List of richest fictional characters. The most famous book characters

Scandinavian hero Beowulf

Fictional character. Beowulf is the hero of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem of the same name. The action takes place in Scandinavia about 1500 years ago, 500 years before the writing of the great Anglo-Saxon epic. The poem tells how Beowulf defeated the monster Grendel and others. There is no historical evidence or any documentary evidence of the existence of Beowulf in reality, he lives only on the pages of a book. Luckily, the monsters he defeated did too.

Ancient Greek hero Odysseus (Ulysses)

Most likely a fictional character. While it is impossible to know for sure whether the Greek king of Ithaca was actually called Odysseus, there is no reason to believe that this was not the case. The cunning Odysseus is the protagonist of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, which, of course, are works of art and not historical chronicles, but at the same time many real people, places and events appear in them. Oddly enough, but it is more likely that Odysseus was a real person, which cannot be said with complete certainty about who told his story. According to most scholars, Homer was a pseudonym under which several ancient Greek poets worked.

Persian navigator Sinbad the Sailor

Sinbad the Sailor

Fictional character. "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" only occurs in Western translations of the Thousand and One Nights. It is not known who is the author of the first stories about the legendary Persian adventurer, who invented him, but like other popular characters of oriental tales, Aladdin and Ali Baba, Sinbad was never in the original, Arabic version of the Thousand and One Nights.

Symbol of the United States of America Uncle Sam

Real face. Sam Wilson owned a meatpacking company that supplied provisions to a New York military base in 1812. Wilson enjoyed a reputation as an honest and principled man of great character, and 150 years later, in 1961, Congress passed a resolution glorifying "Uncle" Sam Wilson as the national symbol of the United States of America.

American folklore hero Johnny the Appleseed

Real face. John Chapman was nicknamed Johnny Appleseed because he was actively involved in planting apple seedlings. He began with his own land allotment, which he received as a participant in the American Revolution and the war for the independence of America from England. A pious, righteous and kind man, Chapman led a very secluded life, almost a hermit. He planted apple trees throughout northern Ohio and encouraged employees in his nurseries to give away trees for free or sell them for the lowest possible price.

"Hammer Man" from American Fairy Tales by John Henry

hammer man

Fictional character. This hero of American folklore, known for his ability to drive crutches into sleepers with a huge hammer, according to legend, drove himself to death, competing with a new invention - a steam drill, which could replace three hammerers and three drillers at once. Although such a contest may well have actually taken place in the 1870s or 1880s, and although there must have been hammerers named John Henry at that time, no one has ever been able to prove that this character really existed in the indicated place at the indicated time.

Pathfinder and Pathfinder Daniel Boone

Real face. He is often confused with Davy Crockett, Congressman, but Daniel Boone lived fifty years earlier. He was one of the Revolutionary War soldiers who went on to pave the way for 200,000 people in Kentucky. Despite fighting in many Indian battles, Boone did live with the Shawnee Indians in Kentucky for some time.

Indian Pocahontas

Pocahontas

Real face. Pocahontas - "little darling". In 1607, Pocahontas saved the English captain John Smith from death. Contrary to popular belief, Pocahontas did not marry Smith. She married John Rolfe, a settler, and went with him to England. She died at the age of 22. The image of Pocahontas is usually romanticized, and her courageous act - saving the life of John Smith - is known only from his words.

Folksong Hero Tom Dooley

Real face. The popular hero of American folklore was inspired by Tom Dula, a Confederate soldier who, after returning from the war, was convicted and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. For more than a century, historians have fruitlessly debated whether Tom Dula was guilty, or whether Laura's real killer is her sister Ann, Tom's first love, who is said to have confessed to killing her sister on her deathbed.

Legendary machinist Casey Jones

Real face. John Jones, a machinist from Casey, Kentucky, died in 1900 while trying to prevent a train from colliding with cars on the tracks. While others jumped off the train for their lives, Jones struggled to brake the train. The efforts of the driver, who did not leave the locomotive until the very end, were not in vain - his emergency braking saved the lives of all passengers, Casey Jones himself, who was only 38 years old, was the only one who died. Casey performed similar heroic deeds throughout his career, for example, he once saved a little girl playing on the railroad tracks from death by pulling her almost from under a steam locomotive.

