SuperHero settings, like any other setting, end up somewhere on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. On the more idealistic end, you have settings like mainstream comic books, where there's a sense of wonder and basic decency about the superhuman. While there are villains, they will usually get caught or their plans will be thwarted, and while [[DarkAge the setting may take dark turns]], it will inevitably right itself. Somewhere in the middle, you have settings that look at superpowers a bit more realistically. While the government may have supers, so will despotic regimes, organized crimes, and terrorist groups. The good guys may win, but [[EarnYourHappyEnding victories will be hard fought and likely to have their share of losses.]]

And then you have these settings. The world's not better for having superhumans. [[CrapsackWorld It's worse]]. The government has no safety net to deal with rogue supers, and it seems like there ain't nothing but rogue supers [[GoodPowersBadPeople terrorizing]] {{Muggles}} or [[PsychoForHire freaks on leashes]]. And that's just the so-called heroes, who are usually [[DesignatedHero anything but]], being all-too-aware of their [[WhatMeasureIsANonSuper superiority over the rest of the human race]] and [[TheSocialDarwinist a little too keen]] on [[SmugSuper arrogantly flaunting it]]. Maybe the crisis hasn't happened yet, but the way supers seem to be developing, it's only a matter of time until one of them [[TheNewUniverse blows up Pittsburgh]] and the rest go absolutely nuts. Not that they're exactly [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mentally-stable to begin with]]; many will gleefully [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers screw the rules with their powers]], but it's almost guaranteed that at least one of them is developing a [[AGodAmI God-complex]] as a result of their powers, and that they're only one bad day away from trying to [[TakeOverTheWorld enslave]] or [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out]] all of humanity (which they could [[PersonOfMassDestruction easily do within an afternoon]]).

These are often {{Deconstruction}}s of more traditional SuperHero fare, and often use {{Take That}}s against popular characters like {{Superman}} or Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}} (or [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation that particular writer's]] [[ShallowParody perception of them]]).

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SuperHero settings, like any other setting, end up somewhere on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. On the more idealistic end, you have settings like mainstream comic books, where there's a sense of wonder and basic decency about the superhuman. While there are villains, they will usually get caught or their plans will be thwarted, and while [[TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the setting may take dark turns]], it will inevitably right itself. Somewhere in the middle, you have settings that look at superpowers a bit more realistically. While the government may have supers, so will despotic regimes, organized crimes, and terrorist groups. The good guys may win, but [[EarnYourHappyEnding victories will be hard fought and likely to have their share of losses.]]

And then you have these settings. The world's not better for having superhumans. [[CrapsackWorld It's worse]]. The government has no safety net to deal with rogue supers, and it seems like there ain't nothing but rogue supers [[GoodPowersBadPeople terrorizing]] {{Muggles}} or [[PsychoForHire freaks on leashes]]. And that's just the so-called heroes, who are usually [[DesignatedHero anything but]], being all-too-aware of their [[MugglePower superiority over the rest of the human race]] and [[TheSocialDarwinist a little too keen]] on [[SmugSuper arrogantly flaunting it]]. Maybe the crisis hasn't happened yet, but the way supers seem to be developing, it's only a matter of time until one of them [[TheNewUniverse blows up Pittsburgh]] and the rest go absolutely nuts. Not that they're exactly [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mentally-stable to begin with]]; many will gleefully [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers screw the rules with their powers]], but it's almost guaranteed that at least one of them is developing a [[AGodAmI God-complex]] as a result of their powers, and that they're only one bad day away from trying to [[TakeOverTheWorld enslave]] or [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out]] all of humanity (which they could [[PersonOfMassDestruction easily do within an afternoon]]).

These are often {{Deconstruction}}s of more traditional SuperHero fare, and often use {{Take That}}s against popular characters like Franchise/{{Superman}} or Franchise/SpiderMan (or [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation that particular writer's]] [[ShallowParody perception of them]]).

