Highlights
- The richest fictional character is Scrooge McDuck, with a net worth of $65.4 billion. He represents excessive wealth and is known for his swimming pool of gold and money.
- Other ultra-rich fictional characters include Smaug from The Hobbit ($54.1 billion), Carlisle Cullen from Twilight ($46 billion), and Daddy Warbucks from Annie ($36.2 billion).
- Pop culture icons like Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Wayne (Batman) also make the list, with net worths of $12.4 billion and $9.2 billion, respectively.
Fans of the ultra-rich lifestyle love to dive into the luxurious lives of their favorite famous people, even those who exist primarily in works of fiction.
For some, it’s hard to imagine having million-dollar homes, luxury amenities and an unlimited travel budget.
Forbes, fans, and online sleuths began a fun tradition nearly a decade ago that many might not consider while they’re watching their favorite movie or television show.
Just how much is the richest fictional character worth?
Updated, December 2023: The richest fictional character or characters rarely make the news, but in December, The Simpsons' Mr. Burns did.
In late November, CBR.com examined a 1993 episode of the show, entitled "Rosebud" – incidentally, a reference to a second, ultra-wealthy fictional character on this list, Citizen Kane's Charles Foster Kane.
In the course of its analysis regarding a crossover with Futurama, CBR described Mr. Burns' characteristic wealth: "As the episode' ["Rosebud"]'s narrative demonstrates, Mr. Burns is a highly affluent mogul.
"In this one installment, fans witness him retaining a hired entourage of bodyguards armed with tactical riot gear and possessing a private vault filled with many valuable and rare commodities."
These ultra-rich fictional characters may not be real, but their bank account is at least as big as your favorite celebrity's – and their net worth is less prone to fluctuation than that of real-life rich people.
Let's see which of the fictional characters below is truly the richest.
15 Jay Gatsby
Jay Gatsby's Net Worth: $1 Billion
Remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby character in The Great Gatsby?
After a less-than-prosperous life as a child, an ambitious Jay Gatsby earns his fortune as a bootlegger in the 1920’s.
Gatsby spent much of his fortune on a mansion on Long Island and lavish parties, in an ill-fated attempt to impress the love of his life, Daisy.
14 Lady Mary Crawley
Lady Mary Crawley's Net Worth: $1.1 Billion
The Downtown Abbey character Lady Mary Crawley's net worth and fortune originated with the inheritance she received from her father.
But after the death of her husband, Matthew Crawley, her net worth skyrocketed across the billion-dollar mark.
13 Mr. Monopoly
Mr. Monopoly's Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Yes, the banker we all know and love has been on top of the real estate industry since 1935.
Mr. Monopoly was originally known as (and is sometimes called) "Rich Uncle Pennybags."
Per Wikipedia, Mr. Monopoly's given name is actually "Milburn Pennybags."
His appearance (a formal suit, monocle, and top hat) is only faintly detailed, but Mr. Monopoly instantly became an iconic symbol of American wealth.
Given his ability to monopolize the Hasbro board game, it’s no wonder he’s managed to become ultra-rich.
RelatedThe Greatest Conquerors In History
Who is the greatest conqueror of all time? Perhaps the adjective "greatest" is something of hollow praise for the men on this list ...12 Lara Croft
Lara Croft's Net Worth: $1.3 Billion
The recipient of a large trust fund, Lara Croft fought hard to succeed in her own right and earned a degree in archeology.
Lara Croft spends her net worth and fortune traveling the world and seeking adventure.
The ancient tombs and ruins with which she is so closely associated fit in perfectly with her archeology interests.
11 Walden Schmidt
Walden Schmidt's Net Worth: $1.3 Billion
Ashton Kutcher’s character from Two And A Half Men made his fortune from start-ups and investments.
Walden Schmidt made his first million by the age of 19 – and didn’t mind spending the fortune on his Malibu beach home, ex-wife and best friend, Alan.
10 Montgomery Burns
Mr. Burns' Net Worth: $1.5 Billion
Montgomery Burns (best known to viewers as "Mr. Burns") is from The Simpsons, and serves as one of pop culture's most recognizable ultra-rich characters.
Mr. Burns was born into a poor family but, as luck would have it, he was adopted by a wealthy billionaire who taught him the importance of money.
As observed by TheThings, Burns is known for his lack of generosity and his disregard for the safety and comfort of his employees, as long as the money keeps flowing into Springfield's largest coffers.
9 Christian Grey
Christian Grey's Net Worth: $2.5 Billion
The wealthy and mysterious Christian Grey of Fifty Shades Of Grey has a double life.
Grey founded Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc after receiving $100,000 from a friend of his late mother to start a business.
