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Marvel vs DC: The Cost of a Superhero or Supervillain

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Have you ever wondered how much Iron Man would be worth if you combined his New York skyscraper home, collection of flash cars and plethora of ultra-high-tech gadgets? Or do the financial implications of the Joker’s havoc-wreaking habits fill you with intrigue?

We looked at the assets of six high-profile comic book heroes and villains to calculate their net worth. We generated these figures in two ways. Assets grounded in reality were compared to their real-world equivalent. In the case of fictional assets, estimates were made based on the value of a similar item in the real world.

Weaponry, gadgets and transport are the obvious contributors to a comic book character’s financial worth, but there’s a selection of underlying factors that may not instantly come to mind. Expensive qualifications and high-maintenance image upkeep, for example. Remember, Harley Quinn was a trainee psychiatrist prior to her life of crime and Captain Marvel is a qualified fighter pilot.

Topping the rich list, of course, is Black Panther. He’s the rightful guardian of a £9 trillion reserve of vibranium after all. Not to mention he resides in a royal palace and boasts an advanced gadgetry collection.

Other characters featured in our list include the notorious Marvel villain, Thanos, and DC tormentor, the Joker. Scroll down for the financial breakdown of each character with supporting imagery created by artist and graphic designer, Marta Colmenero.

Iron Man

Prior to his tragic demise in Avengers: End Game, this billionaire inventor turned superhero was far from cash strapped. Tony Stark aka Iron Man called an imposing New York skyscraper home, drove a selection of flash cars and boasted a wardrobe bursting with designer suits. Not to mention his high-tech collection of gadgets.

Assets:

  • Stark Tower – The skyscraper is reported to have been built by Stark for $600 million (AUD 871 million).[1]
  • Gold titanium exoskeleton and weaponry – The exoskeleton, helmet and inbuilt weaponry combined gives Stark’s Iron Man suit an estimated value of $180 million (AUD 261.4 million).[2]
  • JARVIS supercomputer – This high-tech computer system, which utilises artificial intelligence, is estimated to be worth $10 million (AUD 14.5 million).[3]
  • Car collection – A combined worth of $640k (AUD 929.5k) was calculated for the cars Tony Stark has been seen driving throughout the movie series, including the Audi R8.[4]

Black Panther

As King of Wakanda, T’Challa aka Black Panther not only resides in an extravagant Royal Palace, but he is the rightful guardian of the city’s £9 trillion reserve of vibranium (a fictional rare metallic ore). He boasts an extensive collection of gadgets and technology – largely invented by his younger sister Shuri – and travels from A to B in nothing less than his own personal fighter jet. The iconic nanotechnology suit he sports is woven from vibranium, making it impenetrable and capable of absorbing energy.

Assets:

  • Nanotechnology suit & vibranium sneakers – A value of million $260 million (AUD 377.6 million) was calculated for the suit and trainers, based on the fact they’re made of vibranium.
  • Fighter jet – The jet was valued at $65 million (AUD 94.4 million), based on the price of a military jet.[1]
  • EMP discs – EMP discs were likened to hand grenades $130 (AUD 190 each) and a 10,000-piece supply was valued at $1.3 million (AUD 9 million).[2]
  • Royal Palace of Wakanda – The most expensive real building in Africa is valued at $220 million (AUD 320.9 million). Arguably the Royal Place of Wakanda is more impressive and therefore was priced at $325 million (AUD 472 million).
  • Reserve of vibranium – Vibranium retails for about $10,000 per gram (Fantastic Four #607), and Wakanda’s vaults hold 10,000 tons of the stuff (Doomwar #1), which adds up to $9.7 trillion (AUD 14.1 trillion).[3]
  • Kimoyo beads – A price tag of $9.75 million (AUD 14.6 million) was attached to the kimoyo beads, which were likened to a top-of-the-range smart watch, enhanced with vibranium.[4]

Thanos

As it stands, Thanos has been the most powerful villain in the Marvel universe to date. For a significant chunk of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game he was the bearer of all six infinity stones – precious gems that brought great power to their owner. He displayed them in pride of place on a gold gauntlet, coordinated to match his armour. He gets about in an epic star ship entitled ‘Sanctuary II’, which is comparable to a colossal military warship.

