Superman is an investigative journalist who exposes corporate corruption, and his nemesis was for a time the literal fucking POTUS. Superheroes don’t have to defend the status quo, it’s not a trait inherent to the genre.
More examples: Spider-Man is always in trouble with the media and the cops. Daredevil became a superhero because he thought the criminal justice system wasn’t effective enough. Ms Marvel protects the Pakistani community because the government won’t. All of Worm.