Film Theory: Batman Is STEALING From You!

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Now that you've read the title, I'm sure you are thinking "MatPat, of COURSE BatMan is a criminal! He's a vigilante!" Well Theorists, that may be true but that is NOT what we are talking about today. I want to talk about the crimes of the man himself, Bruce Wayne, and what he's been up to in his business dealing with his company. This theory goes all the way to the TOP!
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#Batman #TheBatman #TheBatmanTrailer #BatmanTrailer #BruceWayne #BatmanTheory #DC #Theory #FilmTheory #Matpat #Trailer
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Credits:
Writers: Matthew Patrick and Zach Stewart
Editors: Danial "BanditRants" Keristoufi and Koen Verhagen
Assistant Editor: Caitie Turner (viridianrosette)
Sound Editor: Yosi Berman

[@UnfilteredBoredom]

The only thing I found good about Batman & Robin was when Batman and Robin were bidding...the funny part of it was that Robin was probabaly gonna use Bruce's money.

[@Is_It_]

Fax!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX7GoGp9o99qgZo

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

My favorite part was when they kissed Posion ivy 😂

[@FogelTheVogel]

IIRC, he literally says "I'll borrow it from you" during that bidding war.

[@maxnetirtimon4121]

Bruh........🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidteres9463]

batman beyond movie cast kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWjUpWqagt-egac

[@BenCDawson]

I wonder how much money Batman has saves through damage prevention and stopping criminal activity, it would be interesting to see a comparison of the cost of Batman vs the financial impact of his vigilante work

[@Is_It_]

yup kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX7GoGp9o99qgZo

[@InfiniteComboReviews]

Probably depends on the continuity. Some versions of Batman (not the Nolan ones) have helped save the planet, universe, and multiverse multiple times so essentially the cost of everything again and again.

[@asahearts1]

The thing is, though, that crime is aboutmore than money. There's things like people's sense of safety and the anguish of someone whose loved ones aren't coming home.

[@InfiniteComboReviews]

@@asahearts1 That would normally be true, except if Batman wasn't there, all of those people, everyone one on Earth, would have died. Multiple times. So those same people would lose out regardless alongside everyone else ever. This is one of those times where the means justifies the ends.

[@EarthrealmWarrior]

Definitely idea for a good video

[@tsnoob4669]

5:40 "He's the true hero." Except for the fact that he was trying to blackmail both Bruce and Lucius by being paid $10 mil a year, the same money being invested to the company.

[@peytonzosh3802]

True

[@rpandya97]

Exactly, maybe if he was a whistleblower, he’d have the moral high ground. But he’s worse than Bruce or Lucious if it were irl lmao

[@jimmylongjhon3510]

100%

[@kooperthrockmorton7869]

Thank you for pointing this out

[@GabrielSiberon07]

Matpat either didn't pay attention or just decided to leave it out. Either way, it doesn't surprise me, Mat does it all the time.

[@felixkelsier9384]

I like how mat glosses over the accountant only finding out this information to blackmail Bruce and the company lol

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

I will say this. -Kyle- [edit] Coleman Reese was hardly defending the shareholders. He found out what happened and immediately tried to blackmail Lucius and Bruce to keep quiet.

[@SP-xy2lv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ_OaYZmbLScrMU Finally ..

[@generalyellor8188]

Regardless. He was correct. It was a criminal conspiracy defrauding the stockholders.

[@herrtituswinslow4717]

Noticed the exact same thing. Hate it when KZbinrs don't play the whole clip and think they can get away with it (Also, what the frick is up with these bots?!)

[@davidteres9463]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH2zl6Wvo8-Km8U

[@Enixon869]

@@herrtituswinslow4717 my personal favorite is way back in the "Mario is a sociopath" video on Game Theory where Matt uses a line from the US instruction manual saying how Bowser turned the people of the mushroom kingdom into the blocks you break to say Mario is murdering hundreds of toads. Thing is, the almost very next line in the booklet says that breaking the blocks is breaking the spell and the coins and powerups are "gifts from the grateful mushroom people"

[@chaihill1837]

This is why Bruce Wayne from the Animated Series is the best. He’s not only one of the best Batman’s out there, but he’s always looking out for ways to help the people of Gotham using his wealth and influence. For example, in the Ridder origin story episode, Bruce is working on a merger between Wayne Industries and another company. The other guy just wants the money, but Bruce wants the merger to happen so they can create more jobs to lower unemployment, something that is a high factor for rising crime. TL;DR: Animated Bruce is the GOAT.

[@jonathanbell6456]

most indubudibly

[@siddhant8430]

What about Tony Stark?

[@Maximara]

@@siddhant8430 Tony Stark suffers from the not only the Reed Richards is Useless trope but let this tech get out of his control and then really lost it and Armor Wars happened.

[@limelightmoon]

LOL “a merger to create more jobs” - pure fiction. I mean the point of a merger is to reduce redundancies and remove competition. You may get some “new jobs” for some high up corporate folks, but it is highly unlikely to help out out your everyday Joe and Jane.

[@rodjacksonx]

How does helping poor or underprivileged people give money back to those whose stock valuations he lowered by misusing his company's money?

