History SupermanStaysOutOfGotham / ComicBooks

* In general, any IntercontinuityCrossover that acts as though the characters from both companies involved have always been part of a single shared universe tends to fall into this. Examples like ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'', ''The Comicbook/UncannyXMen and the New Comicbook/TeenTitans'' and ''Batman vs. Hulk'' operate on the premise that the characters of the Marvel and DC Universes have always coexisted in the same continuity, but simply never encountered one another until then, despite the [[FridgeLogic obvious questions this raises]]. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulkVsSuperman'', where Lois Lane asks how the Avengers can possibly call themselves "Earth's mightiest heroes" when Superman has never joined their ranks.

* In general, any IntercontinuityCrossover that acts as though the characters from both companies involved have always been part of a single shared universe tends to fall into this. Examples like ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'', ''The Comicbook/UncannyXMen and the New Comicbook/TeenTitans'' and ''Batman vs. Hulk'' operate on the premise that the characters of the Marvel and DC Universes have always coexisted in the same continuity, but simply never encountered one another until then, despite the [[FridgeLogic obvious questions this raises]]. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk vs. Superman'', where Comicbook/LoisLane asks how the Avengers can possibly call themselves "Earth's mightiest heroes" when Superman has never joined their ranks.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** The Caped Crusader's hometown of Gotham City is the {{Trope Namer|s}}. It's [[WretchedHive a crime-ridden dystopia]] that's full of problems [[ViceCity from the ground up]]. Batman himself is the poster child for the [[BadassNormal badass normal]] who relies on "[[BlatantLies mundane means]]" to get the job done: [[TrainingFromHell mastering every Martial Art in the world]], [[BadassBookworm educating]] himself in [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist virtually every science known to man]], [[PoweredArmor various powered armors]], [[{{Determinator}} pure determination]], [[Fiction500 and]] [[CrimefightingWithCash money]], [[AnthropicPrinciple lots of money]]. Despite all that, Gotham continually teeters on the edge of becoming a [[UrbanHellscape complete]] [[SoiledCityOnAHill waste]]. Gotham exists in the same universe as Franchise/{{Superman}}, [[StoryBreakerPower who easily has the power and motivations to take down most of the rogues and crime groups overnight]].
** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the first ''JLA Classified'' story, which revealed the Batcave has a "sci-fi closet" full of rayguns, teleporters and antigravity discs. [[HoldingBackThePhlebotinum He just hates using it]]. By Creator/GrantMorrison, naturally.
** Batman has built PoweredArmor and [[EmpoweredBadassNormal acquired powers]] (like a GreenLanternRing in the {{Elseworld}}s story ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_In_Darkest_Knight Batman: In Darkest Knight]]''), which his human allies wield in spades, none of which ''ever'' lasts in his case. As Batman is only [[NotSoDifferent one hair away]] from being as nuts as his RoguesGallery, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity having a bit of extra power in hand is generally portrayed as the corrupting influence]] to push him over the edge to WellIntentionedExtremist.
** By comparison, Batman has used PoweredArmor in stories that take place in the future (''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'') where his armor is a contemporary innovation. The Batman Beyond armor was over 20 years old and thus dated (but still effective) by the time Terry [=McGinnis=] took up the role.
** Gotham's status as a [[CrapsackWorld hellhole]], Arkham Asylum as a CardboardPrison and the existence of JokerImmunity have all been {{lampshade|Hanging}}d / {{Hand Wave}}d as due in part to a supernatural curse, which Batman's magical allies (ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, ComicBook/TheSpectre) [[IdiotPlot do not seem to know about, let alone consider removing]]. In one case it was even ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} sealing demons under Arkham and he never told Batman about it.
** Likewise, it is frequently established as the [[{{Dystopia}} most nightmarish city on Earth]], a metropolitan hellhole with a ridiculously high violent crime rate overrun by murderous psychopaths like ComicBook/TheJoker who terrify even the superpowered rogues of other cities, yet Supes and the rest of the demigodic heroes who could ''easily'' clean up the place and overpower pretty much all of those homicidal lunatics in seconds barely do any meaningful crime fighting when they visit. They actually show up quite frequently--they don't really [[InvertedTrope "stay out of Gotham"]]; it's just that on those occasions they tend to talk with Batman more than they actually ''help him out''.
** In the Franchise/{{Superman}} reboot launch miniseries ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'', Superman aids Batman with a criminal named Magpie. At the end, Batman says that Gotham requires a ''different'' touch than Superman's Metropolis.
** It doesn't necessarily work both ways, though: during '' ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' series, Batman patrolled Metropolis in the days during and after Superman's funeral. He even played by Superman's rules.