Assets:

  • Gauntlet and infinity stones – A comparison was made between the infinity stones and the precious Musgravite stones (worth $35.75k (AUD 52.15k) per carat), giving the former a value of $1.37 million (AUD 2 million) for six 5-carat stones. Another $65k (AUD 94.8k) was added for the gold gauntlet.[1] [2]
  • Armour – The armour was priced at £15.6k (AUD 22.8k), based on the price of a full suit of custom armour.[3]
  • Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (AUD 19 billion).[4]
  • Sanctuary – Sanctuary has been valued at $13 million (AUD 19 million). As a barren area in space, we compared it to the price of buying a small private island.[5]

Captain Marvel

Arguably one of the most powerful Marvel characters on the roster, Captain Marvel boasts a number of superhuman abilities, including ultra-strength, endurance, stamina, lightning-fast speed and flight.

She may be less cash-rich than her peers, but she’s received a lot of government money to train as a fighter pilot and she commandeers an enormous star-ship worth a cool £10 billion.

Assets:

  • Super suit and boots – An estimate of $4.8k (£3.7k) has been previously given for three of Captain America’s suits combined. Captain Marvel’s suit is very similar, so therefore has been costed at $1.56k (AUD 2.3k)) for one.[1]
  • US fighter pilot training – The cost of training a basic qualified fighter pilot is approximately $5.5 million (AUD 8 million).[2]
  • Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (~ AUD 19 billion).[3]
  • Pscyhe-magnetron – We estimated the Psyche-Magnetron to be worth a cool $1.3 million (AUD 1.9 million) – since it’s a fictional piece of technology, this price was based on the cost of advanced technology and engineering.

Joker

The Joker is Gotham’s most notorious resident. He robbed a bank just to set the cash alight, so clearly money is not a motivating factor in his crimes. It’s unclear what his background is or where he lives, but he comes across as well-educated and well-spoken.

It appears a chunk of his spare cash goes on his appearance – donning thick clown-like makeup and green dyed hair that complement a unique sense of style. His weapons are his prized possessions, many of which resemble clown props with a sinister twist.

Assets:

  • Custom suit – Based on the cost of custom clothing, you can reasonably expect Joker’s suit to be no more than $286 (AUD 417).
  • Gold chains – A selection of genuine gold chains have been valued at $7.8k (AUD 11.4k).[1]
  • Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – Joker’s exaggerated appearance is estimated to have cost $1.56k (AUD 2.3k), based on image upkeep (annual expense of buying makeup and hair dye) and cost of tattoos.
  • Razor playing cards and acid lapel flower – The cost of sulphuric acid (sprayed from the flower) and razor blades were combined with the price of playing cards and a joke flower, adding up to $104 (AUD 152).[2]
  • Glock 17 pistols and grenades – A Glock 17 costs approximately $650 (£500).[3] A pocketful of five hand grenades costs approximately $650 (AUD 1.9k).[4]

Harley Quinn

Partner in crime – and life – to the Joker, Harley Quinn (originally Harleen Quinzel) is another of Gotham’s troublemakers. Much like the Joker, details of Harley’s home life are shrouded in secrecy, and any money she has is likely a result of the crimes she commits.

She is, however, a trained psychiatrist and shares the Joker’s love for heavy caricature-esque makeup and tattoos – which are quite an investment!