[@PyroMancer2k]

There is a couple problems with the Theory. 1) He OWNS the company when the takes the Batmobile and the other equipment in the first movie because it all happens BEFORE the company goes public. So there are no shareholders to consider. 2) He mentions the Charities are BUYing the stock, so their is NO insider gifting. The shares which he didn't yet control were put up for public trade and he BOUGHT them from the stock market. It's a very typical tactic in Hostile Take Overs when a person or group is trying to take over a majority holding in a company but don't want anyone to know because that might lead to a bidding war on the stock as people hear about the high demand for the stock. 3) Bruce doesn't burn down his house that's just a news story to cover what really happen. Also the news story came out on the same day as the stock going public so it hardly has time to effect things. Also Bruce is NOT the CEO of Wayne enterprises he just went from Owner to Majority shareholder. The day to day and now public face of the company is L. Fox. Unlike Musk who is the CEO of his companies. 4) It is possible to own 100% of stock in a company so Bruce could through various shell companies own 100% of the shares in his company thus no defrauding of retirement funds and such happens. We don't really know as we don't get to see the books. 5) Wayne Enterprise has never been just a money faucet for Batman. He often uses it to fund projects which create jobs and provides to charitable causes. It's even shown in an episode of The Batman series were Nightwing talks to Robin about why he left, as he thought Batman went to far one night roughing up this criminal in front of his family as the guy had run from the crime scene back to his house. Afterwards they find a wallet that belongs to that same guy from all those years ago with a Wayne Enterprise employee badge in it. They return the wallet and the guy who then tells them the story of how that fateful night scared him straight and how Bruce Wayne was one of the only people willing to give an x-con like him a chance at a job. He talks about how he's thankful to have turned his life around and that when ever he passes Bruce at work that Bruce always takes the time out to ask how he and his family are doing. So yeah using his company and position to help get people that most companies would give a hard pass to a second chance is hardly the move of some greedy Billionaire just look to increase their own profit margin. So many people get caught up in the Batman persona and talk about Bruce as being a mask to hide his true face but really it's a bit more complex than that. The out going charitable Bruce is who he really is deep down. The play boy Bruce that he dawns is a Mask to give excuse for his absences and other unexplainable events. While Batman is who has become to battle against crime. But there are tons of examples of the kindness of Batman as he often tries to talk his foes down. Look at much of the Dr. Freeze episodes from the animated series, and he even uses Wayne enterprises to fund looking for a cure to treat Freeze's wife.

[@philv2529]

ALSO we all know the laws of physics are different in the DC universe and the Earth is slightly larger with imaginary cities like Metropolis and Gotham. Is it too hard a leap to assume the rules of finance are different as well?

[@fuckthisstupidasshandleshit]

@@philv2529Yes, it is.

[@fuckthisstupidasshandleshit]

This comment is irrelevant. Lucius is still giving that money to Batman without the public's knowledge. Batman doing good things with that money doesn't change its legality.

[@Sp1d3rCh3f]

I think matpat's ONLY covering the dark knight universe with this topic

[@MifuEdits]

Touch grass

[@Mathtron5000]

"I might be crazy enough to fight Batman, but the IRS? No sir'ee!" - Joker, from Batman The Animated Series

[@liasiona3420]

This is why I enjoyed the off hand explanation that the Justice League cartoon had. Batman used Wayne Enterprise to fund the League, as well as them getting money from various governments, with this he could publicly fund his vigilante escapades while doing it legally. His company probably even made money from this due to people responding to the company's "good-will", hard to not be impressed with a company that "donates" so much to keep everyone safe, and tax write offs lots of those, have to image it would be considered similar to donating to charity. He could also make money by using subsidiary companies to do the construction so the "donation" that technically was billions would really only cost the company material and labor, muuuuuch less.

[@cdixonweekes]

The comment Gotham needs right now.

[@zenos02]

I think quiet a few JL Members are at least Millionaires to say the least, but Batman puts forward the most money

[@lmul1441]

@@zenos02 Superman may be the strongest to if he was only getting money from his own job he would be the poorest if I'm not mistaken

[@aceaids4000]

In other words: Wayne Enterprises is safe, but only in universes where the Justice League exists.

[@ifigureditout999]

@@lmul1441 Clark is broke, but Superman makes bank being on the President's speed dial

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

When MatPat does a better job teaching you about the basics of economics than your high school does in a single video.

[@noah2698]

First to your comment for once

[@noah2698]

Just some guy without a life

[@noah2698]

Time to try to milk this comment for subscribers

[@unknownvariable9239]

When you overuse the same generic comment just for likes

[@Rigby86]

@@unknownvariable9239 Lmao

[@SuperShanko]

You kind of lost me on the “Batman beats up poor people” argument when Begins has him subdue a corrupt cop and prevents Gotham from being overrun with fear toxin. Kind of like, yea, when I see henchmen working for this kind of guy is loses me. Same for guys who see Joker burning a giant pile of money, I’m sure they’re not thinking of trying to feed their families but instead side with Joker’s ideologies enough to work for that. “Don’t worry Tommy, once Dr. Craine floods the streets of Gotham with his evil chemicals and makes it into a whole madhouse, Daddy will have enough money to get you that PS3 you wanted for Christmas so you don’t have to fall into a life of crime.”

[@p.o.p5570]

Lol so true, the guy even went as far as to say Reece in the dark knight was a "true hero" someone who was planning to blackmail Bruce for millions btw The guy was going waayyy too hard to try and paint the picture that Bruce is bad

[@micahbirdlover8152]

@@p.o.p5570 dose Batman have a superpower 🤔

[@VidelxSpopovich]

Remember that time in the comics where it was revealed that Bruce has been accidentally murdering criminals his whole career? There was the guy with severe brain damage because he had a beatarang lodged in his skull. Then the guy who got branded on the face by Batman’s boot causing horrible burns as well as making it impossible for him to go straight and get a clean job since it puts him as a criminal. There are more but I forget them at the moment.

[@plantainsame2049]

The Batman beats up poor people argument never made sense when you realize all his criminals have f****** doctorates and clearly don't have any student loans

[@woodrobin]

The main problem with the Falcon (and the thing he doesn't want to address with the banker who apparently doesn't already know) is that before he was killed in The Snap and restored in The Blip, he was a fugitive from the law, having taken Cap's side in the dispute over the Sokovia Accords. Apparently the government decided to latch onto some of that We Saved The World goodwill and drop the charges and hush up the whole "international fugitive" thing. But any stipend he got from the Avengers (as well as any benefits like life insurance) would have disappeared when he quit the team and went on the run. Btw, in the comics, the Avengers do receive a weekly stipend (it was $1000 per week in the 1960s, no idea what it is now, but presumably it was adjusted for inflation). It's paid by the Maria Stark Foundation, which is a nonprofit set up and endowed by Tony Stark. No government money involved.

