Alfred Pennyworth

Alfred Pennyworth
Cover of Batman 686 (March 2009 DC Comics), art by Alex Ross (Variant)
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman #16 (April–May 1943)
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger Jerry Robinson
In-story information
Full name	Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth
Supporting character of	Batman Robin
Notable aliases	Thaddeus Crane, Thaddeus Middleton, The Eagle, Outsider

Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character who appears throughout the DC Universe. The character first appears in Batman #16 (April–May 1943), and was created by writers Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Bruce Wayne's tireless valet, assistant, butler, confidant, best friend, and surrogate father figure. In modern interpretations, this has gone to the point where Alfred was Bruce's legal guardian following the death of his parents. He has sometimes been called "Batman's batman." Alfred also provides comic relief, as his sometimes sarcastic and cynical attitude often adds humor to dialogue occurring between himself and Batman. Alfred is a vital part of the Batman mythos, and appears in most other media adaptations of the character.

The character has been consistently popular over the years, having received a nomination for the R.A.C. Squiddy Award for Favorite Supporting Character in 1994 and for Best Character in 2001. Alfred was also nominated for the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Supporting Male Character in 1994.

In non-comics media, the character has been portrayed by noted actors William Austin, Alan Napier, Michael Gough, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Ian Abercrombie, and Michael Caine, and will next be played by Sean Pertwee and Jeremy Irons.

Fictional character biography

Alfred in his first appearance as an overweight, bumbling detective.

When Alfred first appeared, he was overweight and clean-shaven; however, when the 1943 Batman serial was released, William Austin, the actor who played Alfred, was trim and sported a thin moustache. DC editors wanted the comic Alfred to resemble his cinematic counterpart, so in Detective Comics #83 (January 1944), Alfred vacationed at a health resort, where he slimmed down and grew a mustache. This look has remained with the character ever since, even surviving his "death" and resurrection.

Alfred was originally conceived as a comedic foil for Batman and Robin. In most early tales, he made bungling attempts to be a detective on a par with the young masters. He was given a four-page feature of his own, and the feature lasted thirteen issues, skipping Batman #35, with the last story in Batman #36. The stories followed a simple formula with Alfred somehow managing to solve a crime and catch the culprits entirely by accident. After that, the comedic aspects of the character were downplayed.

Pre-Crisis

The Pre-Crisis comics (the comics that were published by DC Comics between 1938 and 1986) established Alfred as a retired actor and intelligence agent who followed the deathbed wish of his dying father Jarvis Pennyworth to carry on the tradition of serving the Wayne family. To that end, Alfred introduced himself to Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson at Wayne Manor and insisted on becoming their valet. Although the pair did not want one, especially since they did not want to jeopardize their secret identities with a servant in the house, they did not have the heart to reject Alfred.

Initially, Alfred discovered their identities by accident; while fighting a burglar in Batman #16 (Alfred's first appearance), he accidentally hit a switch and opened a sliding panel leading to the Batcave. He is helpful to the duo, following them to a theatre where they are captured, bound and gagged by a criminal gang, and rescues them after Batman attracts his attention by knocking a rope down before the crooks return. This was revised in Batman #110 (September 1957); during his first night at Wayne Manor, Alfred awoke to moaning and followed the sound to the secret passage to the staircase leading to the Batcave and met his would-be employers in their superhero identities. As it turned out, the wounds were actually insignificant, but Alfred's care convinced the residents that their butler could be trusted. Since then, Alfred included the support staff duties of the Dynamic Duo on top of his regular tasks.

Ironically, Alfred's loyalty would lead him to become a member of Batman's rogue's gallery. While pushing Batman and Robin out of the way of a falling boulder, Alfred was seemingly killed in Detective #328 (June 1964). It was revealed in Detective #356 (October 1966) that he had been revived by a scientist named Brandon Crawford. His attempt at regeneration resulted in a dramatic change: Alfred awoke from his apparent death with pasty white skin with circular markings, superhuman powers, including telekinesis, and a desire to destroy Batman and Robin. Calling himself The Outsider, he indirectly battled the Dynamic Duo on a number of occasions, using others as his puppets – the Grasshopper Gang in Detective #334, Zatanna in Detective #336, and even the Batmobile itself in Detective #340 – and generally only appeared as a mocking voice over the radio. He did not physically appear in the comics until Detective #356, when he is bathed again in the rays of the regeneration machine during a struggle with Batman, and returns to normal, with no memory of his time as a supervillain. His time as the Outsider is collected in Showcase Presents: Batman Volumes 1 and 2.

