The comic book superheroes-Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and the others-have proved to be a powerful and enduring thread in popular culture, a rich source of ideas for movie-makers, novelists, and philosophers. Superheroes and Philosophy brings together sixteen leading philosophers and some of the most creative people in the world of comics: story-writers, editors, and critics. The book also features original artwork specially commissioned from some of the most popular comic-book artists. The comic-book narratives of superheroes wrestle with profound and disturbing issues in original ways: the definitions of good and evil, the limits of violence as an efficacious means, the perils of enforcing justice outside the law, the metaphysics of personal identity, and the definition of humanity.