Batman: All 12 Alfred Pennyworth actors ranked from worst to best

8. Jeremy Irons

When we first heard that the legendary Jeremy Irons would be adopting the iconic role within the DCEU, it’s safe to say that fans were thrilled. Not only was Irons an incredibly esteemed performer, it was clear that he possessed both that natural charm and refined presence necessary for bringing Alfred to life.

Just like we hoped, that’s exactly what he did. Appearing in both 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the following year’s Justice League, Irons’ Alfred had a strong relationship with Bruce Wayne in the sense that, like we’ve come to expect from the character, he was the only one unafraid to give him a dose of “this is how it is”.

This, in itself, made for plenty of great moments throughout both films. Furthermore, this interpretation of Alfred was full of wit, relying on sarcasm and humor to break things down for his often moody surrogate son in the bluntest of ways – and it worked, ultimately providing the grim films with some much-needed light-heartedness.

Like with Ben Affleck himself, the real drawback to Irons’ performance was the fact that it took place in two lacklustre films. While his turn as loyal butler certainly elevated the scenes he was in, there wasn’t enough development given to the pair’s relationship to allow us to fully understand the dynamic – something that could have been achieved if the DCEU had started with a solo Batman movie. There was definitely more to work with in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but it felt like the DCEU had only scratched the surface.

Seeing Irons get to reprise that role in The Flash in 2023 for a cameo appearance was a pleasant surprise. Not only was it a delight to see him one more time, it was also an incredibly humorous role for Irons – which played to his strengths as the character.