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* The original ''SquadronSupreme'''s limited series has this as the central them, with the superheroes taking over their world's United States after it's trashed an alien mind-control menace, [[KnightTemplar for the "greater good", of course.]] They do in fact succeed in eliminating poverty, war, and, though a (mostly) voluntary brain-modification unit, reforming most of the world's criminals. However, their own personal failings, rising team death count, and totalitarian underpinnings leave their attempt a failure, case in point being how their CaptainErsatz for GreenArrow takes their CaptainErsatz for BlackCanary and {{Brainwash}}es to make her always in love with him. He quickly regrets this but has to live with the consequences until he is discovered and expelled from the team.
* Twenty years later, the Justice League (of whom the Squadron were [[{{Expy}} Expies]]) would likewise had a major storyline, ''IdentityCrisis'' involving using Zatanna's magical brainwashing on super-powered criminals, following Doctor Light's rape of Sue Dibney. Not surprisingly, the main holdout on each team who rejected the plan in horror (playing the role of team conscience) was essentially the same character (Batman and his CaptainErsatz, Nighthawk).

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* The original ''SquadronSupreme'''s limited series has this as the central theme, with the superheroes taking over their world's United States after it's trashed an alien mind-control menace, [[KnightTemplar for the "greater good", of course.]] They do in fact succeed in eliminating poverty, war, and, though a (mostly) voluntary brain-modification unit, reforming most of the world's criminals. However, their own personal failings, rising team death count, and totalitarian underpinnings leave their attempt a failure, case in point being how their CaptainErsatz for GreenArrow {{brainwashed}} their CaptainErsatz for BlackCanary to make sure she is always in love with him. He quickly regrets this but has to live with the consequences until he is discovered and expelled from the team.
* Twenty years later, the {{Justice League|OfAmerica}} (of whom the Squadron were {{exp|y}}ies) would likewise have a major storyline, ''IdentityCrisis'' involving using {{Zatanna}}'s magical brainwashing on super-powered criminals, following Doctor Light's rape of Sue Dibney. Not surprisingly, the main holdout on each team who rejected the plan in horror (playing the role of team conscience) was essentially the same character (Batman and his CaptainErsatz, Nighthawk).

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* Whether or not ''TheAuthority'' are Earth's last line of defense against serious threats and a force for change, or a bunch of authoritarian despots who can't get outside their own heads, varies somewhat [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on who's writing which Wildstorm book this week]]. Much of the rest of the Wildstorm Universe is the same way.
** In their original portrayal by Warren Ellis ''TheAuthority'' at least twice casually killed tons of civilian bystanders, who were guilty of nothing more than living under the rule of an EvilOverlord. Of course the analogue to American military involvement is brought up, to grey the issue more.
* ''{{Planetary}}'' plays fast and loose with the trope, however: A cabal of superheroes ''does'' secretly rule the world and quite a lot of bad stuff is supernatural in origin. Still, many of the Earth's mysteries are neutral or even benign and the Century Babies (who are all immortal and superpowered) are implied to be the Earth's natural immune system against superpowered foes that would threaten humanity. [[spoiler:By the end, Elijah Snow has managed to use the knowledge collected by The Four to avert ReedRichardsIsUseless and eliminated global poverty, war and innumerable diseases.]]

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* Whether or not ''Comicbook/TheAuthority'' are Earth's last line of defense against serious threats and a force for change, or a bunch of authoritarian despots who can't get outside their own heads, varies somewhat [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on who's writing which Wildstorm book this week]]. Much of the rest of the Wildstorm Universe is the same way.
** In their original portrayal by Warren Ellis ''Comicbook/TheAuthority'' at least twice casually killed tons of civilian bystanders, who were guilty of nothing more than living under the rule of an EvilOverlord. Of course the analogue to American military involvement is brought up, to grey the issue more.
* ''Comicbook/{{Planetary}}'' plays fast and loose with the trope, however: A cabal of superheroes ''does'' secretly rule the world and quite a lot of bad stuff is supernatural in origin. Still, many of the Earth's mysteries are neutral or even benign and the Century Babies (who are all immortal and superpowered) are implied to be the Earth's natural immune system against superpowered foes that would threaten humanity. [[spoiler:By the end, Elijah Snow has managed to use the knowledge collected by The Four to avert ReedRichardsIsUseless and eliminated global poverty, war and innumerable diseases.]]

