Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers, The (4 page)

Verily, a Fine Segue!

Another thing utilitarianism and deontology have in common is their focus on action: determining the right thing in do in any particular situation. But our third school of ethics,
virtue ethics
, focuses on the actor instead, emphasizing enduring character traits that good (or virtuous) people possess, such as honesty, courage, and resolve—all of them hallmarks of a hero.
²⁰
Iron Man and Captain America display these virtues, of course, but their virtues do not account for how they make moral decisions. For an example of virtue ethics, we turn to our third Avenger Prime, Thor.

The Odinson lives by a code of honor, adhering to the highest standards of bravery, loyalty, and honesty, and these ideals motivate his actions. He does not weigh the positive and negative effects of alternatives like Tony does, but rather lets his instincts guide him to the right action. In this way Thor resembles Cap, in that they both do the “right thing.” Of course, they do it for different reasons, though: Cap does the right thing because it represents his duties or principles, and Thor because it represents his character.

Because of his well-earned slumber after breaking the seemingly endless cycle of Ragnarok (the death of the gods), Thor missed out on the Civil War. When he returned to Earth, though, he discovered both Captain America’s death and Iron Man’s part in creating the clone of Thor (as well as his other questionable decisions). When Iron Man meets him to welcome him back to Earth as his friend and then to “urge” him to register, Thor recounts Tony’s deeds during the superhero battle, describing them as offenses against virtue:

You have hunted down those we once fought beside and called comrades. Killed or imprisoned those who opposed you, regardless of their previous loyalties. . . . You took my genetic code and, without my permission, without my knowledge, used it to create an abomination—an aberration—an insult—and this you told the world was me. You defiled my body, desecrated my trust, violated everything that I am. Is this how you define friendship?
²¹

Thor does not address the motives or rationale for Tony’s actions, but instead his violation of the basic concepts of camaraderie, loyalty, integrity, respect, trust, and friendship. A good person does not act against these virtues, as Thor says to Tony with eloquent language—and devastating force. Instead, good people embody these virtues, which are an essential part of their character, and manifest themselves in their decisions, intentions, and actions (although not necessarily perfectly).
²²

On the first anniversary of Captain America’s death, Thor visits his gravesite and summons the spirit of his fallen comrade. After offering to avenge Cap’s murder (an offer that is declined), Thor pays tribute, again in the language of virtue, specifically the virtues of honor and friendship:

I have lived many ages of men, Steven. Centuries without end. I have seen many great men, and known countless honors. But the greatest honor of this ancient and tired soul has been the privilege of fighting beside you, and calling you my friend.
²³

Again, Thor does not care about Cap’s dedication to duty or principle, but how well that leads him to live up to virtues that Thor regards as worthy of a hero, a warrior, and a friend.

Of course, it is not merely others whom Thor holds up to the standards of virtue, but first and foremost himself. He is unwavering in his fairness, as when he approached a demonic, rampaging Asgardian with an open hand before engaging and defeating him in battle, and then accepted exile from Asgard once it was revealed that his vanquished foe was none other than Bor, his grandfather and previous king.
²⁴
He is unflinching in his courage, such as when he swears during the Siege of Asgard, after being beaten down by Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers, “I will not run from you, Osborn, not your minions. I will not hide. I will defend my home and the home of my father . . . with my very last breath.”
²⁵
He has a profound sense of honor and justice, refusing to kill Bob Reynolds (the Sentry) at the end of the Siege—even when Reynolds begs him to—until Reynolds forces his hand by attacking the Avengers (after which Thor takes his burnt body, wrapped in his cape, and buries it in the sun).
²⁶
And he is fiercely loyal, going so far as to revive his adopted brother Loki following his death during the destruction of Asgard (for which Loki was ultimately responsible but later repented).
²⁷

Of course, many heroes exemplify these traits, including Iron Man and Captain America, but Thor acts this way for the sake of these virtues, rather than out of the expectation of good consequences or respect for duty or principle. Thor strives to be a good person, a virtuous person. For instance, at the end of
Avengers Prime
, Thor reclaims the Twilight Sword with which Hela (the goddess of death) had reshaped the nine realms, but he refuses to use it himself. He could have restored Asgard to its former glory, before it was destroyed in the last Ragnarok, then restored over Broxton, Oklahoma, and later destroyed again in the Siege.
²⁸
But he tells Amora (the Enchantress), “To use this unholy power for my own ends would make me the same demon she is.”
²⁹
And that “same demon”—someone who uses infinite power for his own ends, or even for what he predicts would be the best for everybody—isn’t who Thor strives to be.

Ethicists Assemble!

