Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy is a cinematic gem that has made its place in the history of pop culture. Each film of the trilogy starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Heath Ledger was explanatory as Nolan remained loyal to its source comic and perfectly matched the vibe of the characters.
With each’s directers take on the Batman movies, there followed different versions of Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, but the most memorable remained Michael Caine’s version. As Michael Caine retires from Hollywood, here is the stroll down to the iconic dialogues of his memorable role as Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman movies.
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7. “You Start Pretending To Have Fun, You Might Even Have A Little By-Accident”
Alfred Pennyworth is anything close to a father Bruce Wayne could ever get. Alfred is often the wisest among the duo, he often delivers sensible advice helping Wayne adapt to his new responsibilities.
‘Batman Begins’ revolved around the origin story of Batman and the close relationship shared between Alfred and Bruce. When Bruce returns to Gotham and decides to continue his life as Batman, Alfred suggests he get involved with the outside world as well, just to throw people off guard.
6. “Don’t Worry, Master Wayne. Takes A Little Time To Get Back In The Swing Of Things“
Alfred Pennyworth is known for his witty humor. He never hesitates to make fun of his master, especially when Bruce Wayne is stuck in a predicament. This particular quote comes up when Selina Kyle stole Wayne’s car claiming to be his wife.
Left stranded in the middle of nowhere, Bruce Wayne calls Alfred Butler to pick him up for the fundraiser. Alfred then happily makes fun of Bruce’s situation.
5. “And You Can Just Strap Up Your Leg And Put Your Mask On, But That Doesn’t Make You What You Were.”
Alfred Pennyworth is a savage man and isn’t afraid to voice out his opinion. When Gotham needed a messiah, Bruce took up the mantle of Batman. But unlike the earlier days, he has aged a lot.
Hence it was not possible for Bruce to go hand-to-hand combat with Bane considering his current state. Hence Pennyworth had to step in to give Bruce a reality check trying to make him understand that it’s not possible for him to just suit back up and pretend as nothing has changed considering his mental and physical health.
4. “They’ll Hate You For It, But That’s The Point Of Batman”
Not once, but numerous times Batman and Joker locked horns. But because of Batman’s no-kill rule, he would let go of Joker after putting up a tough fight. In ‘Dark Knight’, Joker throws Batman in a very difficult situation asking him to unmask himself to stop deaths happening in the city.
While Bruce Wayne was put into a difficult dilemma, Alfred Pennyworth always came to his rescue. While Batman feels obliged to disclose his identity in order to save Gotham City, Alfred asks him not to do so and instead simply endure it.
Alfred says that Batman has the ability to make difficult choices and has to suffer more than an ordinary person. People might even hate him for it, but Batman should endure it because that’s the entire point of being Batman.
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3. “Some Men Just Want To Watch The World Burn”
In a totally underrated opinion, Alfred Pennyworth might have been a secret protagonist in the Batman trilogy. The fans get a taste of Alfred’s immense life experiences when he a story from his past- the time when he was in Burma. It was about a bandit who had been throwing away precious gems.
As Bruce Wayne’s motive is clouded by mere judgment, he fails to understand his enemies. This particular line said by Michael Caine perfectly summarised the intention of Joker. Pennyworth understands the Joker better than Bruce because he knows that some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money but only chaos. Unlike Bruce, Alfred understood the Joker’s madness.
2. “Why Do We Fall, Sir? So That We Can Learn To Pick Ourselves Up”
How is it that Alfred Pennyworth always knows the right thing to say? This particular line is the most quoted line from ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ starring Maicel Kaine as Alfred Pennyworth.
When the Wayne mansion burns to the ground, Bruce feels like he has failed in his mission. He wasn’t able to save Gotham, including his own home. Alfred then gives the most fatherly advice hoping to get Bruce motivated. And Alfred believes in Bruce’s ability to get back up and continue the good fight.
1. “Things Always Get Worse Before They Get Better”
Alfred always has the right words to comfort Bruce Wayne in dire situations. In the Christopher Nolan movies, Rachel Dawes serves as a symbol of the normal life that Bruce must sacrifice to be Batman. It is Rachel’s death that inspired Bruce Wayne to take up the mantle of Batman.
Alfred tries to point out how there was no point in reasoning it out that way. Alfred goes on to say that Batman did inspire good, but his harsh attack will result in gruesome consequences.
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