Bad Publicity

Being a Superhero isn't all it's cracked up to be. The heroes' lives and those of their loved ones are constantly in danger from their archnemeses and sometimes from their own powers, too.

Sometimes someone else takes credit for their heroic efforts. But perhaps the most hurtful and confusing drawback comes when the people they've sworn to protect hate their guts.

There are few reasons from the hero's actions:
 * Late payments on her Hero Insurance.
 * The hero Does Not Know His Own Strength.
 * The Hero is in the middle of redemption.
 * The Hero is taking on the mantle of a reviled Legacy Character.
 * Being a jerk.
 * He deserves it.
 * He's the type who benefits from it.
 * Their powers are harmful/"bad" by nature.

Because people just plain want to pick on the hero:
 * Shooting the dog.
 * The public doesn't agree with the hero's lack of dog shooting.
 * Just because they're different.
 * Just because they have powers.

Other:
 * Freedom of Speech, which is a common justification used.
 * Anonymous rumors, perhaps planted by a Villain with Good Publicity.
 * The Hero is centerpiece to some disastrous prophecy.
 * The hero's constant proximity to awful events makes him appear suspicious.
 * The news media just needs to sell some copies.
 * The news media/corporations/government really hates his guts for doing something anti-establishment.
 * The latest fashionable ideas rule out the idea of him being anything other than a villain.

But whatever the reason, public sentiment is against these heroes and there's usually nothing they can do about it. Sorry you can't please everyone.

Examples

 * In The Incredibles, all supers have Bad Publicity after they're sued for causing damage while saving lives. The result is that using superpowers becomes illegal and they all have to go into the "Superhero Protection Program." By the end of the movie, this all ends after Mr. Incredible, his family, and Frozone save everyone from the Omnidroid and Syndrome.
 * Shrek is an ogre and most people are fully prepared to assume the worst of ogres. By Shrek the Third onwards, this has changed and the public not only accepts him, but views him as a local hero and role model.
 * In The Powerpuff Girls Movie: Before the girls becoming heroes, their game of tag renders Townsville asunder ("Bug-eyed Girls Destroy Townsville" reads the headline of the Townsville Times). Even when they attempt to do something good, they are seen as pariahs.
 * In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, several protestors, politicians, and such angrily blame Superman for the massive destruction and loss of life from his battles against General Zod and his forces in Man of Steel. Batman also considers Superman a threat to the planet instead of a hero.
 * In Spider-Man Trilogy, the titular hero facing a lot of flack mostly because of a smear campaign led by J. Jonah Jameson. Though by the second film, the public begins to accept him more as a hero.