Let’s face it: being a superhero in today’s fast-paced economy is so expensive. And watching your billionaire parents get murdered to inherit their wealth is so hard. There has to be an easier way! Italian artist Roberto Vergati Santos came up with a solution with his “Sponsored Heroes” photoshop series. In it, he imagines a world where superheroes turn to corporations for a needed influx of cash.
It may seem odd for Nike to be sponsoring Batman (just do it) or for Iron Man to be lovin’ it. They don’t need the money, after all. But it makes perfect sense that Monster Energy would sponsor the Hulk, Red Bull would sponsor The Flash, and Microsoft would sponsor Galactus. In fact, we’re pretty sure the “Bing” sound is the last thing you hear before your planet is consumed.
Santos used art from Admira Wijaya, Jim Lee, David Finch, Alex Ross, Derek Laufman, Ryan Meinerding, Alex Maleev, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Carlo Pagulayan, Jorge Pepelife, Adi Granov, and Phil Noto to create his sponsored superheroes. Our favorites are collected below, and you can view the rest at Behance. Thanks to Gizmodo for the assist.