Yet another Batman-related live-action DC series is set to leave HBO Max in January. HBO Max is expected by many to be the one-stop shop for all Warner Bros. and DC movies and shows, but that is becoming less the case by the day. In the last year alone, the streamer parted ways with Gotham, Teen Titans, Beware the Batman, and many other titles from the blue brand's extensive history.
Saturday, January 31, will be a sad day for fans of one DC TV show, as HBO Max will be losing Pennyworth Seasons 1 and 2. The third and final season of Epix's original DC spy show will remain on the Warner Bros.-owned streamer for now.
Sadly, Pennyworth was cancelled after three seasons in January 2023, becoming an early casualty of DC Studios' restructuring following the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran. The DC prequel ended on a major cliffhanger for Jack Bannon's Alfred Pennyworth and his co-stars, which is destined to remain unresolved.
Pennyworth isn't even the first Batman prequel to be removed from HBO Max in the last year, as Gotham suffered the same unfortunate fate in September. Many will be unaware that Pennyworth is considered a prequel to Gotham, with Bannon's iteration intended as the precursor to Sean Pertwee's Alfred.
Funnily enough, during its first two seasons, which are now leaving HBO Max, Pennyworth was branded somewhat differently, as the The Origin of Batman's Butler subtitle was added after Season 3 for "visibility and clarity."
The likes of Taxi Driver, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Insidious: Chapter 2, Dredd, and Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero are also on the list of HBO Max's biggest departures that are taking place across 2026's first month.
What Comes Next for Alfred Pennyworth at DC?
The chances seem slim that DC Studios will be eager to develop another Alfred Pennyworth spin-off anytime in the near future. But in a world where Jimmy Olsen will be pitted against Gorilla Grodd in a DCU canon series, anything could happen.
Fans can look forward to seeing more of Alfred in the animated Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 later this year on Amazon Prime Video, but his next live-action appearance is being saved for Andy Serkis' return in The Batman: Part 2.
Serkis recently shared his hopes to explore Alfred and Bruce's father-son dynamic further in The Batman 2, when it arrives on October 1, 2027. As the sequel is expected to be an even more personal storyline for Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, there is certainly a chance that he gets his wish.
Furthermore, DC Studios is still developing a script for The Brave and the Bold, which will introduce the DCU's Dark Knight and his Bat-Family. As the currently undated blockbuster is preparing to cast its own Bruce Wayne, fans can look forward to another new Alfred Pennyworth to join him.
