When we think of wealthy superheroes, some characters immediately come to mind. No one questions the wealth of the various superhero captains of industry like Iron Man, Batman, and Green Arrow, all of whom inherited their family's businesses. Arguably the richest superhero is Black Panther, who runs an entire country full of the world's most precious metal: Vibranium. He has an estimated worth of $500 billion. Professor X, who was born into a wealthy family and has valuable assets that include the home of the X-Men and the X-Plane, is another superhero who immediately comes to mind on any list of wealthy superheroes.
The wealth of these characters is well-known, even outside of regular comic book readers, thanks to television and movie adaptations of the characters. But comic books are filled with rich playboys, superheroes born in the lap of luxury, and hard-working entrepreneurs. Here are 10 Surprisingly Wealthy Superheroes just in case you've forgotten about them in the face of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark's billions.
Josiah Power
Josiah Power wasn't always a superhero and founder of a heroes-for-hire business. He started out as one of America's best trial attorneys in the DC Universe, but when a Gene Bomb went off while he was in a court room during in alien invasion, his metagene was publicly activated, transforming him into a metahuman. He was subsequently dismissed from his law firm, and unwilling to become your traditional costumed hero, he founded the Power Company.
The salary for lawyers can vary drastically, depending on the legal practice, but top trial lawyers can earn up to $40 million a year. Of course, even if Power didn't have money from his time as a lawyer, he certainly has it now thanks to the Power Company. The successful superhero group, which is structured much like a law firm, will perform any job requiring superpowers as long as the price is high enough.
Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt)
DC Comic's Ozymandias (not to be confused with Marvel's Ozymandias) from Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore's Watchmen, was born Adrian Veidt, the son of wealthy German immigrants. He was an incredibly intelligent child, and is often considered the smartest man alive. He inherited his parent's fortune, but he chose to give all the money to charity, instead of living off their wealth. He hoped to prove that a person could rise to power even from the lowliest of circumstances, and prove it he did.
Veidt adopted the identity of Ozymandias and became a costumed superhero, only to retire two years before a law banning vigilante crime fighters was passed. A shrewd business man, he created the Veidt Enterprises megacorporation and marketed his image in the form of action figures and other products. He developed a questionable plan to unite the countries by creating an external threat; a plan he was able to put into action thanks to the vast wealth from his empire.
Aquaman
It's well-known in the DC Universe that Aquaman "gets by," but the sheer vastness of his wealth is surprising. Aquaman is the King of Atlantis, which doesn't give him wealth outright, but the job probably comes with some financial perks, seeing that he rules over 70% of Earth. But more importantly, each year a lot of money is lost to the ocean.
Aquaman is always been depicted as wealthy. But in the New 52, Aquaman explains that there are over a million shipwrecks in the oceans, with an estimated sixty billion in treasure, that he can access at anytime, making him one of the wealthiest superheroes around.
Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)
Marvel's Janet Van Dyne is the daughter of a wealthy scientist, who lived a life of luxury before his death. After he died, she approached Hank Pym, who helped transform her into the Wasp. Thanks to the Pym Particle, she can shrink to the size of an insect and grow translucent wings. It's never made explicitly clear how much wealth Wasp has, but early comics depicted her as standoffish because of her wealthy upbringing.
Later, despite a long time romantic relationship with Pym, his feelings of inadequacy over Janet's wealth prevent him from proposing. In addition to the wealth she inherited from her father, she also became owner of Van Dyne Industries and hosted two different television shows, presumably giving her a little extra spending cash.. just in case.
Archangel (Warren Worthington III)
Warren Worthington III is from an incredibly wealthy family. He led a pampered adolescence, attending a top expensive boarding school, until he sprouted wings, eventually adopting the name Angel and becoming a superhero. Warren is the heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation called Worthington Industries, and his early years with the X-Men saw him leading the typical playboy lifestyle. He was later revamped into Archangel, and eventually he took over control of his father's company, proving he had his father's keen business sense.