Assets:

  • Harlequin outfit, boots and accessories – An estimate of $305 (AUD 649) has been given for the Harlequin outfit, boots, PUDDIN necklace[5] and graffitied baseball bat.
  • Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – We estimated $1,066 (AUD 1.6k) for the maintenance of Harley Quinn’s image, including replacement of makeup and hair dye and her tattoos.
  • Chiappa Rhino 6DS revolver – This gun is priced between $670 (AUD 977) and $1000 (AUD 1.5k), therefore we costed it at $975 (AUD 1.4k) for its special edition status.[1]
  • Psychiatric training – The cost of attending a four-year medical course in the US is $220k (AUD 321k).[2] 

Currency conversions calculated based on a conversion rate of AUD$1.46 to every US$1.00

source story: techtalk.currys.co.uk

[1] https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/celebrities/iron-man-3-tony-stark-net-worth-bank-accounts/
[2] https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-real-iron-man-suit-5533077[3] https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/celebrities/iron-man-3-tony-stark-net-worth-bank-accounts/
[4] https://blog.dupontregistry.com/celebrity-cars/tony-stark-iron-mans-car-collection/
[1] https://militarymachine.com/most-expensive-military-jets/
[2] https://www.quora.com/How-much-would-a-single-40mm-HE-grenade-cost
[3] http://money.com/money/5157592/black-panther-net-worth/
[4] https://www.montblanc.com/en-gb/collection/watches/montblanc-summit-collection/119563-summit-2-titanium-sport-edition.html?mid=1036um820549&mkwid=sO7WGQ6MD_dc&pcrid=291542312563&kword=&match=&plid=&product=ID_119563&slid=&pgrid=60115850313&ptaid=pla-350739893447&adlsid=c|g|ID_119563|60115850313&gclid=CjwKCAjwqLblBRBYEiwAV3pCJkvZt5wllISt0b78pMBHRTnrchMRLpBUZUW_DK4Z60aBnkm3mGp9PxoCUdoQAvD_BwE
[1] https://financesonline.com/10-really-expensive-gemstones-from-tanzanite-to-pink-star-diamond/
[2] https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-bars/250-gram-gold-bar/umicore-250-gram-gold-bar/[3] https://www.businessinsider.com/medieval-super-hero-armor-2016-4?r=US&IR=T
[4] https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/launch-and-landing-failures-add-to-13-billion-carrier-ford-s-troubles-1.566658
[5] https://www.privateislandsonline.com/
[1] http://www.twizzle.co.uk/how-much-would-it-cost-to-be-captain-america/
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/04/09/the-cost-of-training-u-s-air-force-fighter-pilots-infographic/#22e383b77973
[3] https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/launch-and-landing-failures-add-to-13-billion-carrier-ford-s-troubles-1.566658
[1] http://www.zombieeducationalliance.com/chiappa-rhino-60-ds-revolver-review/
[2] http://doctorly.org/cost-vs-reward-of-a-psychiatry-degree/[1] https://notimetobrowse.co.uk/fc.html?Query=aGold_Chain_Curb_Flat_Angular_24[2] https://www.chemicals.co.uk/sulphuric-acid
[3] https://www.glockstore.com/Glock-17-9mm
[4] https://www.quora.com/How-much-would-a-single-40mm-HE-grenade-cost
[5] https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/552756321/new-original-lockable-suicide-squad?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=harley+quinn+jewelry&ref=sr_gallery-1-10

 

Action Comics Annual #1: The Game?

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I’ve read a great deal of Superman comics in my lifetime. One of my favourites is 1987’s Action Comics Annual . To me, it’s one of the most entertaining and enthralling comics I own. The comic, written by one of my favourite comic book writers, John Byrne, should be made into a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment game.

It’s a four-word pitch: Superman, Batman and vampires.

The comic is oddly titled “Skeeter,” but “Cry Vampire” is on the cover. It’s not really clear, but “Cry Vampire” sounds a lot better than “Skeeter.”

The story takes place in Fayerville, South Carolina; a town near swamp land. Batman finds himself in the town because he’s been working three days straight investigating a series of Gotham City murders that leads him to Fayerville. He calls Clark Kent at the Daily Planet for some assistance. When Superman arrives in Fayerville, he realises that vampires are to blame for several grisly deaths. Batman tries to help a young, blond haired girl named Skeeter (the annual’s title). He quickly realises she is the vampire that has been terrifying the town.

What makes the comic truly gripping is that Superman is helpless to the supernatural when he fights Skeeter. She injures him by raking her claws across the S on his chest. Superman is rarely vulnerable to anything on Earth. I won’t tell you the ending, but Batman comes through in the clutch.

