DC Found Batman a New Alfred, but No One Can Replace the Original

Batman is the most important character at DC Comics right now. You can make arguments that other characters are more important to the history of the company – Superman is the first superhero, Wonder Woman laid the groundwork for every modern female superhero, the Flash is the harbinger of change in the multiverse – but right now, Batman is the one who sells all the books. The character and his history have become a huge part of pop culture, with various parts of the hero’s world bleeding through into other parts of fiction and becoming iconic in their own rights. Alfred Pennyworth is a perfect example of this.

Butlers have long been a part of adventure stories, with the butler acting as something of a companion to heroes, filling a variety of roles. Alfred proved to be Batman’s best sidekick, working to keep him going in his day life as Bruce Wayne and in his night life as the Dark Knight. He took the place of both Bruce’s parents, raising the young man with the love that he should have had. He became one of the most beloved characters in the Batman mythos and has showed up in nearly every piece of Batman-related media, helping mold the way the world saw butler characters. He’s one of those characters that you would expect to always be around, but all of that changed in 2017, when he was killed in “City of Bane”. He’s been gone ever since, but DC has finally replaced him with Verity Pennyworth. However, let’s be real – no one can replace the GOAT.

Alfred’s Place In Batman’s Life Can Never Be Filled

Batman debuted in 1939, but wouldn’t be joined by his butler until 1943. Bruce Wayne was a wealthy man and wealthy men had manservants, so Alfred fit perfectly into his world. Over the years, the relationship between Batman and Alfred has changed a lot, becoming deeper and deeper. Recent years have seen creators take the two of them in more familial directions, building a love and affection between the two characters that has come to define the two of them. When it comes right down to it, Alfred gave Batman something that no one else could have.

We often talk about Alfred the father figure, the guy making sure the meals get cooked and the house gets cleaned, the sounding board giving Batman the greatest advice imaginable. However, there’s also Alfred’s place as a member of Batman’s fight. Alfred was once an actor and before that he was a member of the SAS. He’s an amazing field medic and he’s been using the various Bat-technology for almost as long as Bruce had, helping as “the man in the chair” when he needed it. Alfred often said that he never wanted Bruce to be Batman, but if you look at his actions over the years, the way he worked hard to keep Bruce going in his night life, you can see that he understands how important it is to Bruce’s life. He might not have liked the danger, but he understood what it meant for Bruce to be able to do it.

Alfred kept his master alive through the worst situations. He pushed him to keep going, to be smart, to look at things in new perspectives. Alfred’s death changed Batman’s MO forever and even the introduction of Verity isn’t going to fill the space, although she’ll definitely be successful. Much like Alfred, you can tell that there’s definitely more to her than meets than eye. She has that same air of effortless competence and she has been prepared for her role as butler by both her correspondence with Alfred and her place in the Society of the Midnight Key. She’s almost a cliche in a lot of ways – the hyper-competent butler that’s going to bust out something amazing. However, Alfred has always been more than that.

His role in the development of Bruce Wayne and Batman cannot understated. Without him, there would have been no Dark Knight. He kept both sides of his master going. He was there to sew up every wound, whether it be yet another gunshot wound or one of those times an attack by one of his many homicidal foes shakes Batman’s faith in his mission. He raised the boy, doing his best to give him something of a normal life. His quiet competence molded who Bruce became as a man and a hero. Verity may be able to do the job as well as her great-uncle Alfred. She may have skills that will allow her to slot flawlessly into Batman’s life. However, it’s impossible for her to actually replace him.

Alfred Helped Make the Batman Special and No One Can Ever Replace That

Writer Matt Fraction’s Batman has been fantastic so far, taking the basics of the hero and presenting them perfectly. Throughout his book, he’s had Bruce talk to an apparition of Alfred, using his memories of the man who was his father to give him someone to talk to. It’s really helped underline just how important that Alfred was to the Caped Crusader’s life. He was more than the butler, the father figure, the late night combat medic, the perfect sounding board. He made himself a part of the fabric of the Dark Knight. He wasn’t just a person in his life, he became a part of him in a way that only the closest relationships do. His loss will always sting.

Verity is going to almost certainly do a fantastic job, all while adding a new flavor to the books. However, there’s no way she’ll ever be able to be what Alfred was. I’m sure down the road, Batman will stop seeing the apparition and it will be one of those moments of him letting go of the past. It will be a great scene, but deep in out souls, we all know it’s not really true. There’s no way any character can ever walk into the role that Alfred defined, no matter how cool they are.

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