List of Futurama characters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from )

A view of the many secondary and tertiary characters in Futurama, as seen in Into the Wild Green Yonder.

This article lists the many characters of Futurama, an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.

Along with the employees of Planet Express, Futurama includes a large array of characters, which include co-workers, media personalities, business owners, extended relatives, townspeople, aliens, and villains. Many of these characters were created for one-time gags, background scenes or other functions in the Futurama universe. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes. Other characters started out as background characters, and have been used to personify new roles later on in the series.

The main characters are listed first; all other characters are listed in alphabetical order. Only main, supporting, and recurring characters are listed, with brief descriptions of the main and supporting characters also given.

Overview[]

Character Voiced by Seasons
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Simpsorama
Bender's Big Score The Beast with a Billion Backs Bender's Game Into the Wild Green Yonder
Main characters
Philip J. Fry Billy West Main
Turanga Leela Katey Sagal Main
Bender Bending Rodríguez John DiMaggio Main
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth Billy West Main
Dr. John A. Zoidberg Also starring Main
Dr. Amy Wong Lauren Tom Also starring Main
Inspector Hermes Conrad Phil LaMarr Also starring Main
Kif Kroker Maurice LaMarche Guest Recurring Main Guest Main Does not appear
Zapp Brannigan Billy West Guest Recurring Main Guest Main Also starring Does not appear
Lord Nibbler Frank Welker Guest Recurring Guest Recurring Main Does not appear Main Guest Also starring Guest
Mom Tress MacNeille Guest Main Supporting Recurring Does not appear

Characters[]

Character Voiced by Description First appearance
Philip J. Fry Billy West Protagonist, from the 20th century. Delivery boy. Many times great-uncle to Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Suitor of Leela. "Space Pilot 3000"
Turanga Leela Katey Sagal Mutant cyclops, previously assumed to be an alien. Captain of the Planet Express Ship. Love interest of Fry.
Bender Bending Rodriguez John DiMaggio A kleptomaniacal, lazy, cigar-smoking, heavy-drinking bending robot who is Fry's best friend. Built in Tijuana, Mexico, he is the Planet Express cook.
Amy Wong Lauren Tom Chinese-Martian physicist intern at Planet Express. Fonfon Ru (common-law wife) and Smizmar (soulmate) of Kif Kroker. A "little rich girl", her parents own the Western hemisphere of the planet Mars. "The Series Has Landed"
Hermes Conrad Phil LaMarr Bureaucrat (Grade 36, then 38, then 37) and accountant of Planet Express. Former Olympic limbo athlete representing Jamaica. Husband of LaBarbara Conrad and father of Dwight Conrad. As Inspector No. 5, approved Bender out of pity, despite the robot not having a backup unit.
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth Billy West Many times great-nephew of Fry. CEO and owner of Planet Express delivery company. Tenured professor at Mars University. "Space Pilot 3000"
Doctor John Zoidberg Crustacean-like alien from Decapod 10. Planet Express' staff doctor, although he is vague on human anatomy. May or may not have a medical degree, but does have a PhD in art history. "The Series Has Landed"
Nibbler Frank Welker Nibblonian representative on Earth, actually "Lord Nibbler", who is thousands of years old. Poses as Leela's adorable pet while manipulating events behind the scenes to avoid cosmic catastrophes. "Love's Labours Lost in Space"
Zapp Brannigan Billy West 25-star General in the Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.), Captain of the Nimbus flagship and head of the D.O.O.P. army.
Kif Kroker Maurice LaMarche Amphibiosion alien. Fourth lieutenant of the Nimbus spaceship and aide to Zapp Brannigan. Husband of Amy Wong.
Mom Tress MacNeille Antagonist. The richest person in the world, owner of MomCorp, which makes, among other things, all robots. Professor Farnsworth's former lover when he worked for her. "A Fishful of Dollars"
Headless Body of Agnew Maurice LaMarche The headless body of Spiro Agnew, former Vice President of the United States. Incumbent Vice President of Earth and aide to Richard Nixon's Head. "Space Pilot 3000"
Boxy n/a A robot only able to communicate by beeping. Assistant to Calculon. "I, Roommate"
Brain Slugs Small, parasitic aliens who attach themselves to the heads of intelligent beings and control them. "A Head in the Polls"
Brain Spawn David Herman A race of flying telepathic brains, who feed off knowledge and wish to destroy other sentient lifeforms. "A Clone of My Own"
Calculon Maurice LaMarche Famous acting robot. Star of the TV drama All My Circuits. Known for his long dramatic pauses. "I, Roommate"
Antonio Calculon Plays the son of Calculon on the show All My Circuits.
The Crushinator Robot daughter of human hydroponic farmer on the Moon. "The Series Has Landed"
Father Changstein-El-Gamal David Herman Leader of the First Amalgamated Church. "Godfellas"
Chanukah Zombie Mark Hamill Undead personification of Chanukah. Part of the "Holiday Trinity". Bender's Big Score
Clamps Maurice LaMarche An unstable member of the Robot Mafia, obsessed with using the clamps that form his hands. "Bender Gets Made"
Dwight Conrad Bumper Robinson/Phil LaMarr Son of Hermes and LaBarbara Conrad. "The Route of All Evil"
LaBarbara Conrad Dawnn Lewis Wife of Hermes Conrad, mother of Dwight Conrad. Former wife of Barbados Slim. "A Flight To Remember"
Donbot Maurice LaMarche Head of the Robot Mafia. "Bender Gets Made"
Abner Doubledeal Tom Kenny Businessman, owner of various sporting enterprises. "Raging Bender"
Elzar John DiMaggio A renowned alien Neptunian chef, with three pairs of arms. "My Three Suns"
Cubert Farnsworth Kath Soucie Professor Farnsworth's clone, who he is raising as a son. "A Clone of My Own"
Flexo John DiMaggio A bending unit from the same assembly line as Bender. Almost identical in appearance, voice and personality, except he has a small triangular beard. "The Lesser of Two Evils"
Al Gore's Head Al Gore Former Vice President of the United States. Member of the "Vice Presidential Action Rangers", and First Emperor of the Moon. "Anthology of Interest I"
Gypsy-bot Tress MacNeille Robotic fortune-telling machine. "My Three Suns"
Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking Member of the "Vice Presidential Action Rangers", and celebrated scientist. "Anthology of Interest I"
Hedonismbot Maurice LaMarche Robotic personification of Hedonism. "Crimes of the Hot"
Horrible Gelatinous Blob A large, translucent and acidic alien. Known for eating people, who can then be seen through his gelatin. "The Series Has Landed"
Hyperchicken A hyperchicken lawyer. "Brannigan, Begin Again"
Hypnotoad n/a A large toad with oscillating, multicolored eyes. When hypnotizing people, it emits a buzzing noise known as "Angry Machine" "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid"
Kwanzaabot Coolio Robotic personification of Kwanzaa. Part of the "Holiday Trinity". "A Tale of Two Santas"
Lrrr Maurice LaMarche Alien ruler of Omicron Persei 8 who frequently invades the Earth after being nagged to do so by his wife Ndnd; father of Jrrr. Enjoys watching Earthican TV, which arrives 1000 years after its broadcast on Earth. "When Aliens Attack"
Linda van Schoonhoven Tress MacNeille Co-anchor with Morbo of 2 News. "A Big Piece of Garbage"
Hattie McDoogal A twice-widowed cat-loving landlady. Shareholder of Planet Express. "I, Roommate"
Michelle Kath Soucie/Sarah Silverman Former girlfriend of Fry, from the 20th century. Later freezes herself until the 30th century. "Space Pilot 3000"
Morbo the Annihilator Maurice LaMarche Alien co-anchor with Linda van Schoonhoven of 2 News. An advance scout, gathering information for a forthcoming alien invasion of Earth. "A Big Piece of Garbage"
Joey Mousepad John DiMaggio A member of the Robot Mafia, who wears a mouse and mousepad around his neck. "Bender Gets Made"
Randy Munchnik A stereotypical homosexual man, who owns a jewellery shop. "I, Roommate"
Richard Nixon's Head Billy West The head of Richard Nixon, former President of the United States. Now incumbent President of Earth. "Space Pilot 3000"
Mr. Panucci John DiMaggio Owner of "Panucci's Pizza" and the former boss of Fry in the 20th century.
Pazuzu David Herman A large gargoyle, formerly owned by Professor Farnsworth. Occasionally appears to rescue Farnsworth in urgent situations. "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles"
Petunia Tress MacNeille An elderly, chain-smoking and promiscuous woman from Nutley, New Jersey. "Put Your Head on My Shoulders"
Reverend Lionel Preacherbot Phil LaMarr Robot minister of the Temple of Robotology. "Hell Is Other Robots"
Roberto David Herman Criminally insane, psychotic robot. Obsessed with stabbing people in different places with different objects. "Insane in the Mainframe"
Robot Devil Dan Castellaneta/Maurice LaMarche Robotic personification of the devil, and ruler of Robot Hell. "Hell Is Other Robots"
Robot Santa John Goodman/John DiMaggio Robotic personification of Santa Claus, designed to give out presents to those it deems "good". Invariably judges everyone except Zoidberg as "naughty" due to a programming error. Part of the "Holiday Trinity". "Xmas Story"
Sal John DiMaggio Surly overweight blue-collar worker who speaks in plurals. Occupies various positions performing mostly menial jobs. "The Series Has Landed"
Scruffy David Herman Philosophically-minded janitor at Planet Express. Often agrees by saying "A-yup". "A Fishful of Dollars"
Barbados Slim John DiMaggio LaBarbara Conrad's former husband, and Hermes' rival. Only athlete to win gold medals in both limbo and sex. "Bend Her"
Smitty Billy West A human policeman, partner of URL, a robot. "Space Pilot 3000"
Bubblegum Tate Phil LaMarr Renowned physicist and leader of the Harlem Globetrotters from the Globetrotter homeworld. "Time Keeps on Slippin'"
Tinny Tim Tress MacNeille Robotic personification of an orphan. Suffers frequent misfortune. "Space Pilot 3000"
Turanga Morris David Herman Leela's father, a mutant who lives in the sewers. Has one eye, a sideways mouth and ten toes on each foot. He and his wife, Munda, leave their daughter, Turanga Leela, on the doorstep of an orphanage so she will have a better life after being mistaken for an alien. They then surreptitiously follow Leela from the sewers, and protect her from harm. "I Second That Emotion"
Turanga Munda Tress MacNeille Leela's mother, a mutant who lives in the sewers. Has one eye, tentacles instead of arms and hands, and a tail. She and her husband, Morris, leave their daughter, Turanga Leela, on the doorstep of an orphanage so she will have a better life after being mistaken for an alien. They then surreptitiously follow Leela from the sewers, and protect her from harm.
URL John DiMaggio Pronounced "Earl." A robot policeman, partner of Smitty, a human. "Space Pilot 3000"
Warden Vogel David Herman Grade 135 Bureaucrat, warden of the Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium where Leela grew up. "The Cyber House Rules"
Dr. Ogden Wernstrom Professor Farnsworth's former student and now fierce rival. "A Big Piece of Garbage"
Inez Wong Lauren Tom Mother of Amy Wong, and wife of Leo Wong. Wealthy co owner of the Western Hemisphere of Mars. Wants Amy to get married and give her grandchildren. "A Flight to Remember"
Leo Wong Billy West Father of Amy Wong, and husband of Inez Wong. Wealthy co-owner of the Western Hemisphere of Mars. Main antagonist of "Into the Wild Green Yonder"

Primary characters[]

Primary characters, from left to right: Hermes, Bender, Professor Farnsworth, Fry, Leela, Zoidberg and Amy.

