What if your favourite superheroes had to buy insurance? (Hint: It would be very expensive)

We all love superheroes. They’re brave, powerful, and heroic. They fight evil, protect the innocent, and save the world. But have you ever wondered how much it would cost them to buy insurance?

Superheroes may have superpowers, but they also have super liabilities. They cause a lot of collateral damage, injure themselves and others, and face many risks and threats. They’d need a lot of insurance to cover their assets, liabilities, and lives.

But how much would it cost them to buy insurance? And where would they find an insurer willing to cover them? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular superheroes and their insurance needs.

Superman

Superman is the most powerful superhero of all. Some of his abilities are flying, shooting lasers from his eyes, lifting mountains and he’s bulletproof. He’s also very responsible because he tries to minimise the damage he causes and help the people who are affected by his actions.

But even Superman can’t avoid causing some damage. Buildings, bridges and roads break or crumble accidentally when he fights his enemies. When he exposes himself to his only weakness, kryptonite, it can harm him and anyone near him.

Superman would need insurance to protect his home, the Fortress of Solitude, his glasses, his suit, and other belongings. To cover the damage he may cause to other people’s buildings and the injuries he may cause, he would need liability insurance.

How much would it cost him to get insured? A lot. Superman would need to pay about R1.4 billion per year for his insurance, (we’re guessing, he is fictional after all.)

Spider-Man

Spider-Man is the friendly neighbourhood superhero. Swinging from webs, climbing walls and sensing danger are some of his abilities. He’s a young and broke college student, who struggles to balance his superhero duties and his personal life.

Spider-Man doesn’t cause a lot of damage, but he still faces a lot of risks. The Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and Venom often fight with him. Buildings, lamp posts, traffic lights and the billboards he swings from often gets damaged. Mary Jane, his girlfriend, and his aunt May also gets injured because of him.

He’d need insurance to protect his apartment. His camera and suit would need to be insured under portable possessions. Liability insurance is needed to cover any other damage to public property and injuries to the public.

How much would it cost him to get insured? Spider-Man would need to pay about R160 million per year for his insurance. That’s more than he can afford with his part-time job as a photographer.

Batman

Batman is the dark knight of Gotham City. He’s a billionaire and a genius with 0 superpowers, but he has a lot of cool gadgets like the Batmobile, the Batwing and his Batsuit. With these gadgets he likes to fight crime, corruption and madness like the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler.

He causes a lot of damage, but he pays for it. His huge company, Wayne Enterprises, funds his superhero activities and repairs the damage he causes. Alfred, his loyal butler, takes care of his personal needs and his health.

To protect his mansion and his cave, he’d need insurance. He’d need portable possessions insurance for his gadgets and comprehensive car insurance for the Batmobile. Don’t forget about liability insurance to cover the damage to other people’s buildings and the injuries to other people.