10 Times Superman Just Quit

Superman is an icon, not only of comics, but of pop culture. He's the top of the food chain as far as DC superheroes go, possessing a powerset, sense of justice, and outlook on humanity that makes him a paragon of virtue.

Except for those times that he has enough and packs it in.

For being Earth's foremost hero, Superman has a surprising tendency to throw in the towel. Now, to be fair, it's not like he'd roll out of bed and be like 'Meh, I don't feel like fighting crime today. I think I'll skip the gym and then sit on the couch and binge (DC's version of) Netflix for eight or nine hours."

No, for Superman to quit being Superman, or at least to stop representing what Superman has always stood for, it has to be something pretty drastic, something that would push mere mortals, let alone a man who can literally move mountains, to their breaking point - death, love, remorse, loss.

As Darkseid has reminded Kal-El many times, super or not, he's still a man, and even the steeliest of men reach a point where they say 'Enough's enough' and make a decision to hang up their red, yellow, and blue spandex.

Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at ten times that Superman put the 'man' first and walked away from his role as Earth's most powerful defender of truth and justice.

For someone who is supposed to be a defender of the little guy, Superman is incredibly quick to ignore the collateral damage he's causing.

Way back in 1939, Superman concludes that bad neighbourhoods are the root of all evil, and proceeds to destroy dozens of low-income homes in the slums of Metropolis. Apparently forgetting he's a hero, he fights the National Guard, causing more damage.

Later that year, Superman has the same attitude towards cars after a friend of Clark's is struck by a speeding car. Clark goes on a rampage, unlawfully destroying private vehicles and a car factory that makes low-cost autos. Again forgetting he's a hero, he threatens the Mayor until he agrees to stricter traffic laws.

The DCAU isn't immune from Superman's hubris. In 'Clash', Superman is manipulated by Lex Luthor into battling Captain Marvel, destroying low-income housing built by Lexcorp, playing into Lex's plan to discredit Superman. In 'Destroyer', Superman and Darkseid destroy several skyscrapers during their fight.

Then there's the legendary loss of life and property in Man of Steel, when Superman, apparently just giving up on protecting the public, destroys multiple blocks of Metropolis, setting in motion the events of the DCEU.

Call that a mixed blessing.