Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character existing in the DC Comics universe. He is the butler of Bruce Wayne, and first appeared in Batman #16 (April-May 1943). He introduced himself as the son of a butler named Jarvis, and the convention being that British butlers are known by their surnames, the implication may have been that his name was Alfred Jarvis, but this was subsequently ignored, and in Detective Comics #96 (February 1945) he was named Alfred Beagle, and subsequently Pennyworth (introduced in Batman #216 in 1969) became his accepted surname at least in the Earth-One and Post-Crisis DC Universe. (As a side note, Edwin Jarvis, a butler in the Marvel Universe, may have been named so as a nod to Alfred Pennyworth's previous surname.) While not as skilled at hand-to-hand combat as Bruce Wayne, Alfred is nearly as resourceful. He has faced some of Batman's most dangerous foes by seeking an upper hand, and the 'secret agent' background follows him even in modern comics where he was always a butler. Batman: Gotham Adventures #16 has him kidnapped, only to readily escape and overcome his captors without even mussing his suit. It is later mentioned that he's been kidnapped unsuccessfully 27 times. Alfred holds down the fort at Wayne Manor and the Batcave, and does not accompany Bruce Wayne when he goes out as Batman. He however stays in contact with Batman in order to feed information or carry out instructions. When he chauffeurs Bruce around Gotham City, Alfred always keeps a spare Batman costume in the trunk, just in case. His skills in first aid have proven invaluable on numerous occasions when his master or his companions are injured. He is also the only member of the "Batman Family" that is allowed by Bruce Wayne to own a firearm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Pennyworth