Lumberjack Paul Bunyan

Paul Bunyan

Fictional character. This legendary lumberjack was born in 1910, when the book of fairy tales by James MacGillivray was published. In 1925, a book by James Stevens was published, in which he proved that Paul Bunyan actually never existed, it was invented by French-Canadians in the first half of the 19th century.

Warring Hatfield and McCoy families

Real faces. They are sometimes confused with the fictional warring clans of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but unlike them, the Hatfields and McCoys existed in reality. In the 1880s, the Hatfield family lived on the banks of the Tag Fork River on the West Virginia side, and the McCoys lived on the other side of that river, on the Kentucky side. The families fought bitterly, and it was the McCoys who suffered the most: there were already nine killed on their side, when, finally, the law put an end to the bloody civil strife. Eight men from the Hatfield family were arrested, one of them was hanged, and the rest received life sentences.

Forbes magazine presented the 8th ranking of the 15 richest fictional characters. All its participants are the fruit of the author's imagination (this excludes mythological and folklore heroes from the selection). To get into the rankings, they must be popular in the real world and be associated with wealth by the audience.

Assessing the fortunes of the heroes, the editors try to link the value of their fictitious assets to real stock quotes and prices for raw materials.

This year, Scrooge McDuck, one of the main characters in the DuckTales animated series, returned to the top of the rankings (his fortune was estimated at $65.4 billion). The fire-breathing winged dragon Smaug (worth $54.1 billion) from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien fell to second place. Rounding out the top three is the head of the vampire family, Carlisle Cullen (worth $46 billion) from the teenage saga Twilight. The combined wealth of the richest heroes has grown by 3% over the past 12 months, to $215.8 billion. For comparison, this is more than Ireland's GDP.

Read more about how and why the states of the rating participants have changed in our gallery.

1. Scrooge McDuck

Wealth: $65.4 billion
Source of wealth: industry, treasure hunt
Geography: Duckburg, Calisota
Fame: DuckTales, Uncle Scrooge

One of the main charismatics in the Disney universe of characters, Scrooge was conceived by artist Carl Barks back in the 1940s. He inherited the merchant's name from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and is rumored to have inspired the famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Like Carnegie, Scrooge went through a thorny path from a poor migrant to a rich man. Compared to 2011, the hero's fortune has grown by more than $20 billion - it is not for nothing that the character does not trust banks and prefers to keep his capital in gold.

2. Smog


Wealth: $54.1 billion
Source of wealth: looting
Geography: Lonely Mountain, Erebor, Middle-earth
Glory: "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again"

The dragon-leader of last year's rating dropped by one line, having lost almost $8 billion in 12 months. It is still difficult to predict how the debut in Hollywood will affect Smaug, but on the screen the hero will have to part with his untold wealth (and then die altogether). However, for the time being, with the help of gold, he manages to maintain high positions in the ranking.

3. Carlisle Cullen


Net worth: $46 billion
Source of wealth: investments
Geography: Forks, Washington
Glory: "Twilight"

The 373-year-old London native burst into the rankings in 2010, immediately taking first place. Over the past three years, despite a $12 billion fortune gain, the head of the vampire clan has ceded the lead to more conservative fictional characters. The popularity of Twilight itself is also at risk of decline.

4. Tony Stark


Wealth: $12.4 billion
Source of wealth: defense technology
Geography: Malibu, California
Glory: "Iron Man"

The brilliant conceited inventor Stark has moved from the comic book universe to the Hollywood universe in recent years. The hero of Robert Downey Jr. has collected an impressive box office (the third part of Iron Man received more than $ 1 billion at the box office) and has become one of the most popular movie characters of our time. In the Forbes rating, the head and owner of Stark Industries also rose - by one line. Stark's fortune grew by more than $3 billion in a year.

5. Charles Foster Kane


Wealth: $11.2 billion
Source: media
Geography: Zakadu Castle, California
Glory: "Citizen Kane"

The hero of Orson Welles, whose prototype was the media mogul William Hirst, remains a classic of world cinema to this day. In the case of Kane, the estimated value of the Hearst Corporation can be used to assess wealth. The revenue of the conglomerate, which the Hearst family still owns, was estimated by Forbes in 2012 at $3.8 billion. Over the year, Kane's fortune added almost $3 billion.

