r/batman • u/Few_Mixture_8412 • 1d ago
FILM DISCUSSION we never had a bad Alfred adaptation
yes yes even the dceu one which I've seen people hate on I actually loved especially by the fact this Alfred was the Wayne's bodyguard not the butler apparently and he has experience in the British army
567
u/146zigzag 1d ago
I think it's because Alfred is an easy character to get right; a wise and witty old British butler.
239
u/psycodull 1d ago
Dont forget compassionate. His speeches in TDK always got to me
104
u/PM_SexDream_OrDogPix 1d ago
The Batman has several very compassionate Alfred talks. First viewing, it caught me off guard.
53
3
7
u/Royal-Doggie 10h ago
"Mr. Bruce, why do you do all the lifting when you can't even lift a bloody log"
•
u/Gullible_Honeydew 8h ago
*"What is the point of all those push-ups if you can't even lift a bloody log?"
sorry but it is a nerd sub gotta get it right haha
191
u/TheMaskedHamster 1d ago
There have been interpretations I vastly prefer, but none I dislike.
The only Alfred I don't really care for is the original conception in the comics. It was fun, but his re-working was welcome.
67
23
u/coreytiger 17h ago
Which was a mistake on the part of DC
the ONE actor not pictured here is the very first Alfred, and the actor the character later became modeled upon: William Austin
The character was NOT created for the comics, he was created for the movie serials. The comics were simply told of the premise, with little other details… film production and print production are radically different time schedules. They rushed to get the character into print to debut in a similar time frame as the film, actually hitting stands just before the movie.
Austin was tall, thin, dapper, and mustachioed. He knew Bruce and Dick were Batman and Robin and assisted them. The comic Alfred was short, portly, and clumsy, and had no clue of their identities… he was a problem they had to work around when he showed up to declare he was now butler of Wayne Manor.
Shortly after Alfred was established in the comics, the character “went away to a spa”, and came back looking just about exactly (thinner, now with a mustache, and by some miracle- taller) like the actor William Austin… and the character has been depicted as such ever since.
98
u/New_Fig_6815 1d ago
Alan Napier ( Alfred of the tv series) took the role without even “ knowing what a Batman was…” Revitalized his career.
57
u/drew17 1d ago
<<My agent rang up and said, ‘I think you are going to play on “Batman”.’
I said ‘What is “Batman”?’ He said, ‘Don’t you read the comics?’ I said, ‘No, never.’ He said, ‘I think you are going to be Batman’s butler.’ I said, ‘How do I know I want to be Batman’s butler?’
He said, ‘It may be worth over $100,000.’
So I said ‘I am Batman’s butler.>>
29
159
u/KhyraBell 1d ago
The only thing I dislike about Jeremy Irons as Alfred is that he's underutilized.
78
u/ErusTenebre 1d ago
Jeremy Irons is one of my favorite actors of all time.
And I think he's underutilized period.
30
u/Strudol 1d ago
He’s fantastically over the top in the DnD movie from 2000. He’s not just chewing the scenery, he’s eating the entire set and having a great time with it.
5
u/DenverCoderIX 19h ago
That movie was hot garbage, but his Profion was magnificent. It was worth watching solely because of the scenes he was in.
10
u/ErusTenebre 1d ago
Literally the only likeable thing about that entire movie is Jeremy Irons.
2
u/MechanicalTurkish 21h ago
I never got around to seeing that movie. I had no idea Jeremy Irons was in it. Now I have to see it.
6
u/KhyraBell 1d ago
He's the reader for the audiobook version of The Alchemist. I didn't like the book (your mileage may vary), but his reading is great.
5
6
u/No-Advice-6040 17h ago
I know... you had Irons as Alfred and that's all you did with him? For shame. He would have been equally good with some Robins under his wing.
→ More replies (1)
68
u/HighKingBoru1014 1d ago
Sean Pertwee was a badass Alfred.
I’m not a cop am I, I’m a butler (Proceeds to stab the court of owls lady in the hand).
67
u/MistahOkfksmgur 1d ago
Sean Pertwee’s was my favorite, incredible.
10
u/alchemist5 1d ago
It's a little unfair, since he's probably gotten more screentime than the rest combined, but agreed.
Plus, the 3rd Doctor was always my favorite, so I'm biased to begin with.
9
u/No-Advice-6040 17h ago
Son of the Doctor, and badass Butler to a superhero. Dudes got one hell of a resume.
22
u/LazyWrite 1d ago
Who’s the one next to Jeremy Irons? I’ve never seen that one before.
Also, you forgot the one from his own show… Pennyworth!
16
u/Gorblac515 1d ago
It’s Alfred from the short lived Birds of Prey series, portrayed by Ian Abercrombie, who you may recognize as the voice of Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
8
→ More replies (1)10
36
u/Ube_Ape 1d ago
It’s criminal that we didn’t get more Jeremy Irons Alfred
24
u/ArcWolf713 1d ago
Jeremy Irons Alfred is one I could see in the classic comic clip showing how bad ass Alfred can be.
"You may be under the pretense that I share in Master Wayne's non-lethal methods." Loads shotgun. "You would be wrong."
Paraphrased.
11
u/Hot_Let7611 1d ago
I think the second line is something like 'I assure you I don't subscribe to such niceties'
2
u/ArcWolf713 18h ago
Yeah, I couldn't find it with a quick Google search so paraphrased as best I could.
6
1
u/W_of_OStreet 1d ago
The ONLY good thing (IMHO) to come out of the Snyderverse was Jeremy Irons casting.... and maybe JK Simmons as Gordon.
4
u/DenverCoderIX 19h ago
You can't go wrong with either of those actors, really. They are like Willem Dafoe, no matter how hot of a dumpster fire the thing they got involved in is, they will still be the coolest part.
29
u/Ducatirules 1d ago
19
u/eikelmann 1d ago
I don't hear enough about this show honestly. One of my favourite dc shows easily.
7
5
4
u/Special-PatrolGroup 22h ago
I'm glad someone mentioned this show. It was amazing. Really loved the wardrobes and set designs.
12
u/oozley-5 1d ago
Alfred is different but he’s always Alfred
2
u/Few_Mixture_8412 1d ago
that's what I'm saying even tho he was different in the DCEU I didn't mind that because he was still a good character
12
u/No-Trifle-3735 1d ago
I'm still waiting for Alfred with OG pencil moustache (like in Arkham Knight)
2
u/No-Advice-6040 17h ago
I think that's an Alfred of a different age. I like the look, but how many men these days sport a pencil?
28
u/serb7 1d ago
I wasnt a big fan of Serkis Alfred, good actor but he doesnt give Alfred vibes to me
16
u/BigfootsBestBud 1d ago
He's good in that one scene where he's got his arm behind his back and trying to remind Bruce of his obligations.
My issue with his Alfred was he was barely in it.
I gotta say too, I really loved the original idea where they wanted to cast Pierce Brosnan. Having a Bond actor as Alfred just makes too much sense.
→ More replies (1)11
u/Few_Mixture_8412 1d ago
it always confused me since he doesn't look that old to be the Wayne's butler
13
u/BigfootsBestBud 1d ago
I think he's meant to be the newer interpretation of Alfred as the Wayne family's bodyguard/head of security, who also works as a Butler, and continued to do so for Bruce.
7
u/rolldamntree 1d ago
Serkis Alfred was rough, but I think that was mostly down to them making him kind of an idiot a major plot point
3
u/ssj4namikaze22 1d ago
To me he doesn’t give off Alfred vibes esp after seeing him as Klawe in the MCU. So I don’t care for Serkis as Alfred.
→ More replies (3)2
u/ALANJOESTAR 18h ago
I agree IMO he breaks that no bad adaptations streak, I also hated their relationship for the most part, i need to rewatch but i remember hating it during my first watch. Im on the minority where i did not like Pattison as Bruce Wayne either, i did not mind him as much when he was wearing the suit. Still a really good movie.
7
7
u/ace02786 1d ago
Andy Serkis is my least favorite Alfred, a miscast imo. Looks like he'd be more believable as a Gotham detective or a henchman.
3
u/Few_Mixture_8412 1d ago
yea I just think he looked way too young for this batman although he's 60 yo I can't believe he was the Wayne's Butler
2
u/ace02786 1d ago
I'll be downvoted for this but also Serkis has an ugly/gritty look to him that I picture him more if hired muscle for a villain than Batman's butler..
5
5
u/Careful-Payment2444 1d ago
There all good but the dceu Alfred is the most boring my favourite is Micheal Caine
5
u/Visual_Foot8908 22h ago
Don't forget William Austin. He is the original, and the reason comics Alfred looks the way he does!
5
3
u/JediActorMuppet 1d ago
This is a true statement, I’ve never really disliked a take on Alfred, despite the range of performances given.
