Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers, The (2 page)

Contributors: Avengers Academy

Index: From Jarvis’s Secret Files

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Series Editor: William Irwin

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

Chapter opener design by Forty-five Degree Design LLC

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at
www.copyright.com
. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions
.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at
www.wiley.com
.

The Avengers and philosophy : Earth’s mightiest thinkers / edited by Mark D. White.

pages cm. — (The Blackwell philosophy and pop culture series; 46)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-07457-2 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-22253-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-23645-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-26138-5 (ebk)

1. Avengers (Fictitious characters) 2. Comic books, strips, etc.—Moral and ethical aspects. 3. Superheroes in literature. 4. Superhero films—History and criticism. 5. Philosophy in literature. 6. Philosophy in motion pictures. I. White, Mark D., 1971- editor of compilation.

PN6728.A9A93 2012

791.43’652—dc23

2011043329

INTRODUCTION: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST PHILOSOPHERS

If you like superheroes—and you wouldn’t be reading this book if you didn’t—you
love
superhero teams, and the Avengers are the preeminent team in the Marvel Universe. The best thing about the Avengers is that not only do you get to see all your favorite heroes banding together to defeat formidable threats against incredible odds, but you also get to see them interact both as superheroes
and
as people. Whether they’re cooped up in Avengers Mansion or exploring the deepest realms of space, you get to see how they work together and play together, both when they get along and when they don’t. That’s what we love about the Avengers, whether in the comics, the animated series, or the feature film—it’s equal parts superhero epic and soap opera.

Just as the Avengers assemble to confront threats no single hero can handle himself or herself, the contributors to
The Avengers and Philosophy
assembled to discuss a range of topics so broad that no single philosopher could possibly handle it all. Have you ever wondered how the “big three” Avengers—Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor—compare in terms of their moral philosophies? Has the Kree-Skrull War ever made you consider the ethics of war itself? What about the Avengers’ peculiar tendency to welcome former criminals into their ranks, such as Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch? We didn’t forget to ask questions about the great Avengers villains: Can Kang actually go back in time to kill himself? Do we actually admire Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers? And finally, speaking of soap opera, can the Scarlet Witch and the Vision truly love each other?

No matter what Avengers lineup you prefer, or which Avenger is your favorite, there’s a chapter in
The Avengers and Philosophy
for you. (Why no Squirrel Girl, you ask? Wait for volume two—it’s
all
her.) So until Avengers Academy opens a branch near you, this book is the best way to learn from Earth’s Mightiest Philosophers—until we get our own movie, that is!

I would like to thank Bill Irwin for his constant support, encouragement, and hard work on this book and the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series as a whole; Connie Santisteban at Wiley, who saw this book through from beginning to end; and my fellow contributors, who came through with insights into philosophy and the Avengers I would never have imagined. I also want to give special thanks to Christine Hanefalk, who was incredibly supportive, especially in the stressful final weeks of this project. Finally, I would like to thank all the creators who have made the Avengers shine for half a century, starting with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, through Kurt Busiek and George Pérez, and all the way up to Brian Michael Bendis, and Joss Whedon for bringing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to life on the silver screen.