** During the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' BatFamilyCrossover, the government features a literal version when it cuts Gotham off from the rest of the USA and enacts legislation to prevent anyone (normal or superhero) from going in or out even to assist. This proves [[IdiotPlot remarkably effective]] given how many superheroes are aliens, or for whatever reason shouldn't care at all about the ruling:
*** Franchise/{{Superman}} travels to Gotham to deliver supplies and help set up a power plant to provide heat during the winter. [[DiabolusExMachina The plan falls apart]] leading to Batman explaining how the city has changed and [[IdiotBall Superman realizes he's “not up to the task” of fixing Gotham and suddenly leaves without Batman even considering that maybe, just MAYBE, having someone with Superman’s level of power would help him bring order to Gotham even faster]]. Similarly, the ComicBook/{{Huntress}} in a JLA storyline points out the League's refusal to assist Gotham and Superman replies her presence ''is'' the League's presence. Superman ''does'' return to No Man's Land... but only as Clark Kent. He still seeks to help, but as a normal man doing things like growing gardens for food. He even dirties up his appearance to make it look like he's been there all along. While Batman points out that his disguise is flawed (no one in Gotham has smelled like soap in ''months''), he admits it's fine for the people Clark intends to be among. This is more of a desperate DeusExitMachina from the writers than this trope, but it still applies.
*** In the League's own book, it was shown that, during "No Man's Land", they were keeping a slew of opportunists (Kobra's organization, evil Atlanteans, assorted alien armadas, etc.) from seizing Gotham for their own. This neatly balanced Superman Stays Out Of Gotham with "Brainiac Is ''Kept'' Out Of Gotham." Of course, they missed a few villains that still managed to get in during the chaos, so they weren’t that good at it.
*** Jim Gordon revealed during the crossover that he cannot get a job in any police department outside of Gotham as no one wants a cop who needs an "urban legend" to do his policing for him, which Batman is considered despite being a known member of the ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' and living in a universe with other cities that have local superheroes (he mentions [[Franchise/TheFlash Keystone City]] by name). Of course, it’s extremely hypocritical for the other departments to look down on Gordon for his reliance on Batman, considering how many of these other police departments rely on superheroes to keep them safe and help them catch supervillains. Keystone city is especially guilty in that regard given they have been shown, in multiple storylines, to be nearly useless at dealing with the Rogues without the Flash around. Of course, they are the [[{{Pun}} Keystone Kops]].
** Barbara Gordon, formerly ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} until ComicBook/TheJoker [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke put a bullet in her spine]], was [[StuffedIntoTheFridge rescued from the fridge]] and turned into the [[MissionControl information-broker]] superhero ComicBook/{{Oracle}}. She became one of Franchise/TheDCU's most capable heroes and an iconic figure of an [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged effective disabled person]] yet did not regain the use of her legs despite the loads of [[AppliedPhlebotinum superpowers, magic and technology]] the DCU had to offer. In-universe, Barbara has justified refusing offers to insta-heal her spine as not wanting special treatment for being a superhero that [[ReedRichardsIsUseless a regular citizen wouldn't have access to]]. One offer came from ComicBook/AmandaWaller. Not trusting 'The Wall' is just logical. Using magic in the DCU? It's just ''begging'' for trouble. As of the ComicBook/New52 reboot, her back is fixed and [[ComicBook/Batgirl2011 she's back to being Batgirl]], although she feels incredibly guilty about being given a cure that the average person doesn't have access to.
** In ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}'' reinforces this: she banishes all parahumans from Gotham after closing the city off. However her ban is defied by ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'', who flies to Gotham to help whether Batgirl likes or not.
** "The Call," a short story in the ''Batman Black and White'' series, thoroughly discusses this trope. It's revealed that Batman carries a small communicator that can instantly summon Superman, but he only uses it in extreme emergencies--in the context of the story, a young woman is shot in the throat by a mobster during a raid on a party, and Batman, who swears by ThouShaltNotKill, knows that he can't get her to a hospital in time. Superman makes short work of the healing process, but as he does, he talks with Bruce about the whole situation--the Dark Knight never calls the rest of the Justice League for help, for example. [[NonAnswer The two ultimately come to a vague understanding, pointing out that regardless of their methods of heroism, they both play a crucial role in protecting people, and that's what matters most, yet not really answering the question.]]
** This whole situation was {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in an out of continuity story Creator/GailSimone did for ''ComicBook/SensationComicsFeaturingWonderWoman''. After Batman and his partners are temporarily sidelined, Franchise/WonderWoman comes to Gotham and not only makes a significant dent in its supervillain underworld, but even causes some of Batman's foes to reform in the process.
** Superman and Batman have both mentioned having a noted dislike for operating in each other's respective cities. Superman hates working in Gotham because it's so dark and dingy for the sun empowered hero, not to mention most of the buildings are lined with lead, blocking his X-ray vision, making him less effective than he could be. Batman hates working in Metropolis because everything is so brightly lit, making it difficult to hide and the buildings are spaced further apart preventing him from scaling them easily.
** During one very interesting conversation in ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'', Batman observed with some admiration that the reason Superman publicly talks about having XRayVision and other SuperSenses is specifically because it serves notice on the criminals of Metropolis that the shadows cannot hide them from him. This contrasts the criminals of Gotham, where Batman has had to become a part of the night in order to chase down the criminals that use it as cover for their crimes.
*** In the {{Novelization}} of ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', Wonder Woman addresses this as well, noting that Superman could have been a MysteriousProtector, but instead flew around the city "like Apollo in the sky," partly to inspire, but also let everyone know he was on watch.
