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As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
The Outsider is an agent of Owlman of Earth 3. He travelled to Prime Earth before the others to oversee the formation of the Secret Society.
History
Alfred Pennyworth was a destitute man, who was rescued and given a grand purpose by young Thomas Wayne, Jr. He helped the boy kill his parents, ultimately firing the shots that killed them, and he continued to serve the boy as he grew into the crime lord known as Owlman. He served loyally and well for several years as Owlman helped run Gotham City and, as part of the Crime Syndicate, the whole world.[1]
The greatest enemy of his master was the Joker, who almost killed Owlman in a surprise attack, but was wounded by Pennyworth with a shotgun. In a dying act of revenge, the Joker dosed Pennyworth with a strange poison that caused him to laugh uncontrollably and left his skin unnaturally pale. As a mark of respect, Owlman worked to find an antidote. He succeeded, but the poison had left Pennyworth with pale skin and a barely-controllable laugh.[2]
But Pennyworth's fate, along with the rest of his world, changed when a powerful force brought ruin to his world. Realizing what was at stake, the Crime Syndicate tried to escape their world for another. As luck would have it, the walls between worlds were still weakened by the passage of Darkseid, and they forged a path to Prime Earth. However, the passage was unstable, and only two people made it through: Pennyworth and the villainess Atomica.
Confused by the differences in this new world, Pennyworth set out to learn what he could. After a year, he began a plan: to found a force that would unite all the villains, and to gain control of Pandora's Box, which he could use to free his master.
The Plan In Action
As the Outsider, Pennyworth used the Secret Society to stage a shadow war against A.R.G.U.S., seeding key agents into their ranks. He managed to arrange matters so that he gained control of Pandora's Box at a critical moment when the heroes were distracted by a crippled Superman, using Atomica to cause Superman to assassinate Doctor Light and then start to die slowly, making Wonder Woman believe that the guilty party is the Pandora's Box so the heroine goes in search of this item as well as its owner. The Magic Box influenced the thinking of the heroes around it, causing them to fight each other. The Outsider took advantage of the battle between the heroes to seize the evil object and open it, creating a portal from Earth 3 with which the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate manage to reach this new world.[3]
At the same time, he recruited Bane to his side, offering him an army with which to seize Gotham. Bane apparently accepted.
Forever Evil
After his master had been freed, Pennyworth stayed in the wrecked Watchtower, mostly looking after their two prisoners, Nightwing and Mazahs. Outsider tried to reason to Owlman to remind him that Nightwing was not the same person as his Earth 3 counterpart, but he did not kill Nightwing due to his master's hope to recruit the hero.
He was accosted by Pandora, but she got little information from him. He remained at his post and was killed by Black Manta, who stabbed him to death when the Injustice League broke into the Watchtower.[4]
=== Infinite Frontier ===
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Indomitable Will: Alfred was strong willed enough to prevent telepaths from reading his mind unless he voluntarily allowed it.[5]
- Leadership
Other Characteristics
- Jokerization: At some point, Pennyworth was dosed with Joker Venom by the Joker of Earth 3, turning his skin grey-white and making him laugh at inopportune moments.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Silver Coins: The Outsider is the only known origin of the Secret Society's silver coins, which they use as badges of identification and as communication devices. One side of the coins shows Pandora's Box flanked by a motto, "oderint dum metuant". The other side shows a view of North and South America on Earth 3, flanked by another motto, "aeternus malum".
Notes
- This Alfred seems to be based on his Earth-One counterpart Alfred Pennyworth who went by The Outsider for a short time.
Related
- 29 Appearances of Alfred Pennyworth (Earth 3)
- 4 Images featuring Alfred Pennyworth (Earth 3)
- 4 Quotations by or about Alfred Pennyworth (Earth 3)
- Character Gallery: Alfred Pennyworth (Earth 3)
Footnotes
Crime Syndicate/Society member This character is or was primarily a member of the the CSA (Crime Syndicate of America • Crime Syndicate of Amerika • Crime Society of America), in any of its various incarnations, either on Earth-Three, Earth-3, Earth 3, or in the Antimatter Universe. As with all other CSA members, they are an evil version of a hero of the mainstream DC Universe, primarily the Justice League. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "CSA members" category. |
Secret Society of Super-Villains member |
Justice League Villain This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |