What Does Marge Simpson’s ‘Death’ Mean for the Future of ‘The Simpsons’?

Erin Maxwell June 25, 2025, 4:58 pm

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'The Simpsons' Season 36 finale - 'Estranger Things' — Fox

Keeping things fresh in its 36th season, The Simpsons took to drastic measures and murdered one of their most beloved characters: blue-haired matriarch Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner).

In the season finale titled “Estranger Things,” which aired on May 18, the show offered a glimpse into the future, revealing Bart and Lisa (voiced by Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith) as estranged adults.

The finale’s nostalgic flashback revisited Bart and Lisa’s first introduction to the psychotic cat-and-mouse duo Itchy and Scratchy. But when they discovered that baby sister Maggie also loved the show, their special bond over its hilariously horrifying cartoon violence began to fade, causing the siblings to drift apart, much to Marge’s dismay.

Worried that her children will become distant in the future, she lectures her kids about leaning on each other for support in the future. “Whatever you do, don’t drift apart. You share a journey with your siblings no one else will ever understand. Don’t ever, ever take that for granted,” begs a weepy Mother Marge.

And of course, like always, she is dismissed by the callous, yellow hands of her children.

Fox

However, to drive the seriousness of the message home, the trauma-inducing vocals of animal-lover Sarah McLachlan set the scene for the future, showing a now much older Lisa and Bart. As the song “A Mother’s Heartbreak” plays, the audience is shocked to learn that Marge passed away as the “camera” pans to her graveside to see her friends and family grieving, as her epitaph reads: “Beloved Wife, Mother, Pork-chop seasoner.”

'The Simpsons' Is Returning for Season 37

In the time jump, Lisa is now the commissioner of the NBA, while Bart runs an unlicensed retirement home out of their childhood abode that houses Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and his miscreant buddies. After a few assorted shenanigans, the siblings find their groove again and bond over their shared loss.

The episode ends on a bit of a happy note as Marge watches from above on a cloud, delighted to see her kids reunited before she walks off hand-in-hand with her longtime crush, The Beatles‘ drummer Ringo Starr.

Though the episode is set in the distant future, Marge’s death took fans by surprise. Viewers may be accustomed to the occasional loss of a supporting or recurring character, but never a core member of the Simpson family (outside of a “Treehouse of Horror” special).

With the series renewed through Season 40, Marge Simpson’s death may continue to haunt viewers if the writers return to future-set episodes. While it is not the first time audiences have glimpsed what lies ahead for Fox’s First Family of Animation, this version is arguably one of the most heartbreaking. The show has a history of ignoring previously established futures, such as President Lisa, so this particular fate for Marge may eventually be set aside.

As the show returns this fall with Season 37, fans will be able to see how the series follows up with Marge’s demise.

The Simpsons, Sundays, 8/7c, Fox