Alfred often appeared as a loyal, diligent old butler. Whether in comics, animation, or games, he was Batman's best assistant in daily life and his closest elder.
But that came with a premise: Batman had to be Batman—the powerful, intelligent, seemingly omnipotent Batman most readers knew or had heard of.
Batman himself could handle nearly everything. In fact, if he wanted to, he could live independently. Even with a Character Design of being bad at cooking, he could invent machines for fully automated meals, and the same went for everything else.
Batman let Alfred take care of his daily life more as an expression of closeness and trust than because he could not do it himself.
Earth-1's Batman was completely different. It was not that he let Alfred tend to his life; Alfred had to revolve around him, watch him at every moment, and play both father and mother to keep Bruce from getting into trouble.
This was no baseless worry. Ever since Alfred had met the Bruce Wayne of this universe, Bruce had been an ordinary child with a rough life, watched by many eyes and burdened with psychological problems. As his only remaining guardian, how could Alfred not worry?
Alfred had poured more emotion into Bruce than anyone else in the world. Their relationship was more than a cold guardianship document. He was Bruce's father, teacher, guide, steadfast support in his career, and thoughtful butler in his daily life.
The more he managed, the more attention he devoted, and the deeper the feelings that accumulated. Their relationship had long crossed the distant barrier of profession and employment. They were more like father and son.
But where there was father and son, there would inevitably be conflict over paternal authority. In Earth-1's story, Alfred opposed Batman rashly charging into