1964
A BUTLER’S
DE ATH
(Detective Comics,
Vol. 1, No. 328)
While trying to
save Batman and
Robin, Alfred
is crushed by
a boulder.1943
FAT ALFRED ...
(Batman, Vol. 1, No. 16)
In his debut, Alfred is
a portly music-hall actor
and aspiring detective who
arrives in Gotham City
intending to investigate the
Batman phenomenon. His
father, Jarvis, had been the
Wayne-family butler. Alfred
takes over the job and only by
accident realizes whom he is
actually working for.1960
FAN-FICTION AUTHOR
(Batman, Vol. 1, No. 135)
A wild adventure for the Caped
Crusader and the Boy Wonder is
followed by the revelation that the
whole thing was, bizarrely enough,
just an imaginary tale written by
none other than Alfred. What’s
more, when Bruce Wayne catches him
at the typewriter, he implies the guy
has done this more than once. Trippy.1944
... GOES ON
A HOLLYWOOD DIET
(Detective Comics,
Vol. 1, No. 83)
Batman was a hit, and it turned
into a movie serial. But
William Austin, the actor
cast as Alfred, was thin, which
meant that comic-book Alfred
was abruptly packed off
to a health resort to reemerge
as the trim gentleman he has
remained to this day.1996
ALT B: ZOMBIE
(League of Justice,
Vol. 1, No. 2)
This alternate-
universe superhero
riff on Lord of the
Rings features a
sequence in which
a deceased Alfred
returns as an
undead wraith.1998
EMPLOYEE OF
THE YEAR
(Batman:
Crimson Mist)
In still another
universe, Bruce is
turned into a
vampire and Alfred
sacrifices
himself and his
blood to satisfy
Batman’s urges.1997
ALT C: TYCOON
(Tangent Comics,
Green Lantern,
Vol. 1, No. 1)
In yet another
alternate
universe, Alfred
isn’t a butler at all
but rather a
publishing
mogul.2016
TRY ON THE CAPE
(Batman, Vol. 3, No. 5)
After the latest Universal
Comics reboot, a newly
determined Batman
assembles a wide array
of allies to help him out.
Alfred gets to dress up
as Batman and drive the
Batmobile. The
mustache looks a
smidge out of place
under the cowl.- 2019
PENNYWORTH,
ALFRED
PENNYWORTH
(Pennyworth)
But is becoming a high-
end domestic a
common career path
for those who were
formerly in the
special forces?
2016–17
BITCHY BUTLER
(Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice, Justice League)
Zack Snyder’s superguy-on-
superguy outing was poorly
received, but one of its
highlights is Jeremy Irons as
the bitchiest Alfred to date,
rolling his eyes and sarcastically
lambasting Bruce for his
failings. Irons returned for an
even bigger bomb,
Justice League.1966
NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-
NA-NA, BUTLER!
(the first Batman TV show)
For the campy Adam West series,
Alfred is played by the
classically trained English actor
Alan Napier, who initially found
the role “the most ridiculous thing
I had ever heard of.” Then he
learned the contract could be
worth more than $100,000. “So,
I said I was Batman’s butler.”
1966
ALFRED: RESURRECTION
(Detective Comics, Vol. 1,
No. 356)
A long story line involving
a shadowy mastermind
named the Outsider reaches
its climax when it’s revealed
that he’s none other than
a deranged Alfred,
raised from the dead and
granted superpowers by
a mad scientist.1997
DOTING UNCLE
(Batman & Robin)
In this much-derided
conclusion to the four-film
Batman blockbuster cycle,
Alfred is the uncle of
Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl.
An electronic version of
him makes a sexy costume
for his niece and grins
a little too hungrily
when she puts it on.PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE STUDIOS (NAPIER, GOUGH, CAINE, PERTWEE, IRONS, BANNON)