Remember that one time Alfred teamed up with Bane?
Alfred Pennyworth probably has the roughest life of any fictional butler. He has to not only allowed his master-who he has known and raised for over thirty years of his life-dress up in armor and go fight criminals and deranged people, but he also has to help, equip, and coordinate his master, his master's allies and children, and do so while building and producing weapons, armors, and vehicles of military-grade status. All while cleaning up bat shit. I think most people acknowledge Alfred's awesomeness just out of sheer respect for his dedication. But a lot of people like to call him a badass for the badass things he's done. More than anything I have seen three examples constantly brought up:
1. That time he beat Superman to a pulp and saved Batman.
2. That time he shot The Penguin out of a window and saved Batman.
And 3. That time he used a shotgun to blast a hole through The Predator and saved Batman.
Those are all badass moments Alfred has had, but when it comes to "That One Time" I tend to stick to canon stories. And before any of you get cute and say "isn't multiverse part of the canon", you know what I mean:
1. Alfred beat up Superman in the "Injustice: Gods Among Us" comic series, which took place in the same universe as the fighting game.
2. Alfred shooting The Penguin happened in "Batman: Earth One" another story taking place on an alternate Earth.
And 3. If you really think "Batman vs Predator" is canon, you have your wires crossed.
So how about I talk about an Alfred moment that is both canon and badass? Because quite a few of those exist.
In 2014, Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley, James Tynion and a number of other writers wrote a weekly Batman series called "Batman Eternal". I won't get into the nitty-gritty, but part of the story involved Alfred getting hit with Fear Toxin by the villain Hush. Hush then disguises himself as a doctor and brings Alfred to Arkham Asylum-which had been taken over by the inmates. Around that time the villains Deacon Blackfire and The Joker's Daughter (don't believe her) were trying to perform a ritual underneath Arkham, but they were stopped by Batwing and The Spectre. The resulting explosion caused Arkham to collapse.
This resulted in "Batman Eternal #31" where Alfred barely survives his injures and fights back the effects of his fear toxin to help Bane escape the wreckage. While they are in no way friends, Alfred tries to appeal to Bane's need of backup. Someone to walk behind him in case some prisoner tries to sneak attack him. Bane, as well, acknowledges Alfred's usefulness as both as medical expert and a military combatant. The two muscle their through destroyed walls and injured criminals, watching each other's backs along the way. They finally make it to a wall where Alfred speaks some kind of code. Before Bane can figure out what Alfred is saying, the voice-activated defense systems of Batman's underground HQ activate and spray Bane with knock-out gas. Bane is out cold while Alfred walks into the open wall, in front of the computer system, and lets Batman and friends know he's back and ready to help coordinate them throughout Gotham City.
The issue this happens in is the same issue where Batman confronts The Joker's Daughter so while this little adventure doesn't last long, it still carries the effectiveness Alfred is known to have. Alfred was in The Royal Air Force, he was a medic, he's trained in hand-to-hand, and he's proficient with firearms. He's also a skilled Stage Actor and can read people quite well, which is how he was able to get on Bane's good graces by playing lackey. What I also like about this story is Bane's characterization. He takes to having a minion so quickly and overlooks Alfred's true intentions. What makes it even funnier is that Bane openly recognizes Alfred's fighting skills, but doesn't factor in that Alfred is playing him. That while Alfred has been aiding Bane through this destroyed building, it's actually been Alfred using Bane all along.
In plenty of modern stories writers have written Bane to be a crooked mirror to Batman. They grew up as literal opposites, but both became men of extreme capabilities, intelligence, and ethical code. Bane just takes his code in a different direction. And since Alfred has been dealing with Batman for a very long time, and sometimes even calling the shots despite Bruce's insistence, it's likely Alfred is used to talking men smarter and stronger than him into doing something they don't intend to. Alfred may be a butler, but sometimes he leaves the serving to someone else.
Thanks for reading.
1. That time he beat Superman to a pulp and saved Batman.
2. That time he shot The Penguin out of a window and saved Batman.
And 3. That time he used a shotgun to blast a hole through The Predator and saved Batman.
Those are all badass moments Alfred has had, but when it comes to "That One Time" I tend to stick to canon stories. And before any of you get cute and say "isn't multiverse part of the canon", you know what I mean:
1. Alfred beat up Superman in the "Injustice: Gods Among Us" comic series, which took place in the same universe as the fighting game.
2. Alfred shooting The Penguin happened in "Batman: Earth One" another story taking place on an alternate Earth.
And 3. If you really think "Batman vs Predator" is canon, you have your wires crossed.
So how about I talk about an Alfred moment that is both canon and badass? Because quite a few of those exist.
In 2014, Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley, James Tynion and a number of other writers wrote a weekly Batman series called "Batman Eternal". I won't get into the nitty-gritty, but part of the story involved Alfred getting hit with Fear Toxin by the villain Hush. Hush then disguises himself as a doctor and brings Alfred to Arkham Asylum-which had been taken over by the inmates. Around that time the villains Deacon Blackfire and The Joker's Daughter (don't believe her) were trying to perform a ritual underneath Arkham, but they were stopped by Batwing and The Spectre. The resulting explosion caused Arkham to collapse.
This resulted in "Batman Eternal #31" where Alfred barely survives his injures and fights back the effects of his fear toxin to help Bane escape the wreckage. While they are in no way friends, Alfred tries to appeal to Bane's need of backup. Someone to walk behind him in case some prisoner tries to sneak attack him. Bane, as well, acknowledges Alfred's usefulness as both as medical expert and a military combatant. The two muscle their through destroyed walls and injured criminals, watching each other's backs along the way. They finally make it to a wall where Alfred speaks some kind of code. Before Bane can figure out what Alfred is saying, the voice-activated defense systems of Batman's underground HQ activate and spray Bane with knock-out gas. Bane is out cold while Alfred walks into the open wall, in front of the computer system, and lets Batman and friends know he's back and ready to help coordinate them throughout Gotham City.
The issue this happens in is the same issue where Batman confronts The Joker's Daughter so while this little adventure doesn't last long, it still carries the effectiveness Alfred is known to have. Alfred was in The Royal Air Force, he was a medic, he's trained in hand-to-hand, and he's proficient with firearms. He's also a skilled Stage Actor and can read people quite well, which is how he was able to get on Bane's good graces by playing lackey. What I also like about this story is Bane's characterization. He takes to having a minion so quickly and overlooks Alfred's true intentions. What makes it even funnier is that Bane openly recognizes Alfred's fighting skills, but doesn't factor in that Alfred is playing him. That while Alfred has been aiding Bane through this destroyed building, it's actually been Alfred using Bane all along.
In plenty of modern stories writers have written Bane to be a crooked mirror to Batman. They grew up as literal opposites, but both became men of extreme capabilities, intelligence, and ethical code. Bane just takes his code in a different direction. And since Alfred has been dealing with Batman for a very long time, and sometimes even calling the shots despite Bruce's insistence, it's likely Alfred is used to talking men smarter and stronger than him into doing something they don't intend to. Alfred may be a butler, but sometimes he leaves the serving to someone else.
Thanks for reading.
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