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| Alfred Pennyworth | |
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Birth Name: Alfred Thaddeus Pennyworth
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| Birth Place: Manchester, England | |
Alfred is Bruce Wayne´s butler, legal guardian and life-long friend.
He trained to become a soldier of the British Army and soon became a member of MI-6 before retiring and taking up his love of acting. Following his father's death, he then became the Wayne Family Butler.
Following the murders of the the Wayne Family, Alfred was named Bruce's legal guardian in the will left by Thomas and Martha, however, social services combated the will feeling that Bruce should not be raised by a servant. However, Alfred managed to keep Bruce´s custody by bribing the social service agent into allowing Alfred to raise him.
Childhood[]
Alfred was born to Jarvis and Stella Pennyworth. At the age of twelve (beggining of WWII) he started amateur acting and during the war participated in many shows to entertain the troops.
The Army[]
By the time he turned 18, the war came to an end. But despite the previous, Alfred entered the service and excelled in his military training. Because of this, he was quickly assigned to an experimental group of the MI-6, who where answering a call by Aung Sang, leader of Burma (who was still a leader inside the British Empire, despite his desires for independence).
Burma[]
Sang was trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans where being raided by a bandit. So, Alfred and his friends, under the command of Captain O'Reily, went looking
The Mi-6 team in Burma
for the bandit and the stones, but in six months they never found anyone who traded with him. Then one day Alfred saw a child playing with a huge ruby, and that's when they realised the bandit didn´t steal for profit, but as a compulsion.
At the beggining of the seventh month, (already 1946) O'Riley decided to burn the entire forest down to catch him. Alfred and the others opposed. But the Captain proceeded. After an extensive wildfire, the bandit ran out of the jungle and was aprehended by the local authorities.
Their returned to Britain, and Alfred quit the MI-6, frustrated. O'Riley was court marshalled and kicked out of the service.
A year later, Burma gained it's independence.
Actor in Gotham[]
Alfred continued to work as a driver for the Army, and was also and instructor from time to time.
In 1959, his parents moved to Gotham, since Jarvis was a world known butler and a wealthy family called the Waynes had offered a high price for their services. Stella proposed that he came with them, he could retake his love of acting, and also learn about etiquette and high profil servitude like his father. Alfred agreed. After arriving in Gotham he quickly became a well-known theatre actor. But only for a while, because in the end he wasn't that good. So he decided to abandon his career and instead follow his father's example.
Servant at Wayne Manor[]
At first, Alfred worked at Wayne Manor as a simple servant, at the shadow of his father, the butler. At that time, he was mostly devoted to acting. But eventually he started to show similar or even better abilities than those of his father, he also turned out to be a great orator and and specially advisor, which earned him the admiration of young Thomas Wayne, son of Frederick Wayne, the patriarc.
Butler at Wayne Manor[]
In 1966 Frederick Wayne died and Thomas became the new head of the family. Jarvis respectfully asked him for retirement since he felt he was to old to continue. As expected, Thomas named Alfred as his succesor. So, he became the butler of the Wayne family, job which he performed even better than his father. Jarvis was very proud of him.
Alfred's father died in 1971, quickly followed by his mother in 1972.
He continued to serve the Wayne family to this day. He helped Thomas when he married Martha in 1975. He was there when Bruce was born in 1978 (whom he still serves to this day).
Thomas' Death and the Battle with Earle over Bruce's Custody[]
William Earle
In case anything happened to them, Thomas had declared that he wanted Bruce under Alfred's custody.
But after Thomas and Martha were murdered, Wayne Enterprises board member and now CEO William Earle offered to take custody of young Bruce. Which seemed like a selfless act, but he hid the intention of someday becoming the owner of the "Wayne Empire". He had the Social Services say that it was not prudent if Bruce was to be raised by his butler. Alfred suspected about Earle so he asked in court for the boy's custody just days after the murder. The judge was not conviced at first but changed his mind after hearing Bruce's testimony, seeing their parents' will and starting to suspect Earle's intentions. Finally, Alfred bribed the social services agent to leave them alone.
Then, Alfred became Bruce's legal guardian and raised him from then on.