Alfred was later reunited with his long-lost daughter, Julia Remarque, though this element was not included in Post-Crisis comics. Her mother was the DC war heroine Mademoiselle Marie, whom Alfred had met while working as an intelligence agent in occupied France during World War II.

Post-Crisis

In the Post-Crisis comics' continuity, Alfred has been the Wayne family valet all of Bruce's life, and had helped his master establish his superhero career from the beginning. In addition he was Bruce's legal guardian following the deaths of his parents. Alfred's history has been modified several times over the years, creating assorted versions. In one such version Alfred was hired away from the British Royal Family by Bruce's parents, and he virtually raised Bruce after they were murdered.

Meanwhile another version of Alfred's Post-Crisis life was slightly more closely linked to his pre-Crisis counterpart. In this version Alfred was an actor on the English stage, who agreed to become the Waynes' butler, only so as to honor the dying wish of his father. At the time he begins working for the Waynes, Bruce is but a young child. After several months, Alfred voices the desire to quit and return home to continue his life as an actor. However, these plans are momentarily forgotten when young Bruce returns home, after getting into a fight with a school bully. Alfred teaches Bruce to handle the bully strategically, rather than using brute force. Following Alfred's advice, Bruce manages to take care of his bully problem. Upon returning home, Bruce requests that Alfred stay, and Alfred agrees without a second thought. After the Waynes' murders, Alfred raises Bruce.

Alfred would later aid Bruce in raising Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake, all of whom would be adopted by Bruce Wayne and become his partner Robin. He also had close friendships with other members of the Bat-Clan including Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain. Alfred often acts as a father-figure to Bruce, and a grandfather to Dick, Jason, and Tim. He is also highly respected by those heroes who are aware of his existence, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the original Teen Titans.

Alfred has also been romantically linked to Dr. Leslie Thompkins, though his relationship with her never came to anything, particularly after she apparently allowed Stephanie Brown to die from neglect. He also developed feelings for Tim Drake's stepmother, but again, nothing came of it.

During the events of Knightquest, Alfred accompanies Wayne to England, and becomes enraged when Wayne insists on endangering his own health while paraplegic. This was the culmination of several weeks of Wayne's self-destructive behavior, and when Wayne returns to Gotham City, Alfred remains in England, tendering his resignation. He spends some time vacationing in Antarctica and The Bahamas before returning to England. Dick Grayson tracks him down several months later and convinces him to return to Wayne Manor. In that story, it was revealed he had walked out of his own wedding years earlier.

His resourcefulness came to the fore in the No Man's Land storyline, especially in Legends of the Dark Knight #118. Batman is missing for weeks, leaving Alfred alone to watch his city for him. He uses his skills as an actor, storyteller, medic, and spy to survive and collect information on the recently destroyed society. Alfred even uses hand-to-hand combat in a rare one-panel fight sequence between him and a pair of slavers that ends with his rescue by Batman.

In Batman #677, agents of Batman's mysterious enemy the Black Glove attack and beat Alfred in front of Bruce and Jezebel Jet, severely injuring him. In the same issue, a reporter from The Gotham Gazette suggests to Commissioner Gordon that Alfred may be Bruce's biological father, and that this may be a reason for the murder of Martha Wayne. Alfred later denies the entire story, agreeing with Bruce that it was a fabrication. In Batman and the Outsiders Special, Alfred is seen apologizing at the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne at the loss of Bruce, commenting that he grieves as a parent, regarding Bruce as his son. Later, a secret panel in Alfred's room opens, the result of a fail-safe planted by Bruce in the event of his death. Bruce leaves his one final task, and also gives him an emotional goodbye, telling Alfred he considered him as a father.

Alfred is left emotionally shattered, commenting more than once that, even if his biological fatherhood is a fabrication, in a deeper sense he actually was Bruce Wayne's father, having watched over him for years and feeling to have failed him in the last moments.

After the event of Final Crisis, when Batman was apparently killed in action, Alfred finds himself with the task of raising Bruce's biological son Damian with Grayson. Batman: Battle for the Cowl sees Alfred allowing Damian Wayne to take on his first mission as Robin, giving Damian a Robin tunic and calling on Squire to assist the new Boy Wonder in finding Tim Drake, who went missing hunting down Jason Todd. Alfred also assists Grayson in his role as Gotham's new Dark Knight.

