The Danny Phantom cartoon can be read in sorts of ways (the queer/trans and neurodivergent readings in particular are fascinating) but I want to give it a look from another lens that I think may have been neglected a bit: Class.
Danny Fenton bears more than a passing resemblance to one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man. The show itself could be called Spider-Man + Ghostbusters, though over time it developed enough of its lore to be its own thing. But the similarities to Spider-Man can’t be dismissed. The protagonist, like Peter, has a secret identity that he is dedicated to maintaining; the civilian persona is known as an unpopular child with interest in science while the hero persona is confident and witty. Danny is picked on by Dash Baxter, who is clearly a counterpart to Flash Thompson. Danny is a teenager, just like Peter was when he started in the Earth 616 Marvel universe (meaning, the same Marvel universe that he’s existed in since his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15). Danny’s nemesis Vlad Masters/Plasmius could be considered a Lex Luthor reference but he also shares some traits with Spider-Man’s own Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. And neither hero has had the best relationship with the press (see when Danny Phantom was constantly in headlines on in universe newspapers insisting he did things like attack the mayor and Spider-Man's history with J. John Jameson).
But there’s one rather prominent difference between the two. Spider-Man is notorious for being the hero with money problems. Ranging from needing funds to pay for things like spidersuits, web fluid, or supporting his elderly Aunt May, Peter Parker has become one of the superhero genre’s working class icons. These things even go back to the early issues from the Lee/Dikto run that took place in high school (which was very brief because heroes, at the time, roughly aged in real time).
In comparison, Danny Fenton has no obvious monetary concerns. Finances seem to not be a problem for the Fentons (probably because both Jack and Maddie are middle age rather than elderly), based on the property they own (not to mention all the inventions and the giant OPs center). So Danny also uses gadgets but his parents never seem to struggle to pay for things like lab equipment, especially things needed to keep their Ghost Zone portal from exploding. It's mentioned in canon that the Fenton parents sell their inventions, and based on how well they work, it's not surprising that they are financially successful. Combine that with Jack and Maddie both having been to college and it’s clear the Fentons are middle class.
This middle class status also applies to most of the characters met in the series itself. For example, one of Danny’s friends, Tucker Foley, is shown to live with both parents in a house they’re implied to own (one of the best clues to class status is whether you own or rent your property) and he never seems to miss out on some of the latest PDAs or other technology. His other best friend, Sam Manson, is even shown to be somewhat wealthy. None of the other students at Casper High are implied to be working class except, perhaps, Valerie Gray after she and her father have to move into a small apartment and Valerie takes a part-time job at the Nasty Burger to raise money for college. Even in Valerie’s case, it seems more like karma for the snobby upper middle class girl turned ghost hunter and her father, Damon (who may or may not have been responsible for the death of security dogs like Cujo is heavily implied to be). One thing I think is worth noting is the importance of the C. A. T. from The Ultimate Enemy. While the point regarding that is Danny’s choice to cheat, other than Jack Fenton, it’s not really challenged in the episode just how much influence a person’s score on that test can have on your future. And performance on those sorts of tests can also be influenced by class status (working class or poor kids might not have the same access to tutors or the same amount of time to study).
None of this is a problem but it makes it an interesting thing to look at, especially in regards to the plots that the show takes on. For example, how frequently would Danny or his friends be able to eat out, see movies, have family vacations to other parts of the country, or play the latest video games if money was tight in their households? What kind of quality Fenton tech could have been produced? How easily would Sam have stuck to her ultra recyclo-vegetarianism or kept up with Goth fashion if she were working class? How would Tucker adjust to not being able to potentially afford to buy a new PDA if his got broken?
The show does have some other things that have some implications about class. Vlad Masters is a billionaire and is shown to have acquired his fortune by using his ghost powers in evil ways. The Mansons, despite their money, choose to send Sam to a public school.
I am only speculating but I believe part of why things seem so easily affordable is due to the show coming out before the 2008 financial crisis, which laid bare the economic inequalities of modern America. And, of course, it just may not have been an issue the show wanted to bring up that much since they didn’t have an obvious character to rep this issue the way Sam did for animal rights or her own brand of feminism.
Regardless, the show was still pretty good. It at the very least did a good job of making things feel like a proper power fantasy since unlike my parents (though I didn't learn this until after the show ended), the major families tended to lack financial difficulties.
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