Now that Bruce Wayne is(apparently) dead, who inherits his millions?

[Fantasyartist]

Just a rather obvious quest: who inherits the millions of Wayne Enterprises now that Bruce Wayne is seemingly dead?(It's hard to believe that Wayne never seriously considered his death and didn't leave a will so that his faithful retainer Alfred Pennysworth wouldn't be left destitute!)

Terry

 

[CaptainClown]

Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, that Damien ****, Alfred, donations.

This batman is king of prep-time he probably did have all that considered and it is legal work that isn't covered in the comic

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

I hope Damian gets squat. He already has too much from Talia, and does any public really know about him? I mean, to prove he gets inheritance he'd be getting that blood test we've all been waiting for, and hopefully proving he isn't Bruce's son.

 

[Motown Marvel]

i wouldnt imagine damien would get anything, i doubt he'd be named in the will. im sure it'd mostly go to tim, dick, alfred, barbara.

by the way, as far as gotham is concerned, is bruce way dead?

 

[margon]

Damian will try to take over WayneCorp with the help of Bruce Wayne imposter Hush. Hush will be his puppet

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Damian will try to take over WayneCorp with the help of Bruce Wayne imposter Hush. Hush will be his puppet

Why would Hush be Damian's puppet?

 

[margon]

I'm just going off the teaser poster of all the characters...Damian is holding a bandage that's wrapped around Hush's leg, like a leash

http://au.media.comics.ign.com/media/143/14307069/img_6306194.html

 

[Milk.Bad.Choice]

I can for see Bruce's estate becoming a big problem for DC. If, and when, Bruce returns, how is he going regain his wealth that is so vital to his being Batman if it is released in an inheritance.

 

[CaptainClown]

I can for see Bruce's estate becoming a big problem for DC. If, and when, Bruce returns, how is he going regain his wealth that is so vital to his being Batman if it is released in an inheritance.

dick grayson was his ward....passed to him... bruce comes back he gets it back....

 

[Saint]

i wouldnt imagine damien would get anything, i doubt he'd be named in the will. im sure it'd mostly go to tim, dick, alfred, barbara.

Regardless of whether or not Damian is a brat, Bruce wouldn't leave his son hanging. Of course, Damian probably doesn't legally exist, and he doesn't need money, so you're right, the will wouldn't name him.

If I were writing it, there would be two wills. A legal one, and private one. The latter would specify his final instructions for his allies. This would absolutely include instructions for the guardianship of Damian. The question in my mind is twofold. First, would it be Dick or Alfred that Bruce would select to care for the boy, and second, would Bruce be able to get Talia to consent to such an arrangement. I imagine this will would include final words for her, too, along with pretty much everyone Bruce has known personally.

 

[Mee]

Has any book yet covered what the world thinks has happened to Bruce Wayne? Is he just "on vacation"?

 

[CaptainClown]

Has any book yet covered what the world thinks has happened to Bruce Wayne? Is he just "on vacation"?

They could jsut use Hush.

 

[Saint]

"Here's Bruce. He won't be saying anything or doing anything today, nor will he be leaving the cell--uh, that is, the enjoyment containment unit--but you can see that he is, indeed, alive and well. And not Batman."

 

[CaptainClown]

more or less

 

[margon]

I can for see Bruce's estate becoming a big problem for DC. If, and when, Bruce returns, how is he going regain his wealth that is so vital to his being Batman if it is released in an inheritance.

ha ha. what? you realise this is all make believe right?

 

[stillanerd]

They could jsut use Hush.

Yep. I imagine that when he gets back to Gotham City and shows up as Bruce Wayne, he's basically going to tell Dick and Tim "What are you going to do now?" Because they darn well know that can't exactly turn him in without exposing that the real Bruce Wayne was Batman who the world believes is dead. And if Bruce Wayne is dead, then there's goes Wayne Enterprises' stock holdings and investments. I can see a situation in which Hush blackmails Dick that if he lets him continue to play the role of Bruce Wayne, he won't come after Dick like he did Bruce.

I also think that one of the reasons Damien will allow himself to become the new Robin under Dick as Batman is that it will be his opportunity to try and get his father's inheritance and also help out Hush in that end by being "Bruce Wayne's long lost son." (which is suggested in the Battle for the Cowl promotional poster).

 

[Milk.Bad.Choice]

ha ha. what? you realise this is all make believe right?

I meant, when Bruce comes back, how are they going make it that Bruce has his whole estate. Bruce's wealth is so essential to Batman, and if he loses a ton of his inherited money, how will finance being Batman.

 

[Saint]

He was declared dead in Batman Begins, and apparently recovering his assets was so unproblematic that they didn't even need to mention it. They probably won't mention it in the comics, either, if it comes to that.

Alternatively, the following could happen:

A) Bruce must rebuild his fortune the hard way, proving that he didn't need to be born into wealth in order to become Batman.
B) Batman operates without financial resources, thus forcing him to re-evaluate his approach to crime fighting.
C) Bruce, though alive again, does not return to crime fighting at all, and takes a completely different path with his life--one that does not necessarily require money.

I consider all three to be fairly intriguing.

 

[storyteller]

In the movie Bruce left his entire estate to Alfred. During the weeks it probably took to build the equipment needed, Bruce was brought back to life on paper. At which point Alfred gave the estate back. Getting the money isn't too difficult when left to people you trust to give it back.

Comics wise. Bruce is on "vacation". They have a Bruce impersonator plus any aid from any shape shifters they know. Should Bruce be declared dead. His estate will probably go to Dick and Tim.

 

[Venom 1988]

Hold on, IIRC in the recent Hush/Catwoman story back in January, at the end didn't Tim and Dick pretty much capture Hush? Maybe they plan on using him as a figurehead, to show Bruce isn't gone.

 

[Lorendiac]

Regardless of whether or not Damian is a brat, Bruce wouldn't leave his son hanging. Of course, Damian probably doesn't legally exist, and he doesn't need money, so you're right, the will wouldn't name him.

If I were writing it, there would be two wills. A legal one, and private one. The latter would specify his final instructions for his allies. This would absolutely include instructions for the guardianship of Damian. The question in my mind is twofold. First, would it be Dick or Alfred that Bruce would select to care for the boy, and second, would Bruce be able to get Talia to consent to such an arrangement. I imagine this will would include final words for her, too, along with pretty much everyone Bruce has known personally.

Leaving a sealed envelope with private instructions, or a "private will" as you say, certainly makes sense. There are plenty of other things (besides any responsibility for Damian) which Bruce wouldn't want to make matters of public record. The Batcave, for instance. A probate court would never even know it existed as part of Bruce Wayne's estate. So I could see him scribbling a note: "I leave every material asset currently stored in the Batcave to Dick Grayson. Nobody else has the right to sell or otherwise remove any computers, Batmobiles, forensic equipment, stash of gold coins, or whatever -- unless Dick specifically gives the idea his approval in each instance." That would prevent Tim and Dick from each trying to call "dibs!" on the same Batmobile at the same time, for example.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

Yeah, I could see the Bat-Family using Hush as a tool to show that Bruce is "alive," if not just because some people would find it odd that a prominant figure of Gotham like Bruce dies around the same time that Gotham's protector, Batman dies.