"I Shared Our Wealth, And Now It's Gone": Batman Has Officially Lost the Last of His Fortune (2024)

His tactical genius and combat excellence may make Batman an A-tier superhero, but his biggest advantage has always been his money. Bruce's fortune has given him access to bleeding-edge technology, as well as allowing him to work constantly to transform Gotham City. Now, however, the Dark Knight's biggest advantage is gone for good.

Readers get to see Batman's breakdown over his financial situation in Catwoman #57 by Tini Howard, Nico Leon, Veronica Gandini, and Lucas Gattoni. This issue continues the Gotham War crossover, and shows Batman dealing with the ramifications of Vandal Savage buying out Wayne Manor, and taking ownership of the Batcave. While Batman lost his billions as a consequence of The Joker War, he has now lost the last vestiges of his fortune, as his family home comes under the control of a major villain - one who bought it fair and square. Bruce Wayne may still be a millionaire, but only to the extent he's one of Gotham's upper crust - he is no longer a billionaire, and isn't even in contention as one of DC's richest people. The money that funded a fleet of vehicles, a high-tech base, and personal gadgets is all gone, and now his base and remaining armory have followed it - something he laments over his parents' graves.

Batman Has Never Been More Desperate

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Batman being rich has been an important part of his character since his creation. Bruce having money allows him to do half the things he does, from developing anti-speedster freeze rays to constructing mech-suits that allow him to compete with Superman. Not only that, but Batman has never just used his wealth for his escapades as Batman, Bruce Wayne is one of Gotham's top philanthropists and has been putting money back into the city for decades. He runs an unbelievable amount of charities and programs to help benefit the life of the average Gotham citizen.

During the events of the Joker War, one of the major things that the Joker did was steal Batman's money using an old Catwoman plan she never got to enact. This allowed Joker to run absolutely wild with the full backing of Wayne Enterprises, but after Joker was defeated, the stolen money wasn't returned to Bruce Wayne. Because the government deemed Bruce untrustworthy with this fortune, it was transferred to Lucius Fox. Since then, Bruce has had to survive on whatever personal money he had left off the books, which is likely around a few hundred thousand dollars, if not a bit more. However, he was still able to utilize the advanced Batcave his fortune bought and all his various technological toys, retaining some of the benefits of his former billions. Now, they've been lost to Vandal Savage.

As Bruce Struggles, Catwoman Thrives

See Also

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No matter what happens, Batman will always find a way to be a hero. He's been without resources before, and even while recently stranded on an alternate Earth without Batman, Bruce still managed to conquer his enemies. But this is the first time in main continuity he's been without all the resources he's grown so accustomed to. He's without Alfred, without his family home, without his fortune, and without his vehicles, weapons, and Batcomputer. It makes sense that having lost so much, Batman is becoming obsessed with the commitment of his allies... right as many of them are considering joining Catwoman's attempt to make Gotham safer by training its criminals rather than arresting them.

Batman has lost the last of his billionaire lifestyle, and is struggling with a profound lack of control as the woman he loves tries to take over the city he's always considered his to protect. As Gotham War continues to unfold, Batman is likely to get even more extreme, having lost everything in his civilian life that made him a superhuman-level operator.

Catwoman #57 is on sale now from DC Comics!