How Rich is Batman, Really?

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

I’ve been thinking about Batman, Bruce Wayne, and a question I’d never really considered before: how rich would Bruce Wayne actually have to be to make Batman work in the real world? In this Wildcard Wednesday episode of Simple Joe, I dig into what it might really cost to finance the Batmobile, Batwing, specialized equipment, research and development, repairs, computers, medical support, manufacturing, and the hundreds of people who might be needed behind the scenes at Wayne Enterprises. I talk about why my preferred Batman is Christian Bale and why the Christopher Nolan version makes this question especially interesting, whether Bruce Wayne could make it work with $50 billion or might need a personal fortune closer to $75 to $100 billion, and why Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises may actually be more important to Batman than Bruce Wayne’s personal wealth. Then there’s the question nobody seems to ask: how do you employ all those engineers, scientists, mechanics, accountants, HR people, and support staff without somebody eventually figuring out that they’re working for Batman? Along the way, I celebrate International Podcast Day, wonder why any kid would choose white milk when chocolate milk was available at school, remember The Flintstones, talk about Truman Capote, Barry Williams, Fran Drescher, Marty Stuart and T-Pain, and share a little of what’s happening during my final days of vacation in Daytona Beach. It all comes back to a fun question that turns out to be a lot bigger than I expected: maybe Bruce Wayne’s greatest superpower isn’t being rich at all. Maybe it’s somehow keeping the most complicated secret organization in Gotham from being discovered by somebody in payroll.

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