[@carebear6036]

According to an online inflation calculator, it'd be almost $9,500 in 2022.

[@absolutezer0367]

@@carebear6036 Theyd be bringing in almost half a mil every year

[@kingofhearts3185]

@@absolutezer0367 That feels low for an entire team of atleast 6

[@absolutezer0367]

@@kingofhearts3185 yeah that's per person

[@kingofhearts3185]

@@absolutezer0367 That makes more sense

[@DCFatCat]

He could also say that he is just conducting research and development and therefore can write off not only the materials but also his time for all of the Batman activities

[@SP-xy2lv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ_OaYZmbLScrMU Finally .

[@Is_It_]

Fax!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX7GoGp9o99qgZo ...

[@dudemcguy8949]

Imagine getting 5 bots before an actual person comments

[@Matt-yg8ub]

Oh yeah, a tremendous amount of this will simply get written off as R&D costs

[@sleeplesspops3949]

Oh snap

[@TiJayEve]

"We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals." - Bruce

[@anubusx]

Alfred secretly has off shore accounts.

[@superafrikanmedialabs8237]

Correct

[@UnleashedGraffixx]

How was Reese the hero when he tried to blackmail Lucius for $10M a year to keep a secret?

[@woodrobin]

Fair point re: Wayne Enterprises going public. That's *exactly why* it only happened because of underhanded maneuvering that Bruce Wayne had to scramble a bit to overcome. Wayne didn't *want* the company to become publicly traded, and he had enough money outside of Wayne Enterprises to buy up "most of" the shares that were offered to the public. I'd imagine he'd gradually buy up the rest and take the company private again if it's at all possible.

[@rovaughncampbell3062]

Exactly

[@asura3229]

That makes sense

[@DneilB007]

It’s quite easily possible. He could alter the bylaws of the corporation to permit it to buy stock back at a premium, he could move all of his shares into a holding company and then execute a takeover bid (hostile or not), or he could use his control of the stock to simply remove it from public trading.

[@Antonio-ys5zd]

@@DneilB007 I believe that MatPat missed a crucial point as well; the fact that Bruce Wayne can buy other company stocks too. That way he can still finance his activities without completely screwing Wayne Enterprises investors correct?

[@Lillysammy126]

@@Antonio-ys5zd Unless he brought up all of the public stocks on the day it went public, the crime would have been done against stakeholders, even if it is one stakeholder. Actually, even if he did buy up all of the stocks, the crime is still a crime because it would be based on the public status of the company, just that nobody would be affected and he can swiftly take it off the public market.

[@alexanderhood8993]

Considering that one of the plots of Batman comics books has Ra's al Ghul figured out Batman identity by figuring that only one of richest person in Gotham must be Batman so he follows the money trails that led him to Bruce Wayne leading to batman making sure to be more careful of how he do his finances. So obviously the comics is already aware of this facts.

[@BewareTheCarpenter]

I'd think it would be obvious that one of the richest people in Gotham were funding the Batman but if I lived there I would probably think Bruce Wayne was sponsoring the Batman rather than being Batman himself.

[@nickwittednonpareil]

@@BewareTheCarpenter There's actually a moment in the comics where he publically admits exactly this and goes on to expand funding other "Batmen" in different parts of the world. It's called "Batman Incorporated".

[@djsyntic]

This is why Ironman is the smarter of the two rich superheroes using their wealth to fight crime. Even in the early comics, Tony publicly links Ironman to his company. The secret in the comic isn't that Ironman was created by Stark Industries, but who the pilot of the suit is. So when Stark Industries spends money on the Ironman project it's all out in the open for the shareholders.

[@skyward.scraper]

When he brought up taxes I thought he would bring up this line from the Lego Batman Movie “Who always pays his taxes NOT BATMAN”.

[@misaeldoesanimation4408]

5:50 I love how he talks about the guy who found out who Batman was and says he was just trying to protect your stocks, but fails to continue watching that scene where he doesn't tell Lucius and Bruce to stop but he tells them that he wants money in return to stay quite, real protecting the every day man dude

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

Whats even funnier is that matpat should know that Reese was doing all of this for his profit since he mentioned it himself in a previous video on the dark knight trilogy. I thought he was joking... no sure if he is joking or not

[@thatscrazymans]

@Fiqih Wanita keep these tainted links to yourself lol

[@user-fe8gx3ie5v]

quiet*

[@misaeldoesanimation4408]

@@user-fe8gx3ie5v what

[@user-fe8gx3ie5v]

@@misaeldoesanimation4408 You said "stay quite" instead of "stay quiet."

[@PhoenixJ22]

Although, Batmans funds were used to protect Gotham, his batmobile was never used for pleasure purposes, but for saving lives and putting people threatening the city behind bars or in a mental institute, aka, helping the police officers. The quantity of policemen needed to do the same job would be high, which would also sky rockets costs, not only in pay, but equipment, cars etc. and that is not even counting the costs of repairing the city or the hospital costs from all the people injured during the attacks. Perhaps batman does steal in some way, but by doing so he also saves a lot on city taxes.

[@rns01111]

Yeah but this is breaking all kinds of corporate governance ethics. Doing the right things is just as important as doing things right.

[@ellie_olivia.]

in these videos kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4fYc5aklLObq6s kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIubiohrfMh-Y9U They show the problem with batman vigilance act. Like make the mob even more dangerous and ofc demage prevention. I'm a batman fan and i think these things make him even more realistic, but it could be much better if dc fix these problems in the next batman project

[@DracoMagnius]

Bruce could also use his company and inheritance to back charities that help disenfranchised youths, educate the masses, get the unemployed jobs. Which in some sense he does, but how much of it is just laundering money into Batman related projects and how much is actually given to charities for the intended purpose of helping the community? I like Batman and honestly only he can really handle criminals like Riddler, Two-Face, Joker, etc, but at the same time he's frauding a lot of people to fund his activities and also attacking people who are just desperate. (lunatics constantly trying to obliterate and/or drive the populace insane excluded.)

