The Invisible Hand of Batman: Wealth and Capitalism in Christopher Nolan's Films Timothy Sexton College

Almost exactly three months to the day after a ranging band of marauders attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the free and fair election of a new President in the 2020 election, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto took to the airwaves as host of “Your World” to deliver a message to his viewers about a danger facing Americans in the week of April 5, 2021. That message was delivered with a straight face, free from irony:

“What if I told you the real villain in this whole Godzilla vs. Kong movie…is a billionaire. This is not the first movie that has characterized the villain as a rich guy.”

Of course, Cavuto is right in suggesting that rich guys have been portrayed as villains more than once or twice in movie history. That this has been a decision made with good reason certainly does not need to be explicated. Where Cavuto seems to have gone off the rails is assuming that this is a one-sided love affair. To be sure, Hollywood loves a poor hero. But in the age of superheroes, well, let’s just call it rich man’s revenge.

In fact, the superhero movie that is almost universally acclaimed as the iconic epitome of the genre in its 21st century incarnation is one that does not just make the rich billionaire the hero, it is a...