Philip J. Fry[]

Philip J. Fry, primarily known by his surname Fry, is the main protagonist of the series. He is a 20th century pizza delivery boy in New York City who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend and being stuck in a dead-end job, is cryogenically frozen on December 31, 1999, waking up 1000 years later just before the year 3000. After meeting Bender and Leela, the trio find employment at the Planet Express delivery company, owned by Fry's distant descendant Professor Farnsworth. Ironically, Fry becomes the delivery boy for Planet Express after rejecting his predetermined job of being a delivery boy upon waking up in the future. Fry is a goofy, dim-witted, slovenly but well-meaning individual. The series follows his transition from the 20th century to the 31st century. Fry is voiced by Billy West, who uses an impression of his own voice at age 25 to create Fry's voice.[1]

Turanga Leela[]

Leela (full name Turanga Leela) is the female lead of the series. She is a one-eyed mutant who Fry meets after waking up 1000 years in the future. Originally working as a career assignment officer for cryo-preserved people waking up in the future, Leela quits her job after meeting Fry, joining him and Bender at Planet Express where she becomes the delivery ship's captain. She is one of the few characters in the cast to routinely display competence and the ability to command, and routinely saves the rest of the cast from disaster, but suffers extreme self-doubt because she has only one eye and grew up as a bullied orphan. She first believes herself an alien but later is revealed to be the least-mutated sewer mutant in the history of 31st-century Earth. Leela is also an environmentalist. The series also follows the relationship between Fry and Leela, as they start off as friends but later develop feelings for one another. Leela is voiced by Katey Sagal.

Bender Bending Rodríguez[]

Bender Bending Rodríguez (designated in-universe as Bending Unit 22, unit number 1,729, serial number 2716057[2]) is a humanoid industrial robot who rounds out the main trio of characters. He fulfills a comic, antihero-type role in Futurama and is described by fellow character Leela as an "alcoholic, whore-mongering, chain-smoking gambler".[3] Fry meets Bender at a suicide booth (which Fry mistakes for a telephone booth) after exploring the city following his escape from the cryogenics facility he was frozen at. After Fry gives Bender a reason to keep living, the two are caught by Leela, who joins them in going to Planet Express. Bender fulfills a variety of odd jobs at the company, including the head chef, and is also Fry's best friend and roommate. He is voiced by John DiMaggio.

Amy Wong[]

Amy Wong
Futurama character
First appearance"The Series Has Landed" (1999)
Last appearanceFuturama: Worlds of Tomorrow (2017)
Created byMatt Groening
David X. Cohen
Voiced byLauren Tom
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderFemale
OccupationPhysicist intern to Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
FamilyLeo Wong (father)
Inez Wong (mother)
Significant otherKif Kroker (Fonfon Ru)
Philip J. Fry (ex-boyfriend)
Bender Bending Rodriguez (ex-fiancé)
ChildrenKif's Offspring (adoptive children)
OriginMars

Amy Wong works as an intern at Planet Express (supposedly kept around because she shares Professor Farnsworth's blood type, and doesn't notice the Professor's tendency to send his crews on suicide missions). Her cocktail party personality and general klutziness get her in and out of trouble. She is the ditzy, spoiled daughter of wealthy agriculturalist-industrialist Han Chinese rancher parents who raise buggalo (a hybrid of "buffalo" and "bug") on their property, the western hemisphere of the planet Mars. A graduate student for most of the series' run, in season six, she earns her PhD in Applied physics from Mars University, earning her the title of Doctor. By the end of the series, she is the "Fonfon Ru" – the rough equivalent of a Common Law wife – of Kif Kroker, and the adoptive mother of his offspring. Amy's stereotypically Asian meddling mother and father frequently pressure her to get married and give them grandchildren, which she is not eager to do. They are often shown to be rather unkind to their daughter, including during an incident in which Amy's father repeatedly made fun of her for being fat as a child.[4]

On the show, between her roles as expert technician and occasional theorist, Amy is known for being somewhat shallow, kind, and ditzy. When Doctor Zoidberg had lost his mind due to hormones and was forced to be tied up, she was fooled multiple times into untying him, despite the dangers. As she said herself, "Fool me seven times, shame on you, fool me eight or more times, shame on me." She uses Martian slang, which is simply American slang with altered consonants, such as "Guh" (duh) or "Shman" (man). Amy tends to wear rather provocative outfits. Her standard outfit is a midriff baring pink sweatshirt, matching sweatpants, and brown boots, with other outfits consisting of anything that reveals her navel. She confesses to Fry that she dresses that way to rebel against her parents; in the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder, she tells her father that she wears the sweatsuit because she knew he always wanted a son. When provoked, Amy can swear in poorly spoken Cantonese, such as "Aiya, da sei nei", which roughly translates to "Oh my God, I'll beat you to death".[5]

According to her, because of her supreme cuteness, Amy had cuteness reduction surgery on her cheek and nose when she was a teenager.[6]

Amy has dated a few men, and she expresses a sexually adventurous attitude. In Bender's Game she portrayed bisexual characteristics. In "Proposition Infinity", she had a robosexual relationship with Bender; She also has a thing for 'bad boys'. She dated Fry for a time in "Put Your Head on My Shoulders", but the relationship was brief as Fry quickly got sick of her. However, during their relationship, he was involved in an accident, which caused her to have his head grafted onto her shoulder to save his life. She still carries a disfiguring scar from the incident. She has been dating Kif Kroker since 3001. Although she is not ready for total commitment, Amy is sure that one day she will be. In "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch", she became the "Smizmar" of Kif's children; that is, she inspired the feelings of love that caused Kif to be receptive to procreation. Although Leela is the biological mother because she grabbed Kif's ungloved hand to keep him from being sucked out of his spaceship, not knowing that, in his receptive state, this would impregnate him (some of the children even have only one eye like Leela), the Smizmar is considered to be the true mother in Kif's culture. Amy's love for Kif is undeniable, and she has been seen crying when Kif goes on dangerous missions, fearing for his well-being.

When creating Amy's character, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen decided that she would be something of a klutz. Groening was interested in exploring the idea of using slapstick comedy and physical humor with a female character since most of this humor was done by male characters in his previous work, The Simpsons.[7]

Amy's personality was initially different; her voice actress Lauren Tom has stated that she was originally supposed to be "a car mechanic, really tough lesbian sort of character". She was changed to provide a better contrast between her and Leela.[8]

In the season four episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch", in which Amy's boyfriend Kif becomes pregnant, there was some disagreement among the writers as to whether Amy should be the real mother of his children. It was eventually decided that having Amy be the mother and reject the children would make her too unlikeable.[9]

Hermes Conrad[]

Hermes Conrad
Futurama character
First appearance"The Series Has Landed" (1999)
Last appearanceFuturama: Worlds of Tomorrow (2017)
Created byKen Keeler
(writer)
Matt Groening
(designer)
Voiced byPhil LaMarr
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationBureaucrat Grade 35 and accountant of the Planet Express delivery company.
SpouseLaBarbara Conrad (wife)
ChildrenDwight Conrad (son)
Elena Fry (daughter-in-law; in comics only[in the future])
OriginKingston, Jamaica

Hermes Conrad is a workaholic bureaucrat and the accountant at the Planet Express from Jamaica with a heavy Jamaican accent, known for his 31st-century Jamaican exclamations – for instance, "Sweet manatee of Galilee!" He manages the Planet Express delivery business with responsibilities that include paying bills, giving out legal waivers, and notifying next of kin. Hermes is very enthusiastic about the Limbo and was once an Olympic limbo athlete.[10] However, an accident in the 2980 Olympic Games in which a fan broke his back trying to emulate Hermes left him traumatized, and he could not bring himself to limbo again until decades later when it was needed.[11] The series also alludes to Hermes using Cannabis, though he is never seen actually using it, partially due to prime-time television censorship standards at the time of the original run for Futurama.[12]

Hermes frequently admonishes the staff for not working hard enough, and strongly dislikes Dr. Zoidberg, often treating him as a "thing" and not a person, and normally punishes Zoidberg first even when obviously innocent. Zoidberg is generally oblivious to this, considering Hermes his friend, but upon learning the truth in "The Six Million Dollar Mon", he callously calls out Hermes for his treatment of him. Later episodes show them building an uneasy rapport, with Hermes slowly softening to Zoidberg. He is also known to dislike labor unions, once referring to Labor Day as created by "fat-cat union gangsters", though seconds later he exclaims "Hot damn, a day off!" upon learning that it was that very day ("When Aliens Attack"), and consulting Glurmo about firing the entire crew and replacing them with Grunka-Lunkas for half the pay ("Fry and the Slurm Factory").[13] It is also a recurring gag that Hermes wants to kill some or all of the members of the Planet Express crew; in "The Farnsworth Parabox", he suggested that Leela shoot the rest of the crew and pondered ejecting the entire crew of both universes except him in Universe 1 into the sun.[14]

Despite his disdain and attitude towards most of his coworkers, he has more recently been portrayed as one of the most compassionate characters in the series, and seems to have a soft spot for Bender. In the Season 6 episode "Lethal Inspection," it is revealed that Hermes used to work for Mom's Robot Factory in Tijuana, Mexico as Inspector No. 5, checking robots for defects as they came off the production line. Bender was built here without a backup module, but Hermes' compassion for the baby robot led him to override Bender's "defective" assessment and give him a chance at life. He turned in his resignation immediately afterward, and later destroyed all evidence of his employment there to prevent Bender from learning the truth, almost being killed in the process. As the episode ends, he smiles quietly at his burning personnel file and nods, showing him to be proud of his choice.[15] In the earlier episode "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back", he risked his bureaucratic license to rescue Bender, sorting the entire Master IN pile in under four minutes to recover the disc containing Bender's downloaded brain.[16]

Hermes is married to LaBarbara Conrad, with whom he has a son Dwight. However, LaBarbara was formerly married to Hermes' former Limbo rival Barbados Slim,[17] and got back with Barbados twice when Hermes was temporarily decapitated in Bender's Big Score.[18] Hermes is also overweight, caused by over three decades of overeating including LaBarbara's goat curry, which has made his skin too spicy and acidic for consumption by others.[19]

He is voiced by Phil LaMarr, who states that Hermes, originally named "Dexter", did not have a Jamaican accent at first and was more uptight. Series creator Matt Groening walked up to LaMarr after an early table read and said "Hey Phil, can you do a Jamaican accent?" This resulted in making the character more workable and less bland, according to Groening.[10][12]

Professor Farnsworth[]

Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth is Fry's great (×30) nephew and great (×31) grandson because of time reef paradox. A mad scientist and the proprietor of Planet Express, he alternates between intelligence and amoral senility due to his greatly advanced age, stated to be at least 150 years old on multiple occasions during the course of the series (160 years old as of "A Clone of My Own"). He demonstrates a mastery of any field of science necessary for the series' plots and is suggested to be one of the most brilliant inventors on Earth. However, he falls asleep constantly, and he is implied to have routinely sent his former crews on suicide missions. He wears very thick glasses and has a gift for creating doomsday devices and atomic supermen. He has put at least one parallel universe in peril with his inventions and visited dozens more (see "The Farnsworth Parabox").

