Pennyworth: 5 Things The Show Got Right From The Comics (& 5 Things It Got Wrong)
Alfred Pennyworth is one of the most beloved characters from the Batman canon outside of the Caped Crusader himself. He began as a comical presence who followed Batman's lead like a bumbling sidekick, but over the years has turned into not only a mentor and friend, but a competent hero in his own right. In many ways Alfred has become Batman's equal —"Batman's Batman"— who doesn't shy away from using firearms.
The Epix series Pennyworth explores the origin story of the Wayne family butler, and in the process, distorts some of its source material. Some changes have been celebrated by fans for their ingenuity, while other alterations have left them wary of future complications and plot holes.
10 GOT RIGHT: ALFRED'S MILITARY CAREER
Most recently in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth was portrayed as a former member of the SAS special forces branch of the British Army. Pennyworth carries on that tradition by revealing Alfred's time in the military through flashbacks and his connection to his veteran friends.
In several comic books Alfred is described as a former soldier in the British Army or SAS, with a considerable amount of decorations for his distinguished service. Pennyworth marks the first time fans actually get to see what conditions were like when Alfred was enlisted for 10 years.
9 GOT WRONG: ALFRED'S INTRODUCTION TO THOMAS WAYNE
In Pennyworth, it's only through Alfred's position as a bouncer at a nightclub that he runs into Thomas Wayne, via his hapless party-girl sister. Later, Wayne ends up hiring Alfred and his security firm for a few professional contract hits.
In one version of Alfred's backstory in the Batman comics, he agrees to work for the Wayne family because it's his father's dying wish. In another, he left a job with the British royal family to work for the Waynes in Gotham.
8 GOT RIGHT: ALFRED'S FATHER BEING A BUTLER
A joke made by Alfred's father in Season 1 of Pennyworth cautions Alfred to get a job or he'll "end up being a butler" like him, which is a fun wink towards Alfred's eventual vocation. Alfred's father nevertheless considers being a butler a noble profession, even if it does make him and his family part of the "servant class."
Alfred's father was a butler in some iterations of his origin story, and went by the name Jarvis Pennyworth. He often was said to have been the Wayne family butler prior to his son assuming the responsibility.
7 GOT WRONG: THOMAS WAYNE
Thomas Wayne has been depicted many different ways in the Batman canon, but he's ordinarily a highly respected member of Gotham's elite class, and aside from being a wealthy philanthropist, he's also a well-regarded doctor.
In Pennyworth, Thomas Wayne is a CIA operative moonlighting as a financial analyst, and his demeanor is arrogant and condescending. It's difficult to imagine this version of the character working so hard to preserve Gotham City.
6 GOT RIGHT: ALFRED HAVING ELITE SKILLS
Due to his SAS training, Alfred exhibits exceptional skills surrounding areas of covert reconnaissance and marksmanship throughout the series. He even employs the excellent execution of hostage rescue on behalf of the No Name League.
In the Batman canon, Alfred has a wide variety of elite skills, including those seen in Pennyworth. His areas of expertise include mechanical engineering, horticulture, biotechnology, gardening, fencing, and world cuisine, to name just a few.
5 GOT WRONG: THOMAS WAYNE HAVING A SISTER
Helping Thomas Wayne's socialite sister is the reason Alfred crosses paths with the Waynes in the first place. She appears not only in the first episode of the series, but later when she and Martha Kane get involved in a Satanic cult.
If Thomas Wayne has a sister, it implies that young Bruce Wayne still has family somewhere after both his parents are killed. It also means that he doesn't necessarily have to live with Alfred.
4 GOT RIGHT: ALFRED'S MORAL PRINCIPLES
Throughout the series, Alfred is distinguished by his moral principles. While he will take a job for a hefty sum of money, he always considers its ethics and won't commit to a contract that doesn't sit well with him. It's for this reason he spares Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane, despite the fact that their deaths would be in service to Queen and Country.
These principles are crucial in keeping with the Alfred Pennyworth from the Batman canon. He uses them to teach and shape Bruce Wayne, who relies on the advice and guiding candor of his mentor and friend.
3 GOT WRONG: ALFRED'S STAGE CAREER
In Pennyworth, Alfred has spent the last ten years being a part of the SAS, and when he returns to London he takes a position as a nightclub bouncer while forming a private security firm. He never makes an allusion to being interested in the theater, or having any passion for acting.
In some versions of his comic book origins, he was a former stage actor, who used his craft and skill with disguises to aid British Intelligence. He could do an effortless impersonation of Bruce Wayne on the phone, which he did both for amusement and in times of necessity.
2 GOT RIGHT: ALFRED BEING A COVERT OPERATIVE
Alfred goes on several covert missions for both the British Government and the CIA. His prominent connection to the latter in Pennyworth comes through his work for Thomas Wayne, himself a CIA operative.
Alfred was a member of British Intelligence in some comic book versions of his backstory, helping MI5 and MI6 in England. He didn't have ties to the CIA, but he was a spy, and eventually had to go into hiding for secrets he knew.
1 GOT WRONG: ALFRED HAVING A ROMANCE WITH MARTHA WAYNE
Alfred and Martha Kane grow close over the course of Season 1, thanks to several hair-raising adventures and close calls that help bond them over shared trauma. Their intimacy threatens her blossoming romance with Thomas Wayne, who she'll need to marry if she's going to have baby Bruce Wayne.
Nowhere in the Batman comics has Alfred ever had any romantic attachment to Martha Kane, fleeting or otherwise. If he did, it was a closely guarded secret he never told Bruce about.