflections. We’d love for you to be a part of it. If you’re a student and would like to submit a reflection, contact Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall at sabrinamisirhiralall@apaonline.org.
Elyse Purcell
Elyse Purcell is an an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta. From 2017 to 2024 she served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Central Division of the APA. Her research focuses on how various forms of disability present challenges for identity, moral personhood, virtue and social justice. Follow her research interests on Academia.edu.
Sean Petersen
Sean Petersen is a graduating English/Philosophy Major at SUNY Oneonta. He has presented at both English and Philosophy conferences and received academic achievement awards in both subjects. He aims to get his Master’s in Elementary Education and begin teaching. He is also a massive superhero nerd, and would probably be best friends with Spiderman.
