If you get tired of seeing the same names over and over again on Forbes’ annual list of the wealthiest people in the world, well you just might be in luck. The business magazine has compiled a comprehensive 2011 list of the 15 wealthiest fictional characters, complete with bios and the net worth for each character. Topping the list, naturally, is Scrooge McDuck with $44.1 billion after taking into account his massive gold fortune.
The list also includes Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Mr. Monopoly, Jeffrey Lewbowski, Smaug (yes, that Smaug), and of course, C. Montgomery Burns. The 15 characters are worth a combined $131.6 billion, with an average wealth of $9.7 billion. Hit the jump for the details and bios on some of the characters that made the list.
Here’s a peek at some of the bios detailing how these fictional characters fared this year (via Forbes):
Scrooge McDuck – #1, $44.1 billion
Penny-pinching poultry keeps majority of his fortune in gold coins stored in massive "money bin" high in the hills above Duckburg; also invests in pearls, gems, other "hoardables." Still refers to August 15th, 1971 –the day President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard– as "Black Sunday." Habitually marks anniversary by calculating net worth as percentage of the value of the gold in Fort Knox (21.4%). Famously frugal: Once fought a bear over a $2 jar of honey, never gives to charity, still has the first dime he ever earned. Nonetheless, known to sprout the occasional wild feather and jet off to exotic locales on ill-conceived "treasure-hunts" with troublesome great-nephews –and presumed heirs– Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Tony Stark – #6, $9.4 billion
An engineering genius who earned two master's degrees by age 19, Stark's remarkable inventions (repulsor rays, indestructible alloys, "Iron Man" combat armor) are often outshined by his ability to create controversy. In the last year he's refused an order from the U.S. Senate to surrender the Iron Man technology to the government, been attacked by an armored madman while racing his Formula One car on the Circuit de Monaco, and temporarily appointed personal assistant Pepper Potts to CEO of Stark Industries. Coupled with rumors of heavy drinking, this erratic behavior has caused some investors to worry he could be bipolar. Stark won't hear it: "I'm bi-winning," he scoffs.
Smaug - #7, $8.6 billion
"Plunder for plunder's sake" could be the motto of this vast red-golden dragon, who prefers to be addressed by a variety of honorifics, including "the Tremendous," "the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities" and "the Unassessably Wealthy." Hates being called "wyrm," "lizard," "overgrown flame-thrower." Despite high intelligence, lacking in investing vision: Uses multi-billion dollar hoard of gold, silver and gems primarily for bedding. Instead, expresses smarts by talking in riddles; also Sudoku expert, chess master. Vigilant to the point of paranoia about theft, meticulous about hoard inventory, knows net worth down to last golden cup.
C. Montgomery Burns - #12, $1.1 billion
Long-time owner and operator of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a master of cut throat capitalism, a man who once blocked out the sun over Springfield to increase electricity use. Burns' tyrannical management style is topped only by his viciously evil personal habits: Hobbies include stealing candy from babies, taunting immigrant laborers, releasing hounds on unwanted houseguests. Recently misdiagnosed with less than two months to live, Burns was stricken with amnesia following an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Upon recovering, learned that rage and bile are the only thing keeping him alive. "I want to die quietly on my own terms," he says, "crushing as many baby sea turtles as I possibly can."
Gordon Gekko - #14, $1.1 billion
The legendary corporate raider famously boasted "greed is good" in 1987, and made billions at the pioneering investment firm Gekko & Co. But when a plan to buy out Bluestar Airlines went awry, Gekko was convicted of insider trading and securities fraud. Following his release from prison in 2001, Gekko became an author and lecturer, and was one of the few voices to predict a bursting credit bubble. As that financial crisis unfolded, Gekko sank his estranged daughter's trust fund into a new London-based hedge fund, and his personal net worth surged skyward. Now reportedly focused on shorting municipal bonds, eyeing companies that mine rare-earth elements. Says "It's not about the money. It's about the game."
Head over to Forbes to see the rest of the list.