Can we conclude, therefore, that virtue ethics has nothing in common with utilitarianism and deontology? Absolutely not—all three ethical approaches can be seen as ways to determine the right thing to do or the right way to live, whether approached through action or character. And they often reach the same conclusions when it comes to very general topics such as murder and lying, though they may have different things to say on specific cases. For instance, utilitarianism might be more permissive of some well-meaning lies than deontology or virtue ethics.

Still, no matter which ethical framework you choose to adopt, you need to exercise judgment to apply it to specific circumstances. You also need conviction to stand by your decision in the face of criticism from others or doubts from within. As much as our Avengers Prime may differ in terms of their basic moral philosophy, they share the same capacity for sound judgment and unshakable conviction. Ultimately they serve as examples to those of us who aspire to be heroes in our own lives—but can’t afford the tuition at Avengers Academy!

NOTES

1.
See, for example,
Avengers Academy
#10 (May 2011), reprinted in
Avengers Academy: When Will We Use This in the Real World?
(2011), and discussed here:
http://www.comicsprofessor.com/2011/03/superhuman-ethics-class-is-in-session-in-avengers-academy-10.html
.

2.
Avengers Prime
#1–5 (August 2010–March 2011), reprinted in
Avengers Prime
(2011).

3.
See . . . well, most all Marvel comics since 2006, but especially
Civil War
(2007),
World War Hulk
(2008),
Secret Invasion
(2009), and
Siege
(2010), plus dozens (if not hundreds) of tie-in comics. (Go ahead, read them, I’ll wait.)

4.
See Bentham’s
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
(1781), available at
http://www.utilitarianism.com/jeremy-bentham/index.html
.

5.
Utilitarianism is a specific form of
consequentialism
, which judges the morality of actions by some aspect of their consequences, such as goodness (as in utilitarianism) or equality (as in egalitarianism). For a thorough discussion, see Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, “Consequentialism,”
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
,
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism
.

6.
Iron Man
, vol. 4, #7 (June 2006), reprinted in
Iron Man: Execute Program
(2007). At the end of the story line (#12, November 2006), to avoid being forced to kill Cap by mental control, Tony stops his own heart, trusting that he would be revived as he did for the Dynamo.

7.
See Larry Alexander and Michael Moore, “Deontological Ethics,”
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
,
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological
.

8.
Civil War
#6 (December 2006). On the other hand, he allowed Wolverine into the Avengers despite telling Tony, “He’s a murderer” (
New Avengers
, vol. 1, #6, June 2005, reprinted in
New Avengers: Breakout
, 2006). I would like to think that a soldier like Cap knows the difference between someone who kills in the heat of battle and someone who does the same for personal gain (like the Thunderbolts) or vengeance (like the Punisher); for more on this theme, see the chapter “The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Problem with Proactive Superheroics” by Arno Bogaerts in this volume.

9.
Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War
(February 2007), reprinted in
Civil War: Iron Man
(2007);
Captain America
, vol. 5, #22 (November 2006), reprinted in
Civil War: Captain America
(2007).

10.
See
Amazing Spider-Man
#529–531 (April–June 2006), reprinted in
Civil War: The Road to Civil War
(2007).

11.
Amazing Spider-Man
#532, reprinted in
Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man
(2007).

12.
Civil War
#7 (January 2007).

13.
Civil War: The Confession
(May 2007), reprinted in
Civil War: Iron Man
(2007).

14.
World War Hulk
#4 (November 2007).

15.
Civil War: The Confession
.

16.
Amazing Spider-Man
#537 (December 2006), reprinted in
Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man
.

17.
Captain America to Iron Man, from
Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War
.

18.
Captain America
, vol. 5, #22.

19.
Deirdre McCloskey,
The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 263.

20.
See Rosalind Hursthouse, “Virtue Ethics,”
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
,
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue
.

21.
Thor
, vol. 3, #3 (November 2007), reprinted in
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 1
(2008).

22.
For more on virtue and imperfection, see the chapter titled “Cap’s Kooky Quartet: Is Rehabilitation Possible?” by Andrew Terjesen in this volume.

23.
Thor
, vol. 3, #11 (November 2008), reprinted in
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 2
(2009). For more on the ancient Greek meaning of friendship, see the chapter titled “Gods, Beasts, and Political Animals: Why the Avengers Assemble” by Tony Spanakos in this volume.

24.
Thor
, vol. 3, #600 (April 2009), reprinted in
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 2
. (After issue #12, the series was renumbered at #600 to commemorate the anniversary of the title.)

25.
Siege
#2 (April 2010).

26.
Siege
#4 (June 2010).