DC's rich heroes - earned v. inherited?

[Tzigone]

I'm trying to keep track of the source of the their fortunes. Heroes only, not villains for this thread. Feel free to add others. There are a lot of rich comic book characters, and I know I've missed some.

• Bruce Wayne always inherited his wealth from his father, though that wealth has grown a lot
• Oliver Queen - I know once the business existed it was inherited (and lost), but really don't know about golden age or even the silver prior the changeup (which I consider to be bronze)
• Ted Kord - per the 1986 series, he took a "hole in the wall" company and made second to only STAR labs and earned the vast bulk of his money by being a brilliant scientist and businessman. That business acumen (and money) didn't seem to stick though JLI and beyond, from what I know. Not really sure what later status quo was.
• Mari McCabe - as far as I know, she made her own fortune, but I haven't read much of her
• Steve Dayton - he was extremely rich in the 60s-80s (5th or 6th richest man in the world and much richer than Bruce), and I know he earned a lot, but I don't know if he started off rich, less rich, or not rich
• Kon-El was temporarily rich (though I expect to a much lesser degree), and earned that money via capitalizing on his fame
• Booster Gold was also at times rich. Earned via endorsements and did some stock market investing (with future knowledge)
• Kathy Kane (silver age) - I have to admit, I'm not sure where her money came from
• Victor Stone (Before new 52) inherited from his father
• Garfield Logan - at one point he was to have inherited a million dollars, but don't know if that ever came to fruition (don't know if he ever made it to 18 to have control over it, given DC's refusal to let him grow up).

[achilles]

One would assume Wonder Woman is rich, from being a Princess. Power Girl is quite rich when that subject is even mentioned, rich enough to buy a CNN style outlet, self made. Supergirl in one of her runs sold some Kryptonian tech to Bruce Wayne...but he seemed to buy it mainly as a favor to Superman.

[Frontier]

I think Michael Holt is self-made from all the tech he developed, he just sold his company. I forget if Terry Sloane was rich from the get-go.

Did Rex Tyler build his company or inherit it?

[DrNewGod]

...Did Rex Tyler build his company or inherit it?

Hour Man is a bit vague. He started out as an employee of Bannermain Chemical, but by JLA 1.196 (1981) he was introduced as President of Tyler Chemical. That sounds to me like he started his own thing and made his own fortune.

[Digifiend]

Jesse Quick inherited a company when her father died, and Wally West won the lottery.

Tim Drake started off rich - his family's home was next door to Wayne Manor and they had a housekeeper. Unfortunately, his father later went bust.

[Tzigone]

Jesse Quick inherited a company when her father died, and Wally West won the lottery.

Thanks for the Jesse info. And I knew about Wally, but forgot him.

Tim Drake started off rich - his family's home was next door to Wayne Manor and they had a housekeeper. Unfortunately, his father later went bust.

Well, he didn't start off next door - they moved there a little later, but before his own regular series started. And I kinda didn't include him because it was his dad (and before that both parents) who actually had the money, rather than it being his. His dad did lose a lot, but they still had the penthouse and they fell from rich to upper middle class (not exactly bust). He may have lost more money later, though - I can't recall about that. Though Tim would have the money after Jack also died, though, as you said, it was much less then.

[bat39]

I'm trying to keep track of the source of the their fortunes. Heroes only, not villains for this thread. Feel free to add others. There are a lot of rich comic book characters, and I know I've missed some.

• Bruce Wayne always inherited his wealth from his father, though that wealth has grown a lot
• Oliver Queen - I know once the business existed it was inherited (and lost), but really don't know about golden age or even the silver prior the changeup (which I consider to be bronze)
• Ted Kord - per the 1986 series, he took a "hole in the wall" company and made second to only STAR labs and earned the vast bulk of his money by being a brilliant scientist and businessman. That business acumen (and money) didn't seem to stick though JLI and beyond, from what I know. Not really sure what later status quo was.
• Mari McCabe - as far as I know, she made her own fortune, but I haven't read much of her
• Steve Dayton - he was extremely rich in the 60s-80s (5th or 6th richest man in the world and much richer than Bruce), and I know he earned a lot, but I don't know if he started off rich, less rich, or not rich
• Kon-El was temporarily rich (though I expect to a much lesser degree), and earned that money via capitalizing on his fame
• Booster Gold was also at times rich. Earned via endorsements and did some stock market investing (with future knowledge)
• Kathy Kane (silver age) - I have to admit, I'm not sure where her money came from
• Victor Stone (Before new 52) inherited from his father
• Garfield Logan - at one point he was to have inherited a million dollars, but don't know if that ever came to fruition (don't know if he ever made it to 18 to have control over it, given DC's refusal to let him grow up).

On the subject of Oliver Queen...the original Golden Age origin had him become rich by basically appropriating Native American treasures. Though its implied he was already pretty well-off before that. By the Silver Age though, he'd been retconned into having been always rich.

[NaVi]

I have always wondered why when you talk about rich heroes, you talk about batman, green arrow etc, but almost never about ww and never about superman, they are not especially bragging about superman, but it is obvious that they do not lack money.

[Tzigone]

I have always wondered why when you talk about rich heroes, you talk about batman, green arrow etc, but almost never about ww and never about superman, they are not especially bragging about superman, but it is obvious that they do not lack money.