The game could be a third-person perspective, action-adventure game which focuses on Batman and Superman’s combat abilities in the swamps and around the town. Superman could take hoards of vampires out with his heat vision. In Annual , the Man of Steel doesn’t fly very much and he’s mostly grounded throughout the story. Batman could use his punching ability and various gadgets to take down blood suckers. Two-person play could get interesting. They could also complete side missions away from the main story.

I’ve really enjoyed the “Batman: The Telltale Series” for PS4. Action Comics Annual could be a perfect adaptation for that series of video games.

PAX Aus 2017 Cosplay

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One of the main highlights at every PAX Aus is the cosplay. Even if you weren’t there this past weekend, you will definitely appreciate the awesome cosplay highlights package we have for you here – and to think, this was only the tip of the great cosplay iceberg!

Overwatch cosplay was well represented!

A bunch of Links. Now, to find Zelda!

Weird and Retro’s Kelly-Maree as Lollipop Chainsaw’s Juliet Starling

Press Play On Tape’s Phoebe as ‘The Puppet’ – FNaF2

Dragonair!

Of course we were bound to find a super couple

Skyrim by the awesome Combustible Props and Zel T

Zel T is gonna get ya!

A close cut!

2B (Nier Automata)

Even Pyramid Head makes friends with Nintendo characters

Nintendo Man?

Blathers and Celeste flew to PAX Aus too!

Sewn Chaos Orianna – Legendary indeed!

Cross-Cosplay = Roadhog (Overwatch) and Deadpool!

photos by: Alan Ly and ms. ausretrogamer

 

Superman 64: The Worst Video Game Ever Made

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I was a kid, I was so ecstatic when I read that Nintendo 64 was releasing a Superman game. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and play it.

Fortunately, my friend down the street bought Superman 64 before I did. I was lucky enough to never spend a dime on the controversial game made by Titus Software.

Superman 64 begins with Lex Luther telling you “You will never find your friends in this world…” That confused me. The game isn’t set in Metropolis, it’s set in Luther’s “virtual world.” You would think that the natural setting for a game starring Superman would be Metropolis. Too many cooks in the creative kitchen at Titus Software perhaps?

The dumb, unimaginative plot of the game has you (as the Man of Steel) go through a simple maze in Lex’s “virtual world” to save Superman’s friends. All you do for most of the game is fly through an unbearable number of rings that get tedious after ten seconds. Why did anyone think that this would make for an appealing game? It has the kiss of death for a console game: it’s boring.

It’s incredibly hard to control Superman’s course of flight at times. If you have Superman at the centre of your game, you would think developers would’ve had a surplus of ideas that they could incorporate into the game to make it exceptional. The game was released in 1999; there were a lot of back issues of Superman for them to pull appealing ideas from.

At one point in Superman 64, you have to pick up a police car and carry it to the end of a street…real exciting stuff. During one mission, you have to blow random tornadoes away with your super breathe. And yes, I just wrote that sentence.

“LEX WINS.” I got so sick of “LEX WINS.” And you hear Lex do some creepy, stoner-like chuckle every time he wins. Then, in all of that excitement, you have to fly through more rings. There are no instructions for how to fly or breathe your super breath. There are moments in the game where you have a timer, and then, during other stages, there’s no timer at all. It also takes a long time for Superman to get back up when he is knocked down. That was frustrating, and nothing about Superman’s ability to take a punch should be frustrating.

There were moments during Superman 64 where you would get stuck in corners of the game and it would take a moment to find a way to fly again. When I played this frustrating game, I had no idea that Titus Software hadn’t actually finished it. I found that out much later. But just from the confusing game play and the strange, green haze in Lex’s “virtual world,” it was obvious that Titus developers had a little trouble in the developing stage of Superman 64.

If flying through rings surrounded by a green haze sounds like a fun gaming experience, you may enjoy Superman 64? As a huge Superman fan and gamer, this game was a big disappointment. Titus should have never let this game see the light of day.