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* ''{{Powers}}'' touches on this frequently, depicting most supers with feet of clay. A story involving the [[CaptainErsatz Superman analogue]] named Supershock is a particularly good example--he develops a god complex,[[spoiler: destroys the Vatican and the Gaza Strip after going off the rails, and it's revealed that his power level has been underplayed to avoid worldwide panic.]]
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' is set in a future of TheDCU wherein the next generation of superhumans took their cue from the {{Nineties Anti Hero}}es rather than [[GoodIsOldFashioned 'outdated' heroes]] like {{Superman}} (who retired in disillusionment [[spoiler: after one of them got off scot-free after murdering the Joker]]), with the result that the 'heroes' and 'villains' are more interested in recklessly kicking the tar out of each other than protecting the innocent. When {{The Cape}}s ''do'' make a reappearance, their [[WellIntentionedExtremist determination to rein in their more reckless brethren]] sees them quickly turn into {{Knight Templar}}s. Unlike many of these universes, it's suggested that this one is at least partially the public's fault, as they overwhelmingly rejected the ideals of the old-fashioned heroes and placed their trust in the more 'modern' ones, only to learn too late what this meant.

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* ''Comicbook/{{Powers}}'' touches on this frequently, depicting most supers with feet of clay. A story involving the [[CaptainErsatz Superman analogue]] named Supershock is a particularly good example--he develops a god complex,[[spoiler: destroys the Vatican and the Gaza Strip after going off the rails, and it's revealed that his power level has been underplayed to avoid worldwide panic.]]
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' is set in a future of TheDCU wherein the next generation of superhumans took their cue from the {{Nineties Anti Hero}}es rather than [[GoodIsOldFashioned 'outdated' heroes]] like Franchise/{{Superman}} (who retired in disillusionment [[spoiler: after one of them got off scot-free after murdering the Joker]]), with the result that the 'heroes' and 'villains' are more interested in recklessly kicking the tar out of each other than protecting the innocent. When {{The Cape}}s ''do'' make a reappearance, their [[WellIntentionedExtremist determination to rein in their more reckless brethren]] sees them quickly turn into {{Knight Templar}}s. Unlike many of these universes, it's suggested that this one is at least partially the public's fault, as they overwhelmingly rejected the ideals of the old-fashioned heroes and placed their trust in the more 'modern' ones, only to learn too late what this meant.

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* LexLuthor invokes this thinking in ''LexLuthorManOfSteel'', encouraging people to question Superman's supposed OmniscientMoralityLicense when he, for instance, saves [[PsychopathicManchild The Toyman]] from an angry mob, after the latter had [[MoralEventHorizon blown up a daycare centre]] killing at least one family. His real reason (or so he tells himself) for hating the hero is that Superman, whether he means to or not, by dint of his mere existence make all human progress irrelevant and thus serves as a crutch that we need to overcome, which is a soft variation of this trope. Of course, given that every single evil thing that happens in this comic- including the Toyman's actions-, were probably [[TheChessmaster orchestrated by Luthor himself]], Lex is less TheCassandra he thinks he is and more the deluded egotistical [[TheSociopath sociopath]] he always is, and coupled with his ImprobablyHighIQ and his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney billion dollar corporate empire]] means that the only Superman humanity should be worried about is LexLuthor himself.

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* SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor invokes this thinking in ''Comicbook/LexLuthorManOfSteel'', encouraging people to question Superman's supposed OmniscientMoralityLicense when he, for instance, saves [[PsychopathicManchild The Toyman]] from an angry mob, after the latter had [[MoralEventHorizon blown up a daycare centre]] killing at least one family. His real reason (or so he tells himself) for hating the hero is that Superman, whether he means to or not, by dint of his mere existence make all human progress irrelevant and thus serves as a crutch that we need to overcome, which is a soft variation of this trope. Of course, given that every single evil thing that happens in this comic- including the Toyman's actions-, were probably [[TheChessmaster orchestrated by Luthor himself]], Lex is less TheCassandra he thinks he is and more the deluded egotistical [[TheSociopath sociopath]] he always is, and coupled with his ImprobablyHighIQ and his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney billion dollar corporate empire]] means that the only Superman humanity should be worried about is SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor himself.

