For over eight decades Batman has been ridding Gotham City of crime, and for as many years his trusty valet Alfred Pennyworth has diligently been helping him do it. From the early '40s when Sean Austin appeared as a more bumbling butler in the Batman serials, to Michael Caine's visceral performance as a young Batman's mentor in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Alfred has had as many incarnations as his famous employer but none have focused so fully on his character as Jack Bannon's.
Bannon portrays Alfred prior to his engagement with the Wayne family and many years before Bruce Wayne is born in Pennyworth, the Alfred Pennyworth origin series on EPIX. His Alfred is a war veteran, a nightclub bouncer, and on occasion an agent of the crown. He's not just Thomas Wayne's man's man - he's his unlikely partner, and his version may just be the best yet even when compared alongside these better alternatives.
WHEN HE ACTED LIKE AN ACTION STAR
Since Pennyworth's release, there have been a lot of comparisons between Alfred and James Bond, the calm, cool, and collected member of Her Majesty's Secret Service who has continued to be one of England's most famous imported action heroes.
Whether it's diving in guns blazing to save Esme Winnikus from the psychotic Bet Sykes, or playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the villainous Lord Harwood of the Raven Society, Bannon's Alfred is more like James Bond (or even Batman himself) than any other interpretation.
BETTER ALTERNATIVE: JEREMY IRONS (BATMAN V SUPERMAN)
Famous British thespian Jeremy Irons portrayed the haughty Wayne butler in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as well as Justice League, alongside a middle-aged Batman, played by Ben Affleck.
What separated Irons from other interpretations -and namely Bannon's- was his technical prowess, and as such intimate knowledge of Batman's elite technology. He could as easily remotely pilot the Batjet or drive the Batmobile as the Caped Crusader himself.
WHEN HE SHOWED HE HAD A HEART
In many of the older versions of Alfred, he's a distinguished gentleman who is often too refined to show overly effusive displays of emotion (save for Michael Caine's more emotive performance). It's difficult to imagine the upper-crust butler ever having a passionate romance with anyone, even in his youth.
Bannon brings a Byronic aura to Alfred, combining a sense of brooding machismo and tender tough guy, so it isn't difficult to imagine that a charming bouncer from a night club (as he starts out in the series) once fell in love with a beguiling waitress-turned-singer and aimed to build a quiet life with her.
BETTER ALTERNATIVE: MICHAEL CAINE (THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY)
With his cockney accent and gruff charm, decorated actor Michael Caine's Alfred was a rough-around-the-edges version who was just the sort to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty molding an orphaned Bruce Wayne into the man he would need to become.
He offered counsel and advice, whether his ward needed it or not, and was proficient in all of the aspects that he would need to become Batman. Caine's Alfred was not fussy nor was he uncomplicated, and his earthier interpretation made Alfred much more relatable throughout Christian Bale's metamorphosis.
WHEN HE DEMONSTRATED HIS ELITE SKILLS
Perhaps in no other version of Alfred's story -save on Gotham- has he ever demonstrated his elite fighting skills as assuredly or as effectively as in Pennyworth. Whether working in sanguinary syncopation with his security firm of war veterans or acting as a rogue agent, he deploys a merciless agenda of mayhem.
Fans may not have expected to see Alfred as a single-minded killing machine, but when he goes on a rampage in Lord Harwood's manor, he wouldn't look at out of place in the John Wick Universe.
BETTER ALTERNATIVE: ALFRED (BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES)
For many Alfred fans, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s perfect combination of stiff-upper-lip and daring-do defined for a generation the qualities of the Wayne family butler in Batman: The Animated Series. Despite his dry sense of humor and urbane comportment, he could also leap into action at a moment's notice.
Zimbalist's portrayal is in many ways a close match for what Bannon's Alfred may have grown to become, especially with his prior paramilitary training and his skills with marksmanship. He was more central to Batman's formation and shared a stronger relationship with his master than almost any other version.
WHEN HE REVEALED HIS PAST
While it was entertaining for fans to imagine Alfred as a former SAS fighter and part of an elite squad of commandos, it was much more exciting to see this in the flesh. Getting to actually see Alfred's past allows for a greater deal of investment in Alfred's character.
Not only does Alfred come across as a man of integrity in Bannon's version when he forms a private security firm comprised of his old war mates, but fans also get to see their camaraderie, both as a fighting force and as a group of veterans trying to reintegrate themselves into civilian society. Fans also get to learn about the Pennyworth family, and the complicated relationship Alfred had with his father.
BETTER ALTERNATIVE: SEAN PERTWEE (GOTHAM)
To see the apex of the ex-special forces aspect of Jack Bannon's Alfred, fans need only look at Sean Pertwee's version in action on Gotham. As an East Londoner, gone are the usual stilted affectations, with his Alfred portrayed as much more tough-as-nails, and far more likely to tell war stories over a pint of lager than discuss the finer points of growing Pennyworth Blue's.
Pertwee's Alfred showed a young Bruce Wayne how to stand up for himself, how to box, how to behave around firearms, and more than any other incarnation passed on the characteristics that would one day make his ward the Caped Crusader.
WHEN HE TEAMED UP WITH THOMAS WAYNE
Alfred and Thomas Wayne have a long history in the Batman canon, and many interpretations of Alfred have shared pieces of Thomas Wayne's past with Bruce Wayne, both to give him a better understanding of his father's personality and to help direct the Wayne family legacy in his honor.
Bannon's Alfred actually gets to highlight the team-up between him and Thomas Wayne, this time an ambitious American agent operating going after organized crime syndicates in Britain. It's easier to imagine older portrayals of Alfred describing the heroism of Thomas Wayne when viewers have gotten to see his younger incarnation in action alongside him.
BETTER ALTERNATIVE: MICHAEL GOUGH
One of the longest on-screen versions of Alfred was portrayed by the unflappable Michael Gough from Batman to Batman Forever. He acted opposite three different actors who donned the cape and cowl, bringing dignity and decorum to the role, as well as translating his master's mercurial moods.
Gough's Alfred was a man wizened by his many years, both in the employ of the Wayne family as well as his various pursuits as a young man. He worried after his master's mental health, made sure he always had a sandwich in the Batmobile and became a surrogate father in many ways.