6. Bruce Wayne


Wealth: $9.2 billion
Source: legacy, defense technology
Geography: Gotham, USA
Glory: "Batman"

Wayne, aka superhero Batman in real life, has also been reimagined as a character in recent years (thanks to the release of several comic book adaptations by director Christopher Nolan). The interest of a wide audience in the hero performed by Christian Bale has grown significantly. Wayne also rose in the Forbes rating - two lines, having become rich by $ 2.3 billion compared to last year.

7. Rich Richie


Wealth: $5.8 billion
Source: legacy, industry
Geography: Richville, USA
Fame: "Richie Rich"

The son of wealthy parents, Richie is a popular comic book hero in the US, Richie Rich, and was once even played by Macaulay Culkin in a movie version of his story. In the Forbes rating, he dropped one position, Rich's fortune decreased by more than $ 2 billion.

8. Christian Gray

Wealth: $2.5 billion
Source: investment, industry
Geography: Seattle, Washington
Glory: "50 shades of gray"

The hero of the main book bestseller of the year "50 Shades of Grey" E. L. James is a newcomer to the Forbes rating. Gray is a young billionaire whose secret hobbies the protagonist of the novel, Anastasia Steele, understands. An entrepreneur is tough on subordinates and business competitors.

9. Tywin Lannister


Wealth: $1.8 billion
Source: legacy
Geography: Casterly Rock, Westeros
Glory: A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones

The head of the House of Lannister lost $300 million in a year. If we rely on the chronology of the film adaptation of George Martin's books, then the reason for the reduction in the fortune of Lord Casterly Rock is apparently the protracted war with the Stark house.

10. Charles Montgomery Burns


Wealth: $1.5 billion

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  36. Lucille Bluth - $1 billion

  Rich, dishonest and always drunk, Mrs. Bluth is the mother of the Arrested Development family. While her husband is in prison, Lucille poses as an innocent sheep, but is actually an invisible hand that moves illegal earnings around the world.
  

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  2 of 36

  35. Joe Bennett - $1 billion

  Jolene "Jo" Bennett, played by Kathy Bates, turned a small computer parts company into a major supplier of printers, faxes and scanners, and also managed to acquire the Dunder Mifflin paper company and become the queen of The Office.
  

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  3 out of 36

  34. Jeffrey Lebowski - $1 billion

  A wheelchair-bound elderly veteran of the Korean War, married to a young beauty - the same "Big Lebowski" from the film of the same name, loved by millions. He manages a family charitable foundation, thanks to which he made such a fortune.
  

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  4 out of 36

  33. Chuck Bass - $1.1 billion

  Former main villain of Gossip Girl, smug heir to the late real estate mogul Bart Bass. He loves everything beautiful and not so beautiful in life - booze, women and gossip.
  

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  5 out of 36

  32. Mary Crowley - $1.1 billion

  The eldest daughter of the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey knows a lot about business, although she is a woman in a man's world. In addition to the wealth of one of Britain's oldest families, Mary also inherited an impressive amount after her husband's death.
  

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  6 out of 36

  31. Mr. Monopoly - $1.2 billion

  A real estate mogul who owns entire streets, hotels and railroads. He is the face of a board game that has ruined the relationships of hundreds of thousands of families around the world.
  

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  7 out of 36

  30. Lara Croft - $1.3 billion

  Fabulously rich, beautiful, smart and athletic - and most importantly, has an amazing superpower to keep the perfect hairstyle in any mess. She inherited her fortune after the death of her aristocratic parents from London.
  

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  8 out of 36

  29. Walden Schmidt - $1.3 billion

  Ashton Kutcher's character appeared in the sitcom Two and a Half Men after the firing of Charlie Sheen, who played the lead role. The brilliant Internet entrepreneur made a fortune selling a music algorithm app to Microsoft, but in the first episode he tried to commit suicide due to unhappy love.
  

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  9 out of 36

  28. Charles Montgomery Burns - $1.5 billion

  The owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where Homer Simpson unsuccessfully tries to work. The most powerful and richest resident of Springfield is focused on only one thing - to increase his wealth. Although he managed to lose his fortune twice (!) throughout the series, the money always magically returns to him.
  

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  10 out of 36

  27. Lucius Malfoy - $1.6 billion

  One of the most hated characters in the Harry Potter universe is also the richest in the wizarding world. Like real-world blonde Donald Trump, Lucius Malfoy made his fortune through inheritance and investments.

