The world’s longest-running animated sitcom, The Simpsons, just reminded fans that it still knows how to drop a bombshell, even after 36 long seasons. The series, which officially premiered back in December 1989, has once again left fans feeling a whole new range of emotions with its latest shocker: the death of its beloved matriarch, Marge Simpson. Yes! You read that right. But wait, before you reach out to the box of tissues, let us tell you, Marge isn’t actually dead, yet. Here’s what the fuss is all about.
Marge Simpson’s death episode breaks the internet
The Season 36 finale of The Simpsons, titled Estranger Things, has sparked a frenzy online by teasing the future death of the show’s beloved matriarch, Marge Simpson. Although the episode originally aired on May 18, 2025, recent articles about the matriarch’s demise have gotten fans talking about the loss of such an iconic character, especially as many grew up following the dysfunctional yet lovable family.
The episode takes viewers through a flash-forward timeline, with Bart and Lisa Simpson navigating their own messy lives as estranged adults, after they stop watching their childhood show, Itchy & Scratchy. While Lisa becomes a powerful but extremely stressed commissioner of the NBA, Bart seems stuck at a dead end, running an unlicensed retirement home.
While the episode surely tugs at the heartstrings, the real tearjerker moment arrives when the estranged siblings watch a video message from their mother, Marge. Now deceased, Marge pleads with her children to stick together and care for their ageing father, Homer. In her message, Marge says:
“My dearest, my hope is that you’re looking out for each other and sharing a lifelong journey together.”
A scene from the episode shows the bereaved family standing over Marge’s grave with a few friends. The tombstone reads the heartbreaking message:
“Marge Simpson. Beloved wife, mother, and pork-chop seasoner.”
However, that’s not all. The episode moves on to show Marge in the afterlife, where she happily reunites with her high school crush, Ringo Starr, declaring that she is thrilled to see her kids being close again.
The burning question: Is Marge Simpson really gone?
While the show surely features the beloved matriarch in the afterlife, fans can be assured that Marge isn’t really gone yet. Given that the entire plot of the Season 36 finale is set in a hypothetical future, Marge is still alive in the story’s present timeline. The emotional farewell is more of a ‘what if’ scenario rather than a permanent goodbye. Nevertheless, the episode has been nothing short of a tear-jerker, and also indicates that Marge’s death might happen at some point in the franchise’s future.
Fans are enraged at the makers for killing off Marge Simpson
While Marge isn’t actually dead yet, a section of fans is still confused and enraged at the fact that their beloved matriarch dies in the future. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one user wrote, “What’s this I’m hearing they killed Marge Simpson off????” Another chimed in, saying, “Dude, they freaking killed Marge Simpson!” A third netizen wrote, “I’m still not over Maude dying — now this??”
Why fans are suddenly so invested in The Simpsons after all these years
The Simpsons, throughout its 36+ seasons and nearly 800 episodes, has seen its fair share of deaths, some of them being that of Bleeding Gums Murphy, Maude Flanders and Edna Krabappel. But hardly any of those deaths hit so close to home as the emotional weight of Marge’s death, as it is the first time that a member of the Simpson family bites the dust.
What’s next for The Simpsons?
Fans of the series can rest assured that it is not slowing down anytime soon, and despite the explosive reactions, no funeral is being planned for Marge just yet. As of now, The Simpsons has been officially renewed through Season 40, with new episodes reportedly continuing into 2029.
So yes, while Marge’s flash-forward death plot has surely pulled on those heartstrings, Marge is all happy and healthy now, and like always, she is keeping the beloved family together!
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