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114-594: Duke Thomas may refer to: Duke Thomas (character) Duke Thomas (American football) (born 1994) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duke_Thomas&oldid=1081385534 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

228-493: A Royal Air Force combat medic and as ex- British Secret Service . In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , an elderly Alfred still acts as Bruce's butler, mourning Bruce's diminished social contacts while continuing to loyally serve his master even after Bruce becomes Batman once again after a ten-year retirement. At the story's conclusion, having set Wayne Manor to self-destruct to protect Bruce Wayne's full secrets after his faked death during his fight with Superman, Alfred dies of

342-469: A Talon to sow more public unrest. The official Robins train the group. Despite having faked his death and using a face changer, Duke recognizes Dick Grayson and reveals this during a training session. Duke and his friends are chosen as the best of the group, and are taken on a mission to try and get information. However Dick has been feeding information to the police, as to have the Robins arrested and safe from

456-483: A Cockney accent, and simply arrived on Wayne Manor 's doorstep to announce that he was beginning his duties. In most early tales, he made bungling attempts to be a detective on a par with the young masters. He was given a four-page feature of his own, "The Adventures of Alfred", in Batman #22 (April–May 1944) and the feature lasted 13 issues, skipping Batman #35, with the last story in Batman #36. The stories followed

570-505: A Robin outside of Duke's group accidentally kills a robber and police officer. Combining the two with public push, the Robin laws go into effect, making it illegal for teens to wear the Robin colors and insignia. It is quickly revealed that this is the result of manipulations by the Court of Owls , as the councilwoman who headed the legislation, Noctua, wishes to earn a place in the society. Duke hosts

684-522: A Robin tunic and calling on the Squire to assist the new Boy Wonder in finding Tim Drake, who had gone missing while hunting down Jason Todd. Alfred also assists Grayson in his role as Gotham's new Dark Knight. Alfred is left emotionally shattered by Bruce's death, commenting more than once that, even if his biological fatherhood is a fabrication, in a deeper sense he actually was Bruce Wayne's father, having watched over him for years and feeling he failed him in

798-602: A battle in the Middle East and was given a prosthetic replacement by him. An alternate universe version of Alfred Pennyworth from Earth-3 who is the leader of the Secret Society appears in the " Trinity War " event. Alfred makes a brief appearance in the 1997 Tangent Comics one-shot issue Green Lantern in a story revolving around the Tangent versions of King Faraday and Roy Raymond . In this version, Alfred Pennyworth

912-616: A breakfast with the Batfamily, Bruce congratulates Duke on a successful first day before Duke goes to see his still jokerized parents. Duke then meets up with Detective Aisi, ready to start a new day and get back on the job as the Signal. Some time after the events of Justice League: No Justice , the villain Karma lured Duke into a trap that blew up a building, killing a civilian, in the process. This attack left Duke in critical condition and kicked off

1026-538: A burglar in Batman #16 (Alfred's first appearance), he accidentally hit a switch and opened a sliding panel leading to the Batcave . He is helpful to the duo, following them to a theater where they had been captured, bound, and gagged by a criminal gang, and rescues them after Batman attracts his attention by knocking a rope down before the crooks return. This was revised in Batman #110 (September 1957); during his first night at Wayne Manor, Alfred awoke to moaning and followed

1140-424: A cellular level to Duke's presence, their powers increasing in close proximity to him. It is unclear, however, to what extent he affects their actual powers. Photokinesis: Duke is a metahuman with the photokinetic ability to absorb, redistribute, and manipulate both light and darkness. Duke's most notable ability is his "Ghost Vision", the ability to perceive the "ghosts" of where light has been to effectively see

1254-701: A charismatic leader, able to regularly gain the trust and loyalty of others, and persuading them over to his cause. Under his leadership, Duke's faction of the Robin gang rose above any others and were the driving force behind the entire "We Are Robin" movement. His ability to coordinate and rally those under his command makes him a formidable field commander, even when working with other, more experienced, Bat-family members. Duke's knack for leadership has been recognized by Batman, who has actually been training Duke for Justice League level leadership. Alfred Pennyworth Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth , originally Alfred Beagle and commonly known simply as Alfred ,

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1368-443: A confrontation with Alfred, cut off Alfred's right hand. Julia confirms to Bruce later in the issue that Alfred survived the encounter and is in a stable condition. Following the death of Bruce Wayne, Julia says that with current medical technology, they can have Alfred's hand reattached without any complications. However Alfred refuses, stating that with Bruce dead, he no longer has need of it as he has no one left to serve. Even with

1482-689: A desire to destroy Batman and Robin. Calling himself the Outsider , he indirectly battled the Dynamic Duo on a number of occasions, using others as his puppets—the Grasshopper Gang in Detective #334, Zatanna in Detective #336, and even the Batmobile itself in Detective #340—and generally only appeared as a mocking voice over the radio. He did not physically appear in the comics until Detective #356, when he

1596-401: A father. After discovering that the original Batman was actually lost in time after his battle with Darkseid , Alfred immediately seeks clues to his whereabouts. Eventually, Bruce finds his way to the present. After Batman successfully expands his mission globally with Batman Inc. , Bruce assumes full responsibility as a father, and Alfred assists him in raising Damian. In The New 52 , it

1710-399: A few minutes into the past. He can also glimpse into the future by sensing the "ghosts" of where light will be. Duke's photokinetic vision is not limited to his Ghost Vision, his eyes possess a superior sensory array compared to normal humans and can detect changes or variations in light invisible to the naked eye. He can process light faster than humanly possible to the point that he can track