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  11 out of 36

  26. Tywin Lannister - $1.8 billion

  "A Lannister always pays his debts." Why? Yes, because they have an almost inexhaustible supply of money. The main source of income for the Lannister family is gold mining, and Tywin is so rich that he can easily afford to lend 3 million gold to the crown.
  

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  12 out of 36

  25. Willy Wonka - $1.9 billion

  Everyone in childhood dreamed of growing up like Willy Wonka - a billionaire who made his fortune on sweets. Although, if you think about it, his innovative inventions, like a flying elevator or teleportation, do not justify his child abuse and organization of slave labor.
  

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  13 out of 36

  24. Gomez Addams - $2 billion

  This eccentric billionaire is very lucky in life. The father of the Addams family once accidentally bought a swamp that turned out to be filled with oil, another time he bought a mummy's hand, which turned out to belong to the pharaoh, and so on. Gomez owns salt mines, an insurance company, a tombstone company, and a vulture farm. He is also a descendant of the royal family of Castile and British aristocrats.
  

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  14 out of 36

  23. Lisbeth Salander - $2.4 billion

  The genius "girl with the dragon tattoo" is the fifth woman to make this list. Lisbeth, a world-class hacker with a difficult childhood, managed to steal billions of dollars, which she devoted to fighting crime.
  

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  15 out of 36

  22. Christian Gray - $2.5 billion

  The most recent face on the Forbes list is Christian Grey, a giant of investment, manufacturing and other things that have little to do with the topic of this list. The 27-year-old businessman is the protagonist of the infamous novel 50 Shades of Grey, and is known for his knacking of competitors.
  

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  16 out of 36

  21. Terry Benedict - $2.5 billion

  Owner of the largest Las Vegas casinos in the Ocean's 11 universe. Insightful, serious and resourceful, Benedict takes everything from life: beautiful women, expensive costumes and sweet revenge.
  

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  17 out of 36

  20. Forrest Gump - $5.7 billion

  Low IQ did not prevent this good-natured cutie from becoming fabulously rich. A successful shrimp company and an investment in "some kind of fruit company" Apple provided Forrest and his faithful friend, Lieutenant Dan, with a comfortable existence.
  

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  18 out of 36

  19. Richie Rich - $5.8 billion

  In fact, "Richie Rich" does not have his own personal fortune, but he does have fabulously rich parents. The most pleasant thing about his character is that he does not behave like one of the many members of the Kardashian family, but destroys all stereotypes about the children of rich parents and is distinguished by kindness and modesty.
  

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  19 out of 36

  18. Adrian Veidt - $7 billion

  You rather know him as Ozymandias from the Watchmen - the smartest person on Earth. At the age of 17, he inherited a large inheritance after the death of his parents, but gave it to charity and went on a spiritual journey. Then he became a crime fighter and, with the help of his genius intellect, earned a new multi-billion dollar fortune, building an entire empire engaged in developments in the field of genetics and advanced technologies.

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  20 out of 36

  17. Carter Pewterschmidt - $7.2 billion

  Greedy Carter Pewterschmidt of the Family Guy spends his time in the company of serious guys - playing cards with Bill Gates, Michael Eisner and Ted Turner. He prefers hedonism to philanthropy. He likes ascot ties, drinking and humiliating his son-in-law.
  

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  21 out of 36

  16. Thurston Howell III - $8 billion

  Unfortunately, he remained missing along with other unfortunates from Gilligan's Island. Before he ended up on the island, he was a millionaire playboy who inherited Howell Industries. Known for the habit of lighting cigars with torched banknotes.
  

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  22 out of 36

  15. Jabba the Hutt - $8.4 billion

  Jabba Desilijic Tiure amassed his cosmic fortune through far from honest means. This gangster from "Star Wars" is involved in both politics and crime. Jabba knows how to enjoy money and leads an extremely hedonistic lifestyle - betting on pod races, feeding enemies to his pet rancor and having fun with human women.
  

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  23 out of 36

  14. Gordon Gekko - $8.5 billion

  The obscenely wealthy investor and corporate raider from the movie Wall Street is not only one of the richest fictional characters, but has also been repeatedly ranked as the best villain of all time. It was he who did
  

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  24 out of 36

  13. Bruce Wayne - $9.2 billion

  The heir to Wayne Enterprises and the billionaire superhero is a frequent guest in the Forbes ranking. The fictional corporation is the 8th largest international conglomerate in the DC Comics universe and is a leading defense contractor. No wonder Batman is always well-armed.
  

