Philosophy All Along

***Spoilers*** In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jean Grey does more than discover Peter Parker’s secret identity. She finds the last surviving trace of his private life, names him as Peter, and gives him the chance to exist as more than Spider-Man again. Peter has not simply been forgotten. The world still recognizes Spider-Man, but no longer recognizes the person beneath the mask. When Jean calls him Peter before entering his mind, she restores the identity he has almost lost and makes it possible for him to finally accept that he is both Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

Why is Lobo the key to making sense of *Supergirl’s* ending? Ruthye gives mercy. Kara gives death. And Lobo without realizing it gives Kara the gift of an ethical witness. Major spoilers for Supergirl follow. In this seven-minute philosophical analysis, I argue that Ruthye, Kara, and Lobo form an unexpected community through three gifts surrounding the death of Krem. Ruthye spares Krem. Kara then kills him herself, attempting to spare Ruthye from the moral burden of taking a life. But Kara’s gift is also paternalistic: she decides alone what burden Ruthye should be permitted to carry. Then Lobo witnesses the killing. Kara never knows that he is watching, and Lobo does not intend his presence as a gift. He cannot authorize, forgive, or absolve Kara. Yet his witness means that her act is no longer entirely solitary. Through Jacques Derrida’s The Gift of Death, feminist care ethics, and the problem of paternalism, I ask whether Lobo of all people performs the film’s most unexpectedly feminist gesture. Does Lobo transform Kara’s private burden into a shared ethical event or is he simply enjoying the violence? And is Kara protecting Ruthye, deciding for her, or doing both? Subscribe to Philosophy All Along for philosophical analysis of film, television, and popular culture. #Supergirl #Lobo #DCU

Obsession is not just a horror movie about a cursed wish. It is a film about love, possession, masculinity, rejection, consent, and the terrifying fantasy of being loved “more than anyone else.” In this video, I break down why Curry Barker’s Obsession is one of the scariest horror films in years and why the real monster may not be the curse, but the desire to be loved at the expense of someone else’s selfhood. #Obsession #ObsessionMovie #HorrorMovies #FilmAnalysis #Philosophy #IncelHorror #CurryBarker #PhilosophyAllAlong

The comments on my @ScreenCrush appearance clocked me... and they were right. I defended *Supergirl* and encouraged people to support movies in theaters, but I ignored how expensive moviegoing has become. We cannot control ticket prices, but we can try to find something interesting, meaningful, or fun even in an imperfect film—so our limited time is not spent only being angry at art. Thanks to @ScreenCrush for having me, and to the commenters who challenged me. When tickets cost this much, does a movie have to be great? Maybe it does... #Supergirl #FilmAnalysis #Shorts

Is James Gunn’s *Superman* a political film—and what happens when audiences find political meanings that a filmmaker may not have consciously intended? In this extended conversation, Nicolas Michaud of Philosophy All Along is joined by Colton Ogburn, producer, writer, editor, and on-screen host for @ScreenCrush, to discuss the politics of *Superman* (2025). We examine the film’s depiction of Boravia and Jarhanpur, the parallels some viewers have drawn to Israel and Gaza, and whether those connections are genuinely present regardless of James Gunn’s stated intentions. We also explore the larger questions raised by the film: Does authorial intent determine what a work means? Should superhero movies address contemporary political conflicts? Can Superman remain a symbol of universal morality while entering politically contested territory? The conversation expands beyond one particular allegory to consider the changing relationship between Hollywood, superhero cinema, political storytelling, and audiences increasingly divided over what popular art should say and whether it should say anything at all. Featuring Colton Ogburn: YouTube: @ColtonOgburnChannel ScreenCrush: @ScreenCrush Subscribe to Philosophy All Along for philosophical discussions of movies, television, politics, culture, and the ideas hidden inside popular entertainment. What did you see in James Gunn’s *Superman*? Was the Boravia–Jarhanpur conflict simply a fictional superhero narrative, or did it inevitably evoke contemporary political realities? #Superman #JamesGunn #FilmAnalysis #Superman2025 #PoliticalCinema