A Ranked List of Richest Fictional Characters, According to Critics

Forget Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos - several characters on our screens are living just as large. Forbes and more have thrown together a detailed list of the wealthiest people from our favorite books, films & more. Here they are.

37. Cruella de Vil - $875 Million

First, we have the aptly named female lead from 101 Dalmations - Cruella de Vil! This unbelievably rich fashionista has always had a soft spot for the finer things, perhaps because she was born into wealth.

But it seems she needs the money. How else would she afford her fur coat addiction? The Dalmatians villain inherited all of her hundreds of millions from her parents. Though her greed drove her to seek out further fortunes and expensive rarities, hence why she stole so many Dalmation puppies...

36. Lucille Bluth - $950 Million

The always witty matriarch of the Bluth family, Lucille truly is a meme-worthy icon. She rose to fame as the outspoken mother of four children, as well as the inheritor of millions worth of heritage funds after their father (and her husband) George was imprisoned for embezzlement.

The mother figure of Arrested Development had no problem living it up in style after her husband went to jail - all while juggling the family real estate empire. When she wasn't busy making deals, she spent much of her time with her favorite companion: a glass of Newport Beach's Cloudmir vodka!

35. Jay Gatsby - $1 Billion

Some people will do anything for love - even if it means building an empire based on fake stocks and bootlegging. And that’s exactly what Jay Gatsby did in The Great Gatsby. He spent much of his adult life getting rich through duplicitous means - just to win the affections of Daisy, the sweetheart of his youth.

Gatsby went from an impoverished farming family in North Dakota to forging a path for himself as a "new money" tycoon after meeting Dan Cody - a "multi-millionaire yachtsman." Though he never achieved his dream of marrying Daisy, he did become a powerful symbol of the "American Dream"… and its downfall.

34. Chuck Bass - $1.1 Billion

He may not be the most likable person on this list, but with that kind of net worth, we’re sure he doesn’t mind. Chuck Bass, the chief playboy on the hit show Gossip Girl, was born into a life of luxury. And as a result, he grew up with an eye for the finer things.

He grew up seeking out money-making opportunities, eager to follow in his dad's footsteps. Bart Bass was a man with "more towers than Trump, and more bucks than Bloomberg," so it's easy to see why Chuck began chasing expensive investments and eventually took over as CEO of Bass Industries.

33. Lady Mary Crawley - $1.1 Billion

Chuck Bass certainly isn’t the only one on this list practically obsessed with their inheritance and continuing the success of their lineage. Let’s look at Lady Mary Crawley of Downton Abbey, a woman dedicated to self-discipline, tradition, and the legacy of her prestigious family.

As the eldest of the Crawley family, the recently-widowed Mary was placed at the head of her childhood home Downton Estate, as well as a large portion of the Grantham fortune. But the elegant Mary didn't shy away from responsibility, noting, "Don't put it all in one stock, ask for a raise… and beware of the gold-diggers."

32. Mr. Monopoly - $1.2 Billion

Is anyone surprised that the mascot of the world-famous board game Monopoly is also known as 'Rich Uncle Pennybags?' We doubt it! After all, the reason he has so much property in his pocket is due to his rapid success as a real estate mogul in Atlantic City.

Mr. Monopoly has scooped up countless properties and has a steady cash flow at all times. He is the ultimate investor and speculator, the "symbol of extreme wealth, capitalism, and greed" who is always ready to build houses, hotels, and motels so he can sit back and watch "his fortune come in at the expense of others."

31. Lara Croft - $1.3 Billion

Another aristocratic woman who has carved out a fulfilling life for herself (albeit in a very different way!), Lara Croft was raised in London and grew up with plenty of opportunities, encouragement, and resources on her hands. She used all of those things to become a courageous and renowned explorer.

Even after being disowned by her family for her niche interests, she continued down her chosen path, eventually becoming a "skilled thief" and mercenary. Her pursuit of valuable artifacts has set her up with major cash flow, even without her family's support. We don't blame her for choosing adventure over a "normal" life!

