Super Wealthy Superheroes! Richie Rich aint got nuthin’ on them!

As a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with how superheroes get their funding. Riding out into the night doens’t exactly put food on the table, much less allow one to buy that super fast car you drive or supply those goddamn boomerangs that don’t seem to run out. He probably gets those from China.

Then I found out that there were millionaire superheroes. And as my interest for comics grew, I found out that there were a whole lot of them, each character made use of his/her earthly wealth differently, more often than not employing the money to that whole superheroing thing. Others just had it, and didn’t really do shit with it.

Think Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are the only moguls? Think again.

Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen

Yes, yes, this arrogant son of a bitch has the right to wave his fru-fru beard around. He used to be as rich as Bruce Wayne. Dear god, he even colored himself GREEN, the color of the US currency.

In his early years of publication, he was such a Batman rip-off, being affluent, having an arrowcar (yes, an arrowcar) and an arrowcave. Yeah, you read that right. The moustachio-ed arrow-slinger had an arrowcave. Why? No one really gave a fuck.

Why he’s rich: Oliver Queen was born into the green stuff. He inherited the family business. Unfortunately for him, he’s lost his vast fortune. He no longer rolls in the dough as much as he used to. He’s Mayor rich, though, which is plenty rich for someone who just needs to buy arrows and a motorcycle or two.

How he uses his money: Oliver Queen didn’t become Green Arrow beause he was rich. On the contrary, it was the lack of money that got him to take up the bow and arrow. He used to use the wealth for an arrowcar and an arrowcave, though.

Mr. Fantastic/ Reed Richards

Mr. Fantastic and the Fantastic Four is Marvel’s First Family, and they’re also one of Marvel’s richest families. You can’t be one of the smartest people on the planet, inventing time machines and discovering dimensions and not make some money off of that.

Why he’s rich: How much money do you think this guy could make from his unstable molecules invention, a frabric that take the properties of the matter it comes in contact with? How many practical uses do you think that’d have?

How he uses his money: With all the money from the scientific advances, inventions and patents this guy’s got, he was able to buy and run the Baxter Building, and that real estate probably makes a lot of money, too. He also built the Fantasticar, which I bet didn’t come cheap. He uses that to get from point A to point B, although the man’s got some sort of dimension-travelling doohickey.

Professor X/ Charles Xavier

Old Chuck has it made. The man’s got a mansion, an academy and his personal super powered army. Putting up all these things, owning a huge chunk of land, financing education of dozens of people, and having a secret subterrenean base does not come cheap.

Why he’s rich: Most of the good professor’s money came from a huge inheritance, as far as I know, from the nuclear Physicist Brian Xavier. One of the many rich guys in comics that was born into the stuff. I don’t know how he keeps making money, though. Is the bucket really that deep? How many times have they rebuilt the Xavier Institute and the underground base?  Why doesn’t this guy run out of money, especially since his students study and live at the institute for free?

How he uses his money: Well, as already stated, he uses it to stroke his ego by having a whole army of mutants in spandex. Well, he used to, until he got his face shot off in Messiah Complex. (Woops, spoilers). He runs a whole school to teach mutants how to use their abilities and other regular academics. Oh yeah, he bought an SR-71 Blackbird, which costs roughly about $33 million.

Black Panther/ T’challa

The first modern black superhero is loaded. He was created in 1966 by Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "Kick-Ass" Kirby, but the original one isn’t the guy known as T’challa. He’s an enhanced human because of a special herb found in Wakanda, plus he uses a lot of technology.

Why he’s rich: Oh, no special reason. He’s just the ruler of a country with the single largest deposit of Vibranium in the world. If you’re unfamiliar with vibranium, that’s the stuff that Captain America’s shield is mostly made of. I think, that’s the second strongest material in the Marvel Universe, coming only after Adamantium.

Wakanda has very advanced technology, which I’m sure makes a lot of money. And if you’re the ruler of said technologically advanced country, you’d be taking part of the profit, especially since you’re the one developing them in the first place.

How he uses his money: Why, to make nifty gadgets with which to fight crime, of course. Well, that, and to support Ororo’s shopping addiction. He uses it to run a country, too. I’ve been told that gets expensive.

Iron Fist/ Danny Rand

One of the premiere martial artists of Marvel Universe, Mr. Daniel Rand runs Rand Corp, one of the bigger corporation in the MU. The company makes trains, planes, buildings and other wonderous architectural and structural wonders, and it also deals with a lot of real estate.

Most casual fans wouldn’t even think he’s some rich guy, since he can’t afford a decent pair of booties. Or a mask that fits properly, but trust me, he’s a regular Mr. Moneybags.