1824-494: A hallucination of Alfred Batman was experiencing due to exposure to a new form of Joker toxin reminded Bruce that this body wasn't him. When the demon Nezha used Damian Wayne to attack Lazarus Island, he reanimated Alfred's corpse to spy on Batman, using a portion of Alfred's real soul to make the impersonation convincing. However, Batman soon realised that this version of Alfred wasn't his true self, keeping "Alfred" in play so that he could feed Nezha false information. When "Alfred"

1938-448: A hostage, only to be disabled by a well timed sucker punch from Alfred. Presumably due to his lack of superpowers, the advanced combat training Bruce's other associates have, and Alfred's age, Alfred is the only member of the " Batman Family " that Bruce does not mind using a firearm , in his case favoring a shotgun when dealing with direct attacks on his person. Current issues of the various Batman comics seem to indicate that Alfred

2052-649: A letter to his son in which he describes the manor as a cursed place, and tells Alfred that he should not begin his service under the Wayne family. However, Jarvis was unable to send the letter as he was murdered that night. During Batman: Eternal , Alfred is reunited with his long-absent daughter, Julia Pennyworth, an agent of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment , when Batman finds her in Hong Kong and takes her back to Wayne Manor for medical treatment after she

2166-409: A machine that will theoretically download all of his memories as Batman into his mind. Bruce's original plan was for the machine to be used to create a series of clones of himself that could be programmed to continue his mission, but although the process failed because simulations confirmed that the human mind could not handle Batman's trauma, Bruce comes through the process by having Alfred take him to

2280-457: A meeting of the remaining Robins, calling for whoever accidentally committed the crime to come forward. However the real Robin, Damian Wayne , crashes the meeting. Objecting to the use of his title while he was away, he challenges the Robins to prove themselves in a fight against him. The commotion is noticed by the GCPD, who send "Batman" to deal with them. He is quickly struck down by Damian, but before

2394-543: A member of Batman's rogue's gallery: While pushing Batman and Robin out of the way of a falling boulder, Alfred was seemingly killed in Detective Comics #328 (June 1964). It was revealed in Detective Comics #356 (October 1966) that he had been revived by a scientist named Brandon Crawford. His attempt at regeneration resulted in a dramatic change: Alfred awoke from his apparent death with pasty white skin with circular markings, superhuman powers, including telekinesis , and

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2508-403: A narrow escape. Later, The Signal met up with Detective Aisi to compare notes. Using his photokinetic sight to examine a tissue sample from one of the dead metahumans, Signal discovered trace amounts of Nth metal embedded in the skin of the sample. The metal and the sample appeared to be react Duke but also to something in the air. That is when Signal noticed a strange solar pattern radiating from

2622-453: A part of the Batman family occurred in 2016, with Batman: Rebirth #1. He later makes a new mantle "The Signal" in the mini series Batman and The Signal . He is currently a staple in Batman comics and comics featuring The Outsiders . Duke's first appearance is as an unnamed child, fishing in the derelict Gotham City . He is approached by thugs wanting to take his food, who are stopped by

2736-413: A programmed thrall to encourage their use, as the use of them makes Bloom stronger. Along with sabotaging the GCPD's atom collider, which could cause a black hole. Duke directs the airship to where Bruce, having remembered being Batman, is struggling to hold them off. Duke uses the high powered magnets in the ship to grab onto Bloom. The more Bloom struggles, the stronger the magnets get, this also disables

2850-472: A reason for the murder of Bruce's mother Martha . Alfred later denies the entire story, agreeing with Bruce that it was a fabrication. After the event of Final Crisis , when Batman is apparently killed in action, Alfred finds himself with the task of raising Bruce's biological son Damian with Grayson. Batman: Battle for the Cowl sees Alfred allowing Damian to take on his first mission as Robin, giving Damian

2964-420: A riddle he could not solve. Duke was a child prodigy, going on to compete for a Genius grant against the likes of gifted engineer Daryl Gutierrez ( Mr. Bloom ) at age 12. His quick-wit makes him a talented detective, figuring out the identities of Bruce Wayne as Batman, Dick Grayson as Agent 37, Damian Wayne as Robin, and Alfred as "The Nest" behind the "We Are Robin" movement. He has also developed into

3078-462: A series of terrorist attacks by the villain to isolate Batman him from his allies. Batman responded by re-forming The Outsiders and conceded leadership of the group to Black Lightning, fearing he might compromise the team. Enlisting the help of Katana, Cassandra Cain, and a recovered Duke, the Outsiders took down Karma and officially forming the newest iteration of The Outsiders . Still traumatized from

3192-415: A simple formula, with Alfred solving a crime and catching the culprits entirely by accident. In later years, the comedic aspects of the character were downplayed. The Pre- Crisis comics (the comics that were published by DC Comics between 1938 and 1984) established Alfred as a retired actor and intelligence agent who followed the deathbed wish of his dying father (identified only as "Jarvis") to carry on

3306-422: A stroke, his last thoughts being to consider how utterly proper it is that he should die as Wayne Manor ceases to exist. In the sequel, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again , the Batcave computer has been programmed with an artificial intelligence named and apparently patterned after Alfred, to the point that it refers to Bruce as "Sir". In DCeased , Alfred became the newest host for The Spectre as he

3420-658: A temporary shelter, where they have been permanently damaged by the Joker virus. Meanwhile, John "Smiley" Bender Jr., a teen with Möbius syndrome , whose parents forced him into surgery that left him with a permanent smile, kills them after getting out of juvie. Holding the Joker as an idol, he starts a gang and begins terrorizing Gotham. Smiley invades Duke's school, forcing him and his friends to take action. After taking him down, they are approached by Alfred once more, where they officially renounce being Robins, instead deciding to rely on themselves and each other. Shortly after Troy's death,