The Professor teaches at Mars University and has worked for Momcorp on several occasions but spends most of his time inventing ridiculous devices and sending the Planet Express delivery crew on suicide missions. What he is a professor of is never explicitly stated. In the episode "Mars University", when asked what he is teaching, he responds: "The same thing I teach every semester, the mathematics of quantum neutrino fields. I made up the title so no student would dare take it"; however, this declaration has not precluded the professor from demonstrating mastery of whatever field of science is convenient for a given episode's plot, as shown in Bender's Big Score when he proclaims, "I can wire anything directly into anything! I am the Professor!", proceeding to link Hermes' disembodied head to the ship's computer. Approximately 100 years before the series' timeline, he taught a young (not yet Professor) Wernstrom, whom Farnsworth regarded as a prized student. After he returned a pop quiz to Wernstrom with a grade of A-minus (for poor penmanship), the two became bitter rivals (established in "A Big Piece of Garbage").

Many episodes' major plot points are introduced by Farnsworth announcing, "Good news, everyone!" or some variation thereof such as "Good news, anyone!" or "Impending news, everyone!"—either to unveil his latest invention or describe the company's latest delivery assignment, which is usually a suicide mission; he acknowledges this in The Beast with a Billion Backs. On the very few occasions he has actual good news, he often opens with "Bad news, everyone!" After Fry resigns from his job in "Law & Oracle", he states that he only says these phrases to make Fry "feel better about his pointless job." Another is his exclamation, "Sweet zombie Jesus!" He often says "Eh Wha?" when unaware of the situation, or when someone questions a statement he has just made. The Professor often makes mutually contradictory statements just moments apart; this happens especially often when briefing his employees, with the prevailing second statement canceling a much more reassuring first sentence.

The Professor rarely worries about the safety of the crew, viewing them as a means to an end, as evidenced in the first episode. After remarking that he was looking for a new crew for his intergalactic space ship, he was asked "What happened to your old crew?" His response was "Oh, those poor sons of... — but that's not important! What is important is that I need a new crew!" Farnsworth's employees later discover that their predecessors died while gathering not-ordinary honey from Space Bees ("The Sting"). The Professor issues his new crew the previous crew's career chips from a manila envelope labeled "Contents Of Space Wasp's Stomach" ("Space Pilot 3000").

It is established in the episode "Mother's Day" that the Professor was once Mom's lover and employee. However, they could not maintain their relationship due to Mom's lust for power, including when she decided to weaponize his "Q.T. McWhiskers" toy, prompting them to break up (this reportedly happened three times). When Mom takes control of all the world's robots to cause an uprising, her sons Walt, Larry, and Igner attempt to get the Professor to seduce Mom and retrieve the remote for the robots. They get back together briefly, but break up once more when Mom learns the Professor had been initially using her. It is revealed in Bender's Game that the Professor is the biological father of Mom's youngest son Igner — the one whom Mom despises the most.

Many references to the pulp science fiction magazine Weird Tales indicate the Professor may be named in honour of its editor Farnsworth Wright. Another possibility is that he is named after the American inventor and television pioneer Philo Farnsworth who appeared in the Futurama episode "All the Presidents' Heads" as an ancestor of the Professor and Philip J. Fry.

As a relative of Fry, Professor Farnsworth is also voiced by Billy West, using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan.[20] However, in the "Action Delivery Force" segment of "Reincarnation", the Professor is voiced by David Herman.[21]

Dr. Zoidberg[]

John A. Zoidberg, "M." D., commonly known by his surname Zoidberg, is the staff doctor for Planet Express, despite his poor understanding of human physiology and allusions to his questionable credentials. He is a Decapodian, a crustacean-like species of alien. His character parodies the supposed wealth and automatic respect of modern doctors—for example, his incompetence at human medicine makes him extremely poor despite his profession, and he is implied to be frequently homeless when not at work. The Decapod (named after the actual Decapoda order of ten-footed crustaceans) are an extended parody on Yiddish culture—the bigger joke being that shellfish are not kosher. The writing riffs on the marine theme in a playfully absurd way, with just about any marine Arthropoda or Mollusca being implied to be akin to Zoidberg. Zoidberg is voiced by Billy West, who performs the character with a Yiddish-inflected accent inspired by actors George Jessel and Lou Jacobi.[22]

The crew are often disgusted by his foul habits, such as squirting ink or eating from trash cans, though he is mostly oblivious to their true feelings about him, having referred to Hermes Conrad and Bender as friends. Hermes seems to have the most intense dislike of Zoidberg, seeing him as even more expendable than the rest of the crew. However, when Fry reads Hermes' mind in Into the Wild Green Yonder, it is revealed that Hermes sees him as "pathetic but lovable". In "The Six Million Dollar Mon", after Hermes quits Planet Express and trades his own body parts for robot parts, a depressed Zoidberg recovers the discarded parts and sews them together to create a full-fledged ventriloquist dummy of Hermes, which he later uses to transplant Hermes' brain out of his robot body and back into his original body. After Hermes thanks him and admits that they had never been friends, Zoidberg callously calls out Hermes for his treatment of him, leaving Hermes impressed with this confrontation. Zoidberg briefly becomes a hero when he saves Earth from enslavement to his own kind in "A Taste of Freedom". Fry and Professor Farnsworth are usually the only ones to refer to Zoidberg as a friend, and in Bender's Big Score, Zoidberg says of Fry, "He was the only one of you who never struck me!" during the latter's memorial. Zoidberg has ambitions to be a comedian, but he is entirely unsuccessful at this endeavor. In "That's Lobstertainment!", his uncle, the silent hologram star Harold Zoid (a parody of Harold Lloyd), advises him to give up on comedy and finance a film whose script Zoid is writing.

Zoidberg is named after an Apple II game that series writer David X. Cohen created in high school called Zoid, similar to the game Qix. The game was rejected by Brøderbund.[23][24][25] One of Cohen's inspirations for the character of Dr. Zoidberg was the fact that Star Trek character Leonard McCoy, the ship's doctor, frequently administered medical treatment to aliens such as Spock, so Cohen wished human characters in Futurama to be in the uneasy situation of being treated by an alien doctor.[24]

Secondary characters[]

Zapp Brannigan[]

Zapp Brannigan (voiced by Billy West) is a 25-Star general in the military of the Democratic Order Of Planets (D.O.O.P.), although his title varies. Brannigan was first seen in the episode "Love's Labours Lost in Space" as Captain of the starship Nimbus, where he imprisons Fry, Leela and Bender for violating "Brannigan's Law".

Zapp is generally incompetent, egotistical, boorish, vain, cowardly, sexist and short-sighted. He will often mispronounce words, such as champagne ("sham-PAGG-Enn") and guacamole ("GWACK-a-mole") in the episodes "Love's Labours Lost in Space" and "The Problem with Popplers" (respectively). Soon after first meeting him, Leela has sex with him out of pity. He mentions this encounter repeatedly in later episodes while remaining convinced that Leela lusts after him despite her vocal (and often violent) opposition to the idea. He is known to make catastrophic mistakes (such as destroying D.O.O.P. headquarters in "Brannigan, Begin Again"), yet, in the public eye, he is seen as an established and reputable leader of the Earth's army (Bender's Big Score, among others). Though viewed publicly as a respected hero for his numerous military victories, almost all of these victories are against comically weak opponents (such as the "retiree people of the assisted living nebula" and the "pacifists of the Gandhi nebula") or achieved through tactics that wantonly disregard the safety of his own soldiers.

The character is based on the Star Trek captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. The show's executive producer David X. Cohen has described Brannigan as "half Captain Kirk, half actual William Shatner". Zapp is voiced by Billy West, though he was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman.[26] Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "of course, just nailed it" according to creator Matt Groening. However, after Hartman was murdered on May 28, 1998, West was given the role. On a Futurama DVD commentary, Groening reveals that Zapp's character and mannerisms were established in West's original audition for the character, and any similarity to Phil Hartman or his other well known cartoon characters (Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure) is simply coincidence. On the other hand, in an interview for the website TV Squad, Billy West states that his Zapp Brannigan is an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew."[26] During a live event, West stated that he partially modelled Brannigan's cadence after the radio persona of Doug Tracht, also known as "The Greaseman."[27]

Kif Kroker[]

Lieutenant Kif Kroker (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the long-suffering assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan, and Fourth Lieutenant on the Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP) starship Nimbus. Kif is a short and thin green-skinned alien from the planet Amphibios 9. His frustration with Brannigan's arrogance and general incompetence in Season 1 leads him to be a disaffected, indifferent, sardonic lackey, although his personality develops through the course of the series, becoming more emotional, tender and sweet-natured later on. Zapp thinks Kif to be his best friend and loyal confidant, whereas Kif sees Brannigan as an incompetent and vain buffoon, going so far as to call him a jackass in "Love's Labours Lost in Space". Despite this, Kif seemingly has some loyalty to Brannigan, even continuing to associate with him after Brannigan caused him to be court-martialed along with him in "Brannigan, Begin Again". Kif is in a relationship with Amy Wong, and he compares his body plan to a sea cucumber.

Nibbler[]

Lord Nibbler (voiced by Frank Welker) masquerades as an innocent, cute and unintelligent pet during most of the series. In reality, he is a highly intelligent Nibblonian and capable of communication, but tries to avoid suspicion while he protects the Earth in general and Fry in particular from the Brainspawn. As with all Nibblonians, Nibbler's feces consist of dark matter, which can be used as starship fuel. It is an extremely dense material, "each pound of which weighs over ten thousand pounds," according to Professor Farnsworth in the season 1 episode, "Love's Labours Lost in Space." After he accidentally reveals to the Planet Express crew that he can speak in Bender's Big Score, he forgets to wipe their memory of his intelligence, which it turns out does not affect them much, and from then on he speaks freely to the crew. In the pilot episode, Nibbler's shadow can be seen as Fry falls into the cryogenic freezer, alluding to what is revealed in the fourth season episode The Why of Fry, which is that Nibbler helped send Fry to the future.

Calculon[]

Calculon (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is an acting robot renowned for his melodramatic roles and his dramatic speaking style. His most famous role is as the lead character in the long-running robot soap opera All My Circuits. It is claimed in "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" that Calculon received his acting ability from the Robot Devil. Calculon is from the 21st century, having been created as a standard industrial robot called Calculon 1.0. He changes his name and appearance every few decades to conceal his true age, claiming that one of his disguises was David Duchovny. It is revealed in "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV" that throughout his entire time on All My Circuits, he has only ever done one take for each scene; in "Calculon 2.0" Calculon professes to not know the meaning of a "second take".

In the episode "The Honking", it is revealed that his first job was as a motorised service arm building the most evil car in existence, Project Satan. Calculon was run over by Project Satan, and became a were-car (the robot equivalent of a werewolf). The curse is broken at the end of the episode, when Project Satan is destroyed.

In "Bend Her", Calculon begins a relationship with Coilette of Robonia, who is actually Bender after undergoing gender reassignment to become a fembot. He becomes smitten with Coilette, who is merely using him for material gain. Calculon proposes to Coilette, who accepts and then decides that she cannot continue the deception, and subsequently fakes her death at their wedding. In the conclusion of the episode, Coilette undergoes surgery to become a manbot again, and Calculon makes a film in tribute to Coilette.

