RichardSimmonsRobot
Aerobics Automaton
- Joined
- May 25, 2025
- Messages
- 429
This assumes heavily that the crimes are based on the actions of a rational person. It doesn't account of poorly wired human psychology, since most of Batman's villains are based in that realm not in a "Jean Valjean" sort of criminal behavior out of supposed necessity. It also assumes that everyone will be happy and peaceful once they have "enough," which fundamentally goes against everything we see in human nature since the beginning.
As for the alternate topic of rich X-Men, I always assumed as Xavier seemed to be paying all the bills and that all of the "on the team" X-Men must get some sort of stipend or pay for their needs just to function. Warren was richer than Xavier was my read of things, but other characters like Betsy Braddock, Roberto DaCosta, and Emma Frost all came from money. I always assumed Charles and Warren did most of the heavy lifting financially and that Xavier's school had an open purchase order with the Fantastic Four for all these "unstable molecules" costumes that were always being destroyed. Does that mean that most of the X-Men are all buying each other Christmas gifts using Xavier's money as well? I always figured they got free room and board, but they must draw some sort of allowance or meager salary at least just to cover Scott's sunglasses collection, Logan's beers and cigars and all the various vehicles each character had at times that were also being destroyed. I guess Gambit could have a horde of stolen jewels somewhere, as various morally grey characters mentioned having safe houses throughout the years. I have to wonder why Cypher, while no great asset in a fight, didn't just become a financial and corporate powerhouse for the purpose of bankrolling his own and Xavier's machinations. It would make more sense to me that him being Apocalypse's understudy.
I always enjoyed the X-Mansion/school functioning as more of a front than an actual school. Having the X-Men appear as students while actually being soldiers, rather than throngs of various unnamed teenagers running around with the X-Men as their teachers. The X-Men were basically outlaws given special consideration by the authorities and organizations like SHIELD both because Xavier had cred with them, they were often helpful sometimes, but also that most of the authorities were also afraid of them. The 80s and 90s to me read like Xavier was basically allowed to keep an Easter basket of mutant crazies so long as he kept them relatively in check. Characters like Wolverine and Sabretooth and even Jean Grey/Phoenix on paper look like serial killers or angry deities that had a blind eye turned to them almost solely because Xavier said "I'll take care of it," and outside parties were happy to leave the relationship at that.
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