** This was discussed in an issue of ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'', where it's explained that whenever Batman has business in Metropolis, Superman insists on keeping watch on Gotham City. The Dark Knight always makes sure to return the favor for the Last Son of Krypton. Anyhow, Superman notes that Commissioner Gordon always seems happy to see him. Furthermore, they two have noted in the same issue that crime and trouble come in very different shapes in their two respective cities; with Gotham City, it's mostly about psychopaths like Joker, Zsasz, Firefly, Two-Face, and the rest robbing banks or blowing stuff up. Metropolis, on the other hand, is mainly endangered by the "sci-fi monsters rampaging down 2nd Avenue," or something to that effect.
*** Another issue (or possibly the same one) attempts to provide a justification for the trope, when the two characters swap cities for a bit. Batman has trouble operating in Metropolis, where the bright lights and widely spaced out buildings make it difficult for him to do his thing, meanwhile Superman finds that, due to all the lead in the construction and the echoes between the tightly-spaced but porous buildings, his supersenses are essentially useless.
** In a somewhat funny if grim aversion, during ''Battle For The Cowl'', where Batman is believed to be dead and the villains of Gotham are all rampaging, ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} runs around trying to deal with the problems and quickly decides 'Nope' and calls in 20-25 other superhero allies of his to help him bring order back to Gotham. He probably remembers the ''last'' time [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} Batman tried to deal with that situation himself]].
** ''ComicBook/BatmanRebirth'' seems to be a {{Deconstruction}}, as Batman deals with two new flying heroes who state they'll be protecting Gotham, after saving a crashing plane and Bats' life. Bats' reaction? Incorporate them slowly into his fold, seeing what they can do and study their background. [[spoiler: He learns they're normal people who have a similar background to him, enough that he's pleased that advice he gave one as a boy has been taken to heart.]] The same storyline also averts it: [[spoiler: When one of the new heroes [[DiabolusExMachina ends up going berserk due to suddenly coming across the Psycho Pirate]], Batman calls in the Justice League to help take him down]].
** In the ''DC Universe Holiday Special 2008: A Day Without Sirens'', a "Day Without Sirens" is proposed right before Christmas. Commissioner Gordon believes such an initiative is doomed to failure. The criminals of Gotham would never heed such a calling. However, the day proceeds without police sirens. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pScx8BN4h3s/SU-kKYaVUmI/AAAAAAAACGc/LKdSPl0ht34/s1600-h/holiday-09.jpg It turns out that]] Oracle teamed up with ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and both girls handled covertly all emergency calls during that day. Supergirl ended up completely exhausted, though, making clear she cannot keep it up forever.
--->'''Oracle:''' Just rest easy knowing you did something special today.\\
'''Supergirl:''' You really think so? Do you think this one day is going to make a difference?\\
'''Oracle:''' I know so. Never discount the healing power of a little hope, Kara.
** Dramatically defied in ''ComicBook/BatmanRebirth'', when Batman summoned the entire Justice League to deal with a mentally deteriorating hero Gotham.
** There is another, more subtle reason that is danced around as well. Superman and other heroes understand that Batman needs to patrol Gotham for his own mental health. Batman ''needs'' to be a protector, and he can't be one if he's constantly being aided.
* Conversely, Batman stays out of Blüdhaven, which is his former ''protégé'' ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s patrol. Dick Grayson has a very different touch than Bruce's, and regardless, Bruce trusts Dick implicitly and doesn't presume to undermine or interfere with his life there.
* ''ComicBook/Hitman1993'' takes place in an area of Gotham known as the Cauldron, and is said to be so bad Batman stays out of it.
* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''ComicBook/SuperPowers'' -- the first issue begins with Batman mysteriously missing (he'd been captured by ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}), so Superman stays to fight the rampaging supervillains while Wonder Woman goes into space to rescue him.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'':
** He really doesn't get along well with the rest of the Marvel heroes: he's a VigilanteMan who lives in a DarkerAndEdgier world and kills criminals in a universe full of superheroes who hold ThouShaltNotKill as an [[BlackAndWhiteMorality ethical absolute]]. In non-Punisher stories, any hero that runs into the Punisher contends he's [[NotSoDifferent a murderer like any other]] and tries to apprehend him. ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption It never works]]). Within his own {{Black and Gray|Morality}} comic, Frank Castle is the hero (or AntiHero) and his victims run the gamut of unrepentant mobsters, psychopaths and [[PsychoForHire hired killers]] but no hero ever takes the initiative to come down to Hell's Kitchen to apprehend him for racking up such a high body count. It also works the other way around: Punisher is usually never allowed in stories with other heroes in it (unless it’s a {{crossover}}) for mainly three reasons: One, the writers obviously [[JokerImmunity don’t want the Punisher to kill one of the heroes’s “iconic” villains]] (like ComicBook/NormanOsborn, ComicBook/DoctorOctopus, ComicBook/RedSkull, etc.), because if he did, then they wouldn’t be able to make money off of those villains or write any stories about them anymore ([[ComicBookDeath until they come back, that is]]). Second, it doesn't work the other way around, either; The Punisher could only cause so much trouble for, say, ComicBook/TheKingpin, before the latter would hire one (or more) of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's many bullet-proof, super-strong villains to smash The Punisher's head in. Frank can be fiendishly clever, but at the end of the day, he still relies on being able to gun down his his enemies. Third, the punisher’s stories are dark and grim in nature, which would clash with most heroes’s stories who tend to be somewhat lighthearted and fun (a few exceptions being Daredevil, Wolverine or Ghost Rider).
