Alan Rickman
Hans Gruber, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rasputin: Alan Rickman may have started acting relatively late – he attended RADA at the age of 26 – but he’s more than made up for it by presenting us with a delectable array of cinematic nasties. Still, as his sensitive portrayal of the outwardly callous Severus Snape may have demonstrated, Rickman is capable of far more than just generic villains. Widely considered one of the best actors never to have received an Oscar nomination, Alan Rickman’s snide deadpan, however, might just steal the film away.
Anthony Hopkins
Already a key player in the MCU, Anthony Hopkins is no stranger to a life of duty, having already famously played a butler in The Remains of the Day. His unmistakeable gravitas, on display in projects as diverse as Thor and The Silence of the Lambs (his iconic Oscar-winning performance as Epicurean serial killer Hannibal Lecter), there’s a quirkiness and unpredictability to Hopkins’ body of work. He may well have had his share of superhero films, but Hopkins would certainly make for a jocular and twinkly-eyed Alfred if the chance arose.
Jason Isaacs
Part of the menagerie that is the Harry Potter films, Jason Isaacs may be known as the silver-haired, coolly snobbish Lucius Malfoy, but there’s more to him than just that derisive lip curl. As the merciless Colonel Tavington in The Patriot and a nightmarish Captain Hook in 2003’s Peter Pan, he may have showed off his dark side, but Isaacs’ performance in multi-verse TV series Awake showed his capable of rendering a fragile and sympathetic character. His lean, hawkish physicality could also lend itself to Alfred’s background as a former intelligence agent.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Though perhaps not the first face to come to mind when thinking of Batman’s live-in help, Philip Seymour Hoffman is, nevertheless, one of the most accomplished actors of his generation. His role as the fey, effeminate Truman Capote netted him an Oscar back in 2005 and highlighted Hoffman’s ability for self-transformation. Pudgy comic relief, condescending arms dealer, heartbroken political operative, nothing is outside his wheelhouse. Hoffman’s wry, self-effacing Alfred might well be magnificence; then again, it’d be a shame to lose him as a future Penguin.
Pierce Brosnan
Another Bond – Connery and Moore missed this list by dint of being that bit too old – Pierce Brosnan’s dry wit and cool demeanor has done him well. He may have mostly coasted on charm as Remington Steele and through The Thomas Crowne Affair, but Brosnan has also shown a willingness to reinvent this persona, most notably as washed-up assassin Julian in The Matador. At 60 years old, Brosnan is now beginning to (gracefully) show his age; after all, you can’t go on being an action hero forever. Plus, we already know he looks good in a tux.
William Shatner
That’s right folks. Captain Kirk. Denny Crane. Alfred. William Shatner (jokingly?) tweeted his interest in the role to Ben Affleck weeks ago, and we think the two couldn’t be better matched. Just think of Shatner’s signature speech rhythm in a British accent:
“Well, Master Bruce, what did you think would happen when you punched the Man of Steel in the jaw?”
And if that doesn’t convince you, just think of jokes that would come from Shatner’s Boston Legal co-star James Spader playing the eponymous villain of The Avenges: Age of Ulton. Alfred and Ultron sharing a bottle of scotch, calling each other flamingos? Tell me you wouldn’t love to see that meme.
And that about does it for our veritable encyclopedia of would-be Alfreds. It’s certainly between an exhaustive list – to our minds, we’ve covered just about every take on the character imaginable – but what do you think? Outraged by the exclusion of franchise giants Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (they’ve arguably got enough to be getting on with)? Baffled by the inclusion of DDL and PSH? Well, who would you suggest?
Also, a big thanks to the forums at SuperHeroHype for many of the above suggestions. Their good-natured brainstorming helped make this list as complete as it is.
