Drunk History: The Wild, Tragic, and Totally Badass Life of Alfred Pennyworth
By: TazAlGhul & Seamus McGilliguffy | Comics & Brews Podcast
Welcome back to Comics & Brews, where the craft beers flow as freely as the comic book lore! This week, your inebriated historians TazAlGhul and Seamus McGilliguffy take a deep (and boozy) dive into the most underrated badass in the Batman mythos: ALFRED PENNYWORTH.
That’s right — the British butler who wipes Bat blood off the floor and dishes out life advice like Gordon Ramsay in a bowtie. But Alfred is so much more than just Bruce Wayne’s loyal servant. He’s a war hero, a secret agent, a stage actor, a surgeon, and yes… he’s even been zombified.
Let’s raise a glass and unpack the full, insane legacy of Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth. View the full episode below or you can cruise through the text version below the video if you really love reading. Be sure to give the video a thumbs up and subscribe so we can reach our goal of 1,000 subscribers!
The Rebel Butler: Alfred’s Early Life
Before he was polishing silverware in Wayne Manor, Alfred was raising hell in the streets of London. A rebellious teenager, he ran away from home multiple times, never really bonding with his father, Jarvis — who ironically served the Wayne family overseas.
At 18, Alfred joined the British Army and had a daughter. But war wasn’t enough. He was later recruited into a mysterious MI-5 offshoot called the Nemesis Program, where he was trained to become the new “Dark Knight” of England (not the Batman kind — more like a Celtic super-soldier).
His mentor, Briar, went off the deep end, and Alfred was forced to kill him… or so he thought. Briar survived and secretly cloned Alfred using his blood. That’s right — there’s a clone Alfred out there.
And we’re just getting started.
From the Stage to the Manor
After retiring from MI-5, Alfred became a Shakespearean actor and performed at the Globe Theatre — like a true British legend.
But everything changed when he got the news of his father’s death. Though Jarvis had tried to warn him not to become a butler, the letter never reached Alfred. So, out of duty and guilt, he accepted the job at Wayne Manor, becoming the butler for Thomas and Martha Wayne — and their 4-year-old son, Bruce.
Little did he know what kind of storm he was walking into.
Raising Bruce Wayne: More Than a Butler
When Bruce was 8 years old, his parents were murdered in Crime Alley. Alfred rushed to the scene and became Bruce’s legal guardian overnight.
Bruce’s trauma ran deep. He became obsessed with guns, vengeance, and uncovering the truth behind his parents’ murder — even nearly dying while hunting down the Court of Owls. Alfred was forced to send young Bruce to a rehab home just to stabilize him.
But the bond they formed over those years? It was unbreakable. Alfred wasn’t just a guardian — he became Bruce’s surrogate father.
Bruce’s Training & Alfred’s Loneliness
When Bruce turned 18, he vanished — traveling the world to become the man who would be Batman. For years, Alfred had no clue where Bruce was, until a faint call reached Bruce in Norway. Alfred begged him to come home. Bruce didn’t answer.
When Bruce finally returned at age 25, Alfred was overjoyed. He learned Bruce was taking on the mantle of a vigilante. Alfred wasn’t thrilled about the whole bat costume thing, but he agreed to help.
And thus, Penny-One was born — the voice in Batman’s ear, the man in the chair, the last line of defense at the Batcomputer.
Night of the Owls & Fighting Talons
When the Court of Owls returned to launch a full-blown assault on Gotham, they sent an army of undead assassins called Talons to wipe out the city’s leaders — including Bruce Wayne.
They attacked Wayne Manor directly. Alfred and Bruce had to retreat to the Batcave’s deep freezer bunker, where Alfred lowered the temperature to sub-zero to take out the Talons.
Then he put out a city-wide Bat Family distress call.
Tactical. Stoic. Totally badass.
Joker, Kidnapping, & Gaslight Trauma
In Death of the Family, Joker returned wearing his own face like a Halloween mask and launched a campaign against everyone Batman loved.
First up? Alfred.
Joker beat him with a hammer, blinded him with chemicals, then Jokerized him with toxin — forcing Alfred to attack the Bat Family at a grotesque “dinner party.”
But Alfred fought back. Even Joker gas couldn’t break his mind. He recovered and helped patch the family up afterward… but the emotional damage lingered.
Alfred Has a Daughter… And Fights Bane!?
In Batman Eternal, Alfred’s long-lost daughter, Julia Pennyworth, surfaced in Gotham and joined the fight for justice. While working together, Julia was gravely wounded, and Alfred nursed her back to health.
But things took a turn when the villain Hush injected Alfred with fear toxin and had him committed to Arkham Asylum.