RelatedHere's What The Richest Self-Made Actresses Today All Have In Common
Some of the world's richest actresses are self-made tycoons, who carved their own paths in a male-dominated Hollywood (with a lot of hard work).In the second Fifty Shades Of Grey novel, readers learn that Grey reaps $100,000 an hour from Grey Enterprises.
As the novel and film adaptations make clear, he spends most of his fortune on fast cars and myriad fancy possessions.
8 Richie Rich
Richie Rich's Net Worth: $5.8 Billion
Richie Rich received his fortune as an inheritance from his father, and he takes the title as the youngest fictional billionaire.
However, Richie Rich taught several generations of young comic book fans to invest in projects that make the world a better place, rather than spend it on frivolous items.
7 Bruce Wayne
Bruce Wayne's Net Worth: $9.2 Billion
After watching his parents die at a young age, Bruce Wayne inherited enormous wealth – enough to afford a bat mobile.
Wayne spent his days fighting crimes, like the one he witnessed as a child behind the façade of his father’s company, Wayne Enterprises.
RelatedThe Richest Dead Celebrity: How Elvis Presley's Estate Continues To Thrive Decades After His Death
The undisputed King Of Rock And Roll, Elvis Presley had an everlasting impact on pop culture and celebrity money.6 Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane's Net Worth: $11.2 Billion
Citizen Kane is a true, classic American film that takes Charles Foster Kane through a poor childhood, to the wealth behind a massive newspaper corporation.
The gold his family mined was the source of his eventual success ... but a little hard work didn’t hurt either.
As mentioned above, Citizen Kane was the inspiration for the 1993 The Simpsons episode "Rosebud."
A common tidbit of pop culture lore concerns the meaning of the word "rosebud," and the film's reference to it is still being analyzed after the passage of the better part of a century.
In 2015, The Guardian published a piece on the meaning of "rosebud," first explaining the context of the analysis:
But how about that tiny detail that Kane’s would-be biographers believe is the key to everything? The murmured word on his deathbed: “Rosebud”.
It is a mystery which they fail to solve, but we do not – it relates to Kane’s last moments of childhood innocence and happiness, playing in the snow before his bank-trustee appointed guardian, the Dickensian Mr Thatcher, comes to take him away to prepare for him his lonely new life as a 20th-century American oligarch.
Of Kane himself, the outlet noted that he was never a "self-made man":
Welles’s Charlie Kane is not even a self-made man. He had his wealth handed to him.
He was never the underdog. Haughty, impulsive, charming and charismatic: the 25-year‑old Welles is so handsome, leonine, with an intelligent, perennially amused face ... Kane derides the idea of his paper remaining closed 12 hours a day: later, he will buy an opera house for his wife to sing in and for his newspapers to promote.
5 Tony Stark
Tony Stark's Net Worth: $12.4 Billion
Stark Industries launched a young Tony Stark to billionaire status, giving rise to the character of Iron Man.
With an engineer's mind and an inventor’s talent, Stark not only expanded his father’s business, but also used his capital to build his suit.
Eventually Stark became an Avenger, the only team member whose superpower is derived from a staggering net worth.
4 Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks
Daddy Warbucks' Net Worth: $36.2 Billion
Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is the hard-hearted business executive with a soft spot for "little orphan Annie."
Like another fictional New Yorker (Tony Stark), Daddy Warbucks is the CEO of a successful defense contractor.
Presumably, his name ("Warbucks") is a reference to his profiteering from conflict and making a fortune from war.
Several of his billions were donated to charity at the urging of his adopted daughter Annie, but Daddy Warbucks' net worth never stays down long.
3 Carlisle Cullen
Carlisle Cullen's Net Worth: $46 Billion
Carlisle Cullen's net worth may not be fair – after all, the Twilight character has been alive and investing for 343 years.
However, he gave back to humanity through his medical career over the centuries, and it doesn’t hurt that Cullen made some very smart investments back in 1670.
Ultimately, Carlisle Cullen serves an object lesson on the crucial role compounding interest plays in building a fortune.
2 Smaug
Smaug's Net Worth: $54.1 Billion
The Hobbit’s very own dragon Smaug never speaks a word, but has managed to invade the town of Dale, which happens to be sitting on a pile of gold.
Some sources have placed Smaug's net worth as high as $62 billion dollars, with $54.1 billion deemed a "conservative estimate."
1 Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck's Net Worth: $65.4 Billion
If ever a character across film, television, and literature represented the apex of wealth, it's Scrooge McDuck.
"Scrooge McDuck diving into a pile of money" has become pop culture shorthand for excessive wealth.
We’ve seen the story of Scrooge over the years – not only does he have a swimming pool of gold and money, he doesn’t like to share it, either.
From Mickey's Christmas Carol to the Ducktales franchise, Donald Duck’s uncle has wanted for nothing.
Scrooge McDuck continues to acquire wealth through crafty business deals and thrifty spending, and he is the richest fictional character on this list.
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