Alfred through the years
Besides Robin, Batman’s best-known ally has to be Alfred Pennyworthfull name Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth. Alfred not only serves as Batman’s ally and assistant, but in modern continuity has also served as a father figure to Bruce Wayne since the tragic death of the latter’s parents. When Alfred first appeared, though, he was quite different from his modern character.The character first came on the scene in Batman 16 (April-May 1943). Unlike the wry-humored, trim look that would come to define later appearances, this early Alfred was an over-weight comedic foil with fantasies of being a detective. When Columbia Pictures’s Batman serial appeared in 1943, Alfred was played by British character actor William Austin. However, Austin was slim and mustached, in direct contradiction to the comic book appearance. To remedy this, Alfred spent a vacation at a health resort in Detective Comics 83 (1944), and returned with his now-iconic appearance.In his first incarnation, Alfred also differed from later interpretations by coming into Bruce Wayne’s life after he adopted the Batman persona. With later issues, more details would arise about Alfred’s past. It was soon established that Alfred was a retired actor who had also worked for the British intelligence service. After accidentally uncovering his master’s secret identity, he becomes an important ally, especially when it comes to medical care.In 1964, however, tragedy struck. Alfred was “killed” in Detective Comics 328 (June 1964). He was resurrected by a scientist named Brandon Crawford, albeit with some side effects. These included superpowers such as telekinesis and a general desire to destroy Batman and Robin. The flip-flopping of loyalties has been done numerous times in the world of comics, whether by heroes becoming villains or vice-versa, but Alfred’s villainous identity (known as the Outsider) was toowell, “out there” to last. In Detective Comics 356, he reverted to his normal self with no memory of the preceding events.It was also revealed that this version of Alfred had a daughter with a DC Comics war heroine named Mademoiselle Marie. However, these relationships, as well as Alfred’s relationship with Bruce and the Wayne family, would be rewritten following the 1985 company-wide event Crisis on Infinite Earths. In this 12-issue series, DC simplified and modernized its long-running history.In the new world order, Alfred was shown to be a life-long associate of the Wayne family, as well as Bruce’s legal guardian after the Waynes’ deaths. It’s revealed that he once considered leaving his role as butler to return to the world of acting, but stays thanks to the relationship he’s cultivated with the young Bruce.Alfred’s showed superior physical skills, including hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship, in some stories, although not in the live-action adaptations, where he’s been played by Michael Gough and Michael Caine. However, Alfred has been featured in almost every media adaptation of the character, and is one of the most basic foundations of the modern Batman myth.