The Batman: 15 Details You Missed The First Time

12. Alfred Is A Former MI6 Agent

The Batman Riddler
Warner Bros.

There's a quick line of dialogue that's easily missed early in the movie that actually says a lot about Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), when he and Bruce are trying to crack the Riddler's first cipher.

While Alfred plays around with the cipher, he says to Bruce that he's "reminiscing about [his] days in the Circus," a claim that wouldn't make much sense to many viewers, especially those outside of the UK.

The Circus has been a nickname for MI6 for decades, popularised by legendary espionage author John le Carré.

While Alfred has been an ex-intelligence or special forces officer in many Batman iterations over the years, it's interesting to see his former employ nailed down so precisely.

So no, he wasn't making a Robin reference by talking about the circus, as some overzealous fans suspected.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.