Jeremy Irons will be portraying the role of Alfred Pennyworth in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" but this iteration of Alfred will no longer be portrayed as Bruce Wayne aka Batman's (Ben Affleck) butler but now as the family bodyguard and eventually as Batman's Chief of Security.
According to a report from What Culture, the details surrounding Alfred's backstory was first spotted in the official "Batman v Superman" companion book. The book explains that Alfred, described as a former SAS, was initially hired by Thomas and Martha Wayne (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan) to be their bodyguard.
Of course this goes awry when the Wayne parents are murdered. At this point it is explained that only Alfred was kept when all of the other Wayne Manor staff were dismissed. This reveals why the manor seen in the trailers is no longer maintained well.
It is also revealed that it was Alfred's decision, not Bruce's, to leave Gotham. It is hinted that during their time away Alfred eventually trained Bruce Wayne to become the fighter and vigilante that he later became.
When the duo returned to Gotham City, Alfred was publicly known as Bruce's Chief of Security and now lives in a "comfortable trailer" kept by Wayne Manor, a departure from previous iterations, which saw Alfred living in Bruce's mansion.
As pointed out in a report from Cinema Blend, this Alfred is also more hands-on with Batman's missions as he not only works as a mechanic on the Batmobile and other vehicles but also provides intel, as seen in the final trailer. In many ways this makes Alfred similar to the role of Oracle in the comics and how Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) aids the Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) in the CW series "Arrow."
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" opens in theaters this March 25.