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* A recurring problem in MarvelComics. [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in particular has been the epicenter for superhuman events from {{Galactus}} trying to devour the planet (on more than one occasion), [[ComicBook/{{Inferno}} demonic invasions]] and seemingly endless battles between superheroes and villains (or sometimes just between superheroes and other superheroes), aliens, the occasional giant monster of undefined origin and one instance where a Herald of the above-mentioned Galactus levitated Manhattan Island into orbit. Magneto once blasted the entire planet with an EMP, has raised volcanoes on a whim and moved his giant space station around to anywhere he wants it. The Hulk has left trails of destruction across America countless times. A prominent head of state goes by the name ''DoctorDoom''. The U.S. government has scary giant, purple robots flying around to "protect" the public from mutants. That any sane person does not live in a state of abject terror over all of this requires incredible powers of denial, a fact which has been lampshaded on many occasions.

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* A recurring problem in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in particular has been the epicenter for superhuman events from {{Galactus}} trying to devour the planet (on more than one occasion), [[ComicBook/{{Inferno}} demonic invasions]] and seemingly endless battles between superheroes and villains (or sometimes just between superheroes and other superheroes), aliens, the occasional giant monster of undefined origin and one instance where a Herald of the above-mentioned Galactus levitated Manhattan Island into orbit. SelfDemonstrating/{{Magneto}} once blasted the entire planet with an EMP, has raised volcanoes on a whim and moved his giant space station around to anywhere he wants it. [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] has left trails of destruction across America countless times. A prominent head of state goes by the name ''SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom''. The U.S. government has scary giant, purple robots flying around to "protect" the public from mutants. That any sane person does not live in a state of abject terror over all of this requires incredible powers of denial, a fact which has been lampshaded on many occasions.

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* PaperinikNewAdventures plays with it by making it true for the ''main villains'', the Evronians, TWICE. The straightest example for them is [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Trauma]], an Evronian general that was changed in a SuperSoldier and was later imprisoned for various insubordinations and outright mutiny justified by his superiority. Then there is Xadhoom, an alien scientist who became a PhysicalGoddess whose vendetta against Evron and the fact she's pretty much invincible made her the primary cause for Evronian horribly painful deaths, to the point that in her final appearance in body (in the same issue the Evronian Empire was broken by the loss of a good chunk of its population and pretty much all its rulers), three Evronians battlefleets barely slowed her down while she was PLAYING with them. After Xadhoom [[ItMakesSenseInContext became a star to save the survivors of her people]], it seemed to happen straight when an Evronian survivor managed to steal a recording of her mind and was told how to get her powers... Then, as he obtained them and got his AGodAmI moment, the recording gloated that you need CONTROL or the Power will kill you, and the Evronian promptly dissolved into nothing.

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* PaperinikNewAdventures plays with it by making it true for the ''main villains'', the Evronians, TWICE. The straightest example for them is [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Trauma]], an Evronian general that was changed in a SuperSoldier and was later imprisoned for various insubordinations and outright mutiny justified by his superiority. Then there is Xadhoom, an alien scientist who became a {{Physical God}}dess whose vendetta against Evron and the fact she's pretty much invincible made her the primary cause for Evronian horribly painful deaths, to the point that in her final appearance in body (in the same issue the Evronian Empire was broken by the loss of a good chunk of its population and pretty much all its rulers), three Evronians battlefleets barely slowed her down while she was PLAYING with them. After Xadhoom [[ItMakesSenseInContext became a star to save the survivors of her people]], it seemed to happen straight when an Evronian survivor managed to steal a recording of her mind and was told how to get her powers... Then, as he obtained them and got his AGodAmI moment, the recording gloated that you need CONTROL or the Power will kill you, and the Evronian promptly dissolved into nothing.