After discovering that the original Batman was actually lost in time after his battle with Darkseid, Alfred immediately seeks clues of his whereabouts. Eventually, Bruce finds his way to the present. After Batman successfully expands his mission globally with Batman Inc., Bruce assumes full responsibility as a father and Alfred assists him in raising Damian.

The New 52

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), it is revealed that Alfred's father Jarvis Pennyworth was the butler of the Wayne family before Alfred when Bruce was still a child. Jarvis was blackmailed by the Court of Owls to set a trap for the pregnant Martha Wayne. Despite declining, the Court managed to cause a car accident that caused the child to be born prematurely and eventually to have died. Jarvis attempted to resign from his services and write a letter to his son in which he describes the manor as a cursed place, and tells Alfred that he should not begin his service under the Wayne family. However, Jarvis was unable to send it as he was murdered that night.

Other versions

Earth One

Alfred appears as a main character in Geoff Johns' and Gary Frank's Batman: Earth One. In this incarnation, Alfred was a member of the Royal Marines. Alfred met Thomas Wayne during a tour of duty in the Middle East and the two became good friends. During a battle, Alfred saved Thomas' life but lost his right leg in the process. It is also implied that both he and Thomas are keeping a traumatic secret. Discharged back to his home in London, Alfred received a gift from Thomas in the form of an otherwise very expensive prosthetic leg. He later traveled to Gotham City to visit his friend and found himself arriving on the night of a campaign party for Thomas' bid at the mayoral office. Afraid for his friend after hearing of the death threats on his life, Alfred tried to talk Thomas out of going to the movies with his wife and son, but Thomas refused to allow threats to keep him from enjoying his weekly movie night with Martha and Bruce.

Later that night, Alfred was called to the police station. Thomas and Martha had been killed by a mugger outside the theatre and Bruce had been orphaned. To Alfred's shock, he discovered that Thomas and Martha had named him Bruce's legal guardian some time ago. Unsure of himself, Alfred still made it his mission to look out for Bruce as he grew up.

When Bruce took on his costumed persona of Batman and began his war on crime, Alfred reluctantly took on the role of confidante and advisor, often telling Bruce to simply carry a gun instead of a belt full of untested gadgets. Alfred later saved Bruce's life by shooting Mayor Oswald Cobblepot.

Though Alfred introduced himself to the eight-year-old Bruce as his butler, it is obvious he was never serves as a manservant in the story otherwise as Bruce's guardian and mentor. He is also a skilled martial artist, and trains Bruce the combat skills he would eventually utilize as Batman. He has a daughter living in Seoul, South Korea with her mother, where Alfred had previously worked at a security firm, implying Julia Remarque's existence in this continuity.

All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder

In Frank Miller and Jim Lee's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, Alfred is a tougher individual with a different backstory. Following Batman's assault on the corrupt Gotham City police, who are readying to beat and probably kill the pre-Robin Dick Grayson, Alfred and Vicki Vale are caught in the devastating car wreckage Batman creates (not aware of their presence) and Vale is badly hurt. Alfred is seen, shirtless and muscled, applying a tourniquet and generally taking control of the situation. The boxouts in the frame describe him as having been a medic in the RAF and as ex-British Secret Service. Later in the series he is seen working out with a punching bag, again with a muscular physique, brooding about Bruce as "my DEMON — my black-eyed, brilliant, willful ANGEL".

Tangent Comics

Alfred makes a very brief appearance in the 1997 Tangent Comics One Shot Green Lantern in a story revolving around the Tangent versions of King Faraday and Roy Raymond. In this version Alfred Pennyworth is the head of a publishing empire that owned "The House Of Mystery".

Elseworlds

• Alfred appears in the Elseworlds series Superman & Batman: Generations. He serves the Wayne family before dying in 1967, but his spirit remains around to give Bruce advice. In Generations 2, he makes his final appearance in 1975, when he convinces the ghost of Dick Grayson not to kill the Joker. He manages to convince Dick to pass over, but in the process his own soul crosses over, meaning he cannot come back.

