Forget Robin, This is Batman’s Best Sidekick

Batman is one of comics’ most paradoxical “lone wolves”. Batman will be the first person to tell everyone that he doesn’t need anyone, but is regularly adopting strays off the street and bringing them to the Batcave. Batman will always talk down about people like Superman and Wonder Woman and how he doesn’t need them, but still hangs out with them and fights alongside. Batman created a whole superteam — the Outsiders — just to have more partners. Batman needs people much more than he lets on, which has led to him becoming the poster child for heroes with sidekicks. When most people think of Batman’s best sidekick, they think of Robin, but there’s another who is much more important to Batman and his quest, — his venerable butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

Alfred raised young Bruce from the beginning. He was there for most of his long crimefighting career, and did most of the heavy work of keeping Batman alive. Batman and Alfred doesn’t have the same ring as Batman and Robin, but the truth of the matter is that Alfred is the best of Batman of sidekicks. Alfred may be dead in the comics, but his mark on Batman and pop culture is very much alive.

Alfred Is the Glue of Batman’s World

Taken entirely on his own, Alfred is almost as legendary as Batman in many ways, and far outstrips most of the people who Batman would consider a sidekick. Alfred joined the British military as a young man, fighting in conflicts all over the world and becoming a highly effective field medic. Alfred was also an accomplished actor, and even taught classes at MI5 to agents about using stagecraft in spycraft. He’s gone on missions for MI7, so he knows a thing or two about working in the shadows. This resume is pretty standard across most iterations of the character; sometimes, he’s more of a soldier/spy type, such as in Beware the Batman and even in the live-action The Batman, where Andy Serkis’s burlier Alfred pointed to him being more of a bruiser before. Sometimes, he’s more of a classical butler, like the versions played by Michael Gough and Michael Cain. Other times, he’s a mixture of them all.

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Alfred also played the most critical role in Batman’s career in a number of ways. He kept Batman alive, both by using his medic skills to stitch him back together, but also making sure that Bruce ate and slept occasionally. Alfred would often work as back-up in the Batcave for Batman, monitoring the situation for his partner and acting as a vital source of information. He’s rescued Batman from life or death situations. He kept up the illusion of Bruce Wayne, making sure that no one ever suspected that he was Batman. Alfred kept the Batcave clean, which is just super thoughtful, honestly, and must have been a nightmare at times. Alfred was always there to listen to Batman and give his advice. Alfred made it all possible.

When people think of sidekicks, they think of someone out in the field fighting alongside their partner, and Alfred hasn’t done much of that, but he has certainly rolled up his sleeves beyond being the world’s greatest butler from time to time, too. In numerous tales over the years, Alfred has seen some action with Batman. Stories like Batman: Earth One and Injustice showed an Alfred who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Injustice Alfred beating Superman through anti-Superman plan shenanigans became a meme, but it also shows how fiercely Alfred will protect his charge. Right now, Alfred is a Green Lantern in DC Vs. Vampires: World War V, and that role is perfect for him. After years of dealing with the supremely stubborn Bruce Wayne, Alfred’s willpower would certainly be through the roof.

Batman fans have experienced numerous Batman stories without Robin, but it wasn’t until the last few years, since his in-continuity death in 2018, that there have been stories without Alfred and even then, Alfred’s shadow looms large over every page. Simply put, it’s easy to imagine Batman without Robin, but Batman without Alfred is a much more difficult thing to imagine.

Alfred Is the Greatest Sidekick of all Time

Alfred does everything a sidekick should do. He’s supports Batman in every way. He’s constantly working to make Batman’s life easier, and make things better for him. Alfred was Batman’s first sidekick in every way that counts and it started the night at Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed. Alfred was a shining example of what a human being should be for Bruce Wayne, giving him the love that he needed to form an entirely new family from the ashes of the old. Perhaps more than just the best sidekick, however, he’s the real heart of the whole operation, even now that he’s gone.

Alfred’s death at the hands of Bane in “City of Bane” was a massive shock, and it’s one that Batman fans still haven’t got over. The loss of Alfred is different than, say, when Dick Grayson went away to college and the New Teen Titans. Batman just got another Robin eventually. Jason Todd’s death was terrible, but there was another Robin. There can never be another Alfred, which is what makes him Batman’s greatest sidekick. Everyone else is replaceable; Alfred isn’t.

Do you think Alfred is Batman’s real greatest sidekick? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!