For a long time, Angel was the biggest supporter of the X-Men, shelling out lots of money to keep the operation afloat. In an issue of Uncanny X-Men, Professor X, who is generally considered one of the most wealthy men in the Marvel universe, asked Angel if he could borrow money to rebuild the mansion and the Blackbird. A recent story line saw him lose his company and have his assets frozen, but with the help of Matt Murdock, he retook control and then gave it to The Jean Grey School A.P. Economics Class.
The Almighty Dollar
Marvel's J. Pennington Pennypacker used to be a certified public accountant, which is already a fairly well-paying job that would likely land him in the middle class. But after attending a self-esteem camp that turned out to be a crazed scientist's front for a superhero creation scheme, Pennypacker was given the ability to shoot pennies out of his wrists. Adopting the name of Almighty Dollar, he appeared as a sidekick for NFL Superpro.
A penny might not be worth much, but access to unlimited pennies is basically access to unlimited money. The pennies shoot out of Almighty Dollar's wrists in torrents, so it probably wouldn't even take him that long to access whatever money he might need in the moment.
Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
The daughter of one of the wealthiest and mightiest old Mafia families in Gotham City, Helena grew up never suspecting the crime that took place in her own home, until she witnessed the murder of her family at the age of eight. It's unclear how much money Bertinelli has at her disposal, but it's presumably a lot. The man she believed was her father (she later discovered that her mother had an affair with a rival Mafia Don) was Franco Bertinelli, who led the Cosa Nostra before his murder.
At the age of 21, she received her inheritance and decided to adopt a costumed disguise in order to seek revenge for her family's murder. She doesn't have any superpowers of her own, but she is well-skilled in weaponry. If nothing else, her inheritance has been enough to allow her to live comfortably and bankroll her mission for revenge.
Doctor Strange
Marvel's Doctor Strange, once a gifted surgeon who went by the name Stephen Strange, trained with the Ancient One to become Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. Surgeons generally make at least a six-figure salary, with the highest earners earning over a quarter of a million a year, so Doctor Strange probably already had a sizable bank account. Unfortunately, he lost most of his money after a car accident damaged the nerves in his hand before he received a title upgrade to Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. And while that job doesn't exactly come with a 401K, Strange isn't hurting for money because of the career change.
Like Almighty Dollar, Doctor Strange has virtually unlimited access to wealth since he can summon pure gold with his magic - an ability he's used in the past to pay off his debts. In fact, Doctor Strange can access wealth and money so easily that it appears to be beneath him, once asking, "What to me are mundane considerations of Earthly currency?"
Iron Fist (Danny Rand)
Danny Rand is believed to be the sixty-sixth Iron Fist according to Marvel lore. His father, Wendell Rand, was a successful businessman and wealthy entrepreneur. After Danny became Iron Fist, he went on to follow in his dad's footsteps as an entrepreneur, opening a small business with Luke Cage called Heroes for Hire.
Danny also went on to regain half-control of Rand-Meachum, his father's company, and access to the family fortune, making him quite wealthy and causing strain on his business relationship with Cage. When Danny discovered his fortune was a byproduct of oppression, he decided to give all his money away and turned his company into the world's largest and most deeply funded not-for-profit organization.
Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond)
Born into wealth, Marvel's Kyle Richmond grew up living the life of luxury. His father was the owner of Richmond Enterprises, which Kyle inherited after his father died in a plane crash. When he attempted to find a cure for his heart murmur, he ingested a potion that gave him superpowers at night. He started out as a villain, bet eventually began to work closely with the Defenders.
No one knows exactly how much money Richmond has, but he's got plenty to spare on things like gadgetry. While he only has low-level super strength and increased agility at night, he has some of the most extensive weaponry in the Marvel universe. His outfit is fitted with a jet pack; he has projectile weapons; and he has technology that gives him infrared and telescopic vision. Recently, Kyle was forced into retirement, and someone else has picked up the Nighthawk mantel.
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Of course, there are countless superheroes in the DC and Marvel multiverse (and beyond!), and we're sure there are some that are also surprisingly wealthy. Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments below!