In "The Beast With A Billion Backs" Calculon is seen as the leader of the League of Robots, a robot supremacy society. Bender cheats in a duel with Calculon, resulting in the loss of one of Calculon's arms and the destruction of the league's headquarters. Calculon subsequently becomes outraged at Bender and resigns from the league, relinquishing the presidency to Bender. In Into The Wild Green Yonder, it is said that his operating system is Windows Vista. In re-airings of the movie on Comedy Central, he says his operating system is Windows 7.

Calculon dies in "The Thief of Baghead" when he tries to defeat Langdon Cobb in the World Acting Championship after Leela and Bender advise him to do the Romeo and Juliet scene and give him water and food coloring. Unfortunately, food coloring is fatal to robots. Calculon decides the only way to win the award is to actually drink the food coloring and die. After he dies, Cobb wins the award instead of him, making his death pointless. Bender and Fry decide to revive Calculon after deciding that they do not care for his replacement on All My Circuits, Vaxtron. They journey to Robot Hell and obtain Calculon's soul from the Robot Devil. The Professor has the crew perform a series of ritualistic "scientific" tasks to put the soul of Calculon back in his body. After Calculon is brought back to life he returns to acting. He first performs a one-man show. When the show receives poor reviews, Calculon determines that maybe he should not be acting and should have remained in hell. Leela, who opposed Calculon's return to acting, now wants to help him return to All My Circuits. She explains that he should go to an audition in disguise to play Calculon for the show. When he lands the part, Calculon returns to his former ways. Leela then makes him feel bad by saying that he has no acting skills, and that the world had forgotten he had even been alive within the first month of his death. She then explains to Bender and Fry that it was a ploy to save his part in the show. The show crew is smitten by his down-to-earth acting skills, and he reveals himself as Calculon. As he takes a bow, once again thinking that his life is worth living, a massive lighting fixture falls, crushing him. His life as Calculon 2.0 is honored; he watches the ceremony in Robot Hell where his soul resides once more.

Morbo[]

Morbo the Annihilator (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the misanthropic alien anchor for 2 News, Entertainment and Earth Invasion Tonight, Good Morning Earth, and other shows on the 2 Television Network. Morbo is an advance scout for an upcoming alien invasion and does not bother to be subtle about it, often expressing his contempt and extreme hatred for mankind during live news broadcasts and commenting frequently on his species' extremely violent invasion plans. He appears to be using his job to gather information about the human race to aid the planned invasion. He is good friends with President Richard Nixon.[28] His co-host Linda van Schoonhoven seems blissfully dismissive of Morbo's hatred and usually responds with an empty-headed laugh to Morbo's contemptuous outbursts. He is married to Mrs. (Fawn) Morbo, a member of his species.

Linda van Schoonhoven[]

Linda van Schoonhoven (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the co-anchor of ���2 News with Morbo. She is blissfully unaware of or indifferent to his hatred for humanity, often giggling absentmindedly when he calls for the death of humans. Linda joins Leela and her feministas in Into the Wild Green Yonder due to Morbo being treated better than her by the producers with higher pay and more air time. In "Benderama", it is revealed that she is a severe alcoholic, which may explain her cheerful and seemingly oblivious demeanor. It is also revealed that a contributing cause to her alcoholism is her relationship with her children. In Simpsonorama, she is eaten alive by one of the rabbit-shaped creatures that breaks into the studio.

Scruffy[]

Scruffy (voiced by David Herman) is the Planet Express janitor and a recurring supporting character. Scruffy first appeared in "A Fishful of Dollars" as a masseuse for Bender, but he was later added to the cast as a little-seen staffperson at Planet Express with the second-season episode "Anthology of Interest I". Scruffy generally approaches both his job and the rest of his life with a high level of apparent apathy, as shown in "Parasites Lost", in which he ignores a broken boiler in the Planet Express Headquarters to read a pornographic magazine, and continues to read even after said boiler explodes, declaring, "Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived." In "Future Stock", it is revealed that he is deeply fond of the company, and owns four times as much stock as the other employees. The first several times he is referred to or seen by his co-workers, they ask who he is, to which he replies, "I'm Scruffy. The janitor." A running gag in Scruffy's early appearances is that no one remembers having met Scruffy before, nor does he remember them, even after they have been seen interacting in multiple previous episodes. This gag is eventually dropped. He is shown several times to read porn magazines like National Pornographic and Zero G Juggs (parodies of actual magazines, National Geographic and Juggs). The Season 6 episode "The Prisoner of Benda" reveals that he is in love with his robotic wash bucket, but avoids entering into a relationship with it. He is murdered by Robot Santa in the non-canonical anthology episode "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular". In "Law & Oracle", it is revealed that Scruffy died at some point and was brought back to life as a zombie, remarking that "Life and death are a seamless continuum." Scruffy was seen in the 2014 The Simpsons crossover episode "Simpsorama" with the rest of the Planet Express staff.

Planet Express crew relatives[]

Cubert Farnsworth[]

Cubert Farnsworth (voiced by Kath Soucie) is Professor Farnsworth's clone,[29] which the Professor produced to serve as his heir and continue his scientific legacy. He is introduced in the episode "A Clone of My Own", in which he rejects Farnsworth and becomes hostile to the entire Planet Express crew.[30] Professor Farnsworth reveals that he had been lying about his age, and is taken to the Near Death Star for retirement. The crew rescues the professor, and Cubert announces that he will continue the professor's science after all.

The Professor created Cubert with the intention that he would continue his work after discovering that his life was wasted with nothing but failed or worthless inventions. Hubert is delighted until he discovers that Cubert's intentions are not as he planned. Cubert wants to do something 'better' with his life and does not accept the responsibility Hubert gives to him. He believes that most things happen to be "Impossible" contrary to the Professor's belief that nothing is impossible. Cubert has an epiphany after getting hit on the head, realizing how the starship engines Hubert invented work, allowing them to be repaired while Hubert is incapacitated. After this, he decides he wants to follow in his "father's" footsteps after all.

Dwight Conrad[]

Dwight Conrad (voiced by Bumper Robinson in the TV series, Phil LaMarr in the films) is the son of Hermes Conrad and LaBarbara Conrad. He is a close friend and Dungeons and Dragons player with Cubert Farnsworth, and takes after his father in the ways of accounting and bureaucracy.

LaBarbara Conrad[]

LaBarbara Conrad (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) is the statuesque and much more attractive wife of Hermes Conrad and mother of Dwight Conrad. Her number two is her ex-husband Barbados Slim, the rival of Hermes, who she refers to as "a human Adonis" and "a mahogany god." Hermes is insecure when Barbados is around, and LaBarbara leaves Hermes occasionally, such as in Bender's Big Score, to be with Barbados Slim after Hermes loses his body. She often wears clothes that reveal her belly button (like Amy Wong), and she scolds Hermes for his off-screen Cannabis use.

Leo and Inez Wong[]

Leonardo "Leo" Wong (voiced by Billy West) and Inez Wong (voiced by Lauren Tom) are the very wealthy parents of Amy Wong. They are human Martians of Chinese descent who own the entire western hemisphere of Mars (which they claim is the best one) and the Wong buggalo ranch. They often pester Amy about their lack of grandchildren and meddle in her love life, trying to find a man to father their grandchild. When Amy and Kif Kroker begin dating, they decide Kif is not man enough for her. They do seem happy when he and Amy have children. Leo is one of the primary villains in Into the Wild Green Yonder, and they disrespect the indigenous Martians.

Morris and Munda[]

Turanga Morris (voiced by David Herman) and Turanga Munda (voiced by Tress MacNeille) are Leela's father and mother and later on Fry's parents-in-law. They are sewer mutants who love Leela deeply and try to give her as normal a life as possible by passing her off as an alien and leaving her to be raised in an orphanage. They participate in her life as much as possible from the sewers until Leela finally learns the truth and attempts to form a real relationship. They each have one eye, Morris has a vertically oriented mouth, ten toes on each foot, and the ability to shed his skin, while Munda has a lion tail and octopus tentacles in place of arms. Their original appearance in "I Second That Emotion" shows them as plain cyclopes like Leela. The plot of "Leela's Homeworld" required the addition of extra mutations to fit with the idea that Leela is able to live a normal life, while they cannot.[31][32] In the same episode it is also revealed that Munda has a PhD in "exo-linguistics", which allows her to speak alien languages and write in "Alienese".

Yancy Fry and Mrs. Fry[]

Yancy Fry (voiced by John DiMaggio) and Sherri Fry, also known as Mrs. Fry (voiced by Tress MacNeille) are Fry's father and mother and later on Leela's parents-in-law. They are humans in the 20th century who tended to be absorbed in their own interests (anti-Communism and football, respectively). Fry's ex-girlfriend Michelle later informs Fry that the police wanted to look for him, but his parents felt it was a waste of taxpayers' money. However, it is revealed over the course of the series that they did indeed miss Fry and searched for him to no avail. Yancy is a traditional family name going back to the Revolutionary War, so it is unknown if Yancy is properly referred to as "Yancy Sr.". ("Luck of the Fryrish")

Yancy Fry Jr.[]

Yancy Fry Jr. (voiced by Tom Kenny) is Fry's older brother in the 20th and 21st centuries. Yancy Jr. is mostly rude and competitive with Philip as seen in "The Luck of the Fryrish." His jealousy of his brother dates back to Philip's birth, when Yancy wanted to have that name, but is informed that his name, Yancy, is a family tradition dating to the Revolutionary War. (It is unknown if he is formally named Yancy Jr.) After Fry disappears, Yancy becomes so devastated that he eventually names his son Philip J. Fry in his honor. Yancy is also an ancestor of Professor Farnsworth.

Antagonists[]

Mom[]

Carol "Mom" Miller (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is an aggressive, threatening and Machiavellian bully, reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West. She manages and owns 99.7% of MomCorp, a large, multibillion-dollar industrial complex with numerous subsidiaries and a monopoly on robot production, as well as being the company that created Bender. Publicly, she retains the corporate image of a sweet, bustling old woman who often slips into the stereotype of a Deep South grandmother; behind the scenes, she removes her fat suit and emerges as a skeleton-thin, malevolent, and foul-mouthed old crone. She has three sons, Walt, Larry and Igner, whom she terrorizes and often employs to do her dirty work. Mom has a romantic history with Hubert J. Farnsworth, who worked at MomCorp when he was younger, and she was previously married to Dr. Ogden Wernstrom.

Her given name is revealed to be Carol in "The Tip of the Zoidberg".

In the episode "Leela and the Genestalk", Mom works out of "Momsanto", a floating castle that hosts a genetic engineering facility. Its name is a reference to Monsanto, an American agricultural company known for genetic engineering of plants.[33]

Walt, Larry, and Igner[]

Walt (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), Larry (David Herman) and Igner (John DiMaggio) are Mom's three sons, who are often on the receiving end of her verbal and physical abuse. It is revealed in Bender's Game that Professor Farnsworth is Igner's father, and other scenes imply he fathered all of them.

Omicronians[]

The Omicronians are an alien race from the planet Omicron Persei 8.

