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One of the Alfred Pennyworth variants from the realities introduced in Batman/Superman just became his world’s version of a major Superman enemy.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman/Superman Annual #1, on sale now
The DC multiverse has always allowed for unique variations of countless classic characters to appear in unique forms, with the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal introducing plenty while solidifying the sheer scope of the multiverse (and the omniverse outside of it). New realities have still been introduced, such as in Batman/Superman, which featured 1930s-inspired worlds where either Batman or Superman never came to be — and the other serves as the primary protector of their reality.
On these realities, characters can turn out to be surprisingly villainous, like the crime-lord Lois Lane (known as the Spider Lady) from Batman’s world, or the nefarious Martha Wayne of Superman’s. But one version of Doomsday-esque version of Alfred from these worlds might just perhaps be the most unlikely variant of the classic character in Batman/Superman Annual #1 by Gene Luen Yang, Francesco Francavilla, Paul Pelletier, Mick Gray, Troy Peteri, and Hi-Fi.
In one of the worlds introduced in the current run of Batman/Superman, Martha Wayne survived the fateful night Thomas Wayne was gunned down. This allowed her to take a more prominent role in her world as a business mogul — raising Bruce to be the foppish playboy he disguises himself as in most incarnations of Batman. Notably, this Martha seemed to develop a new relationship with her faithful butler Alfred — who works as her bodyguard and assistant openly. He’s even shown to be the Bane of this world, at one point utilizing venom to increase his size and mass so he can face off with the Batman and Robin of a visiting world.
Although Martha and Bruce — transformed into a Bizarro/Two-Face style character — end up arrested and imprisoned, Batman and Robin are forced to confront them again when they briefly swap places with Superman. After the demented Bruce breaks free of his constraints, he quickly kidnaps Martha and takes her back to Crime Alley. Hoping to find a way to locate her, the pair make their way to the Wayne Manor of this reality. There, they discover Alfred — who gives them the inspiration to go to Crime Alley and begs them to return Martha to him. The pair then return the two villain Waynes to their respective correctional facilities — but find themselves confronted by Alfred. Furious that he wasn’t given Martha back, Alfred utilizes a mysterious new drug that transforms him into a Doomsday-like figure.
Quickly growing in size and gaining bone protrusions, he’s still clearly Alfred Pennyworth, given his unique mustache and hairline. It’s a sudden and ridiculous change, but also one that comes close to defeating the powerless Batman and Robin. Luckily, the pair are able to make it to the interdimensional Fortress of the Knight that they share with the Superman they befriended, allowing the Man of Steel to defeat the Dooms-Alfred.
Still, it’s a remarkably unlikely variant of the trusted Wayne family butler. Recent years have introduced plenty of strange variants of the character, but one who turns himself into a Superman-level threat just to try and murder a version of Batman and Robin might be the most unlikely — and the most dangerous. This version of Alfred may even become a reoccurring threat to them, despite Superman’s robots trying to contain him. It’s be interesting to see this variation return down the line, and potentially take another shot at freeing his Martha — and getting revenge on Superman, Batman, and Robin for their interference.
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