I agree with that. Many comic heroes are at least from upper middle class families (teen heroes) or seem to be themselves. I don't know if Superman is. Once upon a time, he had an ordinary apartment (golden age). Later Bruce bought an apartment for them, I think (do not like). But in their roles, at their kind of paper, they should be expected to be very well paid. The big issue being how expensive Metropolis is or is not, though they are at least upper middle class, either way. I kinda like divorcing Metropolis from New York,myself. And there being more new construction, befitting the City of Tomorrow. If it's not an island (New Troy, anyway), there may well we room to expand, since unlike New York, Delaware doesn't have all those other cities in the way of it growing outward a bit more. But that's not what is in the comics, so we have to look at what is, not what I want be.

Then we have books written, etc. and have to wonder how much money they made off that.

For the record, I'm aiming at at least millionaire status (not including home) for "rich" here. And am particularly focused on the really rich.

WW - did she make her money with her book (that works for me)? Did she do any pubic appearances? Does she get any military salary these days? Wealth from Themyscira, as in the pre-COIE days, doesn't really work for me long-term if they aren't trading/selling/licensing technology or minerals unavailable/scarce in our world. Gold just won't do the job (making her really rich), at least not without depleting their own supply - it's not worth enough (and its value varies. Though if they could synthesize it...eh, that'd just devalue it. But if she's not really rich, maybe, but she'd have to make trips back home every so often for resupply.

[Toreador]

I read somewhere that Aquaman was rich by salvaging sunken treasure from old shipwrecks.

Karen Starr (Power Girl) was a self made millionaire from her software company.

[Zero Hunter]

I read somewhere that Aquaman was rich by salvaging sunken treasure from old shipwrecks.

I can't remember if that was Aquaman or Namor over at Marvel. I know when Namor started his own company in the 90's he used a lot of salvaged treasure to get started. It would make sense for both of them to be sending out teams to salvage as much riches as they could from shipwrecks

[Agent Z]

I read somewhere that Aquaman was rich by salvaging sunken treasure from old shipwrecks.

I think that's how Tempest made his money too.

[Güicho]

I agree with that. Many comic heroes are at least from upper middle class families (teen heroes) or seem to be themselves.

No dispute.
Just to throw out a classic counter example.

[Tzigone]

No dispute.
Just to throw out a classic counter example.

Sure, but that's much older (I'd argue Clark and Diana and Bruce were all less rich then than now, too). And he got a gig at the radio in the first issue, rented a room, had a valet and sometimes a private secretary. Freddy stayed poorer.

He lost enough money that Jack sold Tim's car - though since the car was really Robin's Redbird with Bat tech in it, Tim couldn't allow that, so Alfred bought it in disguise, thus returning it to Bruce who gave Tim it in the first place.

I know that. Nonetheless, they specifically stated he was still better off than most people and they still had the penthouse, as I recall. Robin issue 100 - "Fate's knocked us down from upper-upper-class to upper-middle-class" - won't say they were always consistent about the depiction of that, but that's what Tim said (well, in his narration box). Think there was also one where Dana said they still had more than 90% of people ever would so Jack should stop self-pitying or something, but can't recall phrasing. Dana was starting a new business, as I recall. And I know there was some talk about liquidating assets, so maybe they needed more quickly. And, of course, they moved to the city, where parking likely costs. Mostly it seemed like an excuse to pull Tim out of his boarding school to me, but I quit reading not too many issues later (all binge-read years later, but I quit at 113), so maybe that specific aspect had more impact that I'm giving it credit for.

[Restingvoice]

I'm trying to keep track of the source of the their fortunes. Heroes only, not villains for this thread. Feel free to add others. There are a lot of rich comic book characters, and I know I've missed some.

• Bruce Wayne always inherited his wealth from his father, though that wealth has grown a lot
• Oliver Queen - I know once the business existed it was inherited (and lost), but really don't know about golden age or even the silver prior the changeup (which I consider to be bronze)
• Ted Kord - per the 1986 series, he took a "hole in the wall" company and made second to only STAR labs and earned the vast bulk of his money by being a brilliant scientist and businessman. That business acumen (and money) didn't seem to stick though JLI and beyond, from what I know. Not really sure what later status quo was.
• Mari McCabe - as far as I know, she made her own fortune, but I haven't read much of her
• Steve Dayton - he was extremely rich in the 60s-80s (5th or 6th richest man in the world and much richer than Bruce), and I know he earned a lot, but I don't know if he started off rich, less rich, or not rich
• Kon-El was temporarily rich (though I expect to a much lesser degree), and earned that money via capitalizing on his fame
• Booster Gold was also at times rich. Earned via endorsements and did some stock market investing (with future knowledge)
• Kathy Kane (silver age) - I have to admit, I'm not sure where her money came from
• Victor Stone (Before new 52) inherited from his father
• Garfield Logan - at one point he was to have inherited a million dollars, but don't know if that ever came to fruition (don't know if he ever made it to 18 to have control over it, given DC's refusal to let him grow up).

Silver Age Kathy is mentioned in one issue to be an heiress.
Same with the Morrison version, but also add her husband Nathan Kane's fortune to that. In the Morrison version, she's a daughter of a Nazi scientist, but she didn't know that until after she retired as Batwoman, so the source of her wealth would be from her foster family.