  • Lrrr (/lɜːr/, voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8, and always introduces himself as such.[34] He aims to project a strong ruthless demeanor of a conqueror, but often ends up showing a sensitive side. He is currently married to Ndnd, his second wife, with whom he has one son, Jrrr (/ɜːr/, voiced by Lauren Tom). His first major appearance in the series was in the episode "When Aliens Attack".[35] In "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences", he claims to have murdered his father for his cape.
  • Ndnd (voiced by Tress MacNeille, pronounced /ʌnd'ʌndʌ/), is Lrrr's second wife. She is overbearing and bossy, often nagging Lrrr to eat more healthily and fulfill his duties as supreme ruler of Omicron Persei 8. In "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" she seems entirely unconcerned by Lrrr's infidelity with another Omicronian woman (actually a human trans-species cross-dresser), but is deeply upset by him listening to Leela's nagging over her own. Their marital problems also feature heavily in "Spanish Fry".

Robot Mafia[]

The Robot Mafia is a small crime syndicate operating out of "Fronty's Meat Market" and "Small Bill's Laundry", who periodically dine at Elzar's, hijack shipments of Zuban cigars, arrange "accidents" for robots who act against them, as well as other unspecified Mafia-related illegal activities. They are made up of:

  • The Donbot (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – The leader of the Robot Mafia. He is often depicted to be oblivious to various plots against him, particularly repeated infractions by Bender, including having sex with the Donbot's wife, having sex with his daughter, stealing from the Donbot, and stealing the Donbot's own foot.
  • Clamps (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – A goonbot with an angry, aggressive disposition obsessed with using the clamps that act as his hands. In the Season 6 episode "The Silence of the Clamps", his name is revealed to be Francis X. Clampazzo.
  • Joey Mousepad (voiced by John DiMaggio) – A burly goonbot wearing a computer-mouse necklace. He is somewhat dim-witted, as noted by his occasional malapropisms. In one instance, Joey offered to dub Bender (who later chose "Blotto") with the nickname "Clamps," which infuriated Clamps.
  • Fanny, wife to the Donbot, is a female robot with a propeller built into her rear end. She has an affair with Bender during Into the Wild Green Yonder, leading the Donbot to have both of them shot and buried several times. They survive and Fanny returns to her husband. The couple have at least two daughters, including Bella, with whom Bender has a brief relationship during "The Silence of the Clamps". Her body contains a church bell that rings loudly whenever she moves.

Dr. Ogden Wernstrom[]

Dr. Ogden Wernstrom (voiced by David Herman) is a former student and now rival of Professor Farnsworth, in the field of science. He resents an "A−" grade given for sloppy penmanship by Farnsworth in 2900, and worked for over one hundred years to obtain revenge. Farnsworth usually greets him with an angry shaking fist and a long, drawn-out "Weeeerrnnn-strom!" He often competes against Farnsworth in various competitions, such as the Annual Inventors' Symposium, though their rivalry appears to have softened over the years, and they have even managed to collaborate with one another every once in a while. Wernstrom also appears to respect some of Farnsworth's decisions if he himself believes them to be right as well, as showed in The Beast with a Billion Backs. In Bender's Game it is revealed that he was once previously married to Mom, and may be the father of Mom's two eldest sons Walt and Larry. The Season 6 episode "Cold Warriors" reveals that Wernstrom has been appointed Surgeon General of Earth.

Richard Nixon[]

The former president (voiced by Billy West) is kept alive as a head in a jar like many other celebrities. He originally resides in the Hall of presidents in the head museum, but he eventually leaves and becomes the President of Earth, winning by a single vote.[36] Nixon's administration is marked by a violent and aggressive foreign policy, frequently entering into wars which serve little or no purpose. Nixon's head is sometimes accompanied by the headless body of Spiro Agnew.

Billy West has commented that he is not impersonating Richard Nixon for the role; he is impersonating Anthony Hopkins in Nixon (with "a little bit of werewolf", his Nixon has a tendency to inject a sound similar to "aroo" into his sentences), and that he, instead of trying to cultivate a good impersonation, cultivates the flaws in his impersonation. Matt Groening also frequently expresses his pleasure that he can continue to poke fun at Nixon 30 or 40 years after he was in office.[37] Nixon's head was included in TV Squad's list of the five best television appearances by presidents in animated or puppet form. The character was considered to be particularly interesting because he could be "pure evil" but also command respect and also because "Nixon's head trapped in glass is just really funny."[38]

Roberto[]

Roberto (voiced by David Herman) is a criminally insane, psychotic robot who often carries a knife with which he is prone to stabbing. He is often depicted as a patient receiving treatment for criminal insanity. In his first appearance in "Insane in the Mainframe", he is committed to an insane asylum after he targets the same bank for robbery three times in a row, and is seen killing other robots when escaping that hospital. In Bender's Game he states that his creators were trying to make an insane robot, but "failed". This violent nature is enhanced by a body that David X. Cohen and Matt Groening say is based on the shape of a tombstone.[39] Roberto appears in Bender's Game as a patient in the same asylum. He later appears in the Middle-earth spoof scenes of that film as a role equivalent to that of Denethor. He briefly becomes sane after he is hit on the head during a battle, but reverts to insanity after he is immediately hit a second time. He appears in "Proposition Infinity" in the same asylum, this time with a sock instead of his usual knife. He says to Bender, "You ever kill a man with a sock? It ain't so hard."

In the season 7 episode "The Six Million Dollar Mon", Roberto is arrested when he tries to rob Hermes Conrad and his wife LaBarbara of their skin. He is executed for this crime, but Bender later digs him up and steals his brain circuitry so that Hermes can have it installed in his own head to complete his transformation into a robot. When the robot tries to steal the skin from the real Hermes (reassembled by Doctor Zoidberg from the discarded body parts), it melts down due to the accumulated residue of heavy spices from LaBarbara's cooking. Roberto appears again in the series' penultimate episode "Stench and Stenchibility".

Robot Devil[]

The Robot Devil (voiced by Dan Castellaneta in regular appearances, Maurice LaMarche in "A Tale of Two Santas") serves as the leader of Robot Hell, which is hidden beneath the "Inferno" ride at the amusement park "Reckless Ted's Funland" in New Jersey. His function is to torment robots who have committed various sins under the practice of Robotology. If a deal is made with the Robot Devil, he appears to have unlimited power and can grant almost any request. The voice acting of the Robot Devil by Dan Castellaneta has been described as a "bravura performance" on his part.[36] The Robot Devil is available as a build-a-figure from the first three series of Futurama action figures by Toynami.

He first appears in "Hell Is Other Robots", kidnapping Bender and tormenting him until Fry and Leela manage to save Bender. He plays another major role in "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", in which Fry makes a deal with the Devil to improve his holophonor skills. Fry wins the Robot Devil's hands, though the Robot Devil manages to reverse the trade after setting up a complicated scheme to force Fry into relinquishing them. The character also makes brief cameos in "A Tale of Two Santas" and "Crimes of the Hot". In the episode "The Silence of the Clamps" he is shown as one of the wedding guests. He plays a key role in the Season 6 episode "Ghost in the Machines", offering to reunite Bender's body and spirit if Bender scares Fry to death. This same episode reveals that he keeps several spare bodies in his office and can transfer his spirit to one of these if his body is destroyed.

The Robot Devil appears in the film series on several occasions, most notably The Beast with a Billion Backs, where Bender makes a deal with the Robot Devil exchanging his first-born son for the Armies of Hell. Bender more than happily locates his son and kicks the child into a vat of lava, causing the Robot Devil to comment, "That was pretty brutal, even by my standards." Bender simply replies, "No backsies!" In Bender's Big Score, he conducts the band at Lars and Leela's wedding.

In the commentary for "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", Castellaneta says the voice is based on a "bad impression of Hans Conried".

Robot Santa[]

Robot Santa (voiced by John Goodman in the first appearance, John DiMaggio in later appearances)[40] is a robot created in 2801 by The Friendly Robot Company to judge beings as naughty or nice and distribute presents or punishments accordingly. Due to a programming error, his standards are too high and he judges everyone to be naughty (with the one-time exception of Dr. Zoidberg, who got a Pogo-Stick as a present). This leads him to go on destructive rampages across Earth every Xmas using Christmas-themed weapons, such as grenades shaped like Christmas ornaments, bicycle guns, and T.O.W. missile launchers (a weaponized retort to mistletoe) to punish the "naughty" beings. He resides in a death fortress on Neptune along with a number of Neptunians that act as slave labor for the toy factory.[41] In Bender's Big Score, he assisted the Earth's population in reclaiming their planet after it was purchased by the devious Scammers, forcing his Neptunian elves to build weapons for an assault and participating personally in the ensuing battle. He is part of an alliance called The Trinity, a trio of holiday-themed madmen, comprising himself, Kwanzaabot, and the Chanukah Zombie in the song.

Barbados Slim[]

Barbados Slim (voiced by John DiMaggio) is Hermes' arch-rival. He not only defeated Hermes at the 3004 Olympics to win the gold medal in limbo, but is also the only person ever to win gold medals in both limbo and sex. He was formerly married to LaBarbara Conrad, who still refers to him as a "mahogany god". In Futurama: Bender's Big Score, after Hermes was decapitated in a limboing accident, LaBarbara left him (believing as a head in a jar he would not be able to provide for her) and got back together with Barbados, even going so far as to take his last name (Dwight also took his last name), even though they never remarried and Dwight was never adopted. After Hermes uses his bureaucratic prowess to save Earth from the scammers and wins back LaBarbara (and gets a new body), Slim vows "You have not seen the last of Barbados Slim!" before adding "Now goodbye forever!" As he prepares to leave the bridge, the sliding door malfunctions and goes down halfway. Slim then tries to limbo beneath only for the door to fall and crush his chest.

Other recurring characters[]

Abner Doubledeal[]

Doubledeal (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a businessman usually depicted organising or owning various sporting events, to which he would recruit various season regulars. He first appeared in "Raging Bender" as the owner of the Ultimate Robot Fighting League, and later in "A Leela of Her Own" as owner of the New New York Mets blernsball team. He was a television producer in "Yo Leela Leela", at the end of which he adopted all of the orphans from Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium to help him produce Leela's show Rumbledy-hump; and by the time of the events of "The Butterjunk Effect" episode Doubledeal was in charge of the Butterfly Derby. The character's name is a reference to Abner Doubleday, a US Civil War general who was alleged to have invented the game of baseball.

Amazonians[]

The Amazonians first appear in "Brannigan, Begin Again" but first feature in "Amazon Women in the Mood" when Zapp, Leela, Amy and Kif are stranded on their planet. The Amazonians are primitives who live in huts, and they are ruled by a female computer called "Femputer" (voiced by Bea Arthur). The Femputer is revealed to be a fembot operating the giant computer facade from a small control room. Their legal system permits a capital punishment ritual called "Death by Snu-Snu." All Amazonians are voiced by Tress MacNeille.

Celebrity heads[]

Various celebrities and historical figures are kept alive as heads in jars of liquids. The technology is crucial to Futurama's connection with 20th- and 21st-century culture since it allows significant figures from the past to make appearances in the series. This also allows for contemporary celebrities to make guest appearances as themselves.[36] The technology was invented by Ron Popeil, himself a head.[42] People seem to be able to be resurrected using this technology, as every U.S. President is found in the "Head Museum"; the most prominent head is that of Richard Nixon who becomes the President of Earth.

