A shocking development in “The Simpsons” Season 36 finale leaves fans reeling as Marge Simpson is depicted as dead, sparking fierce controversy and mixed reactions from viewers.
At a Glance
- “The Simpsons” Season 36 finale, which aired on May 18, featured the unexpected death of Marge Simpson in a flash-forward episode.
- The episode, titled “Estranger Things,” sparked a significant backlash from fans who were upset by the emotional storyline.
- Executive producer Matt Selman has responded, reassuring fans that “there is no canon” and the death is not a permanent part of the show’s reality.
- Fox has already renewed the long-running animated series for four more seasons.
A Shocking Season Finale
The finale of Season 36 of “The Simpsons” left many longtime fans shocked and outraged after the episode depicted the death of the family’s beloved matriarch, Marge Simpson. The episode, titled “Estranger Things,” which aired on May 18, 2025, was a “flash-forward” set 35 years in the future.
In this speculative future, Marge has passed away from natural causes, leaving a widowed Homer in a retirement home and her children, Bart and Lisa, estranged from one another. The emotional storyline was a departure from the show’s usual tone and triggered a wave of backlash on social media from viewers who were devastated by the plot twist.
A Future Without Marge
The episode centered on the fractured relationship between an adult Bart, who runs an unlicensed retirement home, and an adult Lisa, who has become the commissioner of the NBA. The emotional core of the story involved the two siblings finally reconciling after watching a pre-recorded video message from their late mother, Marge, who urged them to rely on each other after she was gone.
In a final scene, Marge is shown contentedly looking down from Heaven, sitting on a cloud with The Beatles’ Ringo Starr. “I’m so happy my kids are close again,” she says, according to the New York Post.
Producer Responds: “There Is No Canon”
After weeks of online debate, executive producer Matt Selman addressed the controversy, reassuring fans that Marge is not “permanently” dead. He emphasized that the show’s many flash-forward episodes are not connected and do not represent an official timeline.
“Obviously since ‘The Simpsons’ future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time,” Selman told Screen Rant. “Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.” He stressed that for “The Simpsons,” there is “no canon.”
Despite the controversy, the show’s place in television history is secure. Fox has already renewed the series, the longest-running animated show in history, for four more seasons, ensuring the residents of Springfield will continue to grace our screens for years to come.