3534-511: A text from Daryl, he visits his parents. Devastated by their mental state. Afterwards he sneaks onto the GCPD blimp Daryl was piloting, he informs Daryl of their condition. He tells Daryl that it almost made him give up hope and vigilantism entirely, however, he went over the evidence he stole from the Iceberg Lounge one last time, and noticed that it contained the names of the nominees for the grant that Daryl won years before. He asks Daryl what

Duke Thomas - Misplaced Pages Continue

3648-420: A thin moustache . DC editors wanted the comic Alfred to resemble his cinematic counterpart, so in Detective Comics #83 (January 1944), Alfred vacationed at a health resort, where he slimmed down and grew a mustache. This look has remained with the character ever since, even surviving his apparent "death" and resurrection. Alfred was originally conceived as a comedic foil for Batman and Robin ; he spoke with

3762-457: A thousand years and that Duke possess his "infinite blood", implying Duke may possess similar immortality. This claim is supported when it is discovered that Duke's powers allow him to heal rapidly in dire situations. Duke's greatest asset is his intellect and his ability to lead. As a child, he mentally trained himself with riddles and puzzles , in an attempt to one day be able to give the Riddler

3876-467: A train station. While the rest of the group is above ground fighting off the cultists, they are able to defuse one bomb. As they debate about how to defuse the second, they are sent a message from the nest, telling them to give up and get on the next train. Meanwhile, above ground the GCPD reveals a "new" Batman, who is simply Jim Gordon in a robotic suit. He is instructed to treat the Robins as criminals. One member, Troy, stays behind, and attempts to defuse

3990-551: Is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics , most commonly in association with the superhero Batman . Alfred is depicted as Batman's loyal and tireless butler , legal guardian, best friend, aide-de-camp , and surrogate father figure following the murders of his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne . As a British noble who is a classically trained butler and an ex- Special Operations Executive operative of honor and ethics with connections within

4104-570: Is a heavy feature in All-Star Batman , assisting Bruce in dealing with Two-Face , Victor Zsasz , Hugo Strange , and Mr. Freeze . Leading into the events of Dark Nights: Metal , while Batman was on a mission related to the mysteries surrounding Nth Metal, Duke was tasked to guard the Batcave. This led to a confrontation with the Green Lantern, Hal Jordan , who had been sent by The Guardians of

4218-500: Is a pioneer in and has also mastered several fields of rose breeding (even creating his own, the "Pennyworth Blue"), computer programming , electrical engineering , chemical engineering , mechanical engineering , nanotechnology , and biotechnology as he singlehandedly builds, programs, and maintains much of Batman's next-generational technology such as the Batcomputer . In Frank Miller and Jim Lee 's All Star Batman and Robin

4332-569: Is also aware of Bruce's secret identity. He ends the relationship after she apparently allows Stephanie Brown to die from neglect. He also develops feelings for Tim Drake's stepmother, but again, nothing comes of it. In the Knightfall story arc, Alfred watches helplessly as Batman slowly crumbles under the pressure of fighting every escaped criminal in Arkham Asylum , who were set free by Bane . When Bane breaks Batman's back, Alfred tries to treat

4446-524: Is aware of Bruce's former identity as Batman while Bruce is not. He tells Bruce that he does not take a real look at his life, saying that his denial is based in selfishness. He tells Bruce that anyone can be who he is now, but in his old life only he could be him, and that he used to inspire the whole city. He continues with his speech, causing a spark in Bruce's memory when he saves Duke from an incoming train. Duke, feeling no better, tells Bruce to stay away. After

4560-722: Is bathed again in the rays of the regeneration machine during a struggle with Batman, and returns to normal, with no memory of his time as a supervillain. His time as the Outsider is collected in Showcase Presents: Batman Volume s 1 and 2 . Alfred was later reunited with his long-lost daughter, Julia Remarque, though this element was not included in Post- Crisis comics. Her mother was the war heroine Mademoiselle Marie , whom Alfred had met while working as an intelligence agent in occupied France during World War II . In

4674-430: Is briefly transferred to Arkham Asylum before it is attacked as part of the conspiracy, but he manages to survive the explosion and trick Bane into helping him reach an emergency cave Batman had installed under Arkham, the cave's defenses knocking Bane out and allowing Alfred to call for help. When Hush was briefly kept prisoner in the Batcave, he managed to break out of his cell and lock Alfred in it before sabotaging

Duke Thomas - Misplaced Pages Continue

4788-586: Is captured and shown Alfred's body, but a recorded message reveals that he arranged for his own death so that Bruce could come back and stop Thomas, the message reaffirming Alfred's faith in Bruce as the true Batman. In Nightwing #78, Barbara visits Dick Grayson and reveals that Alfred was a billionaire, due to stock from Wayne Industries after Alfred became Bruce's legal guardian. Barbara then tells Dick that Alfred has left his fortune to Dick in his will. As part of Joker's mass assault on Gotham, he managed to temporarily reanimate Alfred's corpse to taunt Batman, but

4902-583: Is derived from his middle names. His full name of Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth was depicted on his tombstone in Superman/Batman : Generations . Grant Morrison 's run has referred to the Beagle surname as a possible stage name. A highly intelligent and resourceful man, Alfred runs the day-to-day operations of Wayne Manor and maintains much of the equipment of the Batcave beneath it. A former actor, he can use his acting and disguise skills to help Batman in

