# Poorest superheroes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826 "2005-04-18T02:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/21 "2005-04-18T16:58:22Z")
While not live-in-a-box poor, Clark Kent originally attempted to keep attention away from himself by living only on his reporter’s salary. For the first 30 or so years of _Superman_ a five buck bonus was considered a cause for celebration among the Daily Planet reporters. Then the editors decided to make Kent a TV reporter, and the whole “working class” theme disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/22 "2005-04-18T17:04:22Z")
Billy Batson, Captain Marvel’s Depression-era poor newspaperboy alter-ego, has to count in here somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/23 "2005-04-18T17:24:02Z")
All the X-Men appear to be rather well-off. They’re supposedly teachers at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, and I suppose Xavier has enough gobs of cash to give them sizeable paycheques. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/24 "2005-04-18T18:01:05Z")
For a time in the late 1980s, early '90s, Wonder Woman had to work at a fast food joint “Taco Whiz” to support herself. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/25 "2005-04-18T18:57:19Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > All the X-Men appear to be rather well-off. They’re supposedly teachers at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, and I suppose Xavier has enough gobs of cash to give them sizeable paycheques. According to at least one Morrison story, five of the X-Men are billionaires. Xavier, Emma Frost, Warren Worthington, M… Can’t ID the fifth. Did Jean Grey come from old money? Is Roberto daCosta back in the fold? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/26 "2005-04-18T18:57:52Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > Billy Batson, Captain Marvel’s Depression-era poor newspaperboy alter-ego, has to count in here somewhere. Billy became a radio dj. Captain Marvel Jr., aka C2, aka Freddy Freeman, is a newspaperboy. On crutches. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/27 "2005-04-18T18:59:19Z")
As for the poorest… The Question is frequently destitute, though not in his latest appearance. Did Vibe have an income outside his JLA subsidy? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/28 "2005-04-18T19:23:16Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > The Silver Surfer has his Board, & nothing else. Not even clothes! :eek: 😉😃 Ah, but if money = power, then the Surfer is rich as Cresole(\*), simply by virtue of possessing the Power Cosmic™. (\* = Some bugger who was very rich) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/29 "2005-04-18T20:15:22Z")
I think you mean “rich as [Croesus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croesus).” ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/30 "2005-04-18T20:24:04Z")
From the late 80s, I seem to remember that Cloak and Dagger were a pair of runaway teens. Dagger came from money, but she herself didn’t have any. (BTW, whatever happened to them?) Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/31 "2005-04-18T21:00:50Z")
Matter-Eater Lad of the pre-boot Legion of Super-Heroes came from a poor family. His family depended on his Legion stipend, which his alcoholic father would consistently gamble away. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/32 "2005-04-18T22:07:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Doesn’t The Maxx live in a cardboard box in an alley? He does indeed. And it’s wet. Dark and wet. And it’s time for Cheers. He doesn’t have a TV now, but that’s ok, the shows in his mind are almost always better. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/33 "2005-04-18T22:56:09Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I think you mean “rich as [Croesus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croesus).” Actually, Cresole was a Terry Pratchett character, but **was** also a parody of the person you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/34 "2005-04-18T23:01:48Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Actually, Cresole was a Terry Pratchett character, but **was** also a parody of the person you mentioned. Actually, you’re thinking of _ **Creosote** _: > [@Men-At-Arms](#): > > “There’s a name that tolls a bell,” said Gaspode. “Family used to live up Kingsway. Used to be as rich as Creosote.” > > “Who was Creosote?” > > “Some foreign bugger who was rich.” ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/35 "2005-04-18T23:05:02Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Doesn’t The Maxx live in a cardboard box in an alley? Cardboard box? Spawn would _kill_ to have a cardboard box. All he has is the alley, and he has to share that with the non powered homeless, the psychotic killers, the renegade cyborgs, and the other hellspawn. Oh for the luxury of a cardboard box. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/36 "2005-04-18T23:09:08Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Did Vibe have an income outside his JLA subsidy? No, but he got to [tour](http://photos3.flickr.com/2696524_29b5924e8e_m.jpg)! 😉 –Cliffy P.S. Iron Fist was rich during the PM/IF days; I don’t know if he kept it forever. Cloak & Dagger are supposedly still out on the streets of Manhattan, doin’ their thing. They appeared in an arc of Runaways last year. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/37 "2005-04-19T03:11:02Z")
Well Gypsy from the JLA was living on the street, stealing food to survive (easy when you could blend in with the background), but she came from a middle class suburban family that she returned to at the end of the series. I know she came back later, but never read any of her appearances so I don’t know what her financial status was. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/38 "2005-04-19T04:05:57Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Underdog! He’s just a poor little ole shoeshine boy! Actually he is a humble, lovable shoe shine boy. 🆒 Which pretty much means he’s a poor sap. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/39 "2005-04-19T05:13:43Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Well Gypsy from the JLA was living on the street, stealing food to survive (easy when you could blend in with the background), but she came from a middle class suburban family that she returned to at the end of the series. > > I know she came back later, but never read any of her appearances so I don’t know what her financial status was. Despero actually slaughtered Gypsy’s family in Justice League America #38, one of the rare serious-as-a-heart-attack moments in the Giffen/DeMatteis/Hughes JL run. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826/40 "2005-04-19T12:38:48Z")
Poverty and the inability to keep a job due to superhero duties was a recurring theme for the Shield, drawn by Jerry Siegel in a paperback called “High Camp Superheroes”. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorest-superheroes/299826.md?page=3)