• In Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty, in a timeline where the Waynes were never killed, Alfred assists Bruce in investigating his parents' deaths when they apparently fall out of their penthouse (Revealed to have been done due to the influence of Vandal Savage's henchwoman the Scarecrone when the Waynes threatened his plan to acquire the meteor that gave him his powers). While studying available information on the meteor after Bruce determines its connection to events, Alfred discovers a record of the unusual energy reading it emits, but triggers a booby-trap that destroys Wayne Manor and kills him. Five centuries later, Bruce's descendant Brenda Wayne discovers a fragmented recording of Alfred and the energy reading that assists her in her own investigations into Savage's activities.

• Alfred plays a prominent role in the "Vampire Batman" trilogy where Batman is turned into a vampire to fight Dracula, forging Batman's weapons to use against the remaining members of Dracula's 'family' and subsequently working with Commissioner Gordon after Batman succumbs to his vampiric instincts and begins to kill his old enemies. At the conclusion of the trilogy, with Gordon being hunted by Two-Face and Killer Croc in the remains of the Batcave, Alfred sacrifices his life to allow Batman to drink his blood, giving his old master the strength to save Gordon and Gotham itself one last time before he allows himself to die to end the threat that he has become.

Earth-3

Main article: Outsider (comics) § The New 52

During the "Trinity War" event of The New 52, it is revealed that the leader of the Secret Society is Alfred from Earth-3 who serves Owlman of the Crime Syndicate of America.

Tiny Titans

Alfred appears in Tiny Titans, and often has to make Robin stand in the corner because he has misbehaved.

Name

Alfred introduced himself as the son of a butler named Jarvis in one of his early appearances, and the convention being that British butlers are known by their surnames, it was unclear whether Jarvis was his father's first or last name, the latter case which would have made Alfred's name Alfred Jarvis. Whether by coincidence or not, the name "Jarvis" was later used for the Avengers' butler, Edwin Jarvis, a character with many similarities to Alfred.

Alfred's name was later given officially as Alfred Beagle. This name was subsequently given to an alternative version of the character from the world of Earth-Two, and Pennyworth became Alfred's accepted surname in the mainstream continuity. Alfred has also used the alias "Thaddeus Crane", which is derived from his middle names. His full name of Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth was depicted on his tombstone in Superman/Batman: Generations.

The Beagle surname was brought back into continuity (post-Crisis on Infinite Earths but pre-Infinite Crisis) as Alfred's original name as an actor and Cold War spy. He adopted the "Pennyworth" surname after his brief intelligence career, based on a comment from his handler that his life was not even worth a penny (in reference to a cyanide pill concealed within a fake penny).

Grant Morrison's run has referred to the Beagle surname as a possible stage name.

In the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne leaves the residue of his estate to Alfred, listing him in the will as Alfred J. Pennyworth.

Family

• Jarvis: Alfred's father in both pre-Crisis and New 52 continuity.
• Mademoiselle Marie: A war heroine with whom Alfred (while working as an intelligent agent in France) has a daughter in pre-Crisis continuity.
• Julia Remarque: Alfred's daughter by Mademoiselle Marie.
• Wilfred Pennyworth: Alfred's brother, Wilfred is referenced in the late 1960s and early 1970s and is mentioned in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.
• Margaret Wilson née Pennyworth: Alfred and Wilfred Pennyworth's sister, in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.
• Daphne Pennyworth: Alfred Pennyworth's niece, daughter of Wilfred Pennyworth, Daphne briefly appeared in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
• Barbara Wilson: Alfred's niece, daughter of Margaret Wilson née Pennyworth in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.

Skills, resources, and abilities

A highly intelligent and resourceful man, Alfred runs the day-to-day operations of Wayne Manor and maintains much of the equipment of the Batcave beneath it. A former actor, he can use his acting and disguise skills to help Batman in the field when necessary, and is even capable of impersonating Bruce Wayne on the telephone convincingly. He has also provided first aid up to and including suturing wounds and removing bullets, as well as occasional tactical support. He is also able to perform arthroscopy and other advanced medical procedures, thus limiting, if not eliminating, the need for hospital medical treatment even in the face of grievous injuries. Nevertheless, Batman still requires professional medical treatment when Bane breaks his back (Batman: Knightfall) and Hush's machinations result in his suffering a skull fracture (Batman: Hush). On these occasions, Alfred admits that his own skills are inadequate for such medical procedures.

