DC could bring back Batman's beloved friend and butler Alfred - but as an artificial intelligence. Comic books have famously dined out on the so-called "Illusion of Change," where stories ultimate go full-circle and everything ends with a vague approximation of the same status quo. While the idea of the Illusion of Change is traditionally associated with Stan Lee, rival DC Comics buys into it just as much. In fact, they've even periodically rebooted the universe in order to erase changes they made that were a little too big in scale.
The last couple of years have apparently seen DC abandon the Illusion of Change when it comes to Batman, though. The relationship between Batman and Catwoman has become more serious than ever before, with Selina Kyle essentially absorbed into the Bat-family (and she even got to learn Superman's secret identity back before it became fashionable). But there's rarely a Happily Ever After for the Dark Knight, and so for every gain he's made, he has paid a terrible price. The most painful of these was the death of Alfred, his mentor, friend, and butler. Alfred was murdered by Bane when Damian Wayne defied the order to stay out of Gotham. Batman drafted Lucius Fox in to support him in the same kind of way Alfred did, but it simply hasn't been working out.
Alfred's death has left Batman more exposed than ever before. Still grieving and over-stretched because of Alfred's absence, he's made the mistake of pushing everybody away. And now the Joker War has begun, Gotham City has fallen to the Clown Prince of Crime, and Batman has apparently lost everything. But could he be about to regain Alfred - after a fashion?
It all began in Batman #95, with the Dark Knight heading into one of his secret bases scattered across the city. Batman believed he was safe there, but he was unaware the Joker's goons had captured Lucius Fox and tortured him into giving up all his secrets. As a result, Batman found himself "greeted" by the Joker's new girlfriend, Punchline. She'd flooded the room with a poison she'd brewed herself, one that incorporated Joker venom, Scarecrow's fear toxin, and even a little bit of Bane's venom to ensure it won't kill - but will instead make you suffer. Punchline herself is immune, but Batman soon learned he was not. That was when he began hallucinating Alfred's voice, offering him guidance and advice.
This has continued into Batman #96, and Batman himself believes he's having a psychotic break due to the strain he's suffered. And yet, there's something distinctly odd going on here; the voice of Alfred keeps telling Batman things the Dark Knight doesn't know himself. In Batman #95, "Alfred" warned Batman that the Joker had taken all his vehicles, just before a repurposed Batplane fired missiles on him. In Batman #96, the voice of Alfred warned that Harley Quinn had a tranquilizer stowed away, and told Batman exactly where in Gotham he'd been taken to recover. If this is a psychotic break, it's a rather well-informed one. Something else is clearly going on here.
Batman #95 suggested Alfred had kept his secrets. Punchline was amused to find a new design for the Bat-suit, one she mocked as being so very bright and hopeful. Lucius Fox had stumbled upon it in the Dark Knight's computers, and thus had it made. But Batman was more than a little surprised to see the sleek new suit, one redolent with hope and potential, one that seemed to speak of brighter days that have yet to come. It was pretty easy to guess who'd be responsible for designing such a Bat-suit; Alfred.
Indeed, in Batman #96 Batman had a fever-dream of this future world, and he associated the costume with Alfred, suggesting his subconscious had made the leap. But if Alfred had been designing Bat-suits in secret, what else had he been doing? He had access to Bruce Wayne's wealth, and he was so well-trusted that he could essentially do whatever he wanted. Could he have found a way to return from the grave?
Alfred had always been committed to his charge, and indeed he'd sworn never to leave Batman. He understood Bruce Wayne would always be tempted towards solitude, and he knew he was the one person who could never be pushed away. What's more, he also knew he played a key role in the Bat-family, bringing them back together whenever Bruce had torn them apart. Thus the elderly gentleman would naturally have wondered what would happen when he was gone - and he'd naturally prepare for that eventuality. It's possible he did so by creating an artificial intelligence based on his neural net, essentially meaning he has become Batman's computer system.
It's easy to miss, but Alfred's voice only began to speak after Joker's agents had hacked into the Bat-network; they could easily have triggered a digital tripwire that activated the Alfred project. This theory would fit perfectly with the voice Batman is hearing; note the style of the speech bubbles, which are usually used in comics to represent radio transmissions or artificial intelligences.
This would be a smart way for DC Comics to have their cake and eat it. They get to both kill Alfred, and bring him back after a fashion; it's not quite the Illusion of Change, but it's remarkably close to it. In narrative terms, the virtual Alfred would be the fly in the Joker's ointment, the one thing the Clown Prince of Crime hadn't planned for as part of his Joker War. And it's notable even some of the Joker War tie-ins have seen members of the Bat-family reaching out to Alfred for help before remembering he's dead; in Batgirl #47, for example, Barbara Gordon triggers an alarm in her apartment, a cry for help. Only afterwards does she remember the device had been rigged to signal Alfred, and realize no help is coming. But she could well be wrong; because this time it won't be Batman who saves the day, but Alfred.
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