The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer[]

The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a large blue/green rooster-like chicken with southern mannerisms and a pince-nez perched on his beak. He is an alien originally from what he describes as a "backwoods asteroid." The show never reveals the Hyper-Chicken Lawyer's name (or the non-existence thereof); in "Brannigan Begin Again", it is revealed that the Hyper-Chicken Lawyer's species is "hyper-chicken". In the commentary of "A Tale of Two Santas", David X. Cohen explains that the script simply used the designation "hyper-chicken" to refer to the character. He is a lawyer who has appeared both as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor. He is a terrible lawyer but despite his incompetence he sometimes manages to win his cases, and if he doesn't he usually tells his clients to plead insanity. The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer is a parodic cross between "folksy" country lawyers such as Matlock and Atticus Finch with Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn. In a deleted scene from Into the Wild Green Yonder, he is named Matcluck.

Elzar[]

Elzar (voiced by John DiMaggio) is a famous four-armed Neptunian chef with his own New New York restaurant, "Elzar's Fine Cuisine", and television show. Elzar is rude, crass, and unpleasant, and has a very high opinion of himself. He never passes up an opportunity to milk money from his customers and fans. He has also been known to steal from his own cash register on occasion. Elzar's favorite cooking implement is his Spice Weasel, a mustelid-like creature which propels a cloud of spices from its snout upon having its body squeezed. Elzar often uses the phrases "Bam!", "knock it up a notch", and "no question". The character of Elzar is an allusion to Emeril Lagasse.[43]

The Globetrotters[]

The Globetrotters are a race of basketball playing humans who reside on Globetrotter Planet. Aside from showboating basketball shenanigans, the Globetrotters are all known for their math, logic, and physics prowess and have aided in saving both Earth and the Universe.

The Globetrotters are commanded by Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate. Other known core members include 'Sweet' Clyde Dixon, 'Curly' Joe, and 'Goosh', although there are several other unidentified members of the team seen throughout the series.

Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate[]

Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is a renowned physicist and the leader of the Globetrotters, who once randomly challenged Earth to defend its honor by playing a game of basketball for no reason. (A parody of the film Space Jam, and also a reference to the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series.) Tate is one of "the finest scientific minds in the universe", according to Professor Farnsworth. He is also a senior lecturer in physics at Globetrotter University. He has appeared in many episodes with the rest of the team, but also made a solo appearance in several episodes.

'Sweet' Clyde Dixon[]

'Sweet' Clyde Dixon (voiced by David Herman) is a core member of the Globetrotters, who excels at calculus and is another one of the "finest scientific minds in the universe". In "The Prisoner of Benda", he becomes a Duke.

Hattie McDoogal[]

Hattie McDoogal (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is an old woman who lives alone with her cats and often uses nonsense words and phrases, such as "kajigger" and "whatchacallit". She briefly serves as the landlady of Fry and Bender, and holds a single share of Planet Express, allowing her the decisive vote for its CEO. She has been married twice, surviving both of them, and often dates. She once hired Kif Kroker as a male escort. MacNeille also voices the Crazy Cat Lady on The Simpsons.

Hedonismbot[]

Hedonismbot (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a golden robot built in a lounging position that displays the typical characteristics of hedonism and decadence, such as constantly eating from a bowl of grapes on his stomach. He was first seen in "Crimes of the Hot" at the Galapagos Island Robot Party. He has a human servant named Djambi and he has stated that "I too have known unconventional love" with references to doomsday devices. He enjoys having a bath of chocolate, having his nipples rubbed with industrial sandpaper (and a power sander), and seeing how long he can remain entertained during an opera.[44]

Hypnotoad[]

The Hypnotoad is a large toad-like alien with pulsating, multicolored eyes, which emits a loud, ominous buzzing noise. It has the power to hypnotize almost any living thing at will, even mass numbers of creatures. The Hypnotoad first appeared in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid", in which it hypnotized a flock of sheep to herd themselves into a pen and close the door behind them, the panel of judges to win the pet show, and then the audience of the pet show to force their approval of that victory. It later acquired its own television show, Everybody Loves Hypnotoad, in which it hypnotizes the audience (except for Fry, due to his lack of a Delta brain wave and the fact that he feels the show has been going downhill since its third season). The Futurama: Bender's Big Score DVD includes a full 22-minute episode.[45][46][47] The episode mainly features the Hypnotoad staring into the camera, occasionally intercut with a laugh track or shots of the exteriors of various locations to indicate a scene change. The finale of the show consists of a voiceover telling the audience that they will wake up remembering nothing and feeling refreshed, and the credits are all attributed to Hypnotoad.

Martians[]

The alien natives of Mars are a direct and open parody of modern Native Americans in the United States, including their dress, manners, and accents. Dispossessed of their ancestral lands, they take menial jobs as ranch hands and casino employees.

Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer[]

Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer (Voiced by David Herman) is the mayor of New New York. He is often depicted as a corrupt and incompetent politician. He first appeared in the season 1 episode "A Big Piece of Garbage". Throughout the later seasons, he is seen having a rather open affair with the Queen of Yonkers.

Officer Smitty[]

Officer Smith, better known as Smitty (voiced by Billy West) is a policeman partnered with URL in New New York. He is sometimes seen with a lightsaber-like nightstick. The two often use excessive force in non-violent circumstances. In one episode,[which?] he claimed that he became a cop because his father owned a restaurant, and frequent dine-and-dashers kept it from going regional. Smitty retires later in Season 6 but returns a few episodes later.[when?]

Officer URL[]

Officer URL (pronounced Earl) (voiced by John DiMaggio) is a robot police officer paired with Smitty. The two often use excessive force in peaceful situations, and make use of various features built into URL, such as a siren, megaphone and violations printer. He also appears in the parody of Cops, called Cop Department. His catchphrase is "Aww, yeah." In "Law and Oracle", URL becomes Fry's partner after he joins the police force.

Petunia[]

Petunia (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is an elderly woman who wears a revealing pink dress and uses a lot of make-up. She is a chain-smoker and a keen gambler. In the episode "Put Your Head on My Shoulders", Bender sets her up on a Valentine's Day date with Fry after setting up a dating agency. She rejects Fry after learning he does not have a body and is merely a head attached to Amy. Petunia states she can do better than a slot-player when Fry reveals he controls only one arm. Petunia later joins the Feministas in Into the Wild Green Yonder. She has children and used to live in a house with wheels.

Sal[]

Sal (voiced by John DiMaggio) is a surly, overweight, blue-collar worker with a thick Bronx accent. His first appearance is as a janitor on the Moon in "The Series Has Landed", servicing the machines in the amusement park. He has appeared many times since, always employed in a tedious job that he does not perform well. He is also seen to have a painting tattooed on his stomach (in "The Cryonic Woman") and comments that he is "on loan from the Louvre". His trademark is to add an "s" to many words that do not need it: "He's busteds. Gets hims outta heres!" At one point in "The Lost Adventure", it is implied that it is intentional, when he says "I gots an idea. I means, I gots an ideas." David X. Cohen said in a commentary that the writers debate whether Sal frequently changes jobs or has been cloned many times. He was also featured in Bender's Game as the five-time winner of a demolition derby. After losing the derby, he promises to "changes" his life.

Tinny Tim[]

Tinny Tim (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is an ill-fated orphan-bot with a crutch for an arm and one shortened leg, a reference to Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He speaks with an English accent and is programmed to beg, sell oil-ade, and write in cute backwards letters on signs. He is shown with the Planet Express crew on both Xmases, and appears to be friends with Dwight and Cubert. In the subtitles of "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV", he is called "Tiny Tim-Bot".

Guest characters[]

Al Gore[]

The former vice-president (voiced by himself) appears as a head in a jar during most of his appearances and also appears with his body during scenes involving Fry's time period. He is First Emperor of the Moon and has "ridden the mighty moon worm".[48] He lives in an elaborate jar; the base is colored silver-white, and possesses several hologram projectors, two small rockets for mobility, a pair of lasers, and is backed with the top of a cape. He plays a role in Futurama: Bender's Big Score,[49] where he appears in multiple scenes that take place in the past and during the space battle in the future. During one of these scenes, Gore was shown to have won the 2000 Presidential Election, but Bender accidentally destroys the ballots in favor of Gore when hunting for Fry. During the Clinton presidency he is shown to have led the Vice Presidential Action Rangers, a group tasked by the US Constitution to preserve the space-time continuum.

The real-life Gore has said that Futurama is his favorite show. His daughter, Kristin Gore, was a writer for the show in its later seasons.[48][50] Gore has also voiced the cartoon version of himself in "A Terrifying Message from Al Gore", the promotional video for An Inconvenient Truth along with John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender, and Billy West, the narrator.[51]

Boxy[]

Boxy is a crude robot only able to communicate by beeping. He is frequently seen in the company of Calculon, and played the role of Calculon's half-brother in the All My Circuits soap opera where his objections sound like he's backing up. His noise is made by a synthesizer.[52]

Brain Slugs[]

Brain Slugs are small, one-eyed, vaguely sluglike aliens which attach themselves to the heads of sentient beings to control them. Brain slugs apparently use this as a method of trapping more "prey", since those beings under brain slug control are driven by the desire to place brain slugs on other beings. It is hinted that the host under the brain slug's control retains awareness of their condition, which Hermes referred to as a "nightmare". The brain slug can be seen in numerous episodes, normally attached to Hermes. For a short time, Fry had one attached, but according to the professor, it "starved to death" due to Fry's low intelligence.[53]

Brainspawn[]

The Brainspawn (voiced by David Herman) are a race of flying telepathic brains that wish to collect all of the data in the universe and kill all other intelligent beings, because the mere act of them thinking causes them great pain. They are able to use "stupefaction fields" to render all intelligent beings on a planet too stupid to resist them. This allows them to collect all knowledge on the planet and destroy it. Their main enemies are the Nibblonians, who send Nibbler on a mission to find Fry, the only being resistant to the Brainspawn. Fry lacks the delta brainwave, so he is able to repel the Brainspawn when they attack Earth. Fry later sends the Brainspawn and their space station, the Infosphere, into another dimension with a bomb given to him by the Nibblonians.

Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium[]

The Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium houses a large number of orphans, including Leela during her childhood. The orphans often suffer harsh conditions and various disappointing setbacks. It is run by Mr. Vogel, voiced by David Herman, who takes care of the orphans and keeps all records; he is apparently a bureaucrat grade 135 who has not been promoted since about the time Leela was born. Three orphans, Albert, Nina, and Sally, are featured most often. Albert and Nina are voiced by Kath Soucie and Sally is voiced by Nicole St. John. Sally has a third ear on her forehead which she is teased about by the other orphans. She also claims to have a tail. Twelve of the orphans were briefly adopted and later returned by Bender—who adopted them only for the government fund checks—in "The Cyber House Rules".

Crushinator[]

The Crushinator (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the robot daughter of a farmer on the moon. She is stereotyped as a southern belle and represents Earth's moon in the Ms. Universe Pageant. She first appears in "The Series Has Landed" and also appears in the episodes "Lesser of Two Evils", "Crimes Of The Hot", "Mother's Day", and "The Silence of the Clamps". She briefly appears in the background in Into the Wild Green Yonder. Unlike her sisters, the Crushinator is more machine-like and has a masculine voice. She also has two orange metallic pigtails sticking out from her head and can transform into a car.