** There was at least one story where superheroes tried to neutralize him (Franchise/{{Wolverine}} would have been happy to kill him, but ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} and Franchise/SpiderMan were against it). This being ComicBook/ThePunisher, [[Awesome/ThePunisher he takes them all out (non-lethally)]].
** Averted in later years with Castle being split into the DarkerAndEdgier [[ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX MAX imprint]] in which only a few BadassNormal Marvel characters appear, such as ComicBook/NickFury or the Kingpin or ComicBook/{{Bullseye|Marvel Comics}}, quite different from their mainstream counterparts, and he takes on contemporary criminals (terrorists, sex slavers). Mainstream Punisher tries to replace ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, killed alien invaders, wears a costume based on the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote, fights ComicBook/TheHood and his supervillains with stolen weapons of various superheroes and gets killed by ComicBook/{{Daken}} but is then resurrected as a Frankenstein-esque monster to aid ComicBook/{{Morbius}}, ComicBook/ManThing, Living Mummy, and ComicBook/WerewolfByNight [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot in their fight against Nazi Zombies]].
** In an odd example, Franchise/{{Batman}} beats up The Punisher for 20 minutes in ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''. In the ''Batman/Punisher'' crossovers, Frank gets annoyed at Gotham and leaves so he can deal with his ''own'' scum, without Batman's interference (namely, that whole ThouShaltNotKill attitude by Bats, who proves he's more than capable of handling him). He ''almost'' killed the Joker once, just before Batman intervened (but worth it just to see the Joker's MyGodYouAreSerious face). [[OutOfCharacterMoment This is further reinforced by Batman deciding to just let him go (instead of, you know, bringing him in like he would with any other killer).]]
** Also often averted during the nineties. Back then The Punisher was one of Marvel's cash cows along with Spider-Man and Wolverine, and as such he had quite a few crossovers. Surprisingly, most heroes were either okay with him, or at least willing to put aside their dislike to work with him. The stories tended to focus on both character's intent to save innocent lives first and foremost. But in one particular instance, Castle was recorded shooting a corrupt psychopathic cop on TV, which led to the police and a few other heroes to try to apprehend him. Captain America tried to reason with him. Spider-Man just stomped his ass flat.
** Since Punisher operates in Hell's Kitchen he often has meetings with Daredevil. One of those encounters ended with DD chained up to a pole with Punisher giving a HannibalLecture on how his way is the right way and he doesn't even want DD to try it.
** The mini-series ''Punisher: War Zone'' revolved around ComicBook/TheAvengers trying to bring down the Punisher after he was falsely accused of killing a New York police officer. WordOfGod from Creator/GregRucka states that the Avengers have known of the Punisher's murders for years, but ignored him because they felt that sending him to prison wouldn't do any good. Rucka also contends that the Punisher respects heroes like the Avengers, as he's smart enough to realize that if they didn't keep threats like Loki and the Skrulls at bay, there'd be no streets left for him to protect.
* ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' had a forced DoubleSubversion: Franchise/SpiderMan asks numerous heroes for help in healing Aunt May's gunshot wound, to which the various heroes responded with a collective "There is nothing we can do." The X-Men in particular had an Omega-level mutant with HealingHands at the time who had healed far worse injuries, including someone having their heart torn out of their chest. Spidey is forced to make a DealWithTheDevil to heal Aunt May in exchange for erasing his marriage from history. That aside, Spider-Man/Daredevil is perhaps the single most recurrent team-up in Marvel history, the second obviously being any combination of those two and the Punisher. Part of the reason, of course, is because they're roughly similar in terms of power levels, realistic themes, and the sorts of enemies they go up against. Spider-Man headlined Marvel Team-Up for nearly 15 years -- he couldn't swing a web without bumping up against some other hero.
* Most heroes in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse are based in New York City, so they can't be accused of "staying out of Gotham". Yet although it is the base and home of ComicBook/TheAvengers, ComicBook/DoctorStrange, The ComicBook/FantasticFour, The ComicBook/XMen[[note]]Westchester, NY[[/note]] and various other immensely powerful superhumans and superteams, it's usually left up to Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} and various other "street-level" heroes to sort out the city's superhuman crime wave. While they do cross over more frequently than DC's heroes, and RoguesGalleryTransplant is a little more common, it's amazing how many times ComicBook/DoctorOctopus or the Rhino can go on a rampage or normal crooks can rob a bank and end up running into Spider-Man instead of, say, ComicBook/TheThing, or even a BadassNormal like ComicBook/CaptainAmerica. Even considering that they are often on adventures to another country or battling aliens in a different dimension, you'd think that with how easily the Web Slinger and others come across serious criminal activities they should run into this kind of thing every other day. It could be argued that Spider-Man is the main adversary for New York's crime because [[ComesGreatResponsibility he is always on duty, 24/7]]. New York is the other heroes' main base, but they take time off, get fringe benefits, and are often off fighting threats on a larger scale. Spider-Man, and to a lesser extent Daredevil, are the heroes charged with guarding New York itself.
