Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler creator explains why the show has a new subtitle

As you may have heard, Pennyworth has a new subtitle this season. As the DC prequel series moves from Epix to HBO Max for its upcoming season 3, it also now sports the full title of Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman's Butler.

When EW caught up with the Pennyworth team at this year's New York Comic Con, creator Bruno Heller explained the origin of the new name. In short, some people seemed to have watched the show without any idea that protagonist Alfie (Jack Bannon) is supposed to grow up into Batman's trusty assistant.

"HBO Max did their research, and they discovered a fair few people who had watched and enjoyed the first few seasons of Pennyworth, but had not realized it was about Batman," Heller says. "They just thought it was about a bloke who left the army."

Heller continues, "That's a bit of an error, in terms of our conceptualization. Should've thrown in a lot more Easter eggs! It became clear that it was just a sensible, matter-of-fact thing to do. We came up with a thousand versions of that: The Journey of Batman's Mentor, The Life of Batman's Guardian. But the simplest thing is best."

Pennyworth isn't just about the origin of Batman's butler, though. It also shows viewers the history of Batman's family. Thomas (Ben Aldridge) and Martha Wayne (Emma Paetz) have been part of the show since season 1, but season 3 kicks off with Thomas' father Patrick Wayne (Richard Dillane) arriving in London and causing a headache for his son.

"It's a bit of a foreshadowing of what we know is Thomas and Bruce's dynamic: That cold, awkward, father-son relationship," Aldridge says. "We learn a bit of family history there, and their interplay is very tense. Thomas is on the straight and narrow this season, he's a family man and pediatrician, and then Patrick arrives and tries to re-embroil him in dark matters...and succeeds! Kind of."

Watch EW's full video interview with the Pennyworth team above. If you're at New York Comic Con on Thursday, you can go see an advance screening of the season 3 premiere at 3:15 p.m. ET, followed by a panel discussion moderated by this EW reporter.

The first two seasons of Pennyworth are streaming now on HBO Max, and season 3 premieres on the service later this month.

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