The Richest Characters In DC Comics

In the world of DC Comics, power seldom stems solely from extraordinary abilities; it is often intrinsically tied to immense wealth. Many superheroes and supervillains alike have come from the upper class, either born into it from rich families or are self-made millionaires and billionaires whenever they are not wearing a mask.

Related

Best DC Characters That Have Been Around For 80+ Years

Some of DC’s most famous superheroes and supervillains celebrate their 80+ anniversary, showcasing their immortal status as icons.

From superpowered metahumans to masked vigilantes, numerous iconic characters from the expansive DC multiverse have established their reputations in part due to their wealth. They often live as corporate tycoons and politicians, which can arguably make them even more dangerous than the global protectors and dominators they appear to be.

10

Zatanna

Being The Greatest Magician Has Its Perks

• Created By: Gardner Fox, Murphy Anderson
• First Appearance: Hawkman Vol 1. #4

Thanks to the family business of being a traveling magician, much like her father, Zatanna not only inherited wealth but also continues to be a successful entertainer when she isn’t a mystical superhero. While she doesn’t flash her money through luxurious mansions and an expensive wardrobe, she does live more well-off than most people do.

Zatanna also spends most of her free time traveling across dimensions, fighting other magical beings, and even being part of the Justice League. However, whenever her magic show appears in Gotham City or Metropolis, she draws massive crowds to her act, which blends practical illusions with real magic and her showmanship, earning her a lot of money.

9

Green Arrow

Oliver Queen Does Not Value His Family’s Money

• Created By: Mort Weisinger, George Papp
• First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73

In many ways, Green Arrow is a brighter reflection of Batman. They are both men from rich families who use their skills and money to create vigilante personas that fight crime at night. Where Batman is dark and brooding, Green Arrow is a colorful and fun-loving character with a lot of quips, similar to Tony Stark from the Marvel Universe.

However, where Bruce Wayne maintains his wealth, Oliver Queen has a less affectionate relationship with his money. It was his wealth that resulted in him being a narcissistic womanizer before he was stranded on an island. As a result, he has given away his billions to the people, viewing himself as a social justice superhero.

8

Blue Beetle

Built His Own Legacy Without The Powers Of The Scarab

• Created By: Steve Ditko
• First Appearance: Captain Atom #83

Ted Kord was the second Blue Beetle. Although his family was rich, he didn’t want to inherit the family business or Kord Omniversal, so he focused on his own life as an inventor and superhero, avoiding that other aspect entirely. He used his wealth to turn himself into the best Blue Beetle possible, since the Scarab that gave the original host his powers did not bond with him.

Related

10 Weakest DC Heroes To Join The Justice League

For a team featuring Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, the Justice League can afford to occasionally include some weaker heroes on its roster

Where many rich superheroes seem to belong in the world of philanthropists and lavish parties, Ted Kord is a more humble man who’d rather be working on a car or spending time with friends. However, that doesn’t stop Kord Omniversal from earning him billions of dollars, which has allowed him to help the world as both a CEO and a superhero.

7

Ozymandias

The Smartest And Wealthiest Man In The Watchmen Universe

• Created By: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
• First Appearance: Watchmen #1

Alan Moore’s Watchmen shows the danger of what a superhero with massive wealth can become. While he began as a more optimistic hero, Ozymandias saw the faults in humanity and the eventual nuclear warfare that would destroy the world, so he concocted a plan to wipe out a fraction of humanity, thus bringing the rest together in peace to overcome it.

Ozymandias, or Adrian Veidt, was already the smartest man in the world, which allowed him to run Veidt Industries and take on the persona of Ozymandias, inspired by his love of Alexander the Great and King Ramesses the 2nd. When he retired from vigilantism, he marketed the Ozymandias name and image to make his company the most powerful business in the Watchmen universe.

6

Mr. Terrific

From Revolutionary Inventor To Justice League Member

• Created By: John Ostrander, Tom Mandrake
• First Appearance: Spectre Vol. 3 #54

Similar to Blue Beetle, Mr. Terrific is a genius inventor, but he studied advanced sciences in kindergarten, which allowed him to become a self-made billionaire running multiple companies as his Michael Holt persona. However, his reasons for becoming Mr. Terrific are closer to Batman’s, as he not only lost his wife Paula, but also his unborn child, driving him to become a vigilante.