30. Walden Schmidt - $1.3 Billion

It must be hard achieving untold fame and success as a teenager, but that’s exactly what happened to Two and a Half Men’s Walden Schmidt. Here is a man who became a billionaire early - after selling a successful website to Microsoft while still in high school.

Perhaps that's why he is one of the most laidback billionaires we've ever seen on TV. Experiencing so much success at a young age turned the mogul into a bit of a man-child, as the immature Schmidt avoided responsibilities throughout life - while still having "more money than god if god only had 900 million."

29. Charles Montgomery Burns - $1.3 Billion

We know him as the "evil, devious, and greedy" older man who commits all kinds of dastardly deeds in Springfield (including running over Bart and literally stealing Christmas). But Charles Montgomery Burns of The Simpsons fame first started his nefarious career by exchanging technology with the dictator of North Korea.

That’s how he became the owner of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, after all. And there is no doubt that Mr. Burns enjoys hoarding as much money as he can. Despite having unimaginable levels of wealth, Burns likes to spend his spare time messing with Springfield residents and using Waylon Smithers as his whipping boy. Sheesh.

28. Tywin Lannister - $1.8 Billion

Here we have another example of an extremely wealthy older man who isn’t the nicest guy in town. Let’s travel to Casterly Rock from the Game of Thrones series, where Tywin Lannister owned plenty of land and gold mines and is worth the real-world equivalent of $1.8 billion, according to Forbes!

The head of the Lannister family was so wealthy and powerful that he even rivaled the authority of the King of Westeros! This is in large part due to his ownership of the largest gold mines in the 7 kingdoms. He still has a hefty share of expenses, though - after all, a Lannister always pays his debts.

27. Artemis Fowl - $1.9 Billion

Once considered to be "the smartest person of his generation," 12-year-old Artemis Fowl defied all odds by starting out as a thief who used his genius to steal precious artifacts and amass huge amounts of wealth - rising to the top of a "world below ground of armed and dangerous."

Despite starting off as the hero of the story, the eponymous character of the Artemis Fowl series soon began displaying some truly villainous traits on the road to restoring his family's glory. He even resorted to kidnapping in order to take advantage of the 'Hostage Fund of Fairy Gold.' That's one kid no one wants to mess with.

26. Gomez Addams - $2 Billion

This is for those of us who wondered how the morbid titular family of the Addams Family got their fortune. They may have spent a lot of time causing mischief and hanging out in their enormous gothic mansion, but how did they afford it in the first place?

As it turns out, the head of the family, Gomez Addams, made a number of smart investment decisions early in life. He made enough big money moves on wall street, as well as investing in farms, tombstone factories, and uranium and salt mines that he and Morticia never had to worry about money again!

25. Sir Topham Hatt - $2 Billion

The North Western Railway from the Railway Series was always a well-oiled machine, just like the many trains that chugged along the railway. So it’s no surprise that Sir Topham Hatt, the man who started it all, secured a huge fortune thanks to his industry know-how.

All business on the Island of Sodor is connected by his railway system, but the big boss never abused his power. Though he was sometimes strict, Mr. Hatt was known throughout the island as a kind, caring man who took care of his steam engines - even when they slacked off on the job!

24. Thurston Howell III - $2.1 Billion

It must be hard to go from having everything to having nothing virtually overnight. Just ask Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island, who spent most of his adult life as a hugely successful businessman and billionaire CEO of Howell Industries, eventually securing 12 corporations with around 5,000 employees.

All that changed when Howell was shipwrecked and washed up on the island, losing everything - including his money and maids, gardeners, chauffeurs, etc. Unsurprisingly, considering his background, Howell refused to partake in the manual labor needed to maintain the island. But at least he promised to add the Gilligans to his will.

23. Christian Grey - $2.5 Billion

Most men would have to be as wealthy as Christian Grey was to get away with his antics. At just 27 years old, the young businessman became CEO of Grey Enterprises, clocking in at a jaw-dropping rate of $100,000/hour, with more than 40,000 people employed by his company.

