Replacing Alfred

So, by now, we all know that Tom King, I mean Bane, killed Alfred Pennyworth in Batman #77. The long time Bat Butler is gone. Which got me thinking...who will be replacing Alfred long term?

Replacing Alfred

Alfred Pennyworth has been part of the Bat-Family for nearly as long as the Boy Wonder. Making his first appearance in Batman #16, all the way back in 1943, Alfred emerged as the indispensable man behind the curtain so to speak.  He kept track of the vast inventory of Bat vehicles and various bat appliances, researched every request on a whim, acted as doctor/nurse to the battered Bruce, kept the peace between the Robins, and of course made those famous cucumber sandwiches. But with his death, who will fill this most important role within the Bat-Family? Replacing Alfred will be a difficult task.

I think there are three choices.

Lucius Fox

Replacing Alfred

Option #1. Lucius Fox, he may be the front-runner as he is currently serving as interim-Alfred. He makes his debut in Batman #307. Played by Morgan Freeman in the Christopher Nolan Bat Trilogy, we all came to love him as the level headed, ethical creator of Bat toys and eventual head of Wayne Industries. But Mr. Fox is off to a rough start in his new role. In the current Joker War story, he, well, let's just say Bruce is no longer the richest man in town. Lucius has the history to be a serious contender, but often the interim choice is not the permanent one. So who's next?

The Return of Alfred

Option #2. Alfred comes back somehow. Everybody knows that no one stays dead in comics forever. In fact, there is precedence for this with Alfred himself, who dies in Detective Comics #328, saving Batman and Robin. He is brought back a couple dozen issues later but you get the idea. It is not too hard to imagine some kind of scenario where Alfred himself returns. He has been such a key part of Bat lore that I probably wouldn't even be mad.

So that brings us to my final idea. I have to admit I think this one is pretty cool. What if the long term solution is...

Julia Pennyworth

Option #3. Julia Pennyworth. She's got the genes for the job. Her father is Alfred himself and her mother is a famed member of the DC War cannon: Mademoiselle Marie!

A member of the French Resistance during the Second World War, Mlle Marie rendezvouses with Alfred Pennyworth who is serving in the Special Air Service, an elite special forces unit within the British Army. The product of that relationship is Julia Pennyworth, introduced to us in Detective Comics #501. There is no denying she has the chops! She also has a few peripheral appearances in Scott Snyder's and James Tynion IV's Batman Eternal run. Since Tynion is writing Batman now, it doesn't seem like a stretch to think that she could be in his plans. She also has ties to the live-action Batwoman series, though I admit I have only seen a few episodes of that show.

Investment Options

Okay, so what is the collector to do? I would suggest picking up Batman #307 and Detective Comics #501. Both of these are fairly easy to get in raw condition. Slabbed copies are harder to come by. I won't give you the obvious advice to pick up Alfred's or even Mlle Marie's first appearance as those are already sought after keys with prices to match. Batman #77 is attainable in 9.8 for under $100 and I would grab it. I understand it to have one of the lower print runs of the Tom King era and if Alfred stays dead for a while, it could pop. Batman #28 from Snyder's New 52 run is picking up some heat as the first appearance of Bluebird but has a Julia Pennyworth cameo as well.

I think Julia Pennyworth's character has a lot of potentials. As the various story-lines unfold, we will get a clearer picture of who is to fill the big shoes of our beloved Alfred. In the meantime, have fun on the hunt and let me know what you think.

 

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