GOTHAM – A local man who said he’s tired of the city’s rampant crime said he’s willing to take up Batman’s cowl if the world’s billionaires would chip in financially.

Batman is a fictional superhero and the alter ego of billionaire Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises; he first appeared in 1939 in DC Comics’ 27th issue of Detective Comics.

“Look, I may be outta shape and have some bad knees, but something needs to be done about the supervillains and gangbangers ruining this city,” said Frank Verrillo, the would-be Batman. “I’m willing to do it but I can barely afford a bag of groceries, let alone a fancy utility belt or spandex outfit.”

Verrillo also said he’s discouraged by the fact there are 2,640 billionaires in the world with a total net worth of $12.2 trillion and none of them are willing to step up and use their money to help the little guy.

“Bruce Wayne had a net worth of $9.2 billion and used that wealth to protect the men, women, and children of this city,” said Verrillo. “It’s disgusting to think of how many people are living in the lap of luxury and do nothing but increase their wealth while so many people are struggling to survive.”

According to Forbes, there are 206 billionaires around the world who have more net worth than Bruce Wayne. If each of them donated about $95 million to Verrillo, he could achieve his superhero goal, financially. Likewise, if all 2,640 billionaires donated approximately $3.5 million, that goal could also be achieved.

“I don’t think it’s really a financial issue,” said Marcus Freud, a concerned citizen. “If the billionaires wanted to protect the people, they could do it. It’s an issue of power. They don’t want a caped crusader running around the city stopping all the nefarious activities funding their empires.”

Verrillo tried to set up meetings with billionaires such as Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos to discuss his initiative to fund a group of superheroes who could assist law enforcement and first responders around the country, an initiative he’s passionately dubbed The Justice Coalition. His requests were met with no reply.

“I even went as far as trying to get on the next season of Shark Tank,” said Verrillo. “I was told it wasn’t a viable business pitch, which really pissed me off. Bureaucracy has tied up our law enforcement and a well-funded vigilante corps could relieve a lot of stress on these departments.”

Supporters of The Justice Coalition believe an unbiased vigilante stalking the streets of major metropolitan areas would also reduce the number of issues resulting from systemic racism by freeing up the resources to provide better training and more thorough background checks on potential recruits.

Not everyone is convinced, however.

“I don’t like the idea of someone outside the law taking it into their own hands,” said Jim Gordon, Gotham City Police commissioner. “This department may have its issues but at the end of the day we have to be held accountable for what we do. Who will hold this vigilante accountable for what he or she does? This whole idea is reckless.”

Verrillo set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his campaign for justice, hoping his actions can inspire others to take up arms against crime in their own cities. He’s currently raised $4.50 out of his $9.4 billion goal thanks to a donation from his mother.

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