5016-531: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Duke Thomas (character) The character would be a staple in Batman comics and Detective Comics , and went on in a new role as Gotham's daylight protector, The Signal . Duke made his animated debut as Robin in the animated series Batwheels , voiced by AJ Hudson. Duke Thomas first appeared as an unnamed child in Batman (vol. 2) #21 (March 2014), being saved by Batman. His first official named appearance

5130-533: Is going on, Daryl snaps and his form begins to mutilate to where he looks eerily similar to Bloom. He reveals that he was the "original" Bloom, having initially created the devices after Zero Year . Believing that with powers people would band together to protect each other. But his first test with his cousin yielded fatal results. Which made Daryl burn the remaining devices. After Batman's disappearance following Endgame , he turned towards his experiments again. This time using unidentified and near death patients. There

5244-470: Is killed as Batman uses him as a body shield against an attack by a possessed Nightwing, enough of Alfred's real self manifests to assure Batman that he didn't kill Alfred again as he wasn't actually alive now anyway. After Penguin's faked death activated Failsafe, a robot created by the Batman of Zur-En-Arh personality to go after Batman if he broke his rule, it was revealed that Failsafe could only be deactivated if Alfred confirmed that Batman had not crossed

5358-556: Is killed during the feud, Alfred inherits his estate and moves to Arizona, while allowing Dick Grayson and his son Jake to stay in Wayne Manor. Though Alfred does not approve of Grayson's crusade against superhumans after Bruce's death, he still occasionally visits him. When Grayson discovered that Jake is beginning to develop powers, his house is invaded by his own police force, the Crusaders, to take Jake away. Alfred attempts to strike one of

5472-564: Is narrowly saved by Batman, but forced to leave his parents behind to an infected mob. Several months later, Duke is in the foster care system. He rebels as he feels frustrated by the lack of care and empathy the city has been granting to the Joker's victims, resulting in his parents still being missing. Alongside this, Gotham City appears to have been abandoned by Batman. However, Alfred Pennyworth in disguise has been supplying teens fighting back against crime and corruption with Robin insignia and instructions via an app called "The Nest", starting

5586-471: Is no longer able to see the light and all he can see is darkness. Following the transformation of his powers, Duke would defy Batman's instruction and test his new abilities on his own until Lady Shiva joined the team. taking Duke under her wing, Shiva would begin to oversee his and Cassandra's training. The Outsiders re-group and eventually defeat Ra's before pairing off and each going their separate way. Duke and Cassandra head back to Gotham together. During

5700-463: Is restored. The Signal is seen among the heroes at the Hall of Justice listening Superman's speech celebrating their victory. Following Death Metal , Duke returned to Gotham and resumed his duties as its daytime protector. He was among the heroes who fought Pariah 's army during Dark Crisis . Duke's powers come from the metagene, a genetic variation caused by naturally occurring traces of Nth metal in

5814-453: Is revealed that Alfred's father Jarvis Pennyworth was the butler of the Wayne family before Alfred when Bruce was a child. Jarvis was blackmailed by the Court of Owls to set a trap for the pregnant Martha Wayne. Despite declining, the Court managed to cause a car accident that caused the child to be born prematurely and eventually to have died. Jarvis attempted to resign from his service and write

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5928-483: Is stabbed with a samurai sword through the chest by a Chinese gang boss she was hunting. Julia is initially hostile to Alfred, feeling that he has wasted his life going from a soldier to tending to a " fop " like Bruce Wayne. However, after Alfred is attacked by Hush and infected with a fear toxin, she discovers the Batcave and takes on her father's role to coordinate the Bat-Family's efforts against their foes. Alfred

6042-531: Is still "alive" within him until Alfred chose to serve the Batman Who Laughs on his own, but the "prime" Alfred denies that any version of him could do this. In this alternate reality, Nightwing ends an ongoing feud between superpowered beings by activating a device that de-powers 90 percent of the super powered population. This builds to a future where superpowers are outlawed and any superpowered being must take inhibitor medications or be imprisoned. When Bruce

6156-563: Is still nearly as resourceful. In one story in which he is kidnapped, he readily escapes and overcomes his captors without disturbing the cut of his suit. It was later mentioned that he had been kidnapped unsuccessfully 380 times (these events take place in the Gotham Adventures comics, based on the animated adventures of Batman, and not within the standard DCU continuity). During Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul , Ubu, Ra's al Ghul 's musclebound bodyguard, attempts to use Alfred as

6270-605: Is the head of a publishing empire that owned "the House Of Mystery". In an alternate reality depicted in the Metals crossover, Alfred is killed by Bane, prompting Bruce to request Cyborg 's help in completing 'the Alfred Protocol', an artificial intelligence version of Alfred, created to allow Batman to keep some aspect of his 'father' with him. Once the Alfred Protocol is completed, its fixation on protecting its 'son' results in

6384-412: The A.I. version of Alfred murdering all of Batman's rogues gallery before merging with Bruce. The Batman Who Laughs – a monstrous version of Batman contaminated by the same chemicals that drove the Joker insane – claims that Alfred is the only member of his old family he left alive back on his world. The villain claims that he drove his own version of Alfred insane by implying that his original self

6498-574: The Batman Family 's equipment via the Batcomputer as they fought various villains, including crashing the Batwing with Batman still in it. However, he was swiftly returned to captivity when Alfred escaped the cell and knocked Hush out, Alfred harshly informing Tommy that he was hardly going to be locked up in his own home. During the Batman: Endgame arc, the Joker broke into the Batcave, and during

6612-402: The Batman family , including Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain . Alfred often acts as a father figure to Bruce, and a grandfather to Dick, Jason, and Tim. He is also highly respected by Batman's fellow superheroes, including Superman , Wonder Woman , Green Lantern , and the original Teen Titans . Alfred has also been romantically linked to Dr. Leslie Thompkins , a Wayne family friend who

