15 Richest Fictional Characters — How Much Would They Be Worth in Real Life?
You don't have to be real to be rich, and in today's tumultuous economy, living in fantasy is a lot less likely to lead to disappointment.
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These 15 super-wealthy fictional characters from film, TV, books and games hold a wide variety of occupations ranging from superheroes to crime lords, but they all have one thing in common — a net worth in the billions.
Occupation: King of Wakanda
Estimated net worth: $90 trillion
Character from: Marvel comics
Marvel comic book character T'Challa reigns over the fictional African country of Wakanda, which is home to nearly all the world's reserves of Vibranium — a super-strong metal that, according to the comics, is the main component of Captain America's shield.
This premium metal comes with a precious price tag, coming in at $10,000 per gram.
No wonder everyone shares the sentiment 'Wakanda forever,' as it is home to 10,000 tons of Vibranium, putting the royal family's net worth in the trillions. Some estimates have Black Panther's personal wealth at just $500 billion, but either way, he's doing all right.
Occupation: Mine and mill owner
Estimated net worth: $65.4 billion
Character from: 'Donald Duck' comics
Penny-pinching Uncle Scrooge McDuck came from humble beginnings before amassing his fortune. McDuck's first job was shining shoes before he left his native Glasgow to dig for gold in the Klondike.
After pulling himself up by his shiny bootstraps, he eventually started founding mines and mills that helped him build his billion-dollar fortune, which he was rare to share. McDuck famously stored his fortune in a giant money bin filled with gold coins, which not only helped out his tax situation, but also served as his daily cardio where he could swim laps.
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Occupation: Plunderer
Estimated net worth: $54.1 billion
Character from: 'The Hobbit'
Being a pillaging dragon has proved fruitful for Smaug, who appears in 'The Hobbit' book and movies. According to the novel, Smaug sleeps on a pile of gold and silver, has diamonds and other precious stones encrusted in his belly, and also owns the Arkenstone of Thrain, a giant diamond 'worth more than a river of gold in itself.' Basically, he's giving really, really rich vibes.
Occupation: Business owner and inventor
Net worth: $43.4 billion
Character from: 'Iron Man'
Marvel's Tony Stark inherited much of his wealth after his parents were killed in a car crash (which was actually an assassination), leaving him to run the successful firm Stark Industries. Though he wasn't a natural businessman, the company has been profitable thanks to the leadership of Virginia 'Pepper' Potts.
However, much of Stark's net worth comes from his valuable inventions, investments and properties, including his Iron Man suits (worth $7 billion), Stark Tower, his J.A.R.V.I.S. computer program (worth $10 million), mansion (worth $25 million) and luxury cars.
Occupation: Defense contractor
Net worth: $36.2 billion
Character from: 'Annie'
Oliver 'Daddy' Warbucks is the owner of Warbucks Industries and a successful defense contractor, but you know, with a heart of gold. Even though Warbucks has donated much of his earnings to philanthropic causes at the urging of his adopted daughter Annie, the Iraq conflict caused a boom in his net worth, bringing it to $36.2 billion, so not such a hard-knock life after all.
Occupation: Business owner
Net worth: $31.3 billion
Character from: 'Batman'
The comic book hero better known as Batman, Bruce Wayne inherited his fortune when his parents were gunned down in front of him when he was only a kid. Wayne came to own Wayne Enterprises, which was worth $27.4 million at the time according to a Batman comic released in 1974, and grew its value significantly. The Dark Knight knows his way around a royal sum of money.
Occupation: Shrimp sales/Investor
Net worth: $27 billion
Character from: 'Forrest Gump'
Forrest Gump's business partner, Lieutenant Dan, had the foresight to invest profits from their shrimp boating sales into 'some kind of fruit company' — which turned out to be the very profitable Apple Inc. Gump is estimated to have put $100,000 (at the time 3% ownership) into the company when it went public in 1980, which at the $22 stock price would have given him about 4,545 shares.
Occupation: Rich kid
Net worth: $23.9 billion
Character from: 'Richie Rich'
Richie Rich is the only child of two incredibly wealthy parents who gave him everything he could ever want. Sadly, Rich's parents were killed in a plane crash orchestrated by the head of a rival company. Though this is usually the recipe to raise a nightmare human, he seems to spend his substantial fortune in stride.
Occupation: Power plant owner
Net worth: $10.4 billion
Character from: 'The Simpsons'
Mr. Burns owns and operates the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant on 'The Simpsons' and sometimes resorts to unsavory means to ensure profits, which is super rare for someone with his wealth or in his position of power (*sarcasm). While his business practices are (literally) shady, his financial outlook is 'excellent.'
Occupation: Businessman
Net worth: $10.1 billion
Character from: DC Comics
DC Comic villain and Superman archenemy Lex Luthor built his financial empire through business savvy, intelligence — and backstabbing and murder. What a relief, he's a fictional character. Luthor is the founder of LexCorp, a multinational conglomerate that has acquired many smaller businesses, including airlines, communications companies and banks.
Occupation: Candy maker
Net worth: $8.4 billion
Character from: 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'
Willy Wonka is the owner of the greatest chocolate factory in the world, and though the factory was temporarily shuttered, Wonka managed to profitably reopen it after a lengthy hiatus. It helps not to focus on Wonka's engaging in some unethical business practices, namely his use of Oompa Loompas — who some posit were slaves — to manufacture his products, as this is just a rich guy in a children's story.
Occupation: Crime lord
Net worth: $8.4 billion
Character from: 'Star Wars'
Jabba the Hutt of 'Star Wars' fame gained his fortune through a life of crime. As a gangster and crime lord, Jabba secured wealth for his planet Tatooine by controlling piracy, slavery and the trafficking of illegal goods. Described as 'the wealthiest gangster in a hundred worlds,' Jabba lives in a palace and keeps a flesh-eating monster for entertainment.
Occupation: Media baron
Net worth: $5.8 billion
Character from: 'Citizen Kane'
The star of Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane' used the inheritance from his family's gold mine to purchase the newspaper The New York Inquirer. Although the paper wasn't making money initially, Kane relied on yellow journalism, sensationalism and poaching talent from other papers to grow his into a successful business. A modern Kane likely would have expanded his holdings to include radio, television and movie studios.
Occupation: Archaeologist
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Character from: 'Tomb Raider' franchise
Lady Lara Croft is the Countess of Abbington and owns the Croft Estates, which include three separate manor houses. Croft inherited a fortune from her parents after their separate untimely deaths. Although she has family money, Croft has followed in her father's footsteps and works in the archaeology field — though many detractors question her methods. She has even been accused of stealing treasure from the sites she discovers, which is how she got the nickname 'Tomb Raider.'
Occupation: Real estate investor
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Character from: Monopoly
Mr. Monopoly, formerly known as Rich Uncle Pennybags, has several profitable real estate holdings in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area. You can tell the board game mascot has money by his fancy suit and top hat, which he is never seen without. He should also be paid, or at least get residual checks, for being the first mascot of capitalism.
Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.
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