10 Times Superman Just Quit
3. Superman Become A Weapon Of Mass Destruction For The U.S. Government - The Dark Knight Returns
Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns is a Batman story, and a great one, but Superman plays a key role.
In Miller's reality, heroes were outlawed a decade before the story - Green Lantern went back to Oa, Wonder Woman returned to Themyscira, and Batman grudgingly retired.
Superman, however, was allowed to continue operating, as long as he turned his back on everything that made him a hero - standing up for the downtrodden, defending the defenseless, and basically being a boy scout.
He became a secret asset of the US government, being called into action during serious incidents where the United States needs to show the rest of the world who's boss. The government won't acknowledge what he does and blocks media speculation when he's on missions.
In Clark's mind, being able to help his country, even though he knows what he is doing is wrong, is still better than Bruce's one-person war on crime, as it at least lets him help the greater good.
Of course, Superman being a weapon of mass destruction does lead to the Soviets firing a nuke at America, which Clark intercepts, almost killing him and causing nuclear winter, leading directly to the epic showdown between Bruce and Clark.
So there is that.