Rebecca Housel & William Irwin 
X-Men and Philosophy 
Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse

X-Men is one of the most popular comic book franchises
ever, with successful spin-offs that include several feature films,
cartoon series, bestselling video games, and merchandise. This is
the first look at the deeper issues of the X-Men universe and the
choices facing its powerful ‘mutants, ‘ such as identity, human
ethics versus mutant morality, and self-sacrifice.

J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Oneonta, NY) is Assistant Professor of
Philosophy at Hartwick College and the editor of Family Guy and
Philosophy (978-1-4051-6316-3) and The Office and Philosophy
(978-1-4051-7555-5). Rebecca Housel (Rochester, NY) is a professor
at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she teaches about
writing and pop culture. For William Irwin’s biography, please see
below.

Table of Content

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Superheroic Thanks to X-tra Special Humans and
Mutants Alike! xi

Introduction: You Are About to Embark on an X-perience with
‘the Strangest Heroes of All’ 1

X1: ORIGINS

THE X-FACTOR IN THE EXISTENTIAL

1. The Lure of the Normal: Who Wouldn’t Want to Be a
Mutant? 5

Patrick D. Hopkins

2. Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine
17

Jason Southworth

3. Is Suicide Always Immoral? Jean Grey, Immanuel Kant, and The
Dark Phoenix Saga 27

Mark D. White

4. X-istential X-Men: Jews, Supermen, and the Literature of
Struggle 38

Jesse Kavadlo

X2: EVOLUTION

CONSCIOUSNESS, CONSCIENCE, AND CURE

5. Mad Genetics: The Sinister Side of Biological Mastery
53

Andrew Burnett

6. Layla Miller Knows Stuff: How a Butterfly Can Shoulder the
World 66

George A. Dunn

7. X-Women and X-istence 85

Rebecca Housel

8. Mutant Rights, Torture, and X-perimentation 99

Cynthia Mc Williams

9. When You Know You’re Just a Comic Book Character:
Deadpool 107

Joseph J. Darowski

X3: UNITED

HUMAN ETHICS AND MUTANT MORALITY IN THE X-VERSE

10. Magneto, Mutation, and Morality 125

Richard Davis

11. Professor X Wants You 140

Christopher Robichaud

12. Dirty Hands and Dirty Minds: The Ethics of Mind Reading and
Mindwriting 153

Andrew Terjesen

13. The Mutant Cure or Social Change: Debating Disability
170

Ramona Ilea

14. Mutants and the Metaphysics of Race 183

Jeremy Pierce

X4: TH E LAST STAND

WAR, TECHNOLOGY, DEATH, AND MUTANTKIND

15. Mutant Phenomenology 197

J. Jeremy Wisnewski

16. War and Peace, Power and Faith 209

Katherine E. Kirby

17. High-Tech Mythology in X-Men 223

George Teschner

CONTRIBUTORS: And Now, We’d Like to Introduce the X-Perts:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Amazing, Astonishing, Uncanny, Ultimate
Authors from Xavier’s School for Gifted Philosophers! 236

INDEX 241

About the author

Rebecca Housel is a professor of pop culture, creative writing, and medical humanities at Rochester Institute of Technology and contributed to Monty Python and Philosophy.

J. JEREMY WISNEWSKI is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hartwick College and the editor of Family Guy and Philosophy and The Office and Philosophy.

William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King’s College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Watchmen and Philosophy.