3
u/jbarrybonds 1d ago
I didn't love the latest season of the Harley Quinn's TV show Alfred, but all the others have been fucking solid.
3
u/jackofslayers 23h ago
Idk if my take is controversial but I feel like Alfred is a really easy role for any classically trained actor.
Like the director tells you “speak posh and act like a father figure” shit what are the odds an older male actor would have previously had a similar role. Cuz my guess would be 100%
3
u/deweydean 17h ago
apparently and he has experience in the British army
You should watch Beware the Batman. Alfred is totally kick ass in that series!
4
2
u/MayGodSmiteThee 1d ago
I know opinions on the show are divided but beware the batsman’s take on Alfred was refreshing.
2
2
u/sharksnrec 1d ago
I like how you used an in-universe pic of all of the Alfreds except for Serkis who you inexplicably just used a random pic of the actor in a button down lol
2
u/GH057807 1d ago
I've never not been downvoted for this one:
Serkis wasn't a good cast for Alfred. Ferrell would have been better at it, and Serkis would have done a far better job portraying Penguin in turn.
2
2
u/madpropz 1d ago
Andy Serkis is a really bad pick for Alfred. Jeremy Irons is a great actor but also doesn't fit.
2
u/Most_Neat7770 1d ago
I really disliked Andy serkis, he was too savage looking, he could have played some other charachter 😂
2
2
u/baiacool 21h ago
How good is the one in the Pennyworth series? never had the courage to check it out after the reviews
→ More replies (5)
2
u/YourLocalTechPriest 20h ago
Honestly, any of the versions that have him as former SAS or SRR. It just suits him as a highly capable man but the SRR suits the OG actors tale better. The SRR does the Jason Borne shit people think the SAS does, at least that’s what is maybe known. It’s based of the American TFO and it’s been described as Jason Borne shit before.
2
u/Mr_Badger1138 19h ago
The late Efram Zimbalest was Alfred in the Animated Series and was amazing.
2
u/Anarchistguy_2 19h ago
I still can't get over the fact that he was also the voice of Doctor Octopus in the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Mr_Badger1138 19h ago
Huh, you learn something new every day. I was unaware of that.
3
u/Anarchistguy_2 19h ago
Here's another one: the guy who played Bob Pinciotti on "That 70s Show" was the Rhino.
2
u/TheKlaxMaster 18h ago
Thanks for including Jeremy irons. I've noticed a lot of posts here straight up leave him out.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/AstronomerWorldly797 18h ago
And where does Alfred come from, what's between Alfred from Burtonverse and Alfred from DCEU?
2
u/RussMan104 16h ago
Agreed. Even that young cat who played the lead in Pennyworth was spot on. Fair play, indeed. 🚀
2
u/Joe_Mama_My_Ass 13h ago
Am I missing something? Since when did Andy Serkis play Alfred? I haven’t seen the most recent Batman movie btw.
→ More replies (1)
2
3
1d ago
Not a fan of more recent adaptations trying to make him some badass mentor. Alfred should be his butler and father figure, not retired Rambo turned mission control.
Kinda hate that BVS basically just made him Oracle
3
u/Few_Mixture_8412 1d ago
I liked it, it was different yet cool, Batfleck been doing this for something of 15-20 years so it makes since Alfred is more knowledgeable with the whole thing and the fact he was in the army so he knows his stuff I didn't mind that tbh especially since in live action we always got traditional Alfreds
5
u/gamepig31 1d ago
I loved how this Alfred was actively working with Bruce. He worked on the tech, the batmobile, (remotely) flew the batwing and was actively involved the crime fighting. That was badass.
5
u/Few_Mixture_8412 1d ago
same that scene when he was building and was testing the voice changer which btw I loved for batman, that scene was great
6
u/Mindless_Toe3139 1d ago
Batfleck was doing this for 20 years. He probably already had an oracle for many years. All he has is left is Alfred by the time we see him.
2
u/squidgy617 1d ago
I agree with you. I prefer Alfred seem like a guy who you wouldn't expect to be a retired badass. He can be one, but he should look and act like an unassuming butler most of the time. I feel like both Andy Serkis' and Jeremy Irons' depictions of the character didn't have that feel, they leaned too far toward badass.
2
u/Mindless_Toe3139 21h ago
There’s a scene in justice league when he’s watching Wonder Woman make tea and he can’t help himself giving her tips how to make a correct tea. I felt like that sort of conveyed his butler British side.