6726-583: The City of Bane storyline, and he remains dead in the primary continuity of the DC Universe as of 2024. In non-comics media, the character has been portrayed in live-action and voiced by actors William Austin , Eric Wilton, Michael Gough , Michael Caine , Jeremy Irons , Douglas Hodge , and Andy Serkis on film, and by Alan Napier , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , Ian Abercrombie , David McCallum , and Sean Pertwee on television, among others. Ralph Fiennes provided

6840-468: The Robin movement. He moves to take and dispose of a Robin pin that Duke gave him, but Duke takes advantage of his distraction to incapacitate him and take control of the airship. During Daryl's confession, Bloom has begun widespread havoc across the city. Introducing handpicked convicts they have used the devices on. They inform the populace that they have hidden devices all over the city, and that they now have

6954-722: The Bahamas before returning to England. Dick Grayson tracks him down several months later and convinces him to return to Wayne Manor . In that story, it is revealed he had walked out of his own wedding years earlier. His resourcefulness comes to the fore in the No Man's Land storyline, especially in Legends of the Dark Knight #118. Batman goes missing for weeks, leaving Alfred alone to watch his city for him. He uses his skills as an actor, storyteller, medic, and spy to survive and collect information on

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7068-465: The Boy Wonder , Alfred is a tougher individual with a different backstory. Following Batman's assault on the corrupt Gotham City police, Alfred and Vicki Vale are caught in the devastating car wreckage Batman creates (not aware of their presence) and Vale is badly hurt. Alfred is seen, shirtless and muscled, applying a tourniquet and generally taking control of the situation. He is described as having been

7182-443: The Court of Owls. The original Robins, with help from Duke and his friends, manage to break out and free the rest of the Robins. They tell the others to go home, as the Court of Owls is too deadly of an enemy for them. Thanks to information from Duke's friend Riko, they make their way to Gotham Academy. On the way, Damian sneaks away and is manipulated into joining the court to protect Gotham. He, alongside several Talons, fight against

7296-471: The GCPD cleared the area, and the two enter the building to confront Gnomon together. In the solar observatory, Gnomon reveals he is Duke's father and that years ago his mother, Elaine, fled to Gotham to hide Duke from him. Signal can sense everything Gnomon says is true due to their genetic connection but summons the resolve to stop Gnomon anyway. Signal, with the help of Detective Aisi, manages to defeat Gnomon, who manages to escape capture. The next day, after

7410-551: The Gotham Proper housing project. Signal theorized someone must be using Gotham Proper to direct supercharged solar energy toward different sections of the city like a sundial, creating unstable metahumans across The Narrows. Duke returns to the Batcave to bring his new theory to Bruce when the bat-computer is hijacked by someone calling himself Gnomon. He shows them a live broadcasts of The Narrows overrun with innumerable metahumans, all chanting Duke's name, as they wreak havoc across

7524-409: The Karma attack, Duke and the Outsiders find themselves in a proxy war between Batman and Ra's al Ghul over the metahuman Sofia Ramos. Ra's manipulates the Outsiders, planting the cyborg Kaliber in their ranks to get to Sofia to keep them busy and disrupt their team. With Katana and Black Lightning preoccupied by Sofia Ramos and Kaliber, Duke was captured by Ra's' acolyte, Ishmael. Ishmael reveals he

7638-457: The Post- Crisis comics continuity , Alfred has been the Wayne family butler all of Bruce's life and had helped his master establish his superhero career from the beginning. In addition, he was Bruce's legal guardian and father figure following the murder of the boy's parents. Alfred's history has been modified several times over the years, creating assorted versions. In one such version, Alfred

7752-468: The Universe to investigate sinister cosmic omens pointing to that location. Duke joined the investigation and together they found a secret level of Batcave. In the hidden level were various clues that Batman had collected and stored over the years related to Nth Metal, as well as a prison holding the Joker. The Joker taunts the heroes into freeing him using the secrets he has learned from the cave. He reveals

7866-449: The Waynes, his father having been butler for Bruce's grandparents. At the time he begins working for the Waynes, Bruce is a young child. After several months, Alfred voices the desire to quit and return home to continue his life as an actor. However, these plans are momentarily forgotten when young Bruce returns home after getting into a fight with a school bully. Alfred teaches Bruce to outsmart

7980-489: The bloodstream. Duke inherited this genetic trait from both parents, Elaine Thomas and Gnomon, and his powers are photokinetic in nature. Gnomon has claimed that Duke possesses his immortal blood, implying Duke may possess similar immortality. His powers were originally limited to manipulating the way he processes light, but, after experiencing the touch of Ishmael , they have "evolved" into manipulating light and darkness in more abstract ways. Metahumans also appear to react on

8094-470: The bomb in the same manner as the first one, causing it to detonate and kill him. Duke and his new friends are devastated, and become suspicious of The Nest, until Alfred provides them gear, and draws on their individual experiences to encourage them to keep fighting for their city. After the events of Robin War , most Robins go back to their normal lives. Duke resumes his search for his parents, and finds them in

8208-439: The bully, rather than use brute force. When Alfred's advice works, Bruce asks him to stay, and he agrees without a second thought. Shortly afterward, Bruce's parents are murdered, and Alfred steps in as the boy's legal guardian. Alfred later helps Bruce raise his adopted wards Dick Grayson , Jason Todd , and Tim Drake , all of whom also become his crimefighting partner, Robin . He also has close friendships with other members of