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  25 out of 36

  12. Jed Clampett - $9.8 billion

  Rags to riches is exactly the story told by the 1960s sitcom The Hillbilly in Beverly Hills and the 1993 film of the same name. Practically impoverished, Jed Clampett, while hunting, discovered huge oil reserves in the swamp, after which he sold the land for no less huge money and moved with his family to Beverly Hills. Clampett Oil went public in 1984, but the family remained in management.
  

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  26 out of 36

  11. Lex Luthor - $10.1 billion

  One of the most iconic comic book villains needs no introduction. His mega-corporation LexCorp owns companies and organizations in everything from hotels to robotics. When Luther is not busy trying to destroy Superman, he does charity work and donates huge sums of money to the benefit of Metropolis. He even managed to visit the President of the United States.

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  27 out of 36

  10. Jay Gatsby - $11.2 billion

  This unbridled romantic became famous for his noisy parties, where champagne flows like water, and beauties dance until the morning. Gatsby is very secretive when it comes to his condition, which gives rise to rumors about his involvement in organized crime.

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  28 out of 36

  9. Charles Foster Kane - $11.2 billion

  The main character in the critically acclaimed film Citizen Kane is arguably the most depressing billionaire on this list. Charles Kane was largely based on the personality of William Randolph Hearst, newspaper magnate and founder of yellow journalism.
  

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  29 out of 36

  8. Tony Stark - $12.4 billion

  Perhaps the most popular billionaire on this list has regained his former glory with the release of the Iron Man movie franchise. Genius, billionaire playboy and philanthropist Tony Stark inherited his father Howard Stark's company after he and his wife were killed in a car accident. In addition to being half-human, half-machine and a brilliant inventor, Tony's other superpower lies in untold wealth.
  

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  30 out of 36 36 out of 36

  1. Scrooge McDuck - $65.4 billion

  The first place is deservedly occupied by Scrooge McDuck - a true representative of the American dream. As an immigrant from Scotland, McDuck rose through the ranks honestly from the bottom without any education. When he was just a boy, he shined shoes in his hometown of Glasgow, until one day, at the age of 13, he went to the United States with the dream of becoming rich. Although one of the episodes of DuckTales mentions that Scrooge's safe contains "607 trillion 386 trillion 947 trillion 522 billion dollars and 36 cents", in reality, Forbes estimated his fortune at almost $65 billion.
  

Every book that has become a masterpiece has its heroes (bad and good). Today we want to talk about characters that, even after 100 years, remain relevant and famous. Many of these books were filmed, so we sometimes recognize many of the characters from films. Let's start with Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes

Literary character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. His works, dedicated to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the famous London private detective, are considered classics of the detective genre. The prototype of Holmes is considered to be Dr. Joseph Bell, a colleague of Conan Doyle, who worked at the Edinburgh Royal Hospital and was famous for his ability to guess the character and past of a person from the smallest details.

The first work about the famous detective, the story "A Study in Scarlet", was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. The last collection, The Sherlock Holmes Archive, was published in 1927. Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by training. At the time of meeting Watson, he worked as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals.

Hercule Poirot

Literary character of the famous English writer Agatha Christie, Belgian detective, protagonist of 33 novels, 54 short stories and 1 play written between 1920 and 1975, and based on them in films, television series, theater and radio shows.

Poirot is a Belgian immigrant, a former policeman. Poirot himself in the book "A Tragedy in Three Acts" says that "... in my youth I was poor and had many brothers and sisters ... worked for some time in the police in Belgium ... then the War began, I was wounded ... I was sent to England for treatment, where I stayed…”.

Robin Hood

A popular hero of medieval English folk ballads, a noble leader of forest robbers. According to legend, he acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - robbed the rich, giving the spoils to the poor.

The identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established. Presumably, he lived at the beginning of the XIV century, during the reign of King Edward II. However, at present, the artistic version of Walter Scott is the most popular, according to which Robin lived in the second half of the 12th century (that is, he was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and John Landless). A number of historical details speak in favor of the first version and against Scott's version: for example, archery competitions began to be held in England no earlier than the 13th century.