[@normalchannel2185]

the money paid by commoners still is high. now, it's not direct tax asked by the government, but Bruce is basically taking people's money which people put into his company to make money, not fund the policing of Gotham. sure that one person saved by Bruce would thank him, but the other's whose money went down a drain would curse him. and believe me, there are a lot of people whose money went down the hole

[@etherealicer]

Nah, Batman just likes beating up people, if he wanted to save Gotham, he would have continued his fathers legacy. If instead of wasting money on Batman, he would use it to creat jobs, crime rate in Gotham would drop. Another good indication that Batmans intentions are not good is how he puts the criminals into Arkham, from where they will escape minutes later (and Batman knows that). The man with a plan for everything, doesn't have a plan to keep criminals locked up?

[@caitybarter9988]

I want a theory series dedicated to calculating how many crimes certain “hero’s” have committed. And then holed a big comparison to see which “hero” is the biggest villain, who spends the most time in prison, biggest debt, ect. Time consuming but would be so worth it.

[@caiodiniz7371]

The interesting fact is that, in the same comic book arc mentioned in wich joker steals bruce's money, he also completaly destroys a years long planing project of bruce to, using his money and his company, make fundamental strategic changes in Gotham that would end up improving the city in such a major way that it would basicly no longer even need a batman. Because bruce for a long time has known that the job he does as batman, even if important in many ways, is not enough and doesn't hold a candle to the good he can do by using his money and company to actually make structural changes to the status quo of this over corrupted city

[@JsunAlphaDream]

I like how they just ignored the fact that the guy “who is defending” the shareholders like he didn’t just threaten and ask for hush money from Lucius and Bruce instead of giving that information for the shareholders, I guess being selfish is worth getting praised if it’s going against a vigilante.

[@QuintarFarenor]

I don'T remember, what did happen to the guy, did he get hush money?

[@yotuel9064]

Seems like you can ignore those detais if that helps your narrative.

[@yotuel9064]

@@QuintarFarenor Lucious told him that blackmailing a dude that dresses as a bat and punch violent criminals wasn't exactly a smart move. Concerned about the implications the dude backed off.

[@TRquiet]

“This guy? He’s the real hero!” You cut off the clip just before he tried to blackmail Lucius and Bruce.

[@rovaughncampbell3062]

Exactly that's slimey

[@nehpets216]

Also skipped mentioning the part that Bruce had the funding going through the shell companies which were all private and paid taxes until the group in the boardroom decided to go Public to get Wayne Corp's money out of Bruce's control. The "Numbers man" went looking back into the history of the businesses to find his data before anything was publicly traded or in a Shell Company that any of the people in that boardroom worked for. Before it went Public; Him pulling up data that was sold to another "Sister" company? Probably against policy, probably Legal depending on contracts signed. Him threatening to release Private Intellectual property to the public? Illegal. Him threatening to release Private Financial information from the company? Illegal. Him blackmailing using the above threats to release information? Illegal. Bruce using the private shell corps to fund private enterprise? Legal (If used as a charity gives a tax break too.) Bruce using a private trust to own and pay for his property? Legal and recommended to prevent/mitigate lawsuits. Bruce's private enterprise doing vigilante work. Depends, for the Justice league it was a clearly labelled and approved from the Government so Legal. For The Batman movie... No. If the guy released the information, Wayne Corp could sue for all monies lost due to public perception changes. Bruce could Sue too. After it went public... Yeah, Bruce did a lot of illegal things with the Stock. (Though, having a company you own buy stock in a company that you also own that just went public is a grey area, as long as it used it's own money to buy) But the "Number's Man" mentioned that those shell companies got closed before the Company stock was public "closed within a day". So, that shouldn't be illegal.

[@jpopaldana]

There's also the problem of how he tries to hide his identity with his mask. It only covers half his face. Someone might still recognize him. Also, he better do all his vigilante work at night and stay in the shadows if he does it during the daytime. Staying long enough in the sun could make a sun tan mark on his face.

[@IPlayVideoGamesAndNothingElse]

Counter point the company went public after the development and creation of the vast majority of the equipment that Bruce used to become Batman. It’s even stated that in the movie in the climbing gear scene since at that time the company was only owned by the Wayne family thus everything technically belongs to bruce.

[@Triangle_is_da..bestshape]

I like how he had to put a warning before putting a warning before the clip 😂

[@nickharrison1477]

Limga

[@Is_It_]

yup kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX7GoGp9o99qgZo . .

[@SetoShadowVT]

You simply do not watch Batman& & Robin without some kind of warning label to be fair lol

[@spartythespart]

batman and robin is a great movie and one of the best batman movies ever made. Ive also seen it more times than any other batman movie cause it's a classic. You just need an actual sense of humor. Haters need to Chill

[@pogcrafter6264]

This is a certified MatPat classic

[@gianttacogod]

EVERYONE REPORT THE BOTS FAST

[@pogcrafter6264]

@@gianttacogod That's what I did

[@pogcrafter6264]

@@gianttacogod Haha yes one of the bot comments are gone

[@pogcrafter6264]

@@kiara______5956 Bruh more bots

[@pogcrafter6264]

@Fiqih Wanita STOP it BOTSSSSSS

[@andrewluedke9172]

Theory idea: How did Willy Wonka get all the money to build a huge factory because there’s no way a small down dentist will make that much

[@NightmareDream.]

3:29 WHAT ARE YOUR SUPER POWERS AGAIN. Batman: I'm rich

[@Sebas-Lopez]

Matbat would totally be the guy who would interview joker to try to make him the hero only to be killed by him

[@SuperShanko]

Did you forget the part where Mr. Reese was intentionally trying to blackmail Lucius and Bruce? Not so much caring for the little guy than trying to become a bigger guy himself.

