Superman has proven just how great a hero he can be, using his prodigious variety of powers to defend the people of the world. Whether it be on his own or with the Justice League against some of the most dangerous villains in the universe, Superman is all about doing everything he can to protect everyone he can. There are few heroes who can keep up with him and everyone respects him.
Metropolis is one of the greatest cities on the planet and while Superman has saved the city many times over the years, he's also made things worse on the city more than once.
10 The City Has No Means Of Defense Without Him
Superman is an integral member of the Justice League and often has to go and help the team against some of the biggest threats the DC Universe has to offer. This is a huge problem for Metropolis because he's pretty much the city's only defender— why would a city need any other heroes with Superman around?
This leaves the city open to attack while he's gone. There are no other superpowered defenders around to protect the city because, for the most part, Superman doesn't need help.
9 The Citizens Of The City Can Be A Bit Reckless
For some reason, people in Metropolis fall off of and out of tall buildings a lot. It's a weird thing, but Superman is always there to save them. In fact, one can look at the citizenry of Metropolis and see a lot of behaviors that denizens of Gotham or Star City don't replicate and the entire reason for that is Superman.
Superman is just about always there to save the day and it's made the people of Metropolis a bit reckless. Superman is the ultimate security blanket and his presence has influenced the people of Metropolis to do some dumb things because they think he's always going to be there to save the day.
8 When He's Lost Control Of His Powers, It Has Cost The City Greatly
Superman's powers aren't as concrete as some like to believe. In fact, there have been multiple times over the years that his powers have went through rather drastic changes, forcing him to re-learn how to use them. This learning process has damaged Metropolis, not just because he's not as good with the new powers but also because he sometimes loses control of them.
These situations have hurt Metropolis; Superman not being at a hundred percent has allowed his enemies to get away with attacks they otherwise wouldn't be able to and when he's lost control of the new powers, it's actively hurt the city and its people.
7 His Reluctance To Kill Has Led To Multiple Attacks On The City By The Same People
Superman doesn't kill. It's one of those incontrovertible facts of the DC Universe. Other heroes might, but not Superman, and while this is noble, it's also kind of short-sighted. While not everyone he faces needs to be killed— Toyman, for instance, doesn't need killing— there are definitely foes that Superman has fought that do.
If Superman were to do the deed, it would save the citizens of Metropolis a lot of pain and suffering. Superman's most dangerous foes can do a lot of damage and if Superman would bite the bullet and give up his morals, a lot of that would be stopped.
6 Enemies From All Over The Universe Have Attacked The City To Get To Him
Superman has made a name for himself pretty much everywhere. He's one of the most famous beings in the universe and has made a lot of very powerful enemies. These foes will travel extremely long distances to battle the Man of Steel and that sort of dedication has put Metropolis in danger so many times.
Any being who can travel the cosmos to get to Metropolis is extremely powerful, and that's a grave danger to the city. Even though Superman has always stopped every challenger, damage has still been done to the city and its people in these battles, battles they'd never have gotten mixed up in if it wasn't for Superman.
5 The Caliber Of Foes That Target Metropolis Is Much Greater Because Of Him
Superman is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe and this has made him a liability to Metropolis in a lot of ways. See, villains that strike at Metropolis have to be extremely powerful or intelligent or in some way more dangerous than usual to make a difference against Superman. This situation has led to Metropolis being in even more danger because of Superman.
Superman forces villains to up their game significantly in order to make a dent against him and it's drawn the worst of the worst to the city. This has led to some terrible attacks that have cost the city a lot over the years.
4 He's Embroiled The City In A Lot Of Kryptonian Shenanigans
Superman is the "Last Son Of Krypton," but strangely enough, all kinds of Kryptonians and Krypton-related stuff still seems to exist. Sometimes this can be a good thing, like with Supergirl, but just about every other time it's been pretty bad. Whether it be Zod attacking, the Phantom Zone going crazy, or some Kryptonian tech like the Eradicator running amok, Kryptonian stuff always affects Metropolis first.
It's never a good thing when a bunch of angry Kryptonians hit the city or some piece of advanced Kryptonian technology ruins everyone's day and it's entirely Superman's fault every time it happens.
3 Brainiac Attacks The City Because Of Superman
Brainiac is one of the most dangerous beings in the cosmos and one of the few enemies that Superman fears. Superman is a unique being in all of the universe and that's something that Brainiac wants; he likes to collect things that are unique so that he can be the only one to have them. This has brought him to Metropolis time and again to try to defeat and "collect" the Man of Steel.
Brainiac has shrunk the city multiple times or otherwise almost destroyed it. His attacks are destructive and if Superman wasn't there, he never would even come to Metropolis or even the Earth— Superman is pretty much the only thing that interests him on the planet.
2 All The Damage Doomsday Did To The City Is Superman's Fault
One can only speculate on whether Doomsday would have came to Metropolis regardless of Superman's presence there. However, one thing that can't be denied is that him getting to the city was Superman's fault. While the beast did slap Superman around a lot, Superman could have thrown Doomsday into space at some point in their battle but for some reason didn't.
In fact, there are all kinds of ways that Superman could have prevented Doomsday from getting to Metropolis, whether it be through brute strength or some kind of alien technology he had access to. Doomsday did a lot a damage that Superman could have prevented.
1 His Presence Drives Lex Luthor To More Extreme & Dangerous Measures
Lex Luthor is Superman's worst enemy and has done a lot of terrible things over the years. However, before Superman showed up, he wasn't nearly as bad. Superman's very presence drives Lex Luthor crazy and has spurred him on to do some terrible things. Would Lex still be a villain without Superman's intervention? Yes, but he wouldn't go to the lengths he has without Superman around.
Lex Luthor's actions have only gotten more extreme because of Superman and that's led to some very bad things for the city. Lex's attacks against Superman are a danger to the people of Metropolis, people that Lex is angry at because they've "chosen" Superman over him in his mind.