** Some creators, fans and critics have said that while most of Marvel's heroes ''live'' in New York City, Spider-Man ''is'' New York City.
** Taken UpToEleven by the ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'' storyline. Spider-Man ''did'' assemble a team of allies (and not just Venom, but up to and including ComicBook/CaptainAmerica), and the Fantastic Four's absence was a plot point, but the X-Men completely missed the fight, and the Avengers as a group weren't around either. Carnage's family of evil had sent New York completely into chaos by the end; you'd think at some point they'd call out the big guns and make a CrisisCrossover out of it. But Carnage is a Spider-Man villain, so they can't take the plotline out of Spider-Man and Venom's hands.
* Some have questioned why ComicBook/IronMan doesn't create suits of armor for all of his teammates on ComicBook/TheAvengers, or at least those [[BadassNormal who don't have powers]] like ComicBook/BlackWidow or ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}. Hawkeye once justified his lack of body armor to Iron Man by saying that he doesn't like the idea of wearing something that would restrict his movement, and only accepted a new suit from Stark after making sure it'd be light enough to not slow him down. Completely averted in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'', where Tony did eventually outfit Black Widow in a new suit of black armor.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** Non-mutant heroes with superpowers function side-by-side among mutant superheroes who face [[FantasticRacism discrimination]] from humans who fear them because they have superpowers. The anti-mutant regulations include high-profile government-sponsored elements such as [[SuperRegistrationAct Mutant Registration Acts]] and mutant-hunting Sentinels, which the rest of the heroes are well aware of, as ComicBook/TheAvengers were once forced to fire their mutant members as a result of increasing public scrutiny ([[OutOfCharacterMoment naturally, the Avengers went]] [[IdiotBall along with it passively]], despite having other members who are just as feared, if not even more feared than the mutants, such as the Hulk) and used a fleet of Sentinels in a major battle against Kang the Conqueror. Despite not being anti-mutant racists themselves, all the heroes who got their powers through other means (and for unexplained reasons are therefore exempted from the FantasticRacism and government scrutiny) have “somehow” decided the plight of mutants is not their problem.
** ComicBook/XMen works both ways too. When evil pro-mutant forces like ComicBook/{{Magneto}} threaten the world, it's the job of mutants like the X-Men, and specific anti-mutant forces to stop him. Magneto rarely ever has ComicBook/TheMightyThor or Doctor Strange coming down on him, unless he's done something ''specific'' to drag them into the story (beside his usual KillAllHumans spiel). Conversely, the X-Men almost never bother to intervene with any non-mutant villains like Kang the Conqueror or ComicBook/DoctorDoom, even if said villain's latest plot should be causing shrapnel to rain down on the Xavier Mansion's front lawn.
** Franchise/{{Wolverine}} is a perfect symbol of how ridiculous this whole thing can get. He is both a frequent member of the X-Men and an Avenger, often [[WolverinePublicity at the same time]], meaning one man can be simultaneously part of a persecuted minority and member of a group which is "feared and hated" by the government and general public alike; and also part of a team of beloved celebrities with ties to the US government.
** There have been two storylines of ComicBook/CaptainBritain that have an insane [[RealityWarper reality-warping]] mutant (one of whom was the superhero's older brother). Even though years back they faced off against Proteus who caused similar havoc in Muir Island, ComicBook/MoiraMacTaggert doesn't think to contact them of something taking place in Britain. With the former situation, one gets the impression that [[BigGood Merlyn]] set the whole thing up in a way that only Captain Britain was supposed to deal with them. Interestingly enough, ''TheFallOfTheMutants'' event was supposed to rectify this, but didn't. At least not directly - ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'' was formed sometime afterwards, with two X-Men (Nightcrawler and Shadowcat) in the team.
** The ComicBook/CivilWar storyline mended the hypocrisy, subjecting all superheroes to a Super Human Registration Act. In a twist, the X-Men declared the whole thing [[BystanderSyndrome not their problem]] (specifically citing how the non-mutants never bothered to interfere with Mutant Registration Act(s)).
** Similarly, other large-scale threats to mutantkind exist in the X-Books alone. The Legacy Virus was meant to stay active until they found a cure for AIDS but it became a PlotTumor when the writers had no clear answer for why scientific geniuses like [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Reed Richards or Hank Pym]] couldn't find a cure.
** ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}} reaches out to nine of Marvel's MadScientist supervillains for help in solving the "Decimation" that BroughtDownToNormal most of Earth's mutants. They all just laugh in his face.