8322-506: The city free, showcasing his heroic nature. The Joker releases a deadly pathogen on Gotham City, which mimics his laugh gas on a much larger scale. In the ensuing pandemonium, he kidnaps the Thomas family due to their connection with Bruce Wayne. He sets up an elaborate stage on which to reenact the night the Waynes died, even going as far as to use an infected Joe Chill , the man who originally killed his parents, to emotionally torture Bruce. Duke

8436-451: The city. Gnomon reveals that he is the one creating the metahumans. Gnomon claimed to have created the metahumans for Duke as a gift, asking Duke to join him. Duke and Bruce head out as Batman & The Signal to stop the villain. When Batman and The Signal arrive on the scene the Batfamily are spread thin. The duo split up, with Duke making his way to confront Gnomon at Gotham Proper. Signal arrived at Gotham Proper just as Detective Aisi and

8550-413: The darkness Duke generates spark with a photoelectric effect. Photo-Umbrakinetic movement: By combining all of his photokinetic abilities, Duke can envision a path then move using light and shadows to near instantly traverse that distance. When using this ability everything around Duke appears to slow to a standstill. Healing Factor: Gnomon, Duke's biological father, claims to be an immortal of over

8664-433: The destruction throughout the city, they decide to rally once more and the tides turn against the Court, temporarily sending them back underground. After Robin War a new threat arises in a man who is doling out devices that give powers, however, they are experimental and are just as likely to kill their host. He calls himself Mister Bloom. After overhearing a conversation between Bruce and Jim Gordon, Duke becomes drawn to

8778-692: The events of Death Metal , Prime Earth is destroyed and rewritten by the super celestial Perpetua following the defeat of the Justice League in the Justice/Doom War . As she destroys the rest of the Multiverse to remake it in her own image, The Batman Who Laughs and his army of Dark Multiverse Batmen enforce her rule. All resistance was crushed and the surviving heroes of Prime Earth were either been forced into servitude or imprisoned on New Apokolips. Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman eventually manage to free

8892-426: The field when necessary, and is even capable of impersonating Bruce Wayne on the telephone convincingly, as well as giving Bruce various lessons that help him maintain his covers. He has also provided first aid up to and including suturing wounds and removing bullets, as well as occasional tactical support. He is also able to perform arthroscopy and other advanced medical procedures, thus limiting, if not eliminating,

9006-406: The fight can resume, Red Hood and Red Robin put a stop to it. They calm Damian down and call the first Robin, Dick Grayson . Afterwards, Travis, one of the Robins, tells Duke that he was the one who killed the officer and robber. Duke seeing that it was an accident and that Travis is burdened by the guilt, encourages him to turn himself in and Travis agrees. While on his way, Travis is killed by

9120-415: The group known as We Are Robin. After assisting the group, Duke is approached by Alfred, disguised as a police interrogator. He encourages Duke to take his life into his own hands and to fight for the fate of the city, offering him help finding his parents if he helps stop a cult from detonating bombs around the city. Duke accepts, making him an unofficial Robin. He leads part of the group to the bombs inside

9234-545: The heroes and stormed Castle Bats (formerly Gotham City) to obtain the power necessary to restore the Multiverse; just as the Batman Who Laughs usurps Perpetua as the supreme being and becomes The Darkest Knight . While Wonder Woman's team enacted her plan, The Signal, Orphan, Spoiler, and Red Robin fought to reclaim the section of Castle Bats that was once The Narrows. Guarding the area was Quietus, an evil Lazarus Pit infused amalgamation of Duke Thomas, Ra's al Ghul, and Batman. Quietus initially overpowered Duke and his team, using

9348-487: The heroes of the Multiverse vs The Darkest Knight and his nightmarish Last 52 multiverse began. Signal was at ground zero and is the first of the heroes to witness the arrival of the earths from the dark multiverse carrying The Darkest Knight's armies. He is seen fighting a Dark Multiverse Martian Manhunter, Evil Robins, and even a variant of the Murder Machine. Ultimately Wonder Woman defeats The Darkest Knight and Omniverse

9462-487: The hit, however, after realizing that committing cold-blooded murder would betray Batman's ideals. In Batman #77 (part of the "City of Bane" storyline), an evil version of Thomas Wayne from an alternate dimension invades Gotham City and defeats Batman, and uses Alfred as a hostage to keep the rest of the Bat-Family out. At Thomas' behest, Bane breaks Alfred's neck, killing him after Robin sneaks into Gotham City to rescue him and defeat Bane. When Bruce comes back to Gotham, he

9576-537: The injury, but Batman remains paraplegic and a wheelchair user. During the events of Knightquest , Alfred accompanies Bruce to England and becomes enraged when he insists on endangering his own health. This is the culmination of several weeks of Bruce's self-destructive behavior, and when Bruce returns to Gotham City , Alfred remains in England, tendering his resignation. He spends some time vacationing in Antarctica and

9690-479: The intelligence community, he has been called "Batman's batman ". He serves as Bruce's moral anchor while providing comic relief with his sardonic and cynical attitude; as an amnesiac , he has also served as the supervillainous Outsider . A vital part of the Batman mythos , Alfred was nominated for the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Supporting Male Character in 1994. Bane killed Alfred in 2019 during

9804-597: The last moments. In the Batman and the Outsiders Special , Alfred is seen apologizing at the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne for Bruce's death, commenting that he grieves as a parent, regarding Bruce as his son. Later, a secret panel in Alfred's room opens, the result of a fail-safe planted by Bruce in the event of his death. Bruce leaves him one final task and also bids him an emotional goodbye, telling Alfred he considered him as

