10 Most Heartbreaking Moments In The DC Animated Universe

7. Alfred's Final Words - Justice League

Justice League Starcrossed Alfred Hawkgirl
Warner Bros.

Alfred is, in many ways, the heart and soul of the Batman mythos. The charming old butler has been brought to life by numerous actors over the years - in particular Michaels Gough and Caine - but when it came to the DCAU, it was Efrem Zimbalist Jr. who provided his voice.

Zimbalist Jr. (who passed away in 2014 at the age of 95), embodied all of Alfred's most endearing qualities. He was soft spoken, wise, and hilariously dry witted, and all three qualities were on display in the actor's final appearance as the character in the conclusion to the three-part Justice League finale, "Starcrossed".

"Starcrossed" was the final episode before the series relaunched as Justice League Unlimited, with the concluding four minutes being dedicated to examining the consequences of Hawkgirl's betrayal. In a meeting at Wayne Manor, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern all debate whether or not she should be allowed to stay, all the while Shayera waits outside with Alfred.

Shayera is anxious about the meeting, but Alfred gives her just about the nicest, most reassuring talk ever. Knowing that this would be the last time Zimbalist Jr. would portray the character though... it makes everything even more emotional.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.