WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Pennyworth #1, available now from DC Comics.
The new miniseries Pennyworth chronicles the adventures of Batman's future butler during the Cold War era, while he operates as an MI5 agent on behalf of Great Britain. The comic is billed as a series that is meant to examine a time period that falls after the EPIX television series Pennyworth, which recently concluded its second season, but long before Alfred would become Batman's caretaker. However, from the start of the series, it's clear that Pennyworth is less a continuation of the show, and more of a bridge between the EPIX series and the DC Universe.
In Pennyworth #1 by Scott Bryan Wilson, Juan Gedeon, John Rauch and AW's DC Hopkins, new details are given about Alfred's life that contradict what has happened on the television series. But the comic also uses the show as a springboard to further enrich Alfred's backstory. That much becomes clear when the first issue of the miniseries officially introduces a character from the television series to the DC Universe: Dave Boy.
Wallace "Dave Boy" McDougal, as played by actor Ryan Fletcher, is one of the main characters of EPIX's Pennyworth. Dave Boy has appeared throughout the series ever since its pilot as one of Alfred's closest friends. A former SAS soldier like Alfred, Dave Boy returned home, to London along with his friends and when Alfred started his security firm Dave Boy became his employee and enforcer. Throughout the series, Dave Boy has followed Alfred into a multitude of jobs and missions. They may not always agree on everything, but they are loyal to one another, no matter what.
The television series had shed light on Alfred's past, an era rarely explored in the comics and, in doing so, it introduced a multitude of original characters for Alfred to interact with. On Pennyworth, the only characters from the comics Alfred crossed paths with are Thomas Wayne, Martha Kane and Lucius Fox. Dave Boy, like so many others on the series, was an entirely new creation. But now, the character has made the jump to the comic book universe.
Pennyworth #1 unfolds primarily over two time periods. The majority of the action unfolds in the past, as Alfred and his partner, a fellow spy named Shirley, stumble upon a Russian program that has created super-soldiers. However, part of the series also takes place in the present -- or something close to it, given that Alfred is currently dead in the comics. This older Alfred is firmly established as Batman's butler. In this present-day era, Alfred has been taken, and he awakens to find himself strapped to a chair in a dark warehouse.
But even if he's in trouble, Alfred isn't all that worried because he believes that his old friend will find him. Indeed, the butler reveals that for decades, he and fellow spy Dave Boy have had a system where they send each other daily empty messages to let each other know they are safe. If a message is missed, then they know the other is in trouble, and they'll spring into action to rescue them. However, Dave Boy won't be coming to help Alfred because, as the final panels of the issue reveal, he too has been captured, seemingly by the same people who have taken Alfred.
Dave Boy is revealed in the closing moments of Pennyworth #1, and even though his appearance is brief, he appears to be just like he is on the television series. He's got the ginger beard, the foul-mouthed expressions and the defiant, combative personality he has put on display throughout the first two seasons of the television series.
Having Dave Boy introduced in the present gives Alfred the opportunity to interact with someone who knows him outside of his status as Batman's butler. The character is an important new addition to the DC Universe, especially when considering that he could ultimately become an ally of Batman, especially with Alfred now gone. But for the time being, the Pennyworth comic is bound to reunite these two old friends together for one more mission.