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* ''{{Hancock}}'' plays with this trope. Hancock is [[AntiHero mostly a good guy]] but is also a [[TheAlcoholic drunk]], extremely [[AGodAmI arrogant]], ends up causing millions of dollars worth of collateral damage [[WhatTheHellHero when he doesn't need to]], and is [[JerkAss just plain rude]]. At the start of the movie, it is quickly pointed out that the [[UntrustingCommunity public doesn't really want him around]] and that he's actually wanted by the police for all of the damage he's done. Obviously, [[CardboardPrison no one can arrest him unless he wants to be]]. He does get [[TheAtoner nicer by the end]], though.
* ''MySuperExGirlfriend'' plays this trope for laughs when an average Joe breaks up with his girlfriend who just happens to be a superhero... and [[WomanScorned very angry]].
* There is a sub-plot in ''SupermanIII'' where he becomes temporarily evil due to AppliedPhlebotinum. In one scene, he starts flicking bar nuts through a wall while drunk.
* In [[Film/{{Spider-ManTrilogy}} the third ''Spider-Man'' movie]], we get elements of this when Spidey is influenced by the symbiotic suit, turning him evil. The public perception of him throughout the series sometimes reflects this as well.

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* ''Film/{{Hancock}}'' plays with this trope. Hancock is [[AntiHero mostly a good guy]] but is also a [[TheAlcoholic drunk]], extremely [[AGodAmI arrogant]], ends up causing millions of dollars worth of collateral damage [[WhatTheHellHero when he doesn't need to]], and is [[JerkAss just plain rude]]. At the start of the movie, it is quickly pointed out that the [[UntrustingCommunity public doesn't really want him around]] and that he's actually wanted by the police for all of the damage he's done. Obviously, [[CardboardPrison no one can arrest him unless he wants to be]]. He does get [[TheAtoner nicer by the end]], though.
* ''Film/MySuperExGirlfriend'' plays this trope for laughs when an average Joe breaks up with his girlfriend who just happens to be a superhero... and [[WomanScorned very angry]].
* There is a sub-plot in ''Film/SupermanIII'' where he becomes temporarily evil due to AppliedPhlebotinum. In one scene, he starts flicking bar nuts through a wall while drunk.
* In ''[[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man 3]]'', we get elements of this when Spidey is influenced by the symbiotic suit, turning him evil. The public perception of him throughout the series sometimes reflects this as well.

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* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, Earth's devastating Final War was fought by SuperSoldiers with intelligence boosts that all too frequently had the side-effect of increased aggression and sociopathic tendencies. This is the main reason for Luddism and prejudice against genetic engineering. The Harrington family's Meyerdahl Beta line is one of the few successful lines to boost intelligence without creating amoral monsters, but even Honor is aware that her own killer instinct may be linked to it. It's worth noting also that the Winton family line are genies who probably have intelligence boosts, and Elizabeth is infamous for a volcanic and implacable temper.
* In the original novel of ''{{Carrie}}'', it's implied that this is likely to happen in the future after the "Black Prom" made people aware of the existence of PsychicPowers. Government agents would be forced to round up and execute children the moment they display a hint of psychic ability, so as to eliminate the off chance that they may [[BerserkButton snap]] and use their powers to kill people and destroy towns like Carrie did. The possibility is also raised that some parents would resist having their children taken away, which, combined with the last page's discussion of little Annie Jenks, means that [[HereWeGoAgain another disaster is still in the cards]]...
* Revealed to be the actual purpose of the White Council of Wizards in the DresdenFiles. Sure, they occasionally stomp some mean mudder-hubbers from outside reality, but their main purpose is to prevent wizards from gathering too much power and going postal.