While not as skilled at martial arts as Bruce Wayne, Alfred is still nearly as resourceful. In one story in which he is kidnapped, he readily escapes and overcomes his captors without disturbing the cut of his suit. It was later mentioned that he had been kidnapped unsuccessfully 27 times (it should be noted, however, that these events take place in the Gotham Adventures comics, based on the animated adventures of Batman, and not within the standard DCU continuity). During Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, Ubu, Ra's al Ghul's musclebound bodyguard, attempts to use Alfred as a hostage, only to be disabled by a well timed sucker punch from Alfred.

Presumably due to his lack of superpowers, the advanced combat training Bruce's other associates have, and Alfred's age, Alfred is the only member of the "Batman Family" that Bruce does not mind using a firearm, in his case favoring a shotgun when dealing with direct attacks on his person.

In the 1960s TV series Batman, Alfred is portrayed as skilled in swordsmanship and archery. He also impersonates Batman in scenes where Batman and Bruce Wayne have to be seen together.

Current issues of the various Batman comics seem to indicate that Alfred is a pioneer in and has also mastered several fields of rose breeding (even creating his own, the "Pennyworth Blue"), computer programming, computer engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and biotechnology as he singlehandedly builds, programs, and maintains much of Batman's next-generational technology such as the Batcomputer.

In the Christopher Nolan film series, Alfred is a veteran of the British Army's elite Special Air Service, having served in the Malayan Emergency, Oman, Aden, Burma and Northern Ireland.

In other media

Television

Live action

File:Pennyworth.jpg

Alan Napier as Alfred in the Batman TV series.

• Alan Napier portrayed Alfred in the live-action TV series Batman starring Adam West and Burt Ward. However, the surname Pennyworth was never used.

• Ian Abercrombie portrayed Alfred in the short-lived live-action TV series Birds of Prey.

• Sean Pertwee will portray a younger Alfred in the Batman prequel series Gotham. Similar to his Earth One version, he will be portrayed as a former marine.

Animation

File:Alfred batman tas.png

Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series.

• Olan Soule voiced Alfred in the cartoon The Batman/Superman Hour.

• William Callaway voiceed Alfred Pennyworth in the Challenge of the Super Friends episode "Wanted: The Superfriends". He is among the male humans that get turned into a Bizarro.

• Alfred Pennyworth appears in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, voiced by Andre Stojka.

• Clive Revill voiced Alfred in the first three episodes (in production order) of Batman: The Animated Series, before he had to leave due to a previous commitment. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. voiced Alfred throughout the rest of Batman: The Animated Series as well as for the character's appearances in the various other series of the DC animated universe. This version of Alfred combines elements from pre-Crisis and post-Crisis continuities; Alfred has been serving the Wayne family since before Thomas Wayne's death and helped his young charge assume the Batman identity, but was also revealed to be a former agent for the British Intelligence Agency MI-6.

• The television series Batman Beyond takes place some time after Alfred had died. Alfred's ultimate fate in the DC animated universe, or even his disappearance, was never made clear, as Bruce never spoke in detail about it.

• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. reprises his role of Alfred Pennyworth in the Justice League episodes "Hereafter" and "Starcrossed."
• Zimbalist, Jr. also reprised the role in the Static Shock episode "Hard as Nails."

• Alastair Duncan voiced Alfred in the animated TV series The Batman. In this incarnation, Alfred's grandfather served Penguin's obnoxious family in England, but was mistreated and then fired. Also, Alfred is shown to be younger than his other depictions.

• Alfred Pennyworth is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by James Garrett. In "Invasion of the Secret Santas", Alfred appears in a non-speaking cameo in Batman's flashbacks. Alfred appears again in a non-speaking cameo in "Chill of the Night!". In "The Knights of Tomorrow", Alfred works on a book about the events depicted in the episode when Batman enters and mentions that Catwoman is on a crime spree. Alfred comments that Catwoman may one day be a good match for Batman.

A robot likeness of Alfred Pennyworth named Alpha-Red appears in "The Super-Batman of Planet X", voiced by James Arnold Taylor. He serves as the robotic butler of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.

• Alfred Pennyworth appears in the Young Justice episode "Downtime", voiced by Jeff Bennett. He comes out to check up on Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, who are playing a game of basketball. He is also seen briefly in the episode "Failsafe", taking refuge underground with many other civilians.