[@sohumchatterjee9]

I think he was kidding

[@brucebatmanwayne8514]

Are you forgetting the next part of the video? Once the company goes public, with the information available, other intelligent investors too can find out about it

[@FireballJumper]

I'd recommend checking out Memento or Tenet and possibly doing a theory on it. They has the same director as The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan), but they're also just on par with most complex films. Lots of theory opportunities there, trust me.

[@Isniffyourtastytoes]

0:16 when you buy something in a lego game

[@bergen_exe]

Just a tiny mistake I noticed, Enron crashed in 2001, not 2011, and it sold its last assets in 2006. That being said I love the video!

[@belledfox5369]

Man it took way too much scrolling to find this.

[@neillgarcia5]

Same.. I was like " there's no way I'm the first one to notice this 2hrs in"..lol

[@rokeYouuer]

Especially if you consider that if the CEO got out of prison twelve years after 2011, well, let's just say that the math doesn't really add up.

[@ManSpeedo327]

I'd love to see an episode covering how much Goku would feasibly need to eat to do the things he does

[@jakethedragonymaster1235]

Yo bots aside, I agree

[@spartythespart]

that wouldnt really be a good episode because ki blasts and flying have no 'smaller counterpart' to compare to. The best solution would be trying to pick an animal that could do something similar with wings or whatever and seeing how much calories that took. But also the super speed and strength they use is incalculable so calories used in it would also be incalculable. Also most likely since they blow up planets, the calories would likely be in the trillions and more food on earth or something silly.

[@-_-murilo2865]

Matpat would have to power scale Goku to see how much energy he can output, and if I'm being honest, that might not be a good idea for him

[@nathanielbass771]

@@spartythespart well, considering a candy bar has the same amount of energy as a stick of dynamite but it is released slower via "human" digestion...

[@spartythespart]

@@nathanielbass771 where in the heck did u hear that lmao

[@EagleEye0090]

I love how Matt claims Reese is a hero for blowing the whistle on Wayne Enterprises financial descrepencies, even though right afterwards he proceeds to blackmail Bruce into giving him hush-money. 😂

[@KykyDJenkins]

I just wanna say; I appreciate the fresh new channel intros every week or so; it always makes me feel the intensity or comedic value of the theory

[@filmgoblin5016]

If you think about it in the Nolan trilogy Bruce does come off as a secret agent/spy working for the government (sorta like James Bond) so it makes sense. I mean how was he able to get that underground lair in the junk yard in the dark knight? How did he get a ride from Hong Kong after capturing the Asian guy? How was he able to get back to the US and Gotham after being broke and having no passport? How was he able to get the tech to spy on everyone’s cell phones? It’s obvious he was in cahoots with the government.

[@KRYMauL]

Batman is technically just a government contractor for the GCPD, and the comics never want to acknowledge that. Say you what you want about Arrow, but at least they got that part right.

[@SergioR00]

Most of those questions were answered in the movies lmao. He has nothing to do with the govt

[@Codingstuff-dz2mn]

@@SergioR00 Plot

[@irgendwerirgendwo9095]

How much bots did this comment get?

[@anubusx]

Because he's Batman!!

[@DemBigOlEyes]

How convenient that MatPat is so busy singing Reese's praise that he forgets the very next scene where Reese tries to blackmail Lucius for his silence. "A man whose integrity can be bought, is no man of honor." - SomeWiseGuy circa LongTimeAgo.

[@kaischreurs2488]

I was about to say, "he's defending the shareholders" no he fucking isn't he's trying to use it as blackmail to make himself rich.

[@riverswing2502]

This makes that theory about joker being the good guy even better

[@akrasiathekruzmachine2341]

Peter Parker actually made money with his photos in the comics by publishing a book called "Webs" with all the pictures of his friend Spider-man. It was a best seller and he actually did the talk show circuit and got personal fame. This was at the time that MJ had a blossoming acting career and was famous as well.

[@SportingRedwood]

Theoretically, he could just purchase these items from the corporation for a fair price, and they wouldn’t show the details of these deals on screen for narrative purposes. More likely, they just didn’t want anyone to think too hard

[@Zeronigel332]

Well the reason Bruce does it in the manner he does is that to the government and world, Batman isn’t funded by Wayne enterprise but rather multiple companies helping Batman. They all handled by Bruce but it would look like multiple people funding Batman out of good will or something so they can’t track it to Bruce

[@divivilanui3864]

As a huge comic books fan, and especially of DC, I'm really happy to see you guys mention recent events in comics which I feel doesn't happen much when talking about the movies. Great video!

[@SaadNabil]

Agree.

[@austinwalker2000]

They should make a comic theory show

[@cupicakegurl]

You didn’t mention that the reason he didn’t purchase himself is because the leader of the company in his absence had him declared dead so they could take the company public against the Wayne’s wishes. Just saying.

[@sammarlone4891]

Loved the video! Matpat, could you please do a theory on how many people turned into zombie's in All Of Us Are Dead? I would really appreciate it if you could do this idea!

[@venusstars2979]

His content is always so fun to watch. It's clear that he puts his heart and soul into these videos and it definitely pays off. Keep up the great work!

[@ayyyayay]

3 videos a week + gtlive, im surprised he still hasnt felt burnout yet

[@hologaster]

@@ayyyayay well… four channels for four different topic. It is hard to be burntout

[@AiluridaeAureus]

I won't lie, it is entertaining. It's more of when he says something really stupid, and then refuses to back down on that statement until half the fanbase is yelling at him for it. And then he makes snarky jokes about it that half-sound self deprecating, but mostly just come off as a passive aggressive "I still think I'm right, you're all stupid for disagreeing, I'm just pretending to admit I'm wrong, for money."

[@AiluridaeAureus]

@@hologaster Yeah, if anyone thinks four is a lot, they've never seen Simon Whistler.

[@ayyyayay]

@@AiluridaeAureus same thoughts, i find him entertaining but he hella flawed i just ignore it (unless he crossed a line where i lose all respect for him) and not take his theories seriously anymore

[@Loreweavver]

Always liked the idea that Mister Reese was “mysteries” and he was going to be Riddler in the third movie.

[@kevinw712]

well, yes and no. The executive was most certainly named as a Riddler sort of easter egg, but this wasn't really intended as a proper set up for him. Even taking it into account how Nolan's broader ideas for the final film likely changed upon Heath Ledger's death, obviously that guy was in the cast for TDK since the beginning. They were not going to have an actor of that guy's level (no offense to him) as a major villain in a trilogy ending movie.

[@carolfolau6799]

I love how he changed his intro depending on what the video is on it’s so cool

[@davebaconusa1062]

According to Legal Eagle, Batman's illegal mass sonar surveliance carries a wayyyy bigger sentance than all of Joker's homicides, armed thefts, and terroristic actions. "I, am, Irony."

[@adriannaa545]

For anyone who wants to learn more about how billionaires like Batman are able to evade illegal actions, watch the Patriot Act on Netflix (though its accessible on youtube). There's an episode that explains how billionaires exploit their financial influences and this film theory episode really reminded me of the show.

[@SP-xy2lv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ_OaYZmbLScrMU Finally ..

[@Sparkster911]

Man, the bots are going to town on this. Anyway, that sounds like interesting show, might have to give it a watch!

[@rickeybernard8156]

I miss that show.

[@bigant8221]

Only Matpat can really look into Batman's credit card

[@coolnerdlll6053]

A BAT CREDIT CARD?!

[@spocto4514]

What's the number just curious

[@kodumsmith]

It’s a true skill

[@cocoawarrior8912]

Somebody has to. Batman pays superman's salary haha

[@theworkoutmusic8908]

You are right

[@Surkit914]

The dialog in Batman Begins sounds like he did the opposite of Insider Gifting that you describe. It sounds like he had the charity buy the stock and then funnel it to him, or he controls it as a charity board member. But overall, great video MatPat and crew!

[@redjirachi1]

The only two things that can unite Batman and Joker is their hatred of The Batman That Laughs, and their fear of the IRS

[@Totenske]

Just for anyone that doesn't know, the guy that "Defends" the everyday people, wanted to blackmail Lucius and Bruce, i think that is something important to forget to tell the audience. Plus he's the riddler soooo yeahhhh, i don't think he's gonna save anyone PS: Lucius is the best character in that movie

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

Yea I also noticed Mat not mentioning that, I thought he was joking

[@Totenske]

@@pkmntrainerred4247 I would like to think that, but MatPat has really dissapointed me with his latest theorys, so i don't what to think if its a joke or not

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

@@Totenske Disappointed? I did not find anything much disappointing in his theories recently, but I guess everyone has their different tastes so ok ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Yea IK he has some flaws & does the thing where he outright ignores facts but its more rarer than before now, tho I think if he wasn`t joking he did that again with the thing you mentioned, tho fortunately it doesn`t affect the theory)

[@Totenske]

@@pkmntrainerred4247 I wasn't dissapointed with this theory, i am refering to the one about fnaf (The latest one), sorry for the confusion.

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

@@Totenske Oooooh, so you were referring to his recent game theories on FNAF. I personally want the theory of all of them being Aftons united & finally getting a lovely epilogue to their story to be true but yea his theory on Gregory`s real identity is... a bit far fetched (even without the stuff about Gregory bleeding some people used to counter the theory) so someone being disappointed isn`t a surprise or wrong. I knew you weren`t talking about this one tho, also its ok. We all do that sometimes.

[@spidermomo3315]

Film theory, game theory, and good theory. All those channels are great and thank you for the daily content it brings a smile to my face

[@allencantcap1977]

Typo

[@SuperCrazyfin]

Food*

[@leovaldez680]

Good theory?

[@jameslikesstrangerthingsan37]

You mean “food” theory ?

[@watsoncouch3800]

@@leovaldez680 yeah, that’s all the theories that were right

[@Marissa_J]

Brilliant video, I've recently found this channel and I love it. Only one thing: Punchline isn't the HQ replacement, there's no romantic interest there. No, she's the Jokers protege. Other than that, superb analysis.

[@bubbles5704]

It makes me curious about a few more heroes who use high-tech gadgets with seemingly no oversight. One in particular that keeps coming to mind is The Flash in the CW series…. He works with a team who comes up with metahuman cures, advanced firefighting gear, etc. In addition to intentionally recreating incidents like the Particle Accelerator explosion with seemingly endless funding, no independent oversight, very minimal ethical standards, etc. How about the avoided damages for the creation of metahumans? I feel like The Flash television show would definitely be worth a look by Film Theory

[@mattmalave7129]

So what I'm hearing is that the writers could have completely avoided this by keeping the company funded by private equity but made it publicly traded then had to dig themselves out of a hole. Everyone reads Batman comics because they want to read about fictional fraud. Keep up the good work DC

[@gargax3925]

If only MatPat knew that in the comics Batman pays for education and healthcare all over Gotham for everyone, as well as fund the poverty-stricken areas of Gotham.

[@hiddendesire3076]

And runs rehabilitation programs for criminals and henchmen, even clearing their current warrants with the law in order to help the former criminals and henchmen turn their lives around snd get them on steady paths. Sure some might go “Oh but it is for his company or subsidiaries”. Yeah, and? Many would look at those felons and criminals and refuse them. Former Joker henchman who helped with a chemical attack or something? What chances would they have elsewhere? He gives them a chance.

[@sidb9540]

There is one BIG FACTOR this theory misses when it comes to assessing the crime and Punishment time... It does not account for all the good that Bruce did as "Batman" ... that should bring his time down by quite a bit

[@metazoxan2]

Also the thing is Batman just has ... apparently infinite money as he funds his buisness, donates to the poor, AND funds his batman activities. Like the fact he can do all of that is complete nonsense but we just accept it anyway.

[@ronanhalpin5085]

You should make a film theory video discussing which family would win in a fight - the family madrigal (encanto) or the incredibles. We’ve been discussing it and I think that would be a great video idea.

[@leebenjaminvaldez7984]

Batman has never been a traditional “good guy” super hero though. That’s part of his character, the struggle between doing the good thing and the necessary thing.

[@lincolngaffney9785]

My main question is why would he take the company public after becoming Batman. Since if it’s a private company that type of stuff would be much more manageable legally

[@StarryEyed0590]

If I remember correctly, the board had already started that process before Bruce returned to Gotham and he wasn't able to stop it

[@ericpeterson8732]

@@StarryEyed0590 started that process- while he was declared dead. Legally, he could have filed an injunction to block it given the board did it while he was indisposed. But that would have opened him up to nosey questions like where have you been, what have you been up to? He could have done it, but it would have interfered with his lazy playboy act.

[@Gumby518]

I appreciate how Totally Not Mark has distinguished between the many iterations of Bruce Wayne. I'm curious how this theory holds up against the Pattinson Bruce Wayne. He's quite different than Bale, who was Matt's main focus.

[@Gamer-jv8bl]

Thanks for the welcome back!

[@Armocalypsis]

You know, you’re right, for the most case, in the financial crimes department. The only itty bitty little thing you’re not counting in is that if Batman didn’t embezzle all that money, the universe would have literally ceased to exist in any of the like half a dozen Crises (big C) that Batman has personally helped stop. I can’t think of a single thing that would tank the stock prices of Wayne Enterprises more. So I think there’s a case to be made for Batman’s toys being a sound business investment for the other shareholders too. The next time the League of Shadows, or Darkseid, or the Joker, or whoever else demolishes the US government, they might be willing to not prosecute the financial crimes of the person who is in large part directly and personally responsible for practical counterintelligence of the entire planet.

[@Merennulli]

I think it's a symptom of the slow slide into realism comic books have had. Corrupt cops have been introduced, enemies with the same or better tech as Batman, government agencies that are well aware of his activities and have either chosen to look the other way or actively cover for Bruce Wayne so long as he's useful...and increasingly, competent good cops, competent good government agents, and government oversight of superheroes that is no longer universally bad. There is no real world Batman because any single US soldier with prep time beats a real world Batman. The things that make him special rather than just a rich kid with gadgets - Batman's indomitable, genius intellect and other non-wealth and non-training powers - are no more real than Superman's ability to pull planets with a chain or Flash's ability to outrun the speed of light on foot. As the comic industry tries to make things more real, the question arises of why does it need to be Batman doing these things rather than some above board organization with oversight and public accountability. Of course, at that point you just have normal drama rather than a superhero story, but that's the problem with trying to make fantasy like superhero stories "realistic".

[@tomboyangel78]

Makes me think of what Alfred said in "The Dark Knight Rises", about Bruce using his money to actually help the city, rather than continuing on the vigilante route. He didn't just want Bruce to move on and live his life, he wanted him to stop being as criminal as the rest of Gotham.

[@kluevo]

The funny thing is, in at least one batman comics timeline, Bruce's charities are exactly for helping the city by helping out homeless and jobless. There was also that comic where batman enters the HQ of a villain and plays a tape of Bruce offering jobs/rehabilitation to any goon who is willing to turn over a new leaf.

[@hiddendesire3076]

@@kluevo Its more than just one of the comic timelines, a number of them and the same for the tv shows, including a case where he talks down an entire group of henchmen, directs them towards the wayne industries rehab program, and even attends the ceremonies for the former henchmen who are turning their lives around.

[@andrewproductions3597]

For your next film theories, could you do one on the science of the storm in the Final Countdown and one on there being multiple versions of the Polar Express?

[@CatLover-zm9rk]

He could also use P.O. Boxes at shipping stores or the postal service as well.

[@iambornstellar117]

I love how realistic the Dark Knight movies were. BTW, Coleman Reese would've been the real hero if he didn't admit he was willing to get paid to keep Bruce's finances secret.

[@darkdragon9921]

"Who always pays their taxes?" "Not Batman!" -Lego Batman Movie

[@XXStrong1]

Based Batman

[@xillos768]

The Arkham Game Series’s Riddler has a taped patient interview in Arkham Asylum where he has a violent fit where he accuses Batman of being the villain, by questioning where Batman gets all of his money for his “shiny new toys”. And also accuses Batman of bribing Gordon. The Riddler was so close to making this theory, all he needed was the identity of the Batman.

[@historyhub5389]

Considering the crimes that Bruce is committing are ultimately for the greater good, I’m sure that he wouldn’t be prosecuted. He may be embezzling people but he is also saving lives

[@NoraNekos7]

I don't think that's how it works. Not in real life at least

[@Kazuma11290]

I don't... I don't see the conflict here. You're just calling Batman a vigilante (a civilian who commits crime for public safety)... Like, yeah, we should know this. It's one of his nicknames; The Masked Vigilante. Almost every superhero is a vigilante. It's kinda the whole thing.

[@akashbeh4856]

No, a vigilante is someone who punishes criminals without being one of the police. Vigilanteism is legal in some places

[@DeadPizza]

@@akashbeh4856 some

[@micahbirdlover8152]

@@akashbeh4856 true ☝️

[@elvisluk1284]

Gotham is a imaginary place, inspired by detroit. So it might be a place where people can be vigilantes

[@Kazuma11290]

@@elvisluk1284 All I'm saying is that if vigilantism is legal then there's no point in having police. It's just vigilantism with extra steps.

[@julianschnepp7168]

Can we get a follow up on how he should run a vigilante career? Actually let's do it for ironman too and also why not put them on a budget for heroing.

[@twiceshy9773]

this is kinda what happened to Buffy- she and her slayers end up as bankrobbers to fund their vigilante vampirekiller lifestyle🤷‍♀️

[@EpicGamerLPs11]

7:01 way to use a pirating website to pull a simple cover from

[@pathwaytousername]

Matpat: Roasts a movie at the very beginning for its low-effort production Matpat 2 seconds later: Yeah but let's investigate the lore of it anyways

[@michaelmorelli7954]

As a CPA I must say y'all did a great job explaining insider trading, insider gifting, and embezzlement. One small detail I will now though is that Enron went defunct in 2001 and not 2011. A small detail missed but otherwise a great explanation

[@nikhilpranav6915]

One question, does Nancy Pelosi and other senators get away with it because the part of the government that is supposed to punish insider trading is paid for by congress?

[@shadybanana6553]

@@nikhilpranav6915 dude hes an accountant why are you asking him these stuff he ain't gonna know.

[@nikhilpranav6915]

@@shadybanana6553 I mean, his comment deals with how Mat did a great job of explaining these things, and plus, if the senators couldn9get arrested, copying their stock portfolio would basically be a guaranteed profit on the stock market.

[@CaptainBill22]

"Punching under-privileged goons" What kind of nonsense is that? Not being born with a silver spoon in your mouth does not grant you license or immunity to the consequences of your bad life choices. If you want to be unnamed henchman #12, you don't get to complain when someone dressed up like a bat breaks your nose.

[@rns01111]

But goons shouldn't have to fear vigilante justice should they? Yeah they should do the time in jail but should they be punched by a vigilante?

[@relogiodeprata6413]

@@rns01111 they should not be goons either, but they are.

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

@@rns01111 they shouldn't be goons at all. And batman, at this point, is basically a legal crime fighter anyway. Superheroes have been around since the 40s, I'm sure he and the rest of the justice league are endorsed by their respective cities

[@wrightchris7337]

Thank you. Can't even call a criminal a criminal anymore

[@barbiquearea]

We need a Batman to put all those BLM looters in their place.

[@darkwaugh6086]

The line you said before hello Internet welcome to game theory was smooth

[@pizzaninja2408]

Minor Spoilers for the newest Batman movie. Can’t wait for the theory on why Riddler was right

[@CelestialSorceress]

Yeah but this really depends on the universe, I agree with the dark knight not being good but some batmans do more good like ones who saves the universes

[@alexandersmith7061]

Yeah, dark Knight Batman isn’t a great Batman. Tbf, tho, Nolan literally said that if you change The names and costumes, his Batman characters are just oc’s

[@amelyacooper9094]

My accounting major heart is happy with this theory. Great job MatPat!

[@m1gr4ines]

Watch out, MatPat. Batman will be visiting you're house tonight.

[@Bleplar]

He does steal, he doesn't pay taxes. Where do your taxes go? To him. He is indirectly stealing from you. What a brat

[@thelazygamer2195]

I unironically love Batman and Robin. It’s so, so goofy and it reminds me of the good days of the 1966 Adam West’s Batman.

[@thelazygamer2195]

Jesus Christ 5 bots… Edit: *make that 6 bots.*

[@Ladykameal]

I agree with you

[@chro.]

8:40 matpat, that sound was sus dude, chill it’s just stock driving

[@sofiaborr1719]

could u make a video on how the zombie virus was contained to just las vagas in army of the dead?? i don’t know how many clues there are to how it was, but i’d love you hear your take on it!

[@Elohist2009]

I have to believe you tried to fit a Two-Face pun in that intro but just couldn’t stick it😮‍💨

[@MistaJ28]

Oh yeah Batman is stole something from me. He stole my *heart*

[@alucard2821]

I have a question for the venom movie •Can venom revive the dead or was eddie just close to death? •Can venom reattach a human head and make it functional again? •Can venom make you immortal like healing your wounds and stopping your aging? •Can venom make you young again? •What did carnage meant when he said power up when eating the priest head can it mean eating human brains not only is a food source but can make symbiotes stronger? •Does eating other symbiotes do you get stronger,get some or all of their powers?

[@abdullahasifnawaz7191]

Eddie was close. No. No. No. Eating food makes you stronger genius. You get no powers cuz it's literly just cannabolism.

[@sonicinfinity1871]

Pretty sure he was just close to death. Venom can give a person a healing factor.

[@butacrusader]

what about a theory on how tall godzilla actually is? They always say about 100 meters nowadays but he seems a lot larger

[@dangerbug3181]

You should do a video on a series of unfortunate events,it's really good and there's alot of mystery and hidden stories behind the story we get (it's on Netflix if you want to watch it)

[@vector6587]

every time i head “hello internet, welcome to *film theory*” my day gets instantly better

[@mcapps1]

Who's to say he's not using his profits from his controlling portion of the company? Not to mention that you're pointing out things that Bruce took from his company when he fully owned it. So you've basically debunked yourself.

[@n_o1166]

@A B your forgetting he's a fictionalized character not modeled after capitalists, you're thinking of Lex Luthor

[@creatureswalkway8031]

"what are your super powers again?" "I'm *rich* ."

[@metallord6960]

Hey, I've got a theory idea for you. The roadrunner from the cartoon has the speed force.

[@esaande6935]

Ya know, it's entirely likely that the Batman lives in a world where the laws regarding corporate financing are very different from the real world. Even in the real world there are many ways to do a great many things that quite questionable but still legal. Bruce Wayne isn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination, so it's likely he'll figure out a way to do it legally, despite what you think Matt. Joker and his girlfriend speculating regarding Wayne's financing of Batman proves nothing ....

[@metazoxan2]

Even in the real world a CEO can TECHNICALLY do whatever he wants with company funding as long as it has no real effect on the company. As long as employees are payed and contracts are fulfilled the rest is up to the owners discretion. Of course in reality funding multimillion dollar gadgets would VERY MUCH affect the company's bottom line. But it's comics so that doesn't happen so he's in the clear for having an inpossible amount of disposable income in the company.

[@voodoodolll]

@@metazoxan2 Didn't Elon Musk just buy twitter for like 44 billion? A few million to people like that doesn't change the bottom line