E rast Fandorin

The hero of a series of historical detective stories by Russian writer Boris Akunin "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin". In this series, the writer set himself the task of writing one detective of different styles: conspiracy detective, spy detective, hermetic detective, ethnographic detective, etc.

Reviewers expressed the opinion that Fandorin's surname is an allusion to the journalist Jerome Fandor, the hero of a series of detective novels by French writers Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre about Fantômas (1911-1913) and a French film trilogy of the 1960s based on these novels.

Erast Petrovich Fandorin was born on January 8 (20), 1856 in an old noble family. The boy's mother died during childbirth. Therefore, either out of annoyance, or in mockery of the bitter fate, the father, Pyotr Isaakievich, mourning his wife Elizabeth, called the boy Erast.

To Commissioner Maigret

Commissaire Jules Maigret

Commissioner Jules Maigret is the hero of the popular series of detective novels and short stories by Georges Simenon, a wise policeman.

Jules Joseph Anselm Maigret was born in 1884 in the village of Saint-Fiacre near Mantignon in the family of the estate manager, Count Saint-Fiacre. There he spent his childhood and youth. Simenon repeatedly mentions Maigret's peasant roots. The commissioner's mother died in childbirth. When he was 8 years old, he spent several months at the Lyceum, where he had a very hard time, and, in the end, his father sent him to his sister, who was married to a baker in Nantes. Arriving in Paris, Maigret began to study as a doctor, but for a number of reasons and circumstances he left his studies and decided to join the police.

Maigret, with his talent and perseverance, rose from an ordinary inspector to the position of divisional commissar, head of a brigade for the investigation of especially serious crimes.

Maigret is unimaginable without a smoking pipe, he has a whole collection of them.

Z orro

A fictional character, a variation on the theme of Robin Hood, a "masked hero" who comes to the aid of the destitute people of New Spain. Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCully's adventure books.

Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCully's adventure books. He first appeared in the story The Curse of Capistrano, published in 1919. According to one version, when creating the image, McCully was based on stories about a certain William Lamport. The following year saw the first Fox film, The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. Subsequently, many films were made about Zorro both in America and abroad.

T arzan

Fictional character created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appeared in the book Tarzan of the Apes. Journal publication of the novel took place in 1912, in 1914 it came out as a separate book, followed by twenty-three sequels. Tarzan is called the most recognizable literary character in the world. In addition to a huge number of books written by Burroughs himself and other authors, the character has also appeared in many films, television shows, radio, comics and parodies.

d racula

Vampire, the title character and main antagonist of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. As an archetypal vampire, Dracula has appeared in many works of popular culture, not even directly related to Bram Stoker's novel.

Good soldier Schweik

A satirical character invented by the Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek; the protagonist of the unfinished novel "The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik during the World War", written in 1921-1923, a cycle of 5 stories "The Good Soldier Schweik. Fascinating Adventures of an Honest Servant" and the story "The Good Soldier Schweik in Captivity".

According to the literary critic S. V. Nikolsky, the prototypes of the good soldier Schweik were two people with whom Hasek was familiar: Corporal Josef Schweik and Frantisek Strashlipka, the orderly of the real Lieutenant Lukash, Hasek's company commander during the First World War.

B etman

A fictional character, a superhero, comic book character published by DC Comics who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. Along with Superman, Batman is one of the most popular and famous comic book characters. Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Until recently, Bob Kane was considered the main creator of the character, but after much research, authorship was transferred to Bill Finger in 2015, since Kane's real contribution to the creation of the character was very small.

Tom Sawyer

One of the main characters in Mark Twain's novels: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer - Detective"; also a character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer is featured in at least three more of Mark Twain's unfinished works - School Hill, The Tom Sawyer Conspiracy, and Huck and Tom Among the Indians.

The fictitious character's name may have been taken from a real person named Tom Sawyer, whom Twain met in San Francisco, California, where Mark Twain worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Call. Mark Twain states in the preface that the character was based on three boys he knew as a child.

The most famous book characters updated: November 26, 2017 by: website

Fictional characters often help sell a product or service. Therefore, they are part of the characteristic of bourgeois society. In the cultural life of the Land of the Soviets, they simply were not invented. The only exception, perhaps, is the chicken Murzilka, presenting the children's illustrated magazine "Funny Pictures". However, the solvency of Murzilka was not reported by its inventors. A prosperous character was impossible in a country of "universal equality." However, such a bias, such an illusion did not exist in the countries of the market economy. In practice, people can never be equal either in their abilities or in human qualities. Accordingly, in the world since ancient times there were poor and rich.

Know-how from Forbs

The attempt of the Bolsheviks to level this difference ended in a civilizational failure.

Perhaps that is why the fictional characters of modern mass culture also, according to the intention of their creators, have different states. Who knows why Forbs, along with the real rich, has been forming a rating of virtual, invented images since 2002? Perhaps so that its employees are not considered finished crackers. Maybe to add a subtle touch of humor to the statement of modern business peaks. Who are they, the richest fictional characters? We will present, following the Forbs analysts, their rating and present their brief description to readers.

Uncle Sam

This image has long become a household name. It symbolizes the only superpower today, whose status is characterized not only by a powerful economy, but also by the ability to import social standards and modern technologies to the rest of the world. The image of Uncle Sam reflects at the same time all the wealth and all the power of the country of the Stars and Stripes. According to experts, the current national wealth of the United States is about 100 trillion. dollars. Can this be formally assessed as the state of Uncle Sam? Formally, yes.

This character, by virtue of his status, is initially beyond any competition. Obviously, therefore, he does not fit into the "Forbes" fictional characters. The list of billionaires cannot compete with the wealth of the entire country - the USA. How and when did this character appear? His face, known to everyone from the posters, resembles the face of a certain Samuel Wilson, a food merchant who supplied the US Army in 1812. On the boxes and bales supplied by him under contracts concluded with the government of this country, there was an abbreviated inscription U.S. (United States). The soldiers jokingly interpreted the inscription in their own way. They say that this brand was launched into the world by an illiterate Irishman, a watchman who unloaded food. He sincerely assumed that the U.S. indicate the supplier's initials.

Fictional characters sometimes get a name first, and only then - appearance. A hundred years later, in 1917, artist James Montgomery Flagg created a poster that depicted a gentleman with the appearance of Samuel Wilson in a star-striped top hat. His image was given the characteristic gesture of veteran Walter Boats. Drawn drafted fellow citizens into the army that fought on the fronts of World War I. During the war with Hitler, the image of Uncle Sam gained unprecedented popularity.

Scrooge McDuck

Not always the richest fictional characters portray people. An example is the Disney cartoon character Scrooge McDuck. He was created by the famous Disney illustrator Carl Barks as the hero of one of the comics in December 1947. According to Forbes experts, the wealth of the world's richest drake exceeds $64 billion. Why does he have a Scottish name? To create his image of the artist Barks was prompted by a real person. He was a businessman, a well-known Scottish industrialist in America, the creator of a steel empire. The name Scrooge McDuck is taken from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Fictional characters sometimes get their names in a paradoxical way.

However, the drake, whose name has become a household name in the sense of business acumen, luck, is still a collective character. His manners, fabulous greed, resourcefulness in business, as well as some phrases, Disney wrote off from the most famous investor in the world. It was he who originally owns Scrooge's catchphrase "A dollar saved is a dollar earned."

Using the example of the miracle drake phenomenon, one can only wonder how fictional cartoon characters can turn into the favorites of the whole nation. The cult animated series "Duck Tales" is evidence of this.

dragon smog

The second in terms of the existing wealth of fictional images is also a non-human being - the dragon Smaug. According to financial experts, he owns a fortune in excess of $54 billion. This fire-breathing creature is a character from the saga "The Hobbit: There and Back Again". He lived in the Lonely Mountain, expelled the dwarves from it, was distinguished by deceit and hypnotic influence on people. The dragon scooped up the jewels of the dwarves in the central grotto of the Lonely Mountain. This eminence of diamonds and gold was used by Smaug as a bed. Further, this fabulous marauder devastated and robbed the city of Dale.

Magician Gandelf the Gray has developed a plan to destroy Smaug. For its implementation, he attracted thirteen dwarfs and a hobbit. The latter, using the ring of omnipotence, managed to penetrate unnoticed into the lair of a fire-breathing creature and took out a two-handed bowl from there. Then he re-penetrated the dragon and managed not only to lead him, but also to notice the only place in his armor that was not covered with scales.

Subsequently, Smaug, who attacked Lake City, was hit by the archer Bard with the magical Black Arrow. So this fictional character died. The computer game "The Hobbit", created based on the film, according to gamers, clearly benefits from the dragon character.

