Throughout the long history of Batman, which dates back to his creation by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939, there have been many variables in the character. Batman is presented in comic books, movies, and TV shows, both live-action and animated. Sometimes the tone of Batman’s stories is lighthearted and campy, while other times it’s deadly serious. Batman has different costumes, wears different colors, and is different sizes: In two different currently active Warner Bros. film franchises, one depicts Batman as a heavily muscled live-action human while the other depicts him as an animated LEGO.
But in every iteration of Batman, a few things are consistent: His alter ego is Bruce Wayne and he makes use of expensive gadgets, from the Batmobile and the Batsuit to various other contraptions. Yet, he’s always able to afford it, since Bruce Wayne is so wealthy. A new examination looks at just how much money it costs to be Batman.
A new video from Time, Inc.’s personal finance video brand Coinage estimates that Bruce Wayne has a total net worth of $9.2 billion, but he also has a lot of expenses. According to the video, Wayne Manor is worth $137 million, though the building requires $1.6 million per year in maintenance and $37,000 in property taxes. The video also alleges that rebuilding the manor would cost $600 million “after the Joker inevitably destroys it,” which presumes that Wayne neglected to purchase Joker insurance.
Coinage also estimates that Batman must spend $1 million on Batsuits, $79.5 million on Batmobiles, and $210,000 on gadgets – and that’s not including the $1.5 million on education (pilot training, combat and firearms training, and engineering degrees) incurred by Mr. Wayne, plus a $250,000 annual salary for Alfred.
It’s an amusing video, although whether it lines up entirely with established Batman canon is another question entirely. For one thing, it’s unclear whether Ra’s al Ghul charged Bruce tuition for his training. Fans will also remember The Dark Knight having a subplot about Wayne Enterprises’ secret research and development budget, and it came up in The Dark Knight Rises that the company was bleeding revenue in Bruce/Batman’s absence. While the $9.2 billion net worth figure sounds right, he’s far from the wealthiest fictitious character, or even the richest superhero.
Back in 2013, when Forbes released its most recent list of the richest fictional characters, called the “Fictional 15,” Bruce Wayne came in sixth (with an estimated net worth of $6.5 billion), behind Scrooge McDuck, Smaug, Carlisle Cullen, Tony Stark, and Charles Foster Kane. The star of another movie coming out this weekend, Christian Grey, came in eighth.
The LEGO Batman Movie opens Friday, February 10, 2017. The Batman, the next DCEU live-action Batman movie, is scheduled to arrive in 2019, although Justice League comes out November 17, 2017.
Next: Why the World Needs Lego Batman
Source: Coinage (via EW)
