Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman #132!Alfred Pennyworth is by far one of the most loyal and trustworthy members of the Bat-Family, he has been serving Batman for almost as long as Bruce has worn the cowl, which makes it all the more tragic that Batman is the secret reason Alfred could never be happy.
While almost every member of the Bat-Family has left at one point or another, one member has remained a constant: Alfred Pennyworth. No matter how bad things got between him and Bruce, he rarely ever walked out on Batman. This makes it all the more tragic when it's revealed in Batman #132 by Chip Zdarsky and Mike Hawthorne that the biggest thing keeping Alfred from being happy is Batman himself. Batman has recently been transported to a universe where Bruce Wayne is dead and Batman never existed, which seems to have allowed Alfred to act on an old romance that he was never really able to act on back in the main DC Universe.
Batman's Crusade Ruins The Lives Of Those Around Him
Alfred devoted his life to Batman's crusade against crime, and while that certainly made him one of Batman's oldest and most valuable allies, it really didn't leave him much time for a social life. The only family Alfred really has outside of Bruce is a daughter whom he sired before coming to work for the Waynes. Once he began working, he really had no time for any friends or a love interest. When Bruce Wayne set out to travel the world, Alfred struck up a romance with Leslie Thompkins, but when Bruce returned, Alfred had to end it to help Batman. This is tragic because Alfred and Leslie did make a good couple.
In this new universe, Alfred and Leslie Thompkins appear to be living in a very fancy apartment, above the rest of Gotham City, and they seem to be happily married. This seems to only be possible because Bruce Wayne is dead and Batman never existed. Bruce in this universe gave away his entire fortune and became a social worker, before eventually seemingly being murdered. This allowed Alfred to live his life, but in the main universe, Alfred was helplessly devoted to Bruce, and because of it Alfred's death was inevitable. Alfred died in the main DC Universe at the hands of Bane, a villain who was only there because of Batman. This is the great tragedy of Batman's crusade: it takes everyone in his life to support it and that often leaves them no room to live their own lives. Dick Grayson left Batman to start his own life as Nightwing, because he knew that if he didn't, his future would be dominated by Bruce's crusade, and he'd likely have to eventually take over being Batman himself.
While Batman's war on crime has undeniably benefited the people of Gotham City, it has equally had a negative impact on the people who have to actually help him fight this war. This is why as good of an ally as Alfred was, he never really got to live his life because of Batman.
Batman #132 is on sale now from DC Comics!