Alfred Pennyworth Once Fought Superman – and WON

When Superman breaks Batman’s back in the Injustice series, Alfred defends his Master Bruce – and gives Superman a beating he’ll never forget.

Making Superman bleed is a feat few have accomplished. Some of his greatest adversaries, like Doomsday and Darkseid, have certainly given the Man of Steel some of his more brutal beatings, but there’s someone else who once managed to bring down the Man of Steel. His name? Alfred Pennyworth.

In the Injustice: Gods Among Us series – a prequel to the popular video game of the same name – the Joker uses a modified version of Scarecrow’s fear toxin on Superman, causing him to rampage through Metropolis and kill Lois Lane and their unborn child. Even after he recovers, Clark is never the same. Superman murders the Joker and becomes the brutal dictator of a regime, ruling over the Earth with an iron fist. Many of the other heroes join him – after all, he’s Superman; how could he be wrong? It’s not until it’s much too late that many of them realize their mistake, but Batman opposed Superman’s regime from the very beginning.

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Injustice Broke Superman And Batman’s Friendship (Leading To Alfred’s Beatdown)

Batman and Superman have had their fair share of disagreements over the years, and whenever it came down to a fight, Batman usually had a trick or two up his sleeve. This time, however, he’d need more than a bit of kryptonite to even the odds. Fortunately, the Fortress of Solitude has just the thing – a pill that temporarily grants whoever takes it Kryptonian-like strength. Batman sends a team led by Green Arrow to steal one of the pills so he can replicate it and give his Insurgency a fighting chance. Ollie manages to get one of the pills to Batman, but Superman kills him for his betrayal – the next step in his descent to madness.

As Batman is analyzing the pill for replication in the Bat-Cave, Superman shows up to stop him. He breaks Batman’s back in an image very reminiscent of the famous Knightfall comic where Bane does the same thing. However, this was all part of Bruce’s plan to distract Clark long enough for the analysis to complete – and for Alfred to get his hands on the pill. When Superman turns to face Alfred, Alfred headbutts him, breaking Superman’s nose with his newfound strength. The Wayne Family Butler continues to pummel the Man of Steel into the ground, all the while telling him how disappointed he is. Afterward, Alfred picks Bruce up in his arms to take him away from the Bat-Cave and the bloodied Superman, saying “There’s nothing worth saving here.” Savage, Alfred. Absolutely savage.

Other Times Alfred Has Had To Save Batman In DC Comics

Obviously, are plenty of times when it’s been up to Alfred to save the Dark Knight. While Bruce Wayne’s crusade would likely have been over much sooner with Alfred waiting in the Batcave to stitch him up, he’s also defended the Batcave from intruders with a shotgun when the need arises. In an alternate universe beyond Injustice, Alfred even faced the Predator in Dark Horse’s Batman versus Predator crossover comic. However, beating the crap out of Superman certainly takes the cake as one of Alfred’s most epic saves. Without Alfred, there is no Batman, and Injustice proves this on a major level.

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