** A trend that comes and goes DependingOnTheWriter, and one that at present has "come", is that Marvel's superheroes will act like {{jerkass}}es in ComicBook/XMen comics and the Franchise/XMen will act like {{jerkass}}es in other Marvel comics, yet they will never be portrayed as jerkasses (or ''that'' jerkish, anyway) in their own stories. Witness [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]] getting pissed at the ComicBook/XMen for summoning the giant metal bullet that trapped Kitty Pride back from space (long story), basically a long overdue rescue attempt aimed at saving a member of their extended family, albeit with some (averted) danger to the Earth. Never mind that Reed himself would go to equally insane lengths to save one of his friends or family, that he frequently messes about with stuff that potentially puts the Earth in far greater danger (sometimes for his own ''curiosity''), or that he didn't even give ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} the chance to explain that it wasn't even them doing it (ComicBook/{{Magneto}} had decided he owed them a favor).
** When Magneto took over New York during Creator/GrantMorrison's run on New X-Men he explained that he had tricked the Avengers and the Fantastic Four into leaving on a wild goose chase. That does not explain why none of New York's other heroes who weren't associated with any of those groups did not try to help the X-Men. While Magneto may be a few power levels above them, there is no way Spider-Man, Daredevil or ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}} would have stood by and watched while Magneto sent New Yorkers into gas chambers.
** One story did its best to explain why Magneto is usually the X-Men's problem. Immediately after the Legacy Virus is cured, Magneto sets about gathering mutants from all over the world and organizes them into an army on Genosha in preparation for his latest attack on the rest of the world. Questioned by news reporters on why the Avengers haven't moved in to stop him, Captain America explains that, because the Avengers are a government-sponsored team and Magneto is legally recognized as the ruler of Genosha, they can't move in until he actually does something (of course, he subsequently attacked ComicBook/ProfessorX in his home, kidnapped him and put him on display in the centre of his city, which seems like the kind of thing the Avengers would respond to). At the same time, Israel's main superhero (Sabra, who, like Magneto, is a Mutant as well as Jewish) says that ''she'' would be willing to strike him preemptively.
** In the non-canon ''[[ComicBook/EarthX Universe X]]'' comic, one character hypothesises that the more powerful evil forces in the Marvel Universe- for instance, [[TheLegionsOfHell Hell Lords like Mephisto]], and other demons and dark gods- actually go out of their way to manipulate characters and events to sabotage human-mutant relations, with the explicit aim of stopping them banding together more often and kicking their collective asses or making the world a better place. This is quite a clever {{justifi|edTrope}}cation, even if it wouldn't explain everything (as demons can't affect Free Will), but it has yet to cross over into the mainstream stories.
** The ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'' CrossOver averts this with a vengeance. The Phoenix Force is returning to Earth, and while the Phoenix was always an X-Men problem in the past, this time the Avengers have caught wind of it. Their disagreement on how to handle the incredibly powerful cosmic entity that could potentially save mutantkind or destroy the Earth is the main conflict of the event. It also includes the X-Men (or at least Cyclops's side) [[WhatTheHellHero calling the Avengers out]] on their constantly saying that they don't involve themselves with mutant affairs even when mutants are on the brink of extinction, only to suddenly decide to get involved once the issue becomes a potential threat to them.
** One ''X-Men'' ExpandedUniverse novel trilogy had Magneto conquer New York City. Despite this being the home turf of Spider-Man, Daredevil, and The Fantastic Four, the X-Men are the only people (Other than the US Military) to even ''try'' to do something about it. All the other heroes who happen to live in New York aren't even ''mentioned''.
** ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'' is built around breaking down this trope while also giving it more reasons as to why it exists in the first place. After admitting that the Avengers never did much to help the mutant race, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica decides to form a new mutant-centric team of heroes in order to convince humans and mutants to get along. Problem is the two groups have different dynamics and styles of command, and they clash. Frequently. In the end the series shows at several points that this trope could also be called 'Superman Stays Out of Gotham Because He and Batman Operate Very Differently and Their Arguments Can Lead to Bad Things'. Both groups are made up of good people true, but they don't mesh as well as a pure team of Avengers or a pure team of X-Men.
** Part of the problem also originates from the membership choices. The original team had a designated leader in the mutant Havok, but Cap joining the team to inspire by example creates serious leadership confusion that often divides the team by group origins. Also the recruitment of the ComicBook/ScarletWitch to the team led to several clashes with the mutant members who still blame her for ComicBook/HouseOfM. While the membership was partially influenced by who they could round up during the Red Skull's plans and later by monetary and PR necessity, one can't help but wonder if the team would have had more success with a more precise and careful recruitment method that avoided conflicts of command and flare ups of old grudges.
** On the other hand, this is epically subverted in one ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool issue where Cable lands in trouble with the other heroes. The X-Men decide to call in help from an ally and we’re led to believe it’ll be an X-Men related character. It’s not. It’s [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/SilverSurfer the Silver freaking Surfer]]]], who almost never gets involved in conflicts like this. This also highlights an out-of-story reason for this trope; [[spoiler:Silver Surfer]] is [[StoryBreakerPower so totally out of Cable’s weight class it’s almost laughable that Cable tries fighting back]].
** Every year, with absolute predictable regularity, ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} tracks down Franchise/{{Wolverine}} on his birthday and beats him almost to death. Every year, Wolverine is totally alone and typically in the middle of nowhere on his birthday, allowing Sabretooth to easily attack him. Hey Logan, aren’t you a member of [[WolverinePublicity like three superhero teams?]] Don’t you have access to at least two fortresses full of superbeings? And aren’t you friends with some of the most powerful heroes on Earth? Do you not think they might be pretty useful right about now?
