Batman’s Butler Admits He Should Have Been a Different Type of Hero

Alfred has always been Batman’s most supportive ally, but he’s encouraging to a fault and still wishes Bruce took different route to being a hero.

Everyone’s favorite butler of the DC Universe, Alfred Pennyworth, knows everything there is to know about Batman, including the heroic path that Alfred wishes Bruce had taken instead of being a vigilante. Among the secrets that Alfred is well aware of is Bruce Wayne’s FBI training. It is well known that, years prior to becoming Batman, Bruce received training from all around the world – most notably with the League of Assassins – to acquire the skill set that he has today.

However, at the age of 20, he tried his hand at joining the FBI, as first revealed in Secret Origins of the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes, specifically in a Dennis O’Neil story called, “The Man Who Falls.” Bruce actually passed all of his entry exams, except firearms, ironically enough. However, after feeling like he was wasting too much time on regulation paperwork rather than actually focusing on the field, the future Batman quit the FBI after six weeks. He could never fully commit to this career path because Bruce was convinced that he needed to work outside the law in order to efficiently stop crime, even if he wasn’t certain of how yet.

Related: The Mistake of Alfred Pennyworth’s Death is Redeemed By One Story

Alfred Supports Batman to a Fault

This bit of background seldom gets brought up by Bruce, or by anyone in the DC Universe for that matter, but if anyone refuses to forget this time in Bruce’s life, it’s Alfred. In fact, in Nightwing #68 by Chuck Dixon and Trevor McCarthy, Alfred and Dick Grayson are discussing the complicated nature of Bruce’s current state of affairs. During the conversation, Alfred reminds Nightwing of Batman’s brief time at the FBI Academy. Alfred makes a point to mention that he desperately wishes that Bruce would have stuck with that line of work, rather than this “darker path.” That’s Alfred’s one and only regret.

It’s understandable why Alfred takes a stand like this, especially when keeping in mind that Alfred spent so many years not only as a butler but as a guardian and surrogate father watching over Bruce after his parents were killed. Although Alfred supports Bruce in his line of work, almost to a fault, that doesn’t make him any less concerned about his safety than any other parent would be. In Alfred’s mind, while being an FBI agent has its own dangers to the job, it’s at least linear in a way that doesn’t feel as unpredictable and complicated as being the secret vigilante Batman battling different villains on a daily basis.

At the same time, this moment really highlights Alfred’s unspoken and, at times, overlooked dedicated to Bruce Wayne’s mission. He worries about Bruce’s safety as Batman’s job never gets any easier to do or understand. Nonetheless, despite his own apprehensions and regrets about Bruce’s decision to embark on this path, Alfred still helps him with whatever he needs no matter the circumstance. It’s a reminder that although Alfred supports Batman in his pursuits of crime fighting, he doesn’t exactly approve of it and always envisioned a better, more (for lack of a better word) civil, normal life for Bruce Wayne.

More: Batman Just Ensured Alfred Didn’t Die in Vain