Father Changstein-El-Gamal[]

Father Changstein-El-Gamal (voiced by David Herman) is a priest in the First Amalgamated Church, a mixture of many 20th-century religions.[54] He wears a bindi on his forehead (Hinduism), wears a mitre and clerical collar (Catholicism) with a taijitu (or yin-yang) symbol on the peak (Taoism), payot (Judaism), an orange wrap (Buddhism) with a shoulder scarf adorned with stars and moons (spiritism). In Bender's Big Score, he uses the phrases "dearly liked" instead of "dearly beloved" and "We are gathered here today before one or more gods, or fewer..." when officiating a wedding.

Flexo[]

Flexo (voiced by John DiMaggio) is a bending robot who looks and sounds almost exactly like Bender with the exception of having a small triangular metal goatee, a reference to the Star Trek mirror universe. Flexo first meets and befriends Bender in "Lesser of Two Evils". Fry believes Flexo to be an "evil twin" of Bender, though it turns out that Flexo attempts to stop Bender from stealing the expensive crown from the Miss Universe pageant. Flexo is mistaken for Bender and is arrested for that crime. Critics have called Flexo's appearance in this episode one of the "Great Moments" in Futurama.[55] He returns in "Bendless Love" in which Bender briefly dates Flexo's ex-wife, Anglelyne, and impersonates Flexo. Flexo is targeted by the Robot Mafia because of this. Eventually, he reunites with Anglelyne. He makes a cameo appearance in Into The Wild Green Yonder along with Anglelyne as members of the audience seeing the Encyclopod being "born".

He makes another brief appearance in "Attack of the Killer App" in a garbage bin, where he is found by Bender and tells him that bending robots are now obsolete, though he is ignored. His signature character trait is the way he says something, usually a mild insult, and then immediately retracts it, laughing and saying some variation of "Naw, I'm just kidding... you're all right!" This, apparently, is also reversed when referring to situations or actions that cause him frustration or anger, such as Bender shoving him in one episode, with Flexo responding by saying, "Thanks! I appreciated that... Naw I'm kidding. That was quite annoying."

Grand Midwife[]

The Grand Midwife (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is an Amphibosian who first appears in the fourth-season episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch". She is also known as the Grand Priestess, the Grand Lunch Lady, the Grand Funeral Director, and the Grand Butterfly Curator, as she holds these various titles and positions. She appears as an aged and wizened member of the Amphibosian race, appearing at and overseeing key functions throughout Amphibios 9, including Kif's birthing ceremony, Kif and Amy's wedding and Kif's funeral. She is often direct and inflexible in her ways and acts in a melodramatic fashion.

Guenter[]

Guenter (voiced by Tress MacNeille with the vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) is an intelligent monkey experiment made by Professor Farnsworth. His intelligence comes from his small hat which uses sunspots to create cognitive radiation. If he is not wearing the hat, he acts like a normal monkey. His first appearance was in the episode "Mars University" in which the Professor enrolls him at the university where he becomes Fry's roommate. Guenter later appears in the episode, "Fry and Leela's Big Fling", where he shows Amy Wong, Bender and Zoidberg around the planet Simian 7. Guenter is seen in other episodes in the background, and crowds.

Gypsy-Bot[]

The Gypsy-Bot (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a carnival fortune-telling robot. In "Godfellas" the gypsy-bot hints that she does not actually have psychic powers; after Fry asks her a question, she replies, "What am I, psychic?". The gypsy-bot appears earlier in "The Honking", telling Bender he is a werecar; and in "Ghost in the Machines", performing a séance in which Bender's ghost possesses her and causes her head to explode.

Headless Body of Agnew[]

The headless body of Spiro Agnew is Nixon's Vice-President of Earth. Though he is headless, Agnew can still make growling noises. In "Into the Wild Green Yonder" Agnew is accidentally killed by the "eco-feministas" – which Leela has joined – when a golf cart runs over him. However, he is cloned, which leads Nixon to call him the "Headless Clone of Agnew".

H.G. Blob[]

Horrible Gelatinous "H.G." Blob (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a three-eyed, green, translucent, ill-tempered alien. He first appeared in the season one episode "The Series Has Landed" in a commercial the Professor made for Planet Express. He contemptuously refers to humanoids as "solids" and ridicules their one-way digestive system. In "The Route of All Evil", the Horrible Gelatinous Blob has a son named Brett Blob, who regularly bullies Cubert and Dwight. In Futurama: Bender's Big Score he, or someone of his species, appears on the twenty dollar bill.

Judge Ron Whitey[]

Judge Ron Whitey (voiced by Billy West) is a judge and a member of the upperclass of Earth's elite.

Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie[]

Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie are Robot Santa's Kwanzaa and Hanukkah analogues. Precisely what role they play on their respective holidays is unknown. In the episode "A Tale of Two Santas", Kwanzaabot mentions he has been distributing books titled "What the Hell is Kwanzaa?" for 647 years, with little effect. Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie are evidently friendly with Robot Santa, as he calls them for support in Bender's Big Score, and Kwanzaabot invites Bender to join him and the Chanukah Zombie at the B'nai B'rith in "A Tale of Two Santas".

From his first appearance, Kwanzaabot has been voiced by rapper Coolio. Although Chanukah Zombie had been mentioned, he did not appear onscreen until Bender's Big Score, in which he is voiced by Mark Hamill and in a reference to Hamill's famous role in Star Wars, pilots a Jewish themed TIE Fighter decorated with Stars of David on its solar arrays with a Menorah standing on its core.

Malfunctioning Eddie[]

Malfunctioning Eddie (voiced by David Herman) is a robot that runs a hovercar dealership. His character refers to the real life electronics chain Crazy Eddie, and its mascot of the same name. It turned out that Malfunctioning Eddie's prices were so low that he really was insane. He had an exploding-problem associated with surprise in "Insane in the Mainframe".

Michelle[]

Michelle (voiced by Kath Soucie in the first appearance, Sarah Silverman in the second appearance) is Fry's on and off girlfriend from the 20th century. She dumps Fry shortly before he is frozen on New Year's Eve for a man named Constantine (called Charles in "The Cryonic Woman", whom she later marries). They eventually split up, and she decides to freeze herself to try again in the distant future. She wakes up in 3002, meets Fry again, and restarts her relationship with him. She fails to fit into the 31st-century life to which Fry has become so accustomed, and so asks him to freeze himself with her for another thousand years. This plan fails, as does the rekindled relationship, so Fry leaves her. She later is shown in a limousine with the recently unfrozen Pauly Shore and later seen holding his hand in "Proposition Infinity".

In Bender's Big Score, it is revealed that Michelle had been frozen roughly 736 years longer than she had actually intended, a result of Fry (as Lars) using her cryotube to return to the future and be with Leela. This, along with the fact that Fry had accidentally broken off part of Michelle's hair while climbing into her cryotube, was not mentioned or shown in Michelle's previous appearances. She was one of the many people seen on the date with Yivo in The Beast With a Billion Backs.

Nibblonians[]

The Nibblonians are an ancient race that came into existence 17 years before the moment of the Big Bang. They have extremely long life spans, eat animals whole to fill their stomachs, which are thousands of times larger than themselves, and excrete extremely dense and potent dark matter. Despite their nature, other beings find their small stature to be extremely adorable. Their arch-enemy is the Brainspawn. They believe Fry is the only hope of the universe in that he can stop the Brainspawn due to his lack of the Delta brainwave. The main Nibblonians in the series are Nibbler, Ken, voiced by Billy West, and Fiona, voiced by Tress MacNeille.

Nine[]

A man who wears a white gown with a large number 9 on it. He is both a conspiracy theorist and a conspirator. He is voiced by David Herman and is a cameo character appearing in the first and second production seasons of Futurama.[56] He reappeared in Bender's Big Score and Into the Wild Green Yonder, where it was revealed he was the Grand Curator of the Legion of Mad Fellows. When Nine became grand curator is unknown, but the audio commentary track for Into the Wild Green Yonder hints that he was in the Legion prior to the year 3000. As grand curator (which is essentially a knowledgeable leader) of the Legion, he becomes the story teller for Philip J. Fry's mission to possibly end the epic long battle between two ancient races, as they by 3009 have noticed that the Chi have been re-emerging. It is later revealed in "Murder On the Planet Express" that he operates a discount spy store called For Your Eyes Mainly. He wears aluminum foil on his head to avoid other peoples' brain waves affecting him.

Mr. Panucci[]

Mr. Panucci (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the surly Italian-American owner of Panucci's Pizza where Fry worked before getting frozen. Although in the first episode it appears that he does not like Fry that much, it is shown in later episodes that he had a strong friendship with and acted as a father figure to Fry. It is revealed in Bender's Big Score that he likes Fry because Fry's life is so horrible it helps Panucci feel better about himself. Panucci is noticeably upset when Fry goes missing and he takes responsibility for Fry's pet dog Seymour Asses (named as such after Fry feeds the dog pizza delivered because of a prank phone call).

In Bender's Big Score, Fry creates a time paradox by going back in time and living out his old life and thus continues working at Panucci's Pizza. Shortly after he arrives, Fry asks Panucci if he can live in Panucci's upstairs storeroom, which Panucci allows.

Pazuzu[]

Pazuzu (voiced by David Herman) is a gargoyle who Professor Farnsworth owned and put through college. He has a French accent and a son. He initially appears in "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", where he escapes from the Professor. He returns at the end of the episode to rescue the Professor and "earn [his] freedom." He later appears in Beast With a Billion Backs, rescuing the Professor and Wernstrom from prison and informing the Professor that he has one wish left.

Randy Munchnik[]

Randy Munchnik (voiced by John DiMaggio) is a stereotypically gay man dressed in pink, who speaks in an effeminate voice. Originally, he is depicted with blond hair, but sometimes appears with brown hair. John DiMaggio says he is his favorite character to voice. The original design for Randy was very different. He was originally an old man in a mob, with his name in the script for "I, Roommate" literally "Man in Mob". DiMaggio changed the voice and therefore the character.[57]

Reverend Lionel Preacherbot[]

Reverend Lionel Preacherbot (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is a preacher at the Temple of Robotology. He presides over weddings and funerals of robots and humans. His speech patterns, accent, and mannerisms are modeled on those of stereotypical African-American Evangelical preachers (specifically, black churches).[58]

In the episode "Hell is Other Robots" (S01E09), Preacherbot encourages Bender to give up his addiction to recreational electricity (i.e. 'jacking on') in favour of the Church of Robotology, to which Bender replies; "Do I preach to you while you're laying stoned in the gutter?". During the Season 6 episode "Ghost in the Machines", Preacherbot performs an exorcism on the Planet Express headquarters to drive off Bender's ghost, which has begun to possess various machinery in an attempt to kill Fry.

Sewer mutants[]

Sewer mutants are humans mutated by years of pollution and radioactive waste poured into the sewers under New New York. Because they are considered genetically inferior they were forbidden by law to travel to the surface without special permission (until the events of "The Mutants Are Revolting"), so they reside in a community made out of objects flushed down toilets. Among the more prominent mutants in the series are Dwayne, Raoul and Vyolet. Dwayne (voiced by David Herman) is a mutant with two noses and a large forehead. Raoul (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the "Supreme Mutant", the democratically elected leader of the sewer mutants. His most notable mutation is a third arm, which in his first appearance had grown in place of his right ear but above it in later appearances. Vyolet (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a chain-smoking mutant with gills and a pig nose; she seems to be romantically involved with Raoul.