** This trope is notably [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen''. In the first portion of the story, the "lead" team consists of Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Beast, and Kitty Pryde, and they are specifically attempting to build up goodwill for mutantkind by handling problems without outside help. When they head to New York City to take down a monster, the Fantastic Four show up and assist; Thing initially grouses that "they're on our turf," but Reed Richards assures the X-Men that they're happy to boost human-mutant relations however possible. In the "Breakworld" portion of the plot, every major New York-based hero gathers to try to stop the giant bullet that's [[EarthShatteringKaboom on a direct collision course with Earth]]--but the creators of said bullet planned ahead by sealing it with various psychic and magical protections that put every single hero into a [[LotusEaterMachine dream-like trance]] wherein they ''do'' successfully stop the weapon...all while their actual selves are standing stock-still. Spider-Man is the only person who's able to wake up from the spell in time to realize what's happening, but can't do anything to help. Ultimately, Kitty Pryde is forced to pull a HeroicSacrifice to phase the bullet through Earth, resulting in the "long story" mentioned above wherein Magneto rescues her years later.
** The X-Men's lack of presence in the ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' storyline, itself a sequel to ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'', is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] via the events of M-Day. Hulk's goal in the plot is a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the four members of the Illuminati--Black Bolt, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Dr. Strange--who decided to banish him from Earth after his powers grew too unstable. Professor X, also an Illuminati member, was not present during the group's vote, but admits that he would have agreed with the decision (although he promises that he would not have supported a permanent exile). Hulk is originally ready to take down the X-Men as punishment--and fights some of their members as well--but then realizes that the mutant population is already in crisis after Scarlet Witch's actions on M-Day. He thus leaves Professor X alone, reasoning that he's suffering enough as it is; presumably, this uneasy truce is why the rest of the X-Men don't get involved when Hulk continues his quest for vengeance against the rest of Marvel's heroes (along with the fact that the existential crisis of M-Day has shattered the group's morale and left them scrambling to stay alive).
* This trope even occurs with facing threats that logically another Superhero would be much more equipped to deal with. For instance, The Juggernaut is usually the X-Men's job to handle despite the fact that he's a mystically powered supervillain and thus would fall under ComicBook/DoctorStrange or ComicBook/GhostRider's purview, but it is extremely rare that either of them ever get involved and even when they do, it's usually just showing up to tell the X-Men how to deal with it.
* This problem is very much averted in the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe. They have a separate crossover series which is acknowledged to mostly be canon, and there was an arc called ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}} which affected ALL of their superheroes. Furthermore, there are frequently villain crossovers, and other heroes making guest appearances. Particularly notable in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': There is an issue where Spidey shows up to stop the Rhino and discovers that Iron Man has already taken care of it. To name but a few other occasions: The Fantastic Four show up to help Spider-Man face off against S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Clone Saga; Nick Fury always has his back when Norman Osborn turns into the Green Goblin; he briefly dates Kitty Pryde; the X-Men show up to help him take care of a reckless teenage mutant; Daredevil recruits him to a superhero team to take down the Kingpin; he has teamed up with the Ultimates before; The Human Torch is a close friend and briefly attends his high school; Etcetera.
* ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'':
** Like Batman, he [[IWorkAlone works alone]]. During the "Enemy of the State" arc, T'Challa must sort out on his own a [[GovernmentConspiracy conspiracy by the American government]] to take over his homeland of Wakanda. When his former comrades ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' offer their help, [[IdiotBall he flat-out refuses it, stating that assisting him would be equivalent to turning on the American government and they weren't ready for the consequences, even though the Avengers have tussled with their government sponsors and came out on top before.]]
** Deconstructed in ''Black Panther: The Man Without Fear''. Panther turns down ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}}, Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/TheFalcon, and other New York heroes after they offer to help out with the crime situation in Hell's Kitchen, and only accepts their help grudgingly. It gets to the point where Cage threatens to have ComicBook/TheAvengers intervene if T'Challa does not prove himself worthy of defending the neighborhood.
** The main reason for this is because of Wakanda being a heavily isolationist and xenophobic nation. He has nothing but complete respect for his friends and comrades abroad such as in the Avengers, but ultimately, as King, Wakanda is his responsibility. Furthermore, Wakanda makes it clear that outsiders (including superheroes) are not welcome and usually don't need their help.
* From about 1985-2010, Creator/DCComics was essentially split into two barely-related worlds. Dark and magical characters such as [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} Constantine]], ComicBook/SwampThing, [[ComicBook/TheSandman the Endless]], and ComicBook/{{Lucifer}} interact with each other but rarely cross over with mainstream superhero characters (though it still happened very occasionally). This changed with the ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' event, where the Creator/{{Wildstorm}}, [[Creator/DCVertigo Vertigo]], and main DC universes were all fused together. Interestingly, for a time, Constantine existed as a younger version in the mainstream DCU, while retaining all his years of real-time aging and mature content in his solo title ''Hellblazer'', until the latter's conclusion in 2012, replaced with the slightly-more-mature-than-mainstream DCU title "Constantine".s.