9918-459: The latter, Alfred is among the many Gotham citizens blackmailed by Two-Face into stopping Batman from providing Two-Face's former self, Harvey Dent, a cure for his split personality ; Alfred in particular reluctantly shoots down the Batwing as Batman is flying it. When asked, Alfred reveals his secret; years earlier, he had hired a hitman to kill the Joker after the villain murdered Jason Todd and disabled Barbara Gordon . Alfred soon cancelled

10032-424: The line, but there was no protocol in place for what might happen if Alfred died before Failsafe was activated. In 1945, Alfred's name was given officially as Alfred Beagle . This name was subsequently given to an alternative version of the character from the world of Earth-Two , and Pennyworth became Alfred's accepted surname in the mainstream continuity. Alfred has also used the alias " Thaddeus Crane ", which

10146-403: The loss of Bruce as Batman, Alfred still assists the Batman Family in the Batcave along with Julia. After Bruce is discovered to be alive but with no memory of who he is or of his life as Batman, Alfred tells Bruce everything that had happened in his life up to the point of the creation of Batman, but accepts Bruce's request not to learn any more. Alfred did this so that, after years of service to

10260-452: The movement of light. he can also manipulate the light around him to radiate light, illuminate reflective surfaces (such as his chest plate) and even render himself completely invisible. Duke can also manipulate the way he processes light absorbed through his eyes to perform a variety of visual tasks, such as: Darkness manipulation: Duke's photokinetic powers include the ability to manipulate shadows and darkness. Duke can absorb darkness in

10374-554: The mystery. He steals a neutralized device given to Bruce, as Bruce is reluctant to be involved in the case. He first shows the device to his older friend Daryl Gutierrez, a tech genius working as an engineer for the GCPD , who is unable to identify it. Duke turns to other sources, tracking a trail to the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge . He finds a book containing information on Penguin's own investigations on Bloom. The Penguin and his gang find Duke in

10488-585: The need for hospital medical treatment even in the face of grievous injuries, helping to maintain Batman's secret identity by ensuring that Bruce Wayne has no need to visit hospitals for wounds inflicted on Batman. Nevertheless, Batman still requires professional medical treatment when Bane breaks his back ( Batman: Knightfall ) and Hush 's machinations result in him sustaining a skull fracture ( Batman: Hush ). On these occasions, Alfred admits that his own skills are inadequate for such medical procedures. While not as skilled at martial arts as Bruce Wayne, Alfred

10602-414: The origins of metahumans, and that Batman recruited Duke because Duke and his mother are metahumans who are connected to a "Dark Crisis". In the chaos of their fight, The Joker destroyed Batman's machines before escaping the two heroes and vanishing from the cave entirely. Batman arrives and confirms there is some truth to what the Joker said. Duke's powers begin to manifest, and using a Green Lantern ring and

10716-437: The others once they reach Gotham Academy, seeming to take them out with ease. Duke refuses to believe that Damian has genuinely joined the court, getting back up to continue fighting him. He calls Damian by name, saying that he knows of Bruce Wayne's amnesia as the result of sacrificing himself, and how Damian does not need to live up to that. This causes Damian to snap out of the Court's manipulations. The Robins that went home see

10830-467: The people of Gotham and the world, Bruce could finally accept his reward of a life without pain and the burning desire to be Batman, allowing his life as Bruce Wayne to finally begin. However, when the new villain Mr. Bloom launches a mass attack that apparently kills Jim Gordon—the new Batman—the amnesic Bruce pieces together enough information to deduce that he was once Batman, and convinces Alfred to subject him to

10944-425: The point of brain-death and then download his memories onto his blank brain. With his master restored, Alfred's hand is subsequently reattached, Bruce joking that they used a random hand from the reserves rather than keeping Alfred's hand on ice all this time. Following the 2016 DC Rebirth continuity reboot, Alfred appears in Detective Comics and the third volume of Batman , as well as in All-Star Batman . In

11058-660: The power of the Shazam's dagger, the trio unknowingly set off the chain of events leading to the invasion of Barbatos and the Dark Multiverse. After studying under Batman for over a year, Bruce surprised him with his very own base of operation and an upgraded suit; congratulating him for completing his training. Duke took the codename The Signal and began his mission as the daylight protector of Gotham, recruiting his former Robin gang teammates Riko Sheridan and Izzy Ortiz for technical support. Duke's first solo mission as The Signal

11172-491: The recently destroyed Gotham City. Alfred even uses hand-to-hand combat in a rare one-panel fight sequence between him and a pair of slavers that ends with his rescue by Batman. In Batman #677, agents of Batman's mysterious enemy Black Glove attack and beat Alfred in front of Bruce and Jezebel Jet , severely injuring him. In the same issue, a reporter from The Gotham Gazette suggests to Commissioner Jim Gordon that Alfred may be Bruce's biological father and that this may be

11286-571: The same way he absorbs light, describing his dark powers as "behaving like a tide" that pushes and pulls shadows toward himself. Duke can pull shadows into himself, revealing more light, or expel shadows from himself, enveloping everything in a wave of darkness, as well as shape and manipulate darkness to terrify and ensnare enemies or to augment his melee combat. Duke can also travel using shadows, which he can use to coordinate attacks with his allies or to make hasty escapes. Duke can also charge his darkness before sending it at his opponent. when charged,

11400-474: The sound to the secret passage to the staircase leading to the Batcave and met his would-be employers in their superhero identities with Batman wounded in the field. As it turned out, the wounds were actually insignificant, but Alfred's care convinced the residents that their butler could be trusted. Since then, Alfred cheerfully included the support staff duties of the Dynamic Duo on top of his regular tasks. Ironically, Alfred's loyalty would lead him to become

