The Early Years of Alfred and Bruce
Jarvis Pennyworth, former Wayne Buttler, died when Bruce Wayne was 4, giving the title to his 25 year old son, Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred had done a number of things before taking the job, including but not limited to: fathering a child, whom he immediately abandoned (Julia may or may not become important later, I haven’t decided); joining the British Army at 18, where he excelled as a field medic (apparently contracts are 4 years); joined a secret organization, before killing the crazed leader; became an accomplished actor at the Globe Theatre; and probably more. These may or may not be listed in chronological order.
He was 29 when Martha and Thomas Wayne were killed and he became Bruce’s guardian. 8 year old Bruce was not coping well and was expelled from several private schools before Alfred decided to homeschool him by age 10. When this also seemed to be failing, Alfred made a deal with Bruce; as soon as he graduated high school, even if it was early, Alfred would arrange a globetrotting trip to learn about the world firsthand. Bruce didn’t seem to care until Alfred hinted that Bruce could learn from the best how to fight, and more importantly, how to fight crime; to make sure no other child had to lose their parents like he did. Alfred was well aware that Bruce had become obsessed with his parents’ deaths and decided that the only thing they hadn’t tried yet was leaning into it, so Alfred taught Bruce what he’d learned from his time in the Army to keep the boy motivated until he graduated at 15 and Alfred kept his promise.
From martial arts to military strategies to detective work and beyond, Alfred would either drop Bruce off with his teachers and pick him up a few months later, or Alfred would stay and learn what he could as well. Whenever he couldn’t stay, Alfred would make connections with locals as a traveling healer, or learn the newest schemes criminals were using, or network with both legal and illegal organizations, or any other way he could think of that could potentially be useful to whatever path Bruce decided was best.
Initially, Bruce thought to become a politician and/or a Crime Lord, and try to take out the “competition” as a way to rid Gotham of crime; if he could wrestle control of the bigger criminal organizations, or muscle them out of the city, then he could dismantle them from the inside. He didn’t like the idea, it was risky and chafed at his morals, but it was a potential solution. Then Superman debuted when Bruce was 17 and he realized that, while his original plan might have worked, being a hero aligned with him better in every way; sure, it wasn’t a perfect solution, but neither was the Crime Lord route, and at least this way he’d be able to look himself in the mirror and not want to vomit, which had started to happen as he tried to prepare himself for the role of Crime Lord.
Bruce was 20 years old when he returned to Gotham, though he wanted to save his debut until after he had started rumors of Batman, the Dark Knight that fights crime from the shadows. Alfred is 41 and helps Bruce from the background in any way he can.
As Red Hood, Jason unknowingly took the Crime Lord route Bruce had abandoned; he has no idea and Bruce has no intention of letting him find out.