* In John Ostrander's writing of ComicBook/TheSpectre, his human host (Jim Corrigan) asks Father Cramer why the Spectre never responded to the [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman obliteration of Coast City]]. Father Cramer suggested that the Spectre was designed by God only to respond to certain cries for vengeance. Hell, the Spectre usually stays out of most cities populated with superheroes. Not just because he’s [[StoryBreakerPower overpowered]], but also because if he was allowed in, let’s say, Gotham, he would destroy Batman’s entire rogues gallery in a milisecond, which is of course something the writers don’t want to happen, because otherwise they wouldn’t be able to tell stories about those villains or make money off of them anymore.
* The series ''{{ComicBook/Alias}}'' lampshades this. ComicBook/JessicaJones investigates what appear to be relatively mundane crimes. When she realizes she's in over her head, she tries to contact her old friends in The Avengers, but they are busy with supervillains.
* Lampshaded in ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'', where Asgardians are conspicuously absent from most of the dystopian {{Alternate Universe}}s the team visits, with Morph pointing out that ComicBook/TheMightyThor could likely resolve or prevent the problems the team are sent to deal with by himself. Indeed, on a world ravaged by a Legacy virus[=/=]Phalanx hybrid, Morph gets Rachel Summers to telepathically contact Asgard, bringing them to Earth for the first time, allowing Hank Pym and Beast to synthesis a cure from their blood.
* Touched on during Stephanie Brown's run as ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2009}} which showcased both her friendship with ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, and the fact that when she went up against a team of bad-guys with power-armour induced superpowers, she had already pre-planned an intervention of Kara and her team of equally superpowered heroes.
* An egregious example with the character ComicBook/AdamStrange over at DC. The character's entire premise was that the Zeta Beam that takes him to the planet Rann will wear off, so he can only stay there for a limited time. There was no reason that he couldn't have asked Franchise/GreenLantern or other space-travelling superheroes for a lift to permanently solve this problem. To a degree, Strange has done it before: ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkwoman helped him work up a way to teleport to Rann without the Zeta Beam.
* Later developments in the Franchise/GreenLantern books more or less {{invoked|Trope}} this with respect to Earth: per the terms of a deal between the two, Guy Gardner and the Red Lanterns now patrol sector 2814 (which includes Earth), while Hal Jordan and the rest of the GL Corps are required to stay away. New Lantern Simon Baz is allowed to stay on Earth but isn't allowed to go anywhere else. The deal was dropped when Guy Gardner left the Red Lanterns and the entire Green Lantern Corps disappeared, leaving a vacuum that wasn't filled until ComicBook/DCRebirth, when the Sinestro Corps decided to take over and Hal Jordan, having been a renegade on the run during the period before, decided to come back and right that wrong, the other Corps members making their way back from where they disappeared off to.
* Subtly lampshaded in ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'' - the Dark Phoenix's awakening alerts the ComicBook/FantasticFour, Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/DoctorStrange and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer, but it happens so fast that none of them can effectively do anything but worry. Even more so, when Beast gets word of the X-Men's fight with the Hellfire Club, Beast just grabs the nearest Quinjet and doesn't bother letting [[ComicBook/TheAvengers his teammates]] know to go help his old team. Though in this case, he did that deliberately, since it was a politically sensitive matter he wanted as few people as possible involved in.
* Enforced in ''ComicBook/AvengersNoSurrender'' early on. Many heroes are quick to spring to action to figure out what happened to the Earth and to protect everyone from the destruction. However, many of them, both hero and villain, are captured by a blue aura that freezes them in place, leaving the heroism to a RagtagBandOfMisfits comprised of the remains of three active Avengers teams and one Reservist.
* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}:
** Usually [[JustifiedTrope justified]], since Aquaman's solo adventures typically take place underwater.
** DoubleSubversion in the first issue of his 2003 series, where he is exiled from Atlantis and left chained to a rock on shore to die. He immediately tries to call the Justice League for help, only to find that the bad guys destroyed his communicator and are magically blocking his telepathic connection to ComicBook/MartianManhunter.
** Played straight, then subverted late into his Comicbook/New52 run. Thule, a DarkWorld counterpart of Atlantis is invading Earth, spreading poisonous waters and launching attacks on cities. Aquaman single-handedly fights off the invasion and rescues refugees from Thule while staying one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis under the command of his evil sister-in-law, without once calling any of his friends for help. Subverted when he bumps into the Justice League, who have noticed what's going on and showed up to help. He admits that trying to handle a trans-dimensional incursion by himself was dumb and accepts their aid.
** When Arthur is deposed (again), new king Corum Rath uses a mystic artefact to surround Atlantis in a magical force field, with Arthur trapped inside and Mera and Garth outside. Garth suggests asking the Titans and Justice League for help, but Mera points out that Rath rose to power off the back of an isolationist movement, and getting surface born superheroes involved would only make things worse.
** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] at the end of his ComicBook/DCRebirth series. When the Ocean Master attacks Atlantis with an army, Arthur calls in all his superhero friends to help. However, both forces just kind of stand around and watch the brothers fight one on one.