Video: The DC movie universe continues to expand, but one backstory has yet to be given its own cinematic introduction: Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler. A new parody trailer seeks to right this wrong, and the result is a surprisingly impactful glimpse into the history of Batman’s surrogate father.
Image: Warner Bros.
Funny Or Die has released a trailer for Alfred: Before Batman, a look into the childhood of Alfred Pennyworth, an orphan who learned the butler trade in order to survive. The trailer is played pretty straight, combining footage from Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and 2005’s Oliver Twist to showcase a young boy whose childhood tragedy informed his later struggles with Bruce Wayne.
Alfred’s been a part of Bruce Wayne’s life since Batman #16, released in 1943, and yet we don’t know a lot about his childhood. His life hasn’t been explored much outside of his involvement with the Wayne household. Even his adult backstory has changed over the years. In many cases he’s ex-military or a former intelligence operative for the British government, in others he’s an actor who gave up his career to serve the Wayne family in the place of his father, per his dying request – which kind of puts a damper in the whole “growing up as an orphan” bit. That said, I would give anything to hear baby Alfred say, “Please sir, may I have some more?” You can watch the parody trailer below.