Pennyworth star Ben Aldridge teases Thomas Wayne, Alfred dynamic

Ben Aldridge discusses bringing Thomas Wayne to life, teases Thomas/Alfred dynamic in EPIX’s new DC Comics drama Pennyworth and more at San Diego Comic-Con!

When it comes to comic book characters, none have enjoyed quite as prolific a run as the Caped Crusader: Bruce Wayne aka Batman. For decades Batman has been at the forefront of television and cinematic universes, but never before has a series delved into the origin of the hero’s infamous father Thomas Wayne. Enter Pennyworth.

Unlike the countless Batman inspired projects before it, EPIX’s new original series aims to turn back the hands of time to look at the backstories of the infamous figures behind Gotham’s Caped Crusader. We’re of course referring to the likes of Thomas Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, two men whose names are synonymous with DC Comics’ legendary hero.

Set against the backdrop of 1960s London, Pennyworth looks to delve into the backstory of the infamous figures with an exploration into their early lives – prior to the end point we know they eventually meet in the comics.

"“I think the interesting thing about what we’re doing is, we’ve got the end point for this characters. So it’s looking at the starting point,” Pennyworth star Ben Aldridge teases in discussing the show’s dive into the origin story of Thomas Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth.  “We’ve stayed faithful to the comic books in that [Thomas] seems to be very moral and upstanding, but he’s caught up in what kind of covert world. He’s dabbling in some espionage and that line of work is forcing him to kind of make some compromises on these principles.”“Thomas is not squeaky clean,” Aldridge continues.  “He appears that way at first and then various things unfold throughout the series that make him start to have to do some questionable things he’s not comfortable with doing.  I think we start to see some of the heroics that go into the makeup of Batman. Also this strong moral compass that is handed down to Batman, you start to see in Thomas Wayne as well. So the DNA is definitely there.”"

At the heart of the show is the relationship between Thomas and Alfred, a relationship which begins via a chance encounter and grows into something unexpected from there. As Aldridge revealed, Thomas is a fish out of water looking for any help he can get and finds an unlikely asset in Alfred.

"“So it takes a while to kickoff. It’s a chance meeting, not giving too much away, but they’re kind of thrust together,” Aldridge previews of Thomas and Alfred’s dynamic as the series opens. “Thomas needs something from Alfred as Thomas is a bit of a fish out of water. He’s an American, in the 1960s London. He’s not streetwise and he doesn’t quite know how to protect himself in his work.”“So he sees Alfred as a tremendous asset to him,” Aldridge continued. “He really is after the skills that Alfred can bring to the table. But Alfred’s quite reluctant to that initially [and questions whether] Thomas is trying to draw him back into a world that he is actually trying to move away from. They’re kind of circling around each other and they both have got something that the other needs. I guess that’s what the series chronicles is that relationship development.”"

For more from our interview with Ben Aldridge including details on Thomas’ relationship with Martha Kane, building upon the character of Thomas Wayne using the limited comic backstory and the role Cary Grant had in inspiring the character, check out our full interview below:

Don’t miss the series premiere of Pennyworth Sunday, July 28 at 9/8c on EPIX! 

Are you excited to see what Ben Aldridge brings to the table as Thomas Wayne in Pennyworth? Any predictions for what might lie ahead for Thomas and Alfred? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!