Alfred: Heroic father figure Article by Stafffighter, 01:53 PM 19th Aug Disclaimer: The following opinions are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the other endless crew staff. In fact they all disagree with me and persecute me regularly. Quick overview: Alfred Pennyworth has been an army medic, an intelligence operative and a butler. The last would seem dull in comparison were his employer someone other than Batman. Alfred has served with the Wayne family since Bruce was in diapers. Several years into his service the Wayne family was nothing but Bruce when his parents were killed in a mugging. Rather than be taken in by relatives or an adoptive family Bruce stayed with Alfred. This is notable in that not only was he there through his formative years and during a time of crisis he was the choice for life afterwards. This is a clear sign of the bond between the two. Bruce trusted Alfred to protect and guide him, much like a father would have. While the embrace of a parent figure was inevitable when his parents were lost to him at such an early age, eight to be exact, the kinship between the two formed from the gentle nature of Alfred and the childhood innocence of Bruce lead them to stay together and become all that each other had. Of course Bruce did more than live a simple yet privileged life in the home his parents had left him. He spent his youth traveling and training in order to become the symbol of justice that he did grow into. Through all this Alfred supported him. This is not to say that he approved of the plan but the simple fact was that he was loyal to him. The quest for justice was strong in Bruce but with Alfred there with him it was impossible to become nothing but the quest. Without such a strong emotional factor Bruce might have given himself in completely. Bruce grew to become highly disciplined yet still retain humanity, much like Alfred. Before he came to work at Wayne Manor Alfred had a history in both military medicine and British intelligence. These are both fields that require nothing less than a will of iron. If one falters while treating a wounded soldier they could possibly die and if an intelligence matter is mishandled the results can be catastrophic, high stress to say the very least. He approached both fueled by his tie to humanity. He never forgot that the bleeding fighters or statistics were human. This is the goodness that he passed on to Bruce when he Became Batman. Batman is a fighter towards an ideal, no question about it. He has a distinct sense of right and wrong which is a concept less tied emotion than one might think. Machines are able to tell when something functions appropriately or not and in the same way so are many people. Bruce remembers the kindness Alfred showed when he needed it and thus approaches his work the same way, protecting the innocent rather than only punishing the guilty. The details of his life before his involvement with the Wayne family are scarce, as should be expected with an intelligence operative. Yet the actions he has taken since in the very odd role of someone who Batman looks up to show a clear picture of what is true to the man. He believes in right and wrong, he is always quick with a particular humor and he is companionate but never to a fault. He is nothing less than the reason there is still a man in Batman. Disagree? Bring it up on the forum. Suggestions? E mail me. But don’t write an essay. If I use who you suggest I’ll only say what I have to say Back to Rants