Because
Status Quo Is God, just about every time a superhero
Saves The Villain turns out to be this. The villain rarely if ever appreciates the effort or even makes an effort to mend their ways or refrain from endangering the city and stay in prison. It just means the villain will live to make life hell for everyone else another day.
- Comic Cavalcade: Johnny Peril helping an abused little girl when he's on the run due to being framed for murder is what gets him caught by police.
- Superman: In the The Immortal Superman storyline, Superman travels to the year 121,970 and learns Metropolis has banned the use of super-powers. Later, Superman decides to ignore the ban when he sees a vehicle about to collide with a building, and he is arrested for attempting to save lives (although the patrol points out nobody was in real danger because flying cars are equipped to prevent such crashes).
- In Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #19 (February 1986): "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished", a group of Legionaires are forced to deal with the menace that the Sun-Eater they destroyed was intended to stop.
- Batman
- In The Long Halloween Thomas Wayne saved the life of Carmine Falcone, since he's a doctor first and foremost dedicated to saving lives, and rebuffed Carmine's father's attempts to bribe him to keep the incident quiet. When this incident came to light years later it cast suspicion on Thomas' son Bruce. Harvey Dent — already resentful of Bruce Wayne's wealth — thought this incident was proof that the Falcones and Waynes had underhanded connections. Bruce even wonders if Gotham would have been better off if his father had put aside compassion and let Carmine die.
- In one story, the Penguin is let out on parole, and Batman, convinced that he's only pretending to reform, watches him like a hawk. His investigation of the Penguin's place of business reveals that it's perfectly legitimate... and also reveals that it employs other ex-cons, which puts Penguin in violation of his parole (he's not supposed to have any contact with criminals) and gets him sent back to prison (despite Batman's attempt to put in a good word for him).
- In Astro City, Vince Oleck discovered a way to get his client off. His client's father, who's Mafia, immediately tells him that if he wins the case, he's going to work for the Mafia, and threatens his wife and son when he demurs. He wins the case and immediately flees with his family. The father sends assassins after him, and only the intervention of a vigilante superhero saves them.
- Tales from the Dark Multiverse: In The Judas Contract Nightwing manages to reach Terra with a moment of compassion, turning her against Slade, but then she starts seeking more power, boosting herself with his super serum and razes the world. This is lampshaded by Fuginaut.
- Wonder Woman:
- Heracles invades the Amazons' home and is bested by Hippolyta. Despite this initial act of aggression, the Amazons opened their doors to Heracles and his men, treating them as guests of honor. Heracles repays this kindness by drugging the Amazons and raping their queen. This latest injustice at the hands of men is what turns the Amazons on the opposite gender for over a millenia and it takes a long time for them to begin healing from the trauma.
- In the lead up to Infinite Crisis, Maxwell Lord takes control of Superman, making him attack the rest of the Justice League and intending to have Superman go on a rampage that will turn the world against all metahumans. Wonder Woman, after having pleaded with Max to cease his actions and doing everything in her power to subdue Superman without killing him, ultimately kills Max who himself admitted this was the only way to stop his plan. Due to footage of the incident being edited in such a way to make her look like the bad guy, Wonder Woman is shunned by the public for several years and even Superman and Batman, both of whom knew the entire context of the situation, turn on her.
- Hellblazer: Rise and Fall: When a pair of hoodlums protect Despondeo from John (thinking John is beating up a defenseless kid), he returns the favor by breaking one their necks and punching the other's face in For the Evulz.