Flinthard Glomgold

Another character bears this name - a drake from Duck Tales. His business is diamond mining. However, this unscrupulous character does not shun theft. His wealth, according to Forbes, is $51.9 billion. He is the main business competitor of Scrooge McDuck. The unscrupulous drake is trying with all his might to surpass Uncle Scrooge in wealth. At the same time, Flinthard is not burdened with moral principles. In his affairs, he often resorts to the help of scoundrels. For example, such as the Gavs brothers, bandit dogs.

If at first this swindler tried to destroy Scrooge McDuck physically, then in the future he chooses other ways. For example, substitute your competitor before the law. The hallmark of this cunning drake is a kind of mental reaction to the next failure of his intrigues. Frustrated, Flinthard, presenting a list of the richest fictional characters, begins to eat his hat.

Carlisle Cullen

This vivid image was remembered by readers for the Twilight trilogy. It was created by a writer. His wealth, according to Forbes experts, is 38.2 billion dollars. According to the plot of the trilogy, Carlisle was born in the 40s of the XVII century. He was the son of a priest, but the bite of a vampire turned his life upside down, turning him into a dark entity. At first, he tried to commit suicide so as not to bring disaster to people.

To his joy, once killing a deer and drinking his blood, Carlisle felt that he was not disturbed by the thirst for human blood. Cullen was able to settle down in human society. The vampire even became socially useful by working as a surgeon. Wealth came to him as a result of investments. Adopted daughter Alice, being a seer, prompted him to buy securities of Google corporations and the Wal-Mart chain of stores. Obviously, the head of the vampire clan, and indeed all the characters, are fictional in this saga. Although next to fiction in the work there are also elements of real life.

Jet Clampett

Finally, we have the opportunity to talk about a humanoid fictional character. His fortune is estimated by Forbes specialists at 9.8 billion US dollars. The hero of the comedy film "Beverly Hills Hillbilly" directed by Penelope Spheeris suddenly becomes a billionaire. A fountain of oil suddenly gushed out on his land. Jet's eccentric family (daughter, mother and nephew), realizing that they suddenly got rich, decides to move to the elite area of ​​​​Los Angeles - Beverly Hills.

Here, a wealthy farmer decides to get married. His wealth is trying to take possession of a swindler named Laura Jackson, who settled in his house as a governess. The mother of the newly-made rich man guesses about her intrigues, but the cunning candidate for the bride sends her to a nursing home. She is assisted by an accomplice, Tyler. The criminals' plans are frustrated by Jed's financial consultant, Jane Hathaway. The mother is returned home, the wedding is cancelled, Laura and Tyler are handed over to law enforcement. The Jet Clampett-like names of fictional characters are beloved in America by all categories of television viewers.

Tony Stark

This character is also a product of fiction. It is spawned by the comics united in the Iron Man series. His fortune is almost the same as that of the previous character - 9.3 billion dollars. However, Tony Stark is a character more typical of action films than comedies. He lives in the Californian city of Malibu, being a professional in military technology. He can be described as a real superman: IT genius, brilliant physicist, philanthropist, billionaire.

Richie Rich

The image of an intellectually disadvantaged billionaire child, according to the script of the film, owns a fortune of 8.9 billion dollars. He inherited wealth at a young age.

The young man turns out to be a "hard nut to crack" for those who want to profit from his wealth. He skillfully and consistently manages his company, Rich Industries. And no wonder: his company produces products in which he really is an expert because of his age: donuts with gold powder, robot servants, scooters.

Charles Foster Kane

This character was created by director Orson Walls. His personal wealth, according to the Forbes rating, exceeds $8 billion. He is the owner of a media empire: television, newspapers, radio. Foster is engaged in journalism like the yellow press.

Conclusion

Wealthy fictional characters are not yet represented in abundance on the domestic commercial market. Their list is poor. Why is this happening? It's all about the mentality of the post-Soviet civilization. The social role of a wealthy philanthropist, an investor with real social responsibility, has not yet become an indispensable requisite of society. There are a lot of swindlers, anti-social people among the rich nouveaux riches. Perhaps that is why images of the “new Russians” prevail in the national culture over more constructive ones, like Scrooge McDuck.

At the same time, fictitious characters of fairy tales, artificially exploited by business, are beginning to play an increasingly important commercial role. They are increasingly present in advertising, in trademarks, in logos.