Bruce Wayne or Lex Luthor: Who's richer?

stujkx · 06-19-2005, 04:31 PM

A few years ago, Forbes did a fun feature and tried to name the 15 richest fictional characters in pop culture. Santa Claus was No. 1 with a supposed infinite fortune, which they explained by the fact that he seemes to have limitless resources. Anyway, the list continues:

2. Richie Rich, $24.7 billion
3. Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, $10 billion
4. Scrooge McDuck, $8.2 billion
5. Thurston Howell III, $8 billion
6. Willie Wonka, $8 billion
7. Bruce Wayne, $6.3 billion
8. Lex Luthor, $4.7 billion

Now, I know it's never exactly said who is richer or how much money either one has, but I had always just assumed that Lex Luthor was a lot richer than Bruce Wayne. Like, Luthor would be the John D. Rockefeller -- the richest man who ever lived -- and Wayne would be the Donald Trump with various enterprises and very rich, but worth only a 10th of what Luthor is. If I were making this list, I would have multiplied Luthor's fortune by at least 12 and keep Wayne's where it's at, and it would be like it was in my head.

What do you guys think?

The Sage · 06-19-2005, 07:51 PM

It was commented in the first Superman/Batman arc that Bruce was more wealthy, so I think that's accurate.

stujkx · 06-19-2005, 07:56 PM

OK, well I had never read that. Yea, if it's been decided somewhere along the line in one of the books, I'm not going to argue. (Though, books don't always agree with each other). It was just my perception. Luthor seems more powerful and a lot richer to me. Like, I didn't even think Wayne was close. I'm not sure why.

JonMich-el · 06-19-2005, 10:24 PM

Bruce is more wealthier than Luthor!

foreversuperman · 06-21-2005, 09:42 AM

I was also under the impression that Luthor probably had more money until I read Superman/Batman. I think maybe that's because you see and hear more about Luthor using his money.

llewoh05 · 06-21-2005, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stujkx

A few years ago, Forbes did a fun feature and tried to name the 15 richest fictional characters in pop culture. Santa Claus was No. 1 with a supposed infinite fortune, which they explained by the fact that he seemes to have limitless resources. Anyway, the list continues:

2. Richie Rich, $24.7 billion
3. Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, $10 billion
4. Scrooge McDuck, $8.2 billion
5. Thurston Howell III, $8 billion
6. Willie Wonka, $8 billion
7. Bruce Wayne, $6.3 billion
8. Lex Luthor, $4.7 billion

Now, I know it's never exactly said who is richer or how much money either one has, but I had always just assumed that Lex Luthor was a lot richer than Bruce Wayne. Like, Luthor would be the John D. Rockefeller -- the richest man who ever lived -- and Wayne would be the Donald Trump with various enterprises and very rich, but worth only a 10th of what Luthor is. If I were making this list, I would have multiplied Luthor's fortune by at least 12 and keep Wayne's where it's at, and it would be like it was in my head.

What do you guys think?

i would think that list should be correct. bruce and lex are probably at the bottom. bruce spends alot of his money on equipment and charities and lex spends all his money on ACME crap trying to rule the world and take out Superman at the same time.

TheFlash · 06-21-2005, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreversuperman

I was also under the impression that Luthor probably had more money until I read Superman/Batman. I think maybe that's because you see and hear more about Luthor using his money.

Not just that, but it goes better to their motivations. The animated series seems to follow the model of Luthor, by all accounts, seeming to be more wealthly than Wayne. If Luthor is more wealthy, it explains why he wields it as a weapon more often. If Batman is more wealthy, then it creates a plot hole as to why he doesn't use his wealth nearly as effectively as Luthor does. Billions of dollars that can be used in the war against crime and instead, Batman opts to use- relatively- low tech gear and patrol roof-tops?

Even in the comics, several times, Luthor has funded super-powered beings and/or created his own peace-keeping forces of powered beings or security forces in flying powered armor... this always gets screwed up by Luthor's underlying motivation- an attempts to upstage Superman- but imagine Bruce doing the same at the reins. If Bruce has more money than Luthor, why isn't he successfully doing the same kind of good that Luthor has done for show?

I guess you can ask that same question in the comics right now... especially if you're following the OMAC Project.

stujkx · 06-22-2005, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFlash

Not just that, but it goes better to their motivations. The animated series seems to follow the model of Luthor, by all accounts, seeming to be more wealthly than Wayne. If Luthor is more wealthy, it explains why he wields it as a weapon more often. If Batman is more wealthy, then it creates a plot hole as to why he doesn't use his wealth nearly as effectively as Luthor does. Billions of dollars that can be used in the war against crime and instead, Batman opts to use- relatively- low tech gear and patrol roof-tops?

Even in the comics, several times, Luthor has funded super-powered beings and/or created his own peace-keeping forces of powered beings or security forces in flying powered armor... this always gets screwed up by Luthor's underlying motivation- an attempts to upstage Superman- but imagine Bruce doing the same at the reins. If Bruce has more money than Luthor, why isn't he successfully doing the same kind of good that Luthor has done for show?

I guess you can ask that same question in the comics right now... especially if you're following the OMAC Project.

Yes! This is exactly why I always thought, and why it makes more sense, that Lex had a lot more money than Bruce.

Zanriel · 06-22-2005, 07:16 AM

Lex because he owns Metropolis. Wayne Enterprises just owns a substantial chunk of Gotham.

Close call though.

**BlueTights** · 06-22-2005, 07:33 AM

In current DC continuity, Lex has been stripped of the Presidency and Wayne Industries managed to Aquire all of his companies assets, so I'd say Wayne is now by a LONG shot the wealthiest man in the DCU.

Hyperion · 06-22-2005, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueTights

In current DC continuity, Lex has been stripped of the Presidency and Wayne Industries managed to Aquire all of his companies assets, so I'd say Wayne is now by a LONG shot the wealthiest man in the DCU.

So where's the peace keeping robots..?

Btw, love your new sig!

TheFlash · 06-22-2005, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueTights

In current DC continuity, Lex has been stripped of the Presidency and Wayne Industries managed to Aquire all of his companies assets, so I'd say Wayne is now by a LONG shot the wealthiest man in the DCU.

Currently, absolutely, but I think that article was written even before Lex's presidency? If it was written after No Man's Land they'd seriously have to reassess Lex's wealth considering he practically rebuilt Gotham after the earthquake and then rode that into the Oval Office.

I missed the storyline where Wayne bought out Lex's assets, I thought Talia Head was running LexCorp (though, wanting to sabotage it all along).

**BlueTights** · 06-22-2005, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFlash

I missed the storyline where Wayne bought out Lex's assets, I thought Talia Head was running LexCorp (though, wanting to sabotage it all along).

she was. . .I'm not entirely sure how it happened, it wasn't elaborated on. But it was the issue where luthor went crazy in the suit. Batman told him that the Luthorcorp assets had been bought out or aquired by Wayne Industries/Enterprises. No Presidency, no private business to fall back on. Luthor had to start over as a SuperVillain.