Pennyworth

[Silver Nemesis]

DC has announced yet another prequel series. This one will tell the origin of Alfred, depicting his adventures in London during the swinging sixties. It will be 10 episodes long and takes place in the same universe as Gotham.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/gotham-boss-sets-new-batman-prequel-series-at-epix-1112339?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%20Breaking%20News_2018-05-16%2009:00:00_lgoldberg&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_breakingnews

[thecolorsblend]

Eh, depending on the point in continuity, Alfred's story can be pretty balls out. At one point, wasn't he a World War II veteran?

Done right, Alfred can be a lot like Christopher Lee; don't let the polished exterior fool you, bro has seen some serious s**t.

[The Dark Knight]

This is just more unnecessary overkill of comic properties.

[thecolorsblend]

This is just more unnecessary overkill of comic properties.

At the risk of being a negative nancy, batten down the hatches because DC Universe needs all the content it can get. Since Superman and, to a greater extent, Batman are the safest bets, it's reasonable to assume that most of the properties initially developed for DCU will be related to them.

In short, I think we should expect more of this type of thing.

Honestly, I tolerated this with Smallville because (A) Superboy is a valid part of the character's history and (B) there's a real story to be told with Clark coming of age and becoming Superman. But my tolerance for this type of thing isn't absolute. And it's contextual as much as anything. Gotham, Krypton, Pennyworth, Metropolis, none of these things really interest me.

I'm to the point now where I either want the creative forces to either do the bit or else go home. Fifteen years ago, maybe it made sense to avoid obvious comic book material like superhero costumes. But it's not 2003 anymore, guys, it's okay to do actual superhero stuff now.

Legion of Super-Heroes, Infinity Inc., Jack Knight's Starman, there are zillions of untapped DC Comics properties that have tons of potential. As a brand, DC needs to offer wider variety from now on or else they risk stagnation.

Develop some different properties, guys.

[The Dark Knight]

Gotham, Krypton, Pennyworth, Metropolis, none of these things really interest me.

Neither. I saw Brainiac's design for Krypon on these boards, and liked it. But actually watching the show? Meh.

I don't have any feeling of necessity with these spinoffs, and I don't feel bad ignoring them. They just don't feel legit to me and may as well not exist. I'd rather watch something like Justice League Action which actually features the characters we want to see. But even then, I'd honestly rather they all took their foot off the far king gas and had a breather.

[Silver Nemesis]

I agree with colors that Alfred's origin story offers untapped potential for expansion. There's a revealing argument expressed by Stevens, the main protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day, where he refutes the notion of a butler's accomplishments amounting to little more than servitude. Instead Stevens asserts that a butler takes great care in selecting an employer that he can respect and give his loyalty to, then invests his own sense of self-worth towards helping his master achieve his goals in life. So in a way, the accomplishments of the master are ultimately shared by the butler. Apply this idea to Alfred Pennyworth and it raises some interesting questions.

Why did Alfred choose Thomas Wayne as an employer? Was it their shared background in medicine that drew them together, or was Alfred morally invested in Thomas' philanthropy? We know how Thomas and Martha's deaths affected Alfred on an emotional level, but how did they impact his philosophical outlook and his broader sense of self-worth? Did he feel as though his own purpose in life had ended; that his chance to do something worthwhile died along with his master? When Bruce revealed his intent to fight crime, did Alfred immediately commit himself to that cause? Or was there a point where he doubted Bruce's mission and considered resigning? If so, what changed his mind? Obviously some of these questions have already been touched upon in the past, but I don't think there's ever been an expanded, comprehensive and definitive account of Alfred's life. His military background alone would make for an exciting story. But ideally, I'd rather see these ideas explored in a comic before a TV series was made.

In general, I share The Dark Knight's lack of enthusiasm for this and all the other prequel shows currently in production. I think this sort of prequel series – superhero shows in which the main hero never actually appears – can tide fans over during dry spells when proper full-on superhero productions are in short supply. But that's hardly the case right now. We've got the DCEU on the big screen, the CW-verse on the small screen, and regular DCAU films coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. If anything, there's an oversaturation at present. I'd rather just have a high quality Man of Steel II feature film than shows like Krypton and Metropolis in which Superman never actually appears.

[thecolorsblend]

I agree with colors that Alfred's origin story offers untapped potential for expansion. There's a revealing argument expressed by Stevens, the main protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day, where he refutes the notion of a butler's accomplishments amounting to little more than servitude. Instead Stevens asserts that a butler takes great care in selecting an employer that he can respect and give his loyalty to, then invests his own sense of self-worth towards helping his master achieve his goals in life. So in a way, the accomplishments of the master are ultimately shared by the butler. Apply this idea to Alfred Pennyworth and it raises some interesting questions.

