**From *Batman Begins* to *Tom Clancy*, *How to Justify Torture* shows how contemporary culture creates simplified narratives about good guy torturers and bad guy victims, how dangerous this is politically, and what we can do to challenge it.** The ticking bomb scenario is a thought experiment designed to demonstrate that torture can be justified in emergency conditions. If there was a bomb hidden somewhere in a major city, would it be justified to torture a captured informant in order to obtain the critical information that could prevent a devastating terrorist attack? In *How to Justify Torture*, cultural critic Alex Adams examines this thought experiment in depth by exploring the wide range of cultural productions--from military thrillers, through superhero movies, to home-invasion narratives--which repeatedly ask us this question about torture. By critiquing the argument step by step, this short, provocative book reminds us why torture can never be justified.