Episode 169 - Stormwatch: Change or Die - with Austin Funk

What happens when Superman decides saving the world isn't enough and tries to fix it instead? Case and Jmike are joined by Austin Funk to revisit Stormwatch: Change or Die, Warren Ellis's three-part story about the High, a blatant Superman analogue with a plan to eliminate scarcity, tear down old systems, and build a better world. They dig into the story's big ideas, its messy execution, and the tragedy of watching genuinely heroic people wind up on opposite sides of a fight over who gets to decide what "better" looks like. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Men of Steel Full Episode Originally aired: September 25, 2026 Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Scored by Gen Moonen Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Men Of Steel - https://www.certainpov.com/men-of-steel​ FOLLOW US: ▶ Twitter: @certainpovmedia @menofsteelpod ▶ Instagram: @certainpovmedia ⏱️ Chapters 00:51 Welcome and Guest Intro 02:03 Warren Ellis and Revisiting the Work 06:12 Why Change or Die Is Worth Discussing 06:53 First Impressions of the Arc 08:01 Jack Hawksmoor and the Power of Cities 09:06 Jmike's First Read 11:05 Too Many Characters? 12:23 Jmike Recaps Change or Die 14:49 The High's Plan for Utopia 16:31 The Assassination Attempt on Jenny Sparks 18:35 Introducing Blind 19:28 Henry Bendix and Stormwatch 21:56 The High Returns 22:37 Meet Stormwatch Prime 24:52 The High as Golden Age Superman 25:27 The Doctor 26:19 Wright and the Justice League Analogues 27:03 Malcolm King Joins the Changers 29:22 Cracks in the High's Plan 31:49 Phase One Begins 32:43 The Engineer Ends Scarcity 35:30 Smoke, Eidolon, and the Changers 37:02 Rose Tattoo's Solution 37:21 Blind Tortures Malcolm 38:27 The High Confronts the United Nations 41:12 Stormwatch vs. the High 43:03 The High Shows What Superman Powers Can Do 44:28 Winter vs. the High 48:32 Jenny Discovers Her Old Friend Is Back 49:17 The Changers Begin Reshaping the World 51:02 The High Discovers What Blind Did 52:04 Bendix Finds the Changers' Base 54:26 Issue 50: The Kill Mission 55:30 Bendix Sizes Up Stormwatch 57:26 The High Broadcasts His Utopia 58:28 Change on Your Own Terms 59:07 Wish Reveals Her Agenda 01:00:30 Smoke Celebrates the End of Killing 01:03:26 Stormwatch Infiltrates the Base 01:04:13 Refusing to Kill 01:05:42 Jenny Sparks Confronts Bendix 01:06:14 Rose Tattoo Kills the Eidolon 01:08:06 Battalion Joins the Fight 01:09:40 Jenny and the High's Golden Age History 01:12:16 Heroes Fighting Heroes 01:13:04 Winter Offers the Changers a Way Out 01:14:38 Battalion Confronts Wish 01:16:11 Wish Gets Taken Off the Board 01:17:05 The Truth About Rose Tattoo 01:17:55 Bendix Completely Unravels 01:20:18 Jenny Sparks vs. Bendix 01:21:43 How Do You Kill the Dead? 01:22:57 The High Learns the Truth About Blind 01:24:30 Stormwatch's Prisoners Die 01:25:47 Jenny Takes Down Bendix 01:26:15 The Battle Turns Deadly 01:27:30 The Changers Fall 01:28:11 The High Heads for Skywatch 01:28:43 People Only Want Change on Their Terms 01:31:17 The Death of the High 01:32:34 What Change or Die Is Trying to Say 01:34:33 Final Thoughts on the Arc 01:37:54 Good Ideas, Limited Execution 01:39:02 The Legacy of Stormwatch 01:40:36 Austin's Plugs 01:43:03 Jmike's Plugs 01:43:32 Case's Plugs 01:44:55 Patreon Shout-Out 01:45:56 Rolling With Difficulty 01:46:05 Sign-Off 01:46:20 Credits 01:46:40 Digging for Kryptonite Promo