• Alfred Pennyworth appears as a main character Beware the Batman voiced by J. B. Blanc. In the series, he is portrayed as a former agent of MI-6, along with being Bruce Wayne's butler and bodyguard. He is also godfather to Katana. Unlike earlier portrayals, Alfred has a muscular physique and is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant. In the series premiere "Hunted," Alfred helps Batman into investigating the motives of Professor Pyg and Mister Toad where they have been capturing businesspeople that were behind a shady land deal involving the wetlands of Keystone Park here construction was being held. While he is outside of Wayne Manor, Alfred is tranquilized by Mister Toad at the time when they were targeting Bruce Wayne (who was an unwitting associate in the land deal). Alfred Pennyworth, Simon Stagg, and Michael Holt were then hunted by Professor Pyg and Mister Toad at the building construction. Alfred ends up injured when he saves Simon Stagg from one of Professor Pyg and Mister Toad's traps. While Batman fought Professor Pyg and Mister Toad, Michael Holt got Alfred and Simon out of the building. Knowing he won't be around forever, Alfred hires Tatsu Yamashiro to be Bruce's new valet and bodyguard. In "Broken," Alfred learns from Tatsu that she once infiltrated the League of Assassins where she had stolen the Soultaker Sword before it can be used. In "Family," Alfred confesses to Bruce about supporting Tatsu's harboring of the Soultaker Sword from the League of Assassins. Bruce orders the two of them to have their resignation done by the time he gets back from the A.R.G.U.S. Club. After Bruce Wayne is captured by Bethanie Ravencroft and Silver Monkey, Alfred helps Tatsu into rescuing him by using a rocket-based diversion so that Bruce Wayne can be rescued. Alfred was allowed back on Bruce Wayne's side and is present when Tatsu learns of Bruce Wayne being Batman with her passing his "final test."

Film

Live action

File:Gough as Alfred.jpg

Michael Gough as Alfred in the Burton/Schumacher film series.

• William Austin portrayed Alfred in the 1943 serial Batman. Austin's appearance influenced the change of Alfred's design from the original fat, clean shaven Alfred.

• Eric Wilton portrayed Alfred in the 1949 serial Batman and Robin.

• Alan Napier portrayed Alfred in the 1966 live-action film Batman, based on the 1960s TV series.

• Michael Gough portrayed Alfred in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman film series. In the fourth film, Batman & Robin, he has a niece named Barbara Wilson who becomes Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone). Gough also portrayed Alfred in a 1989 Diet Coke commercial, in the BBC radio-drama presentation of the "Knightfall" story arc from the Batman comics, and in a series of OnStar commercials featuring Batman.

• Michael Caine portrayed Alfred in the Christopher Nolan Batman film series.
  • In Batman Begins, Alfred becomes Bruce Wayne's legal guardian after the boy's parents are murdered by Joe Chill. When Bruce vanishes for seven years, he is declared dead by Wayne Enterprises' CEO William Earle in order to claim his shares, but this plan is thwarted because Bruce left everything to Alfred. After Bruce returns from his training in the League of Shadows, he tells Alfred that his goal is to become a symbol to frighten the criminals of Gotham City. Alfred helps Bruce arrange the order of the tools necessary for Bruce to become Batman, and encourages him to feign a social life to deflect attention from the idea that he could be Batman. When the League of Shadows attack Wayne Manor, Alfred saves Bruce when he is trapped under a beam and rallies him to resume his fight to save Gotham. In the aftermath, Alfred offers some suggestions about updating the Batcave.
  • In The Dark Knight, Alfred and Bruce have moved to a downtown penthouse and the Batcave has been relocated to the Gotham Docks while Wayne Manor is being rebuilt. Alfred acts as a source of wisdom to not only Bruce, but Rachel Dawes and on a more casual level, Harvey Dent. When Bruce travels to Hong Kong to capture a Mafia accountant, Alfred invents an alibi for Bruce. While reflecting on the actions of the Joker, Alfred recalls a tale from his mercenary career about a thrill-seeking bandit in order to explain to Bruce that some men "just want to watch the world burn". Rachel gives him the task of giving Bruce a letter "when the time is right." After Rachel's death, Alfred reads the letter and discovers that she was going to marry Dent. He later burns the letter, reflecting that, just as the people of Gotham would need to believe in Harvey Dent, Bruce needed to believe that Rachel loved him.
  • In The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred has grown concerned for Bruce, who eight years later has not moved on from Rachel or Batman. Alfred reveals that during Bruce's seven-year absence, he frequently visited a restaurant in Florence in the hope that he would see Bruce there, settled down and happy. Alfred assists Bruce in finding out information about the mercenary Bane. Following Bane's robbery of the city's stock exchange and subsequent escape after a chase by Batman, the two become distanced from one another when Alfred threatens to leave and states that Bruce should settle down with a true love. When Bruce stated that he had a true love once, Alfred admits to Bruce about Rachel wanting to marry Harvey Dent and that he burnt the letter to protect Bruce's feelings. Angry and hurt, Bruce orders Alfred to leave. Alfred returns after Batman apparently sacrifices himself to save Gotham, and attends Bruce's funeral with Commissioner James Gordon, Lucius Fox and Detective John Blake. Over Bruce's grave, Alfred tearfully apologizes to Bruce's parents for having failed to protect their son. When Alfred returns to the Florentine restaurant, he looks across to see Bruce alive and dining with Selina Kyle. They exchange knowing smiles and Alfred leaves, happy that Bruce has finally managed to move on.

• Jeremy Irons will portray Alfred in the 2016 sequel to Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Animation

• Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. voiced Alfred in the animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, based on Batman: The Animated Series.

• Alastair Duncan voiced Alfred in the animated film The Batman vs. Dracula.

• David McCallum voiced Alfred in Batman: Gotham Knight and Son of Batman.

• Alan Oppenheimer voiced Alfred in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

• Jim Piddock voiced Alfred in Batman: Under the Red Hood.

• Jeff Bennett reprises his role as Alfred in Batman: Year One.

• Robin Atkin Downes voiced Alfred in Justice League: Doom.

• Michael Jackson voiced Alfred in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 and 2.

Video games

• He appears in LEGO Batman for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii as a playable character.

• An Easter egg in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King shows a character named Alfred Copperworth, a homage to Alfred Pennyworth, located in the Purple Parlor in the city of Dalaran (a copper is the lowest form of currency in the game, equivalent almost to a penny, and was the metal used to make the original U.S. penny).

• Alfred appears in the Batman Begins video game voiced by Michael Caine.

• Alfred's biography can be unlocked in Batman: Arkham Asylum. The player must scan a plaque describing one of Bruce Wayne's donations to the Arkham Medical Center.

• Alfred is referenced consistently in Batman: Arkham City voiced by Martin Jarvis. While the character does not make an actual appearance, he remains in constant radio contact with the players as the game's storyline progresses, and his bio appears. After Bruce Wayne is kidnapped by Tyger Security (a private paramilitary unit hired by Hugo Strange) during his press conference about Arkham City and taken to Arkham City, Pennyworth offers his services. His first duty is to airdrop Batman's costume to him in Arkham which the butler accomplishes with ease. Throughout the campaign, he serves as Batman's primary information source. When Batman is torn between pursuing his love Talia al Ghul (who has been captured by the Joker) or saving the city-prison's population from missile strikes launched by Hugo Strange on the city-prison as part of Protocol 10, it is Alfred who urges him to make the right decision. In a rare act of defiance, he blatantly refuses Batman's request to help him find Talia insisting that "Batman must save Gotham."

• Alfred Pennyworth appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes voiced by Steven Blum.

• Alfred Pennyworth appears in the video game Batman: Arkham Origins (with the character making his first in game appearance in the Arkham game series) voiced again by Martin Jarvis. As the game serves as a prequel to both Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Asylum, Alfred has a different mentality towards Bruce Wayne's adventures as Batman. Throughout the game, there are several instances where he disapproves of the techniques which Batman uses. Batman seems to hold Alfred at a distance, often shown taking advantage of his butler and shunning any attempts of warmth. When hired assassins target Batman, Alfred pleads with him to abandon his vigilante persona, but his words fall on deaf ears. One of the assassins named Bane knows that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same. He breaks into the Batcave and beats Alfred close to death before Batman can get to him (having taken a detour to defeat another assassin named Firefly). Arriving in time to see Alfred die, Batman is able to save him by electric shocks from Electrocutioner's gauntlets which helped to restart Alfred's heart. The event leaves Batman so shaken he considers giving up on saving the city. With his understanding of Batman renewed, Alfred convinces him to keep fighting. After this, he continues to help Batman as the latter travels to Blackgate Prison to stop the chaos. This time, Batman shows gratitude towards Alfred.

• Alfred Pennyworth will appear in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Corey Burton.

External links

• Template:IMDb character
• Alfred Pennyworth on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki