When Batman was first created, he was just wealthier than most, inheriting his parents' money after their deaths. Now, Bruce Wayne is worth billions thanks to the Wayne Fortune and his company, Wayne Enterprises. Or...at least he was up until the Joker stole all of his money and assets to begin his Joker War, using all of Batman's assets to torment Gotham in a bid to end Batman once and for all.
In our interview with James Tynion IV, the Batman writer shares his thoughts on what having billions has done to the Batman character and mythos over time, and where he hopes to take the Dark Knight after Joker War and beyond in future Batman stories, presumedly back to that original state.
Related: Batman Writer Explains Why BEYOND is Joker's Best Story
According to Tynion, the fact that Batman now has billions of dollars at his disposal creates some problems:
I do think that there’s an angle in Batman that needs to be analyzed, where when he was created, he wasn’t meant to be the richest person in the world. He was a wealthy man, but over time millionaire became a billionaire. The difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is very, very big.
Tynion goes on to to say that it creates several persisting issues, such as how he spends that money. A big point he intends to make as Joker War goes on is that Batman has been "overreaching" with his gadgets and technology. While they aid and help his battle for justice against Gotham's criminals, they also have a potential to be extremely dangerous to the city if they were to fall into the wrong hands, like now with the Joker.
Tynion also believes that Wayne Enterprises and Batman's billions create questions in the minds of those exploring the Batman mythos as a whole that aren't part of his core character. Having Joker take away all that money and the majority of Bruce Wayne's assets and resources was a very intentional choice on Tynion's part:
It’s one of those things where stripping away this angle for at least this storyline, and then how we carry it forward was deliberate. Then it allows for Batman stories that don’t have that kind of messy question lingering over its head. ‘Why isn’t Bruce dismantling Wayne Enterprises and putting all of that money into the city?'
Because Batman won't have all of his money and resources in Joker War, it's essentially Tynion taking Batman and reverting him back to a more pure and original state. He still has his tools, but they're not in abundance or serving as a crutch like they've potentially become in recent years. Tynion seems to indicate that he'll be taking this idea forward even after Joker War ends and into future issues as well. Perhaps Batman won't get his billions back, or does and decides to donate or put the majority of his recovered wealth into something good for the city on a bigger level than he has in the past? Who knows, but fans are sure to get the answers as Tynion's run on Batman continues.