He even landed a spot on the list of Top 5 American CEOs under 30, becoming an industry leader in communications technologies. He bought out countless beauty and publishing companies and treated himself to Audis and private helicopters. Of course, once he met Anastasia Steele, he began investing his emotions as well as his money!

22. The Tooth Fairy - $3.9 Billion

Millions of children lose at least one baby tooth every year, sometimes more - which means big business for the tooth fairy! This tiny and evasive mythical creature has been pocketing children's teeth in exchange for pocket money since the 1200s, when the story of the tooth fairy first started in Northern Europe.

If we put the tooth fairy’s payment at $4.75 per tooth, that gives them close to a $4 billion dollar net worth! It would be higher, but it’s believed there is at least one tooth fairy for every country. After all, how would a single fairy collect every loose baby tooth on the planet?

21. Forrest Gump - $5.7 Billion

No matter how naive he may seem, there's no denying that Forrest Gump has practically fallen into some insanely lucrative business ventures. First, it was starting the Bubba Gump shrimp business, then endorsing Chinese ping-pong paddles, and even buying into one of the world's biggest tech companies: Apple Inc.

It's been said that our simple hero had "more money than Davy Crockett," but it never changed his gentle and generous nature. Once he realized that he didn't "need to worry about money," he donated much of it to the Foursquare Gospel Church and the Battery Fishing Hospital and devoted his free time to mowing lawns for the community.

20. Richie Rich - $5.8 Billion

Not everyone has to spend decades building empires for that billion-dollar net worth - some are simply born into it! Take Richie Rich, the aptly named young boy who was an only child born into extreme wealth. Once his parents passed away, he inherited everything.

He even became the head of the Rich company, a big player in the science and technology industries. And instead of throwing away his money on toys and gadgets, Richie chose to use his money for good, investing millions in humanitarian projects in a bid to improve the world. We couldn’t be prouder!

19. Adrian Veidt - $7 Billion

Fans of superhero movies may already know that most of them are lucky enough to come from money. For example, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias from Watchmen, inherited a big sum of money. But unlike other superheroes, he decided to give the money to those in need to show the world he could make something of himself on his own.

Ozymandias went on to start his own global manufacturing company named Veidt Enterprise. And just like he had set out to do, he eventually managed to get his company to a high net worth of $7 billion dollars according to money inc. We can't lie… that's pretty impressive to be in the Superhero billionaire's club.

18. Carter Pewterschmidt - $7.2 Billion

While Peter Griffin and his family from Family Guy are a part of the middle class, he does have one person in his clan that has well over a billion dollars - $7.2 to be exact, based on reports by money inc. His wife, Lois Griffin's father, Carter Pewterschmidt, made a ton of money being the owner of a large steel company.

Fans may be wondering how come Pewterschmidt doesn't share his wealth with his family members. Well, unfortunately, he seems to be very stingy with his dough and is not known to be a giving man. His character is often portrayed as a villain who only cares for himself. Ouch.

17. Willy Wonka - $8 Billion

When it comes to being an innovative and eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka sits at the top of the heap. His chocolate factory was the envy of the world. Even after closing up shop for years, he had enough money to re-open and trademark a series of game-changing chocolate and candy products.

But where did his inspiration come from? Well, as a child, Mr. Wonka was never permitted to eat chocolate and candy, so once he became an adult, he dedicated his life to enjoying and creating some of the world's best confectionaries - making billions of dollars in the process.

16. Jabba the Hutt - $8.4 Billion

Sometimes money can't buy looks… as seen with Jabba the Hutt. The Star Wars character is arguably easily recognizable for his large sluglike appearance. But what he is also known for is the mafia leader-like attitude that made the other characters of the franchise fear him.

Jabba the Hutt's fearless behaviors and intimidating tactics helped him become "the wealthiest gangster in a hundred worlds." In the underground world of the galaxy, he was in charge of everything from slavery to the black market. These endeavors helped him reach a high $8.4 billion net worth, as stated by money inc.

15. Gordon Gekko -$8.5 Billion

Fans of the 1987 movie Wall Street probably remember that a large focus of the film was the misconception that "greed is good." And this mantra was seen to be very apparent in the main character, Gordon Gekko, who felt like no amount of money in the world was ever enough.

The motivated corporate raider was ready to do anything it took to make it rain. So much so that he ended up being sentenced to jail time for fraud and insider trading in his company, Gekko & Co. But that didn't stop him - once he was released, he went back to working and ended up making $8.5 billion dollars.

11. Bruce Wayne - $9.2 Billion

Well, this guy just has it all worked out, right? Not only is he Gotham City’s protector and resident superhero, but he’s also a billionaire bachelor born into a prestigious Gotham family. Even with his comfortable background, Wayne was willing to put himself in very uncomfortable circumstances for the good of the city.

His parents passed away when he was just 8 years old, and as he grew older, he became the heir to his parent's entire fortune, as well as his father's company: Wayne Enterprises. He grew up in 'Wayne Manor' and collected an array of high-tech gadgets and cars - including, of course, the Batmobile - to facilitate his lifestyle.

13. Jed Clampett - $9.2 Billion

The majority of rich fictional characters often worked their way up to making millions, while some inherited large net worths. But when it comes to Jed Clampett, from the '60s television series The Beverly Hillbillies, he claimed his wealth all thanks to his good luck.

While on a hunting expedition, Clampett stumbled upon the fact that he was living in an oil-rich area. Thanks to this unbelievable random discovery, he was able to accumulate billions of dollars in what felt like overnight. According to money inc., he earned $9.2 billion, making him the richest fictional hillbilly of all time.

12. Lex Luthor - $10.1 Billion

Lex Luther was ready to go against one of the most powerful superheroes to ever exist. And while typically a character would need superpowers to complete this difficult task, the supervillain believed he could do it thanks to all of the wealth he had.

Based on reports from money inc., the villain had accumulated a high net worth of $10.1 billion dollars - and to him, this meant everything. Luther strongly believed that "there's nothing money can't buy." But how did he come to earn all this dough? Well, despite not having powers, he was a self-made genius billionaire.

11. Charles Foster Kane - $11.2 Billion

For some, growing up in poverty can inspire children to do whatever they can to reach the top of society. Such was the case with Charles Foster Kane, whose family started off poor before they struck gold (literally) in the mining business. He went on to control 37 newspapers, 12 magazines, and a nationally-popular radio network.

This media empire grew out of his family's mining inheritance, and the Citizen Kane character's career truly took off upon buying out the prestigious New York Inquirer. The media mogul went on to acquire grocery store chains, paper mills, real estate, and much more.

10. Tony Stark - $12.4 Billion

When someone is a veritable genius with two master's degrees by age 19, people practically expect them to become a billionaire. Iron Man's Tony Stark took over his wealthy father's business, Stark Industries, and took it to the next level. Overall he has a net worth of $20.3 billion!

His intelligence and eye for innovation resulted in a game-changing tech company, boosted by his incredible inventions - including the Iron Man armor and various other technology. Unlike other billionaires of his ilk, Stark also became known as a humanitarian philanthropist, giving away plenty of his money to worthy causes.

9. Mom - $15.7 Billion

Carol Miller, a.k.a. Mom from Futurama, was similar to the other characters. In other words, she wasn't the nicest person. So much so, that she was able to make Mr. Burns look like a sweet man. But something she didn't haven't in common with the others was her wealth: She was one of the wealthier characters in the sitcom.

Her cruel behavior helped her get to her role as CEO of MomCorp. And clearly, this company was quite successful, helping her secure a net worth of $15.7 billion dollars, as told by money inc. This comes as no shock since the corporation was able to control the robots on Earth, giving her ultimate power - and wealth, of course.

8. Ming The Merciless - $21 Billion

When someone has most of their wealth and power invested in the “interplanetary slave trade,” it’s no wonder they end up with a jaw-dropping net worth. Though his fortune was acquired through morally-dubious means, Emperor Ming, also known as Ming The Merciless, was a very wealthy man.

