But this isn’t a reality simulation. It’s a story. An incredibly powerful being behaving honorably is a large part of the point.
Ok fine, i can concede that the actual theme is "he's powerful but good at heart", honestly I've done this before in a story. So point taken. But the "transporter range cant change at random" point is still valid, I believe.
Just jumping in here for a split second: I don't know if it's self evident that an alien brain would have no concept of morality, or process it any differently than humans do. Morality isn't a human construct--it's a biological one. The idea that it's better to cooperate than go it alone is a fundamental part of social animals--and Kryptonians--based on humans--are certainly social creatures! I'd wager that a better argument could be made for a more advanced, more intelligent being being being hyper compassionate, rather than ruling the earth with an iron fist.
Well, I see this as, "Yeah, fantasy needs to be logically consistent", which is true for grown-ups, MOST of the time. But I DO acknowledge that I can suspend that rule if the story is good enough! For instance, I saw many inconsistencies in Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price", they didn't affect my enjoyment of the story very much, it was a good story. But when I listed the inconsistencies in a review, people assumed I was attacking the book. So I know from experience, that people are willing to suspend the requirement of logical consistency for either a good story (or to make a cultural/political point)!