Why did Alfred choose Thomas Wayne as an employer? Was it their shared background in medicine that drew them together, or was Alfred morally invested in Thomas' philanthropy? We know how Thomas and Martha's deaths affected Alfred on an emotional level, but how did they impact his philosophical outlook and his broader sense of self-worth? Did he feel as though his own purpose in life had ended; that his chance to do something worthwhile died along with his master? When Bruce revealed his intent to fight crime, did Alfred immediately commit himself to that cause? Or was there a point where he doubted Bruce's mission and considered resigning? If so, what changed his mind? Obviously some of these questions have already been touched upon in the past, but I don't think there's ever been an expanded, comprehensive and definitive account of Alfred's life. His military background alone would make for an exciting story. But ideally, I'd rather see these ideas explored in a comic before a TV series was made.

In general, I share The Dark Knight's lack of enthusiasm for this and all the other prequel shows currently in production. I think this sort of prequel series – superhero shows in which the main hero never actually appears – can tide fans over during dry spells when proper full-on superhero productions are in short supply. But that's hardly the case right now. We've got the DCEU on the big screen, the CW-verse on the small screen, and regular DCAU films coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. If anything, there's an oversaturation at present. I'd rather just have a high quality Man of Steel II feature film than shows like Krypton and Metropolis in which Superman never actually appears.

Hm. Y'know, the more I think about this, the more potential I see in Pennyworth.

You've got Alfred serving in [insert war here] (make it fictional if necessary). He goes into with ideals of nobility and valor in mind. He comes out a pale shadow of his former self. The entire time of war has been all about killing and destruction and he's been hollowed out by the experience.

Alfred doesn't trust himself anymore to do the right thing. The PTSD has broken him. He goes to work for Thomas Wayne, partly as a servile form of penance and partly to adjoin himself to Actual Good.

After Thomas and Martha's murder, however, he finds himself a broken man still suffering PTSD who believes he has no good to offer having to be a guardian to a lost, troubled child.

Is Batman emblematic of Alfred's own sense of failure and defeat? What does it cost Alfred to care for someone who voluntarily chooses to be everything Alfred himself renounced after the war?

I'm not advocating an Alfred show. I don't think it will succeed. Part of me HOPES it fails. But there's dramatic material to work with when it comes to Alfred, that's all I'm saying.

[The Dark Knight]

In general, I share The Dark Knight's lack of enthusiasm for this and all the other prequel shows currently in production. I think this sort of prequel series – superhero shows in which the main hero never actually appears – can tide fans over during dry spells when proper full-on superhero productions are in short supply. But that's hardly the case right now. We've got the DCEU on the big screen, the CW-verse on the small screen, and regular DCAU films coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. If anything, there's an oversaturation at present. I'd rather just have a high quality Man of Steel II feature film than shows like Krypton and Metropolis in which Superman never actually appears.

I'm open to content, don't get me wrong. But do we need so much? I mean, that's FOUR spin-off shows now and they all have their focus on hiding the main hero. Surely there comes a point where the general public and indeed the fanbase gets sick of this avalanche? And when something worthwhile does eventuate they'll be too exhausted to care as much as they should. My stance is simple: keep the brand alive but narrow your focus. The Telltale series honors the Batman universe and in my opinion, is top quality. Keep the tap flowing, but turn it down a good two or three turns.

[Silver Nemesis]

The first image of Jack Bannon as Alfred has been released.

Apparently the show is going to be r-rated and will not include any Batman rogues. Instead it will be set in 1960s London and will feature villains taken from classic British literature.

[thecolorsblend]

If the show will just be a 1960's spy pastiche set in the 1960's, why bother doing it as Alfred at all? It can presumably be a completely original show and possibly be the better for it.

The only thing that I can think of for tying this show in with Batman at all is if the League Of Assassins is a sort of SPECTRE kind of enemy for whatever department Alfred serves in. But, again, why do this a spy thing at all? Or if it has to be a spy show, why make Alfred the star? It's just odd.

The idea of using or not using Batman villains on the show is a hard one to make. But using literary characters foreign to Batman mythos is another oddball choice.

This entire thing doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

By the way, I'm the one assuming it'll be a spy show. It could be something else altogether. But that picture of Bannon just looks very Bond-lite to me.