Michael Holt transformed into Mr. Terrific by combining his intellect and his wealth. As a superhero, he employs a wide range of gadgets, all inspired by a T-motif, including his T-spheres and his ship. However, his abilities go beyond just using advanced technology; he has also trained to achieve peak human physical condition and has mastered several martial arts.

5

Vandal Savage

The Oldest Man On Earth Amassed A Millennia’s Worth Of Wealth And Power

• Created By: Alfred Bester, Martin Nodell
• First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 1 #10

Immortality has its advantages, such as being able to use multiple lifetimes’ worth of experience to advance as humanity and civilization evolve. Vandal Savage began as a neanderthal, but after being exposed to a meteor’s radiation, he became an immortal with intelligence that allowed him to live multiple lives as warlords, emperors, kings, and other forms of rulers and politicians.

Vandal Savage typically hides his identity by remaining in the shadows or changing his name. His immortality also drove him mad, desiring only to be the one leader of Earth, no matter the cost. With his money and influence, he was able to partake in vital parts of history, such as World War 2 and the brutal murders of women under the name of Jack the Ripper.

4

Maxwell Lord

Justice League International’s Corporate Overlord

• Created By: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire.
• First Appearance: Justice League Vol. 1 #1

While not nearly as wealthy, Maxwell Lord is often compared to Lex Luthor as the powerful CEO of a corporation. However, where Lex Luthor despises vigilantes and metahumans, Maxwell Lord sees them as a good thing, especially for profit. He even forms his own corporate-owned team of DC superheroes known as the Justice League International.

Related

DC: 8 Characters Who Betrayed The Justice League

DC Comics has been running for a long time, and so it isn’t too surprising that there have been a large number of betrayals to the Justice League.

When the Justice League International does its job, it earns Maxwell Lord more money. In the comics, his status in terms of his wealth has gone up and down. At one point, he rivaled Bruce Wayne, but overall, he has been considered to be the third-richest preson in the world. However, he is not a self-made man, as he inherited much of his wealth from his family’s name.

3

Lex Luthor

Lex Uses His Intellect To Keep Himself Above Everyone

• Created By: Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
• First Appearance: Action Comics #23

Lex Luthor has risen and fallen over the years in terms of his wealth, but when he is not Superman’s greatest nemesis, he is best known as the CEO of LexCorp, a corporation involved in technology, science, and more. It’s this wealth that has enabled him to be the second most powerful person in Metropolis, surpassed only by Superman with his innate superpowers.

While Lex inherited his fortune from his father, he is not simply a product of nepotism. Lex exemplifies a superiority complex, unable to accept being less than anyone. As a result, he constantly seeks ways to become wealthier, even resorting to criminal acts to take control of other companies and cities. He even once served as President of the United States, which made him the wealthiest man in the DC Universe until he was eventually deposed.

2

Batman

The Wayne Family Fortune Remains In Good Hands

• Created By: Bill Finger, Bob Kane
• First Appearance: Detective Comics #27

While Bruce Wayne has his iron will and genius intellect to help him become Batman, he wouldn’t be the international vigilante that he is today without the money he inherited from his family. He is still the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, which dabbles in everything from biotech, alternative energy, aerospace technologies, shipping, philanthropy, food, medicine, and so much more.

Bruce Wayne himself has a net worth of over nine billion dollars, while Wayne Enterprises makes over thirty billion dollars per year. As the playboy billionaire, Bruce Wayne uses his own money and his company for the betterment of Gotham and the world, but he also funds his endeavors as Batman, creating futuristic crime-fighting gadgets and advanced space stations for the Justice League.

1

Aquaman

It’s Good To Be King

• Created By: Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris
• First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73

Given that he is king of over 70% of the planet, Aquaman has access to endless amounts of resources found only in the ocean, along with gold and treasure accumulated through generations of Atlantean royalty. Since Atlantis is a sovereign nation, Aquaman inherited trillions’ worth of currency that could easily allow him to buy both LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises in one business venture.

In the comics, Aquaman once gave a waitress two coins that were enough to improve her life and help her put her children through college. This generosity is made possible by the thousands of shipwrecks that have allowed treasure from the surface world to drift down to the ocean, where Atlantis can claim it. Despite this wealth, the powerful Justice League member prefers a humble lifestyle, remaining true to his roots as Arthur Curry.

More

DC: 10 Bravest Justice League Heroes, Ranked

Discover the bravest DC heroes in the Justice League, facing cosmic threats and personal trials to protect humanity at all costs.