Jeremy Irons’ Badass Alfred Will Return in ‘Justice League — Part 1’!!

While rumor has it Warner Bros. is in the midst shaking up its DC Extended Universe following the disappointing reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zach Snyder is already hard at work on Justice League — Part 1, which will find Ben Affleck’s Batman rounding up the members of the titular superhero team in the wake of the events of Batman v. Superman. Despite the fact that production has reportedly been underway for weeks, we still don’t have an official rundown on exactly which characters we can expect to see reprise their roles from BvS. But today brings great news, thanks to Jeremy Irons, who confirmed Afred’s return while speaking with Showbiz411.

Irons will return as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler/father figure who somewhat reluctantly helps Bruce with his vigilante crime-fighting. Irons’ spin on the character was an absolute delight and one of the most well-received elements of Batman v Superman. While not explicitly stated on-screen, Snyder’s take on the iconic Batman character is an ex-special ops man who “can do anything if he has to.” Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him do much at all besides worry about Bruce’s mental health (totally understandable), but since old Bats it set to take on a leadership role in Justice League, hopefully we’ll get to see a little more of what Alfred’s capable of.

Although I wouldn’t bet on too much screen time for Batman’s beleaguered BFF. After, Justice League is by its very nature an ensemble film with lots of strings to tie up. Also returning are Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller‘s Flash, Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and presumably Henry Cavill’s Superman, though the events of BvS leave that one up for debate, along with newcomers Amber Heard as Mera, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon and Willem Dafoe in a mystery role.