Do You Miss Alfred?

[Pohzee]

Alfred's been dead for like a year or two now, so I'm curious to see what people's opinions have been in his absence. Do you think that his death carries an important weight, or do you feel like all of the Batman stories have been missing something that can't be fixed without him?

[Iclifton]

Na not really. However, to be fair, I have not been reading the main Batbook since Tynion took over.

Has anyone filled his role in that book?

[Drako]

I miss him and think they shouldn't have killed him. But now they better let this man rest in peace.

[Claude]

To my slight surprise - and speaking mostly for Tec, because I'm not an especial fan of what Tynion's been doing - it's massively helped Bruce as a character. He's much more dynamic when he isn't perpetually on the phone to his dad.

[InfamousBG]

I do miss him. Was I happy with his death? No but I dont think they should just bring him back like that.

[millernumber1]

Every day. He was the rock. And since he's been gone, I've liked the books a lot, but they are missing him.

[Korath]

Surprisingly... no, I don't.

I like Alfred a sa character, but he had become sor tof a one-trick pony for a long time now, and I think his absence isn't really worth the trouble of bringing him back.

[adrikito]

I miss him..

But watching that he appears as GHOST in Robin in certain moments I can wait a little more.

[failo.legendkiller]

Yes of course.
Alfred is a part too important for the Batman myth.
Killing him was stupid, and bringing him back to life will be even more stupid.
Characters deaths and returns are too frequent in the last 20 years. It’s getting boring.

[bat39]

I haven't really been reading the Tynion run so I haven't really even felt his absence.

Which raises a larger point - do character deaths in 'mainstream' continuity really matter anymore when you have a half-dozen other versions of the character active at any given point of time, in the comics or in other media? To say nothing of the vast back catalogs of old content?

Alfred's death may be a huge deal in the story Tynion is telling now, and in all the other Bat-books set in that continuity. But he's alive in The Adventure Continues. And in the Earth One books, as far as I know. He might show up in Batman '89 next month, and in any number of Batman 'Black Label' books. He's going to be in Matt Reeves' The Batman and no doubt in the upcoming HBO Max cartoon. I just watched him in The Long Halloween.

There was the old saying that death is meaningless in comics unless you're Bucky, Uncle Ben or Jason Todd...and two of those three have come back to life, quiet memorably (so has Barry Allen). But it seems to me that death has become even more meaningless in comics simply because of the proliferation of multiple continuities/timelines. You may feel the loss of a character if you're following a particular story (or universe/timeline), but not so much if you aren't.

[Morgoth]

I do, but I have mixing feelings about possibility of his return. His death, unfortunately, had incredibly shitty execution (thanks, DiDio, for last minute plans change), but on the other hand, I wish there were real consequences in the comics at least someday. Alfred has been in comics for years, has many stories told, and I think it's time to let him go. Moreover, Tynion wrote an incredible scene of Bruce saying goodbye to him, after that I don't think he should be returned. The only thing I still want to see with him is Damian's final goodbye to Alfred and him making peace about his death (just like with it was made with Bruce), and I believe that Williamson will do something like that. For the rest, it's time to let the character go.

[John Venus]

It's hard to miss him when you know he will be back in the main continuity at some point.

[thwhtGuardian]

It was a really dumb move to kill him, it didn't make for a good story in and of itself and there was zero thought into what happened after which is a recipe for bad writing.

[Frontier]

I miss him, although I think maybe give it a year or two before he comes back.

It's not like Bruce can rely on Lucius anymore.

[Restingvoice]

Emotionally yes
Narratively no