If there's any actor who gave the most consistent performance throughout the Dark Knight Saga, it's Michael Caine, who of course was an absolute delight playing Bruce Wayne's loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. If the previous Alfred, Michael Gough, also did a terrific job despite having to star in the Schumacher movies, Caine happened to be blessed with vastly superior material and absolutely made the best of it. The Dark Knight Rises in particular allowed Caine to display Alfred a previously-unseen side of the character, clashing with Bruce and ultimately being inconsolable at his "funeral". Why Warner Want You To Forget Because, like Ledger's Joker, Caine's Alfred is just too good to beat. Sure, Jeremy Irons is an incredible actor in his own right, but he's going to struggle to live up to Caine's iconic portrayal. Hopefully, again, Warner will just go in a totally different direction with Irons' Alfred, and considering that he's a fair bit younger than Caine, that certainly seems both possible and likely. It remains to be seen whether Snyder's movie will make Alfred the affable comic relief as in the TDK movies, and if not, they may risk losing the charm offensive to Caine's effort.