History Main / SamaritanSyndrome

Prone to ThinkNothingOfIt -- they think the heroics are part of the job, not something requiring special gratitude. See also ChronicHeroSyndrome. Named in part for the parable of the GoodSamaritan.

*** He says something very similar to Lois in ''Superman Returns''.

* ''{{Superman}} II''. Superman [[BroughtDownToNormal gives up his powers]] so he can be with Lois Lane and [[TemptingFate what happens]]? 3 Kryptonian supervillains who hate his guts show up and go on a rampage in his adopted home country. He just CantStayNormal.

* Speaking of the Buffyverse, Cordelia got hit with this ''bad'' after [[MindRape the events]] of the first season finale of ''{{Angel}}''. She repeatedly refused to give up her visions despite the fact that they were horrifically painful; she eventually lost any trace of a social life due to her drive for helping others.

The former type tends to shun their civilian identity, friends, and [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies loved ones.]] Often becoming exhausted, unbalanced, and much more at risk of snapping and going into a HeroicBSOD over a real or perceived failure. Some {{Super Hero}}es may even become a MartyrWithoutACause out of a subconscious desire to ''die'' just to get a chance to rest. The latter will usually be somewhat like a ZenSurvivor, while they might not go into supervillainy and actively cause death and destruction, one has to wonder at the good they could have done, and how many deaths they could have prevented... if they hadn't been, oh, mowing their lawn.

Because of this trope, one key question about any superhero-containing universe is whether there is a surplus or deficit of superpowered awesomeness relative to crime and other dangers. If there is a surplus, heroes can kick back with no guilty pangs. If not, this trope may come into play in one form or another.

* {{Spider-Man}}, ironically, is usually good at avoiding this, since he knows that there are only so many hours in the day and that he can't always be there. Besides, there are plenty of other superheroes hanging around New York, so chances are that if he's not there, one of them is. However, when he knows that something might go down that he was even remotely connected with, he [[ComesGreatResponsibility can't pass the buck]], not even to another superhero who might be more capable. After all, he [[MyGreatestFailure blames his uncle's death on his refusal to stop a crook]].

* In ''{{Irredeemable}}'' this is implied to have been a contributing factor to The Plutonian becoming AxCrazy.

* An episode of BatmanTheAnimatedSeries featured the hero making his annual visit to the site of his parents' murder, which makes him late for a sting operation that he helped set up. He arrives in time to help subdue the crooks, but finds that Jim Gordon has been severely wounded. Batman's guilt (which is not helped at all by [[JerkAss Detective Harvey Bullock]]) over not being there in time to save Jim sends him into a [[HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath Heroic BSOD]].

* ''JohnnyTest'' played with this trope, when Johnny decided to be a super hero, and found that they wouldn't let him rest.

** The one time he ''did'' after his back had been broken, the stand in ended up with a huge case of this, essentially going crazy trying to build a better suit to fight with, ultimately fighting Batman himself, claiming to be the true Batman.

** Teru Mikami as well as part of his [[BreakTheCutie cutie-breaking]] Backstory.

** This problem and one solution is used heavily in the Elseworld story ''Superman: RedSon''.

*** He tells something very similar to Lois in ''Superman Returns''.

* In MarvelComics, Genis-Vell had a [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling form of]] omniscience and omnipotence that were unfortunately limited in time and place (could only be in one place doing one thing, however tremendous), and drove himself crazy trying to pick which help to give and then seeing how wrong his choices were.