Figuring Out Fairness: Justice Considerations in Superhero Comics
Document Type
Peer Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Scholarship on superhero comics and other superhero media consistently highlights the important role of justice considerations in the acts and motivations of superheroes. However, these analyses are usually not informed by developmental psychology, specifically as it is practiced within the constructivist tradition. To address this gap, the present paper argues for the potential of a constructivist approach to sociomoral development, Social Cognitive Domain Theory (SCDT), to illuminate some of the genre’s appeal through analyzing its portrayal of justice considerations. The paper argues that a SCDT informed analysis of superhero comics’ portrayal of retributive, procedural, and distributive justice provides opportunities to explore intersections between features of superhero comics as a medium and features of psychological processes suggested to be involved in navigating complex social situations. The essay highlights events from three superhero comics: Seventh Circle (2016, Daredevil; retributive), Trial of Jean Grey (2014, Jean Grey; procedural), and Peace on Earth (1999, Superman; distributive).
Recommended Citation
Martin, Justin
,
"Figuring Out Fairness: Justice Considerations in Superhero Comics" Whitworth University (2025). Psychology Faculty Scholarship.
Paper 6.
https://digitalcommons.whitworth.edu/psychologyfaculty/6