Bruce Wayne Trends on Twitter as Batman Fans Discuss His Wealth

Among the real-world issues that are frequent topics of conversation, wealth inequality is one [...]

By Nicole Drum

Among the real-world issues that are frequent topics of conversation, wealth inequality is one that comes up more than others. Particularly with the coronavirus pandemic having had massive economic implications, the wealth gap is an especially hot topic and on Monday, it spilled over from real life to the discussion of comics. Specifically, Bruce Wayne began trending on Twitter as Batman fans discussed the fictional character's wealth, leading to some very interesting and sometimes heated debates on if Batman can truly be a hero as a billionaire or if there is more that Bruce Wayne the man could do outside of his vigilante alter ego in order to make the world a better place.

There's actually quite a bit to unpack about the discussion and it's honestly not the first time this has come up. Bruce Wayne's wealth versus Batman's efforts to save Gotham City come up fairly often with many fans wondering why Bruce doesn't just use his wealth to make the changes in Gotham needed to stop the issues he suits up as Batman to fight. If crime is so bad, why not look into the source of the crime from a social standpoint? If people need jobs, create jobs. If other resources are few, create those resources. Surely a billionaire has the ability to do so, one side argues. Others argue that Bruce Wayne does do those things, but simply throwing money at the situation doesn't solve it, meaning that Batman is still needed, not to mention that Gotham's problems aren't always the sort of things real-world problem-solving can sort out.

With the topic trending, a lot of Batman fans weighed in with their own thoughts. Some found themselves conflicted, some pointed out that versions of the character have done great things with their money -- including walking away from the fortune (specifically referencing The Dark Knight Rises), while others simply insist that the character needs to be rewritten to be more realistic in terms of his money. There are even some that point out that the real issue isn't Bruce Wayne, but Marvel's Tony Stark who is both a billionaire and a war criminal.

Whatever your stance on Bruce Wayne, here is a selection of the discourse that sent him trending on Twitter. You can read them below and then let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Fiction

But what about Tony Stark?

Not how the world works

Someone actually did the math

The Dark Knight Rises version

Tough discussion

Capitalism

He shouldn't be a billionaire.

He can do both

But seriously, what about Tony Stark?

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