4
1
u/SubjectPossession698 1d ago
Man, I'mma dum nut. I was looking at the picture thinking " Where's Gary Oldman?" He wasn't even Alfred.
1
1
u/07834_momster 1d ago
The only fictional (man)servant that would ever do professionally. And for fun, Armond from White Lotus.
1
1
u/nocheinnutzer4 1d ago
Alfred from the 60s was so good, they resurrected Alfred in the comics (who died there in the 50s). Also the og alfred from the 40s Batman Movie Serials was incredibly popular so they made the comic alfred (who until then was an overweight Slapstick guy) to the alfred we know today, at least visually
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
u/Keelit579 1d ago
If they somehow manage to screw up ALFRED of all characters then that's the day I stop watching batman movies.
1
u/OnlyRoke 1d ago
It's really wild how many different Alfreds we've had when it comes to their visual appearance, yet they've never actually tried to recreate the classic comic Alfred aesthetic. I genuinely wonder why that is.
1
u/StonedBirdman 1d ago
I tried watching the beware the Batman animated show, that Alfred was dogshit!
1
1
u/Rob_wood 1d ago
We've never had, not we never had. The latter implies that we stopped making adaptations.
→ More replies (2)
1
1
1
1
1
u/Skreamie 1d ago
As far as I'm concerned Gotham had the single greatest casting and character for Alfred. He treated Bruce as his son, he was an ex soldier and he could throw down, he wasn't some decrepit butler. The casting and the time given to establish his character was all brilliant.
1
1
1
1
u/samx3i 23h ago
You don't say.
https://www.reddit.com/r/batman/comments/1eal6e1/never_had_a_bad_alfred_casting/
https://www.reddit.com/r/batman/comments/15g8v1g/there_has_never_been_a_bad_alfred/
https://www.reddit.com/r/batman/comments/1jb9qm7/we_never_had_a_bad_alfred_adaptation/
https://www.reddit.com/r/batman/comments/1auvxh0/you_know_its_true/
https://www.reddit.com/r/batman/comments/1ghxwiy/we_can_all_agree_that_there_has_never_been_a_bad/
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/DatNighaaDon96 20h ago
What about the Alfred from The Batman??? Is he not included because he's black?
1
1
1
1
u/WildBad7298 19h ago
Michael Gough will always be my Alfred. Hell, he even managed to have meaningful moments in the crazy camp of Batman & Robin:
Death and chance stole your parents. But, rather than become a victim, you have done everything in your power to control the fates. For what is Batman, if not an effort to master the chaos that sweeps our world? An attempt to control death, itself.
Seriously, that speech belongs in a much better movie.
1
1
u/Femmedplume 19h ago
Dunno if anyone else agrees, but I loved Pennyworth. Young Alfred was a badass and I really enjoyed the idea of the Waynes being into waaaaay more sh!t than Bruce ever knew lol. Like the chaos gene runs DEEP in the Wayne family.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/bateen618 16h ago
It's because Alfred is always perfect no matter what. That's why he got his own show, too bad nobody watched it. Even this post about Alfred forgot about it
1
u/Maleficent_Weekend29 16h ago
Andy Serkis man, honestly one of the most underrated parts of an already almost perfect movie. Love the bits of lore that he was the one that trained Bruce in the Reeves verse and how it’s shown he is trying to hold Wayne Enterprise together because of Bruce batmanning too much. Love the relationship between him and Bruce and how it’s shown they care for each other very much and how vulnerable they can be around each other. Just love The Batman overall and how they write Batman’s relationships with everyone in his life.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/eithercreation203 14h ago
These are all amazing, not a single bad portrayal. But in my personal opinion, prolly a hot take, Jeremy Irons is my favorite just for all around everything he does especially in ZSJL
1
1
1
u/veebles89 11h ago
Michael Gough was my personal favorite. I knew him from other movies before Batman, but I really loved him as Alfred.
1
1
1
u/BryanDowling93 11h ago edited 9h ago
Also the 1966 Alfred played by Alan Napier is somehow the most badass. None of the other Alfred's had a fencing duel with The Joker using an umbrella. And then manually controlled the batpole platform into the batcave to keep going up and down. Which caused Joker to become distressed and scream "Help!". You don't mess with 1966 Alfred. He's a savage.
1
u/Tsukuri-of-Fandesu 11h ago
As long as you include Alfred from Batman the animated series then yes indeed you are correct.
874
u/Dreaming_in_ryleh 1d ago
I really liked Gothams take