The villain of the Flash Gordon series used his wealth to acquire all kinds of weapons for war, including rocket ships and battle robots. He even teamed up with his daughter, Princess Aura, before the dad/daughter pair were eventually defeated by Flash Gordon and Dale Arden.

7. Oliver 'Daddy' Warbucks - $36.2 Billion

During the second world war, Oliver ‘Daddy’ Warbucks of the Annie film and musical built his career as a defense contractor, a very lucrative career in war-time America. But once the war had ended, Warbucks wanted to settle down into a life of philanthropy and humanitarianism.

Like most other philanthropists, Daddy Warbucks donated vast portions of his net worth to charitable groups, eager to make the world a better place after supporting the war effort. But what many billionaire philanthropists don’t do is adopt poor orphans from the streets of New York City! Annie sure is a lucky girl.

6. Carlisle Cullen - $46 Billion

If anyone lived as long as Carlisle Cullen and his family have, they would probably be filthy rich too! The head vampire of the Cullen clan has been making money moves for 343 years. And through smart investment opportunities and a stable medical career, he has amassed a seriously impressive net worth.

He spent centuries living off that immense compound interest, and it probably helps that he never has to spend on food, medical bills, or 50%+ of basic human necessities! But perhaps the most impressive part of his story is how Carlisle managed to balance his business ventures with spending time with his wife and five children.

5. Santa Claus - $51 Billion

We all love Christmas, but there’s no denying that the best holiday of the year is also a huge moneymaker for many brands. And at the center of all of that business is the man himself - Santa Claus! Every year, his factory pumps out billions of toys for children across the world - with the help of 5,000 elves, of course.

With all those products being pumped out and sent around the world, it’s safe to assume Santa is making some serious cash. How else would he afford a magical sleigh powered by flying reindeer that’s sturdy enough to take him around the entire world once a year?

4. Flintheart Glomgold - $52 Billion

Believe it or not, Flintheart Glomgold is only the 2nd wealthiest duck on this list! After making his fortune in the diamond mines in South Africa, this morally ambiguous billionaire duck went on to horde his wealth and pit himself against the 1st wealthiest duck.

Glomgold and Scrooge McDuck have a well-established rivalry, but Glomgold made even more money by winning a bet with his enemy by cheating and scheming to get to the top. This DuckTales villain is a cautionary tale for how corruption and massive wealth can often go hand in hand.

3. Smaug the Dragon - $54.1 Billion

This next fictional character on the Forbes rich list is a literal gold-hoarding dragon! We’re talking about Smaug, the antagonist of the Hobbit book and film franchise. Smaug made a name for himself by landing in the town of Dale and taking over the mountain of King Thrór and his people, exiling them in the process.

After the invasion, Smaug took possession of the dwarves' gold and jewels, which he then spent the rest of his life guarding. He is only one of two characters on this list to reach billionaire status by force - and we guess we can't blame him for doing anything he could to hold on to it…

2. Scrooge McDuck - $65.4 Billion

Scrooge McDuck, the wealthiest duck on our list, began his billionaire journey when he found a golden rock in his hometown of Glasgow. But most of his fortune and empire were built with not just luck, but genuine hard work. Flintheart Glomgold could never.

In those early days, McDuck made a name for himself by polishing boots "as a wee nipper," making a series of savvy business moves over the years until he owned one of the most lucrative mining companies in the world. And like many wealthy people, he kept his fortune by being very stingy, hoarding it all in a literal money bin!

1. T'Challa - $90.7 Trillion

Who is richer than a king? On the Forbes fictional rich list, absolutely no one is. T’Challa, the hero of the Black Panther franchise, is known for both his impressive strength and superhero reflexes and for being the King of Wakanda. His wealth is due to the enormous vibranium reserves in the Wakanda kingdom.

In fact, the king managed to procure more than 10,000 tons of the precious metal, according to Time. Being "the rarest metal" in the Marvel universe, he was able to sell it at $10,000 per gram - definitely nothing to sniff at! He then used that wealth to support his kingdom and design high-tech superhero suits.