The concept of the rich comic book character is nothing new, in fact, it's one of the oldest tropes in the book. Money grants its owners the ability to do a lot of good, whether it's donating it, offering the poor jobs and opportunities or through community programs. But wealthy people also have the ability to turn their money into a destructive force, using it to oppress those who already live in poverty. With this in mind, it's worth asking which side of the moral scale the richest comic book characters fall on and whether or not they actually choose to use their riches for good.

T'Challa

T'Challa, or Black Panther, the star of the Marvel comics and blockbuster superhero movie of the same name, is the king and protector of (fictional African nation) Wakanda. But he doesn't just look good in a suit or hold his own during fight sequences; he's also one very wealthy man. Estimates suggest that Black Panther is worth a massive $90.7 trillion, which makes him not just more wealthy than any other comic book character, but it makes him more wealthy than the global GDP. T'Challa's wealth stems from an element called vibranium. CapitalXtra's vibranium explainer says that the element is impenetrable and it's what Black Panther's suit is made of (it's also found in Captain America's shield). As such, people were willing to pay $10,000 per ounce for it, helping to make T'Challa and Wakanda a very rich nation.

Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, is arguably the most well-known rich comic book character around. Bruce Wayne is the heir to the Wayne Enterprises fortune which makes him worth approximately £6.3 billion. Lottoland's richest list explains that Wayne's wealth allows him to have a very expensive mansion and a variety of cars, including the Batmobile. He even employs a butler! But, at the end of the day, he's pretty altruistic with his wealth, using his earnings to become the Batman, a persona he uses to zip around Gotham city saving lives, stopping crime and working to keep his beloved hometown safe.

Tony Stark

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, made his wealth from Stark Industries. Fortune's fantastical businesses list explains that the multinational conglomerate made its money by selling weapon technology to governments and it even inadvertently led to a massive, global robot threat. While that would firmly cement other people in the "evil" category, Tony Stark has worked to turn things around, abandoning his weapon-selling past to become the world-saving Iron Man. The Telegraph's suit breakdown highlights the suit's capabilities including telepathic connections with Tony, armor designed for war and more weapons too, showing that the comic book character is using his talents for good.

Judging by these three famous comic book characters, it's the person that decides whether they are going to good or bad. This isn't dictated by the amount of money they earned or even how they earned it.