Would Wonka Industries live up to its page-turning hype in the modern age? Could the Daily Planet stand the test of digital transformation with Clark Kent under its employ? Which superhero business would reign supreme – Stark Industries or Wayne Enterprises?

Answering these questions is tricky, however. Books, TV series and movies offer lack-lustre financial and market details. The business world – unless it’s the focus of the story – isn’t expanded on. So, how would we know where to start in our endeavour to rank them among real-life companies?

Paymentsense found a solution. It assigned 25 of the most famous fictional companies a real-life representative to estimate revenue. Wonka Industries, for example, was compared to Mars, which has a revenue of £26.73 billion.

You’ll be happy to know – or not, depending on whose “side” you’re on – that Stark Industries rakes in more money than Wyne Enterprises. It’s not hard to see why.

The revenue estimate for Stark Industries was taken from Lockheed Martin, an aerospace, defence and advanced technologies company. It too focuses on clean energy solutions – one of the reasons why Stark has managed to scale the company.

Stark sticks to his company’s guns. While he no longer sells weapons, he provides SHIELD with armour and vehicles. But he also managed to position the company in a more ethical light, now known for his efforts in clean technology.

The man knows all about handling tricky PR situations, using his charm and getting ahead of press before things get worse. Essentially, he admits to mistakes quickly – and works tirelessly on improving his gadgets.

But Stark Industries is by no means the frontrunner of Paymentsense’s revenue-ranked list. It barely makes the top five. Instead, Monty Python’s Very Big Corporation sits in top spot with a revenue worth £175.13 billion. Based off Apple, the company has its fingers in numerous tech pies.

Numerous – oddly named – companies sit under its umbrella. From what we can tell, the corporation specialises in space technologies, computer infrastructure, travel and wine. The organisation is, indeed, very big. And while Apple hasn’t delved into the wine business, it has certainly become synonymous with technological innovation.

I dare say management based their acquisitions on what customers wanted. Like Apple, it has managed to monopolise its industry.

Monsters Inc, in comparison, ranked last – it should probably have kept to scaring children. The concept was obviously more profitable.

You can find the top ten fictional companies based on revenue below. For the full 25, visit Paymentsense’s interactive chart.

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