Why he’s rich: Well, there’s a long history to that, especially with the new series. So let’s go with the short-cut version of it- he inherited it. He got the money and his business, from his dad, who got the riches from a long line of people. Now, the businesses are self-supporting, and being run by Danny’s manager, Jerry.

How he uses his money: Well, for starters, he’s the guy financing the New Avengers, having them live in one of his apartments. He uses his buildings to get from point A to point B, through a complex tunnel structure he built underneath his buildings. Yes, he uses them for superhero-y stuff. Sort of.

Geo-Force/ Brion Markov

The Justice Leaguer and former Outsider, Geo-Force. I don’t know him all that well either, but I do know he’s loaded. He was born into royalty, and is a rich guy. His powers include manipulation of gravity, terrakinesis (Earth Bending, for those Avatar: The Last Airbender fans out there), lava blasts and oddly enough, flight.

Why he’s rich: He was the son of the former ruler of Markovia. All his life, he has been pampered. That tends to happen when you’re born into an Eastern European royal family. He had to humbled by Batman, before he could work together with the rest of the regular folk as equals.

How he uses his money: He didn’t directly use his money to give him powers, although I’m sure the money of their kingdom funded the scientific research and the equipment used to make him who he is.

For a time, the Outsiders were funded by Markovia, which is directly connected to Brion Markov.

Angel/ Warren Worthington III

Just as the name sounds like it came out of the book of the Most Stereotypical Rich People’s Names, Warren is a hero and a businessman, much like Mr. Stark and Mr. Wayne. The mutant known as Angel was born into wealth, but has used business acumen to stay on top.

Why he’s rich: Like a lot of the people on this list, he was born rich. Hell, with a name like frickin’ Worthington, you better be damned well heeled or you’d be the target of a lot of teasing. He used to be the CEO of Worthington Industries, but now just holds the controlling majority stock of the said corporation. He ranks in the lower part of the Fortune 500.

How he uses his money: Since the mansion doesn’t really need his money, he uses it to finance the other X-teams, I’d imagine.

Batman/ Bruce Wayne

Probably the most well-known of all the billionarie superheroes, Batman can’t not be on this list. Without any powers, he has to rely on his intelligence, fighting ability and wealth to fight the grimy underbelly of Gotham’s streets.

Why he’s rich: Inheritance of the business from his successful parents- Thomas and Martha Wayne. Wayne Enterprises has a lot of branches and has dipped its business-stick into a lot of industries. There’s Wayne Technologies, Wayne Biotech, Wayne Foods, Wayne Shipping, Wayne Steel, Wayne Shipbuilding, Wayne Aerospace, Wayne Chemicals, Wayne Medical, Wayne Electronics, and Wayne Entertainment. Damn. Rich mofo, that guy. In the fictional Forbes 25, they say that sales are at $31.3 billion.

How he uses his money: Well, unlike a lot of the rich superheroes who have powers, Batman uses his money to fund the Justice League and his own crusade against crime. He buys batmobiles, and he gets a new one apparently, every time they change artists, batplanes, bat boats, batarangs, bolas, and other various stuff in his utility belt.

The guy also purchases and/or develops buildings, space stations like the Watch Tower and other stuff. He also funds charitable foundations, the way a sane man would use his money for a better future for everyone.

Iron Man/ Tony Stark

Stark might be taking over Batman’s stranglehold on the billionaire superhero popularity contest because of the MOST AWESOME MOVIE EVER that was recently released as of this writing. Tony’s stories throughout the volumes of his comic book series has been centered on his flaws, his Iron Man persona and his companies.

Why is he rich: Again, he inherited the money and business from his father, but it was his intelligence and business acumen that got him there and kept him there. Even after losing his wealth and businesses time and time again, he makes it all back just because he can. Various incarnations include Stark Industries (current one, if I’m not mistaken), Stark International, Stark Enterprises, Stark/Fujiwara, and Stark Solutions, his consultancy business.

How he uses his money: Hey, those super high-tech armors don’t come cheap. Hell, if they were, then every other hero wanna-be would be sporting his or her own armor-tech. He also funds the Avengers, because no one else will, except maybe the government and S.H.I.E.L.D. these days.

The guy also buys and builds satellites that can do everything from weather manipulation to sending a focused nuke explosion to any location he wants. He also designs advanced defensive gear and vehicles for the Avengers and others.

He also has the Maria Stark Foundation, that deals in multiple works of charity, and The Haven, that helps kids off the street.