Will Alfred Die in The Dark Knight Rises

The rumors of Alfred‘s potential death have been swirling around for a while, but after news of a few ‘clandestine screenings’ hit the web, it’s taken on a new life! Now, we’ve seen our fair share of rumors over the past few months, and more often than not, they’re quite easy to debunk. In this case, there’s not exactly a deluge of proof that Alfred will meet his end in The Dark Knight Rises, but unlike other gossip out there, this actually makes sense in the overall scheme of Nolan’s Trilogy.

According to rumor, Alfred, that old dastardly butler who we’ve all grown to love, will die. His downfall? None other than Bane! Terrible, I know! As I’ve said, we really have no way of knowing whether or not it’s true… but it seems really likely. Michael Caine’s character is driven by a paternal instinct, by a need to guide Bruce Wayne on his journey to fulfilling his destiny, which is to save Gotham. If TDKR truly is how “The Legend Ends”, as we’ve been so frequently reminded by every single damn trailer the WB has released, then Alfred’s death is a proper end for the character.

And another thing… Batman’s whole ethos in Nolan’s Trilogy is so fundamentally different than the traditional version, that there’s really no way to justify the long, villain fighting career that the Caped Crusader has in other mediums, which is just another heap to throw on the “Alfred kicks the bucket” pile.

Well, what do you guys think? Is Alfred going to meet his maker? Or am I just being a big old dummy?