11514-515: The study, nearly capturing him. He barely escapes, only to be seemly apprehended by guards outside. Until Bruce Wayne takes them down. Bruce had discovered the device missing, and since Duke had used the Fox Center's computers for his research, was able to deduce what he was doing and follow him. He expresses concern for Duke, he continues to press when Duke tries to avoid the conversation, asking why Duke has treated him coldly. Duke becomes upset, as he

11628-458: The sudden appearance of Batman. Duke tells him that the Riddler claims that he is dead, to which Batman replies that it means he will not see him coming. A later issue shows a flashback, revealing that Duke's parents saved Bruce Wayne in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane caused by the Riddler. Duke tells him that he is training his mind to be able to make an unsolvable riddle that will set

11742-545: The thrall, leading to people removing their devices and diverting power from Bloom. Gordon uses a dampener on the collider, and the resounding shock wave kills Bloom. Leaving Gotham in peace once more. Afterwards, Duke is approached by Bruce, who offers to train him as an official vigilante. Duke becomes an official member of the Batman Family. After accepting Bruce's offer to train under him, Duke moves into Wayne Manor and begins working alongside all of Gotham's vigilantes. He

11856-468: The tradition of serving the Wayne family. To that end, Alfred introduced himself to Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson at Wayne Manor and insisted on becoming their butler. Although the pair did not want one, especially since they did not want to jeopardize their secret identities with a servant in the house, they did not have the heart to reject Alfred. (The name "Pennyworth" was first used for Alfred in 1969, and thereafter it has been assumed that his father

11970-562: The voice of Alfred in the animated Lego Movie franchise , and Martin Jarvis voiced the character in the Batman: Arkham video game series. A young version of Pertwee's Alfred, played by Jack Bannon , depicts the character before he became the butler to the Wayne family in the television series Pennyworth . The character first appeared in Batman #16 (April 1944), by writer Don Cameron and artist Bob Kane . Evidence suggests that Alfred

12084-473: The waters of the Lazarus Pits to torture Duke with twisted visions of his history from the Dark Multiverse. Duke persevered, embracing both the light and dark powers and tapping into a new level of powers. With his newfound strength, and the aid of his team, Duke defeated Quietus and successfully reclaimed The Narrows for Gotham. After The Darkest Knight kills Perpetua the final showdown between Woman Woman and

12198-417: Was created by the writers of the 1943 Batman serial —Victor McLeod, Leslie Swabacker, and Harry Fraser—and that DC Comics asked Don Cameron to write the first Alfred story, which was published prior to the serial's release. In Alfred's first appearance, he was overweight and clean-shaven; however, when the 1943 Batman serial was released, William Austin , the actor who played Alfred, was trim and sported

12312-540: Was hired away from the British Royal Family by Bruce's parents, and he virtually raised Bruce after they were murdered. Meanwhile, another version of Alfred's Post- Crisis life was slightly more closely linked to his Pre- Crisis counterpart. In this version, Alfred is an actor on the English stage who agrees to become the Waynes' butler to honor his father's dying wish that he continue the "family business" of serving

12426-623: Was in Batman (vol. 2) #30, revealing they had met before his prior appearance, as his parents saved Bruce Wayne's life. He did not appear in comics again until Batman: Endgame (October 2014), where the Joker abducted him and his parents in an attempt to psychologically torture Batman. He returns as a staple in DC Comics in We Are... Robin , joining the teen vigilante group and being trained by previous official Robins during Robin War . His official debut as

12540-457: Was named Jarvis Pennyworth; as it is customary for British domestic servants to be called by surname it might have been implied on Alfred's introduction that Jarvis was the surname he shared with his father. The surname "Beagle" was explicitly used for Alfred starting in 1945 and on the introduction of "Pennyworth" this is treated as having always been their name by retcon .) Initially, Alfred discovered their identities by accident; while fighting

12654-476: Was only one success, who became horrifically deformed, and slaughtered the other patients. The patient somehow recognized Daryl as the source of what happened to them, and decided to take the Bloom moniker, along with the rest of the devices. Daryl insists that he can stop Bloom and perfect the devices. Duke tries to reason with him, saying that powers are not necessary and all you need is good people. Daryl mocks him and

12768-543: Was reborn in the Lazarus Pit, changing his initial ability to steal metahuman powers into the ability to evolve and change metahuman powers. Ishmael and Ra's see potential in Duke and plan to use Ishmael's powers to evolve Duke's powers for Ra's ends. Ishmael chained, beat Duke and modifies his metahuman from his light to dark. Cassandra Cain tracks down Ishmael, defeating him in single combat, and rescuing her partner. Duke tells her he

12882-610: Was the last survivor of the Bat Family after a plague claimed most of the heroes. The Spectre himself was defeated in battle with Mxyzptlk and Corrigan was killed, thus possessing a rage-filled Alfred to battle the corrupted New Gods . Alfred appears as a main character in Geoff Johns ' and Gary Frank 's Batman: Earth One . This version is a former member of the Royal Marines who lost his right leg while saving Thomas Wayne during

12996-632: Was to investigate the sudden spike in dead metahuman bodies being discovered all throughout The Narrows. This led Signal into conflict with The Null, a metahuman from the Arkham Juvenile Detention Center aka "Juvie Arkham". After defeating Null, Signal decided to investigate further into Juvie Arkham, which had once been the old Gotham solarium before being reworked to house metahuman delinquents. Duke used his Ghost Vision to infiltrate Juvie Arkham and walked straight into an ambush. Luckily, Detective Aisi arrived just in time to help Signal make

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