There, Alfred actually teamed up with Bane to escape a magical disaster zone. Once safe, he betrayed Bane and activated a Batcave defense turret to knock him out. Classic Pennyworth move.
🧨 Joker’s Endgame: Alfred Loses a Hand
In Endgame, Joker infiltrated the Batcave and chopped off Alfred’s hand with a meat cleaver. 🫨
After Batman (temporarily) died fighting Joker, Alfred refused to reattach his hand. Why? Because he believed there was no one left to take care of. Gut punch.
🧠 Bruce Without Batman: A Second Chance
Bruce came back to life — but without his memories of being Batman.
Alfred saw a chance for Bruce to live a peaceful life and protected him from his past. He shooed away the Bat Family, the Justice League, everyone.
Of course, Bruce eventually discovered the truth and restored his memories. Alfred reluctantly resumed his role… and got a robot hand for his troubles.
💀 Alfred’s Death: The Heart of Gotham Falls
In City of Bane, Bane took over Gotham with Thomas Wayne (the Flashpoint version), and captured Alfred as leverage.
When Damian Wayne ignored Bruce’s orders and tried to stop Bane, the villain snapped Alfred’s neck right in front of him. This is hands down one of the saddest comic book panels in all of Batman’s history. Not only did this crush the entire Bat family but of course Damian felt responsible. Imagine being the reason Alfred is dead? Pretty sure Bruce would have a wee bit of hatred for his son forever after that.
The man who raised Batman was gone.
🧟 Alfred Returns… as a Zombie!?
Joker, being Joker, dug up Alfred’s corpse, reanimated it with necromantic science, and used him as a weapon in the Joker War. A zombified Alfred berated Bruce as they fought.
It was horrifying.
Eventually, Alfred’s body was destroyed in an explosion at Ace Chemicals. Bruce and the Bat Family reburied him — again.
👻 One Last Goodbye
Alfred’s spirit briefly returned during Lazarus Planet, manipulated by the demon Nezha. But in a final act of closure, Alfred’s soul overpowered the magic and gave Bruce one last message:
“Stop blaming yourself. My death wasn’t your fault — or Damian’s.”
Mic drop. Tearjerker. Legend.
🏆 Why Alfred Pennyworth Is the GOAT
He wasn’t just a servant. He was a soldier, a spy, a mentor, a father, a fighter, and the literal backbone of the Bat Family. Pretty sure half the time Batman would have ceased to exist if it wasn’t for Alfred. Whether he was on the comms helping Bruce jump out of his Batwing, or stitching him up in the Batcave. He was always there being the backbone for everyone.
Alfred Pennyworth is Batman’s greatest ally — and the emotional core of Gotham.
So next time you pour yourself a drink, raise it to the man who kept the Batcave running and Gotham’s greatest hero from losing himself.
Cheers, Alfred. You’re still the one Batman Animated series figurine I never got as a kid and one day I hope to have you. But you are one of the finest comic book characters of all time. One tidbit I will drop is that in an alternate universe he is back in a completely different way. And that’s in the new Absolute Batman series! If you haven’t given that a read it’s an absolute MUST! It’s for sure my favorite DC Book out there right now.
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Beers of the Episode
The return of Seamus McGilliguffy without the burbs, hiccups and farts. He returned for one of the best characters of all time. The man was on point and also had us wearing suits like Alfred truly deserves. Anyways … here’s what we drank.
Other Half Brewing: Deep Orbit Vega – Deep Orbit is back and this time we crushed it with chocolate sandwich cookies AND barrel aged it. So yeah, it tastes like Oreos dunked in imperial stout. This thing was absolutely incredible and had that straight thickness. Seamus and I actually flew this one back from the Mecca of NYC in a nice cloth suitcase … somehow it survived. This one is one of the best stouts I’ve had no doubt about it.
(I Rated it a 4.75) It’s Untappd overall rating is (4.33)
Off Script Brewing: Juuust A Bit Outside – DDH New England Double IPA with tons of 2024 Galaxy, Citra T-90, and Citra Hop Hash.
This one is a special tribute to Bob Uecker and a movie I’ve watched 100 times, and will happily watch 100 times more. Another one from our local garage brewers bringing that absolute hazy fire!! If you’re ever able to get one of their beers through their raffle be sure to cherish every damn sip. It’s absolutely supreme.
(I Rated it a 4.75) It’s Untappd overall rating is (4.54)
We also had a RAR Out of Order banger which I somehow managed to not take a picture of and also not rate … probably because it exploded everywhere mid episode … So if you watched it you know how that thing looked hahah.
Did you like the glass from our beers of the episode seen above? Well you can get it here! This bad boy just released! Get it before it sells out!
Peter’s Brewhand Can Shaped Glass
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