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* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, Earth's devastating Final War was fought by {{Super Soldier}}s with intelligence boosts that all too frequently had the side-effect of increased aggression and sociopathic tendencies. This is the main reason for Luddism and prejudice against genetic engineering. The Harrington family's Meyerdahl Beta line is one of the few successful lines to boost intelligence without creating amoral monsters, but even Honor is aware that her own killer instinct may be linked to it. It's worth noting also that the Winton family line are genies who probably have intelligence boosts, and Elizabeth is infamous for a volcanic and implacable temper.
* In the original novel of ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', it's implied that this is likely to happen in the future after the "Black Prom" made people aware of the existence of PsychicPowers. Government agents would be forced to round up and execute children the moment they display a hint of psychic ability, so as to eliminate the off chance that they may [[BerserkButton snap]] and use their powers to kill people and destroy towns like Carrie did. The possibility is also raised that some parents would resist having their children taken away, which, combined with the last page's discussion of little Annie Jenks, means that [[HereWeGoAgain another disaster is still in the cards]]...
* Revealed to be the actual purpose of the White Council of Wizards in Literature/TheDresdenFiles. Sure, they occasionally stomp some mean mudder-hubbers from outside reality, but their main purpose is to prevent wizards from gathering too much power and going postal.

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* ''CityOfHeroes'' has a few examples of playing with this trope. First off is an enemy group called the Malta Group, who are zealously dedicated to making sure this DOES NOT HAPPEN in a world with literally millions of meta-beings. Trouble is, their methods routinely cross the MoralEventHorizon - but what do you expect from a conspiracy of members of various western intelligence agencies, who were unhappy that they could no longer simply draft metas to do their dirty work? Then there's a small-scale example with the Rogue Isles, setting of the expansion "City of Villains", where a country of islands is ruled by super-villains. The only thing that prevents them from taking over the world is endless in-fighting and StatusQuoIsGod. And finally, the most triumphant in-game example is the alternate universe Praetoria, which was fleshed out in the "Going Rogue" expansion. There, alternate versions of the game's signature heroes rose to power by saving their doomed world and now rule what little is left with an iron fist.

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* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has a few examples of playing with this trope. First off is an enemy group called the Malta Group, who are zealously dedicated to making sure this DOES NOT HAPPEN in a world with literally millions of meta-beings. Trouble is, their methods routinely cross the MoralEventHorizon - but what do you expect from a conspiracy of members of various western intelligence agencies, who were unhappy that they could no longer simply draft metas to do their dirty work? Then there's a small-scale example with the Rogue Isles, setting of the expansion "City of Villains", where a country of islands is ruled by super-villains. The only thing that prevents them from taking over the world is endless in-fighting and StatusQuoIsGod. And finally, the most triumphant in-game example is the alternate universe Praetoria, which was fleshed out in the "Going Rogue" expansion. There, alternate versions of the game's signature heroes rose to power by saving their doomed world and now rule what little is left with an iron fist.

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* ''ThePowerpuffGirls [[TheMovie Movie]]'' had the eponymous characters treated as outcasts, after their game of tag destroyed most of the city.
* ''JusticeLeague'' dealt with this trope in the episode "A Better World", presenting the LawfulEvil version of the league: The Justice Lords, who run an authoritarian earth free of crime, but likewise also empty of free speech or self government.
** Bruce Timm states in the commentary that the episode was originally supposed to be a straight up "Crime Syndicate" story, which involved characters that are almost-{{Evil Twin}}s-[[CaptainErsatz but]]-[[{{Expy}} not-exactly]], but fell in love with the idea of using actual alternate versions of the regular characters. He comments during the Batman vs Batman fight in the Bat Cave that the scene was specifically animated to not make it clear from visual clues who was talking, so either character could be saying either side of the argument. Ultimately, Justice League Batman is unable to respond when Justice Lord Batman points out that in this new world [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yxu4z9L31U&feature=related "no 8 year old boy will ever lose his parents because of some punk with a gun."]] This scene arose from conversations among the writers, who were trying to find a way for Batman to successfully respond when they realized that there ''was'' no verbal response; they had meant for League Batman to win the argument, but the fact of the matter was that, because of who the characters were, the Lord Batman won instead. JusticeLeague Batman does get his response later. After showing the zeal of the PoliceState his counterpart helped created, he sarcastically mentions to Lord Batman how their parents would be proud of what their son has done (by creating a world that goes against all what they believed). Justice Lord Batman is not pleased at this [[HeelRealization realization]], prompting his HeelFaceTurn (or at least, willingness to rid his own universe of superpowered heroes). Perhaps the proper verbal response would be "I'm glad they're dead so they didn't have to live in this world", but there's no way Batman would be able to say those words.

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* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls [[TheMovie Movie]]'' had the eponymous characters treated as outcasts, after their game of tag destroyed most of the city.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' dealt with this trope in the episode "A Better World", presenting the LawfulEvil version of the league: The Justice Lords, who run an authoritarian earth free of crime, but likewise also empty of free speech or self government.
** Creator/BruceTimm states in the commentary that the episode was originally supposed to be a straight up "Crime Syndicate" story, which involved characters that are almost-{{Evil Twin}}s-[[CaptainErsatz but]]-[[{{Expy}} not-exactly]], but fell in love with the idea of using actual alternate versions of the regular characters. He comments during the Batman vs Batman fight in the Bat Cave that the scene was specifically animated to not make it clear from visual clues who was talking, so either character could be saying either side of the argument. Ultimately, Justice League Batman is unable to respond when Justice Lord Batman points out that in this new world [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yxu4z9L31U "no 8 year old boy will ever lose his parents because of some punk with a gun."]] This scene arose from conversations among the writers, who were trying to find a way for Batman to successfully respond when they realized that there ''was'' no verbal response; they had meant for League Batman to win the argument, but the fact of the matter was that, because of who the characters were, the Lord Batman won instead. Justice League Batman does get his response later. After showing the zeal of the PoliceState his counterpart helped created, he sarcastically mentions to Lord Batman how their parents would be proud of what their son has done (by creating a world that goes against all what they believed). Justice Lord Batman is not pleased at this [[HeelRealization realization]], prompting his HeelFaceTurn (or at least, willingness to rid his own universe of superpowered heroes). Perhaps the proper verbal response would be "I'm glad they're dead so they didn't have to live in this world", but there's no way Batman would be able to say those words.

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** The 2-part finale` ''Legacy'' deals with this in some detail; Superman is {{Brainwashed}} into becoming a minion of {{Darkseid}}, partly out of petty vengeance for his earlier defiance of him, and becomes TheDragon, his ultimate soldier who leads his armies to conquer the universe. He is eventually unleashed on Earth where, with the help of LexLuthor, he is captured and defeated, and his brainwashing removed; he is also rather annoyed to find out that they are ''also'' holding Supergirl prisoner, after he had beat her up while under mind control. Its ''this'' show of rage that actually leads to Emil Hamilton joining Cadmus in ''Justice League Unlimited'', as it was the first time he was actually afraid of Superman ([[WhatAnIdiot there's nothing like seeing someone pissed off that their family has been hurt to convince you that person can never be trusted again]]). The episode ends with a number of characters being asked if they can ever trust Superman again.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen An unproduced]] final season would have been entirely BewareTheSuperman. Superman, coming off his perceived betrayal of humanity, would have had to deal with people's mistrust and skepticism of his actions at the end of ''Legacy''.

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** The 2-part finale "Legacy" deals with this in some detail; Superman is {{Brainwashed}} into becoming a minion of {{Darkseid}}, partly out of petty vengeance for his earlier defiance of him, and becomes TheDragon, his ultimate soldier who leads his armies to conquer the universe. He is eventually unleashed on Earth where, with the help of SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor, he is captured and defeated, and his brainwashing removed; he is also rather annoyed to find out that they are ''also'' holding Supergirl prisoner, after he had beat her up while under mind control. Its ''this'' show of rage that actually leads to Emil Hamilton joining Cadmus in ''Justice League Unlimited'', as it was the first time he was actually afraid of Superman ([[WhatAnIdiot there's nothing like seeing someone pissed off that their family has been hurt to convince you that person can never be trusted again]]). The episode ends with a number of characters being asked if they can ever trust Superman again.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen An unproduced]] final season would have been entirely Beware The Superman. Superman, coming off his perceived betrayal of humanity, would have had to deal with people's mistrust and skepticism of his actions at the end of "Legacy".

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6th Apr '13 4:34:27 PM Eagal

Send Eagal a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Actually, i think I'll take this to the forums.

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