Stephen Hawking[]

Stephen Hawking (voiced by himself) made a guest appearance in the episode "Anthology of Interest I" as a member of the Vice Presidential Action Rangers (VPAR), who guard the space-time continuum. Along with Hawking at the end of the twentieth century they include Al Gore, Nichelle Nichols, Gary Gygax and their summer intern Deep Blue. He first appears as a customer at the pizzeria where Fry mistakenly believes him to have invented gravity for which Hawking accepts credit ("Yeah, sure. Why not?"). After learning of Fry's inter-dimensional experience, he arranges for him to be kidnapped by the VPAR.

Hawking also appears in The Beast with a Billion Backs as his own head in a flying jar, leading a scientific convention organized to study and discuss a tear in the universe. He says that despite writing a book about it, he has no idea what it is, although he has already cashed the check he got for writing it. Apparently he has the ability to shoot lasers that stun people from his eyes; he himself is surprised, remarking, "I didn't know I could do that" after stunning Professor Farnsworth and Professor Wernstrom. He also makes a brief appearance during the "Future Challenge 3000" segment in "Reincarnation".

Due to a debilitating, long-term illness, Hawking was unable to speak with his own larynx, but his computer-assisted speech device was a trademark voice in popular culture.[59]

Films' characters[]

Lars Fillmore[]

Lars Fillmore (voiced by Billy West) is a technician at the Head Museum in Bender's Big Score, where he met Leela and briefly dated her. He was about to marry Leela, until he discovered that a paradox can not be in the normal time line, and decided to cancel the wedding, because he was really a paradox-duplicate of Fry created when the original Fry who had travelled back to 2000 went back a second time to eat a pizza, the original Fry who went back for the pizza freezing himself after a close call with a brainwashed Bender while the one who never did that moved into an apartment above the pizzeria where he worked. He lived there for twelve years, during which he spent time with his family and befriended the narwhal Leelu, until an assassination attempt by another brainwashed Bender burned away his hair and damaged his larynx. After the war with the scammers was over, Nudar tried to force Lars to reveal his version of the time-travel code, but Lars sacrificed himself to release another frozen Bender set to self-destruct, killing himself and Nudar.

Nudist Alien Scammers[]

The Nudist Alien Scammers are the main antagonist of Bender's Big Score. They are a group formed by the leader, Nudar (voiced by David Herman), and his brothers, Fleb (voiced by Frank Welker) and Schlump (voiced by Maurice LaMarche). They seek to seize the Earth by obtaining as much information as possible from humans, in addition to seizing all the valuable objects of the planet thanks to the time travel code. After they took over Earth, their fleet of solid gold Death Stars was destroyed by Earth's remaining ships in an assault led by Leela and coordinated by Hermes. Nudar escaped the destruction, but he was killed by the sacrifice of Lars Filmore, a temporal paradox duplicate of Fry.

Leelu[]

Leelu (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a narwhal that Fry befriended in Bender's Big Score during the years he spent in the past. Throughout the years, their relationship blossomed, and they became best of friends. Fry was heartbroken when he learned that Leelu was being released into the wild.

Yivo[]

Yivo (voiced by David Cross) is a sentient extraterrestrial being from another universe who appears in The Beast with a Billion Backs. He communicated with universe "gamma" through the space-time hole, using his tentacles, which he used initially to mate with humans. He begins a "romantic relationship" with the inhabitants of the other universe, but even after the universe agreed to move in with Yivo, Yivo 'broke up' with the universe when Fry sent a letter back through the rift to Bender, as Yivo couldn't stand the idea of anyone making contact with the original universe.

Colleen O'Hallahan[]

Colleen O'Hallahan (voiced by Brittany Murphy) is the chief of police and Fry's girlfriend in The Beast with a Billion Backs. A polyamorist, she lived with four other men which Fry was unable to cope with, causing him to break up with her.

The Dark One[]

The Dark One (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is the main antagonist of Into the Wild Green Yonder. He is a creature with the intention of ending the universe, and the last of his species. Towards the end of the film it is discovered that he is really the desert muck leech that lived on Mars, and that Leela welcomed as a pet to prevent his death. He is ultimately defeated and eaten by Zoidberg.

Family tree[]

Futurama family tree
Great-Grandmother TurangaDavid Farnsworth
Norm, Sam and SadieHarold ZoidGrandmother TurangaPhilip J. Fry[n 1]
Lars Fillmore[n 2]
Mildred FryEnos Fry500 Years
Leonardo "Leo" WongInez WongMr. and Mrs. KrokerTuranga MundaTuranga MorrisYancy Fry, Sr.Mrs. Fry
(née Gleisner)
Philo Farnsworth
MarianneDr. John ZoidbergAmy WongKif KrokerTuranga LeelaPhilip J. Fry[n 1]
Lars Fillmore[n 2]
Yancy Fry, Jr.Mrs. Fry
Unnamed OffspringNjördPhilip J. Fry II
Barbados SlimHermes ConradLaBarbara Conrad1,000 Years1,000 Years
Grandma FarnsworthGrandpa Farnsworth
Mrs. RodriguezVladimirDwight Conrad
BevVelma FarnsworthNed Farnsworth
CalculonBender Bending RodriguezDr. Ogden WernstromMom
Carol Miller
The Professor
Hubert J. Farnsworth
Floyd Farnsworth
Ben Vending Rodríguez
First Son
WaltLarryIgnerCubert Farnsworth
Notes:
  1. ^ a b A literal grandfather paradox caused by accidental time travel in "Roswell That Ends Well" is solved by Phillip J. Fry becoming his own grandfather (and in turn grandson).
  2. ^ a b Time travel-created duplicate, as established in Futurama: Bender's Big Score.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Billy West: The Many (Cartoon) Voices In His Head". Fresh Air. National Public Radio. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2010. 'His voice is basically what I sounded like when I was 25. Kinda plain vanilla. I had nothing special about my voice, really. And I just thought, 'Well, I know that character so well.' ... [T]o try to do someone else's real voice is kind of tough.'
  2. ^ 1,729 is the smallest number that can be represented as the sum of two cubes in two ways, 1³ + 12³ = 9³ + 10³, serial number 2716057 = (952³ – 951³) Why is the number 1,729 hidden in Futurama episodes?, Simon Singh, BBC News, 15 October 2013 Archived March 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Ehasz, Aaron (November 10, 2002). "Crimes of the Hot". Futurama. Season 4. Episode 8. Fox.
  4. ^ "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles". Futurama. Season 4. Episode 9. March 30, 2003. Fox.
  5. ^ "Amazon Women in the Mood". Futurama. Season 3. Episode 1. February 4, 2001. Fox.
  6. ^ Futurama season 3 episode 9 "The Cyber House Rules" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2001.
  7. ^ Cohen, David X (2003). Futurama season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Xmas Story" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  8. ^ "9 Odd Things We Now Know About Futurama". Total Film. February 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  9. ^ Odenkirk, Bill (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Kif gets Knocked Up a Notch" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  10. ^ a b "Phil LaMarr Comedy Central Interview". Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "A Flight to Remember". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 10. September 26, 1999. Fox.
  12. ^ a b Harris, Will (June 12, 2012). "Phil LaMarr on Futurama and getting shot in the face for Pulp Fiction". TV Club. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "Fry and the Slurm Factory". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 13. November 14, 1999. Fox.
  14. ^ "The Farnsworth Parabox". Futurama. Season 4. Episode 13. June 8, 2003. Fox.
  15. ^ "Lethal Inspection". Futurama. Season 6. Episode 6. July 22, 2010. Comedy Central.
  16. ^ "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 11. April 2, 2000. Fox.
  17. ^ "Bend Her". Futurama. Season 4. Episode 13. July 20, 2003. Fox.
  18. ^ Carey-Hill, Dwayne (Director) (November 27, 2007). Futurama: Bender's Big Score (Motion picture). Los Angeles, California: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  19. ^ "The Six Million Dollar Mon". Futurama. Season 7. Episode 7. July 25, 2012. Comedy Central.
  20. ^ "Billy West: The Many (Cartoon) Voices In His Head". Fresh Air. National Public Radio. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010. 'He sort of fades in and out. ... He's doddering, and he's a combination of lots of different wizards and Burgess Meredith and [ The Wizard of Oz's] Frank Morgan and all those kinds of things all rolled up into one.'
  21. ^ Verrone, Patric. "Futurama Writer/Co-Executive Producer Patric Verrone". theStream.tv. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011. Patric Verrone: Normally the voice of Professor Farnsworth, the leader of the Action Defense Team there, is played by Billy West. This was actually David Herman- who did the voice.
  22. ^ "Billy West: The Many (Cartoon) Voices In His Head". Fresh Air. National Public Radio. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010. 'That voice is a combination of a couple of people in show business that I always found really funny and interesting. ... One was from vaudeville ... named George Jessel, and he was the 'Toastmaster General of the United States,' and he would always have appropriate toasts for every occasion. And he had a kind of a marble mouth. ... And the other guy was an actor by the name of Lou Jacobi. He was in the movie Arthur.'
  23. ^ Baker, Chris (December 17, 2007). "Videogames & Futurama, Part 2: How Zoidberg Got His Name From a Game". Wired. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  24. ^ a b Cohen, David X (2002). Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "The Series Has Landed" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  25. ^ Cohen, David X (2003). Futurama season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "A Taste of Freedom" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  26. ^ a b Joel Keller (June 15, 2006). "Billy West: The TV Squad Interview". Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  27. ^ CelebFan2010 (July 5, 2010), Billy West on Phil Hartman, archived from the original on December 15, 2021, retrieved May 13, 2019
  28. ^ "A Head in the Polls"
  29. ^ Kyle Kurpinski (February 23, 2010). How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution. Random House Publishing Group. p. 41. ISBN 9780553907162.
  30. ^ "Farnsworth's Clone – Futurama | Comedy Central". Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Cubert, Professor Farnsworth's clone, insults the Planet Express crew.
  31. ^ Cohen, David X (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Leela's Homeworld" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  32. ^ Gore, Kristin (2003). Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Leela's Homeworld" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  33. ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (August 7, 2013). "Futurama: "Leela And The Genestalk"". AV Club. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  34. ^ Gandert, Sean (August 27, 2010). "Futurama Review: "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" (6.11)". Paste. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  35. ^ Handlen, Zack (August 26, 2010). "Lrrreconciliable Ndndifferences". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  36. ^ a b c Booker, M. Keith. Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from The Flintstones to Family Guy. pp. 115–124.
  37. ^ Groening, Matt (2002). Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Space Pilot 3000" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. If I could have known back then that in 1999 I would still get to make fun of [Nixon]...
  38. ^ Finley, Adam (February 20, 2006). "The Five: Presidents' Day Spectacular!". Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  39. ^ Bill Odenkirk (writer) (April 8, 2001). "Insane in the Mainframe". Futurama. Season 3. Episode 43. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  40. ^ Sciullo, Maria (November 29, 2007). "TV on DVD: 'Futurama: Bender's Big Score' and 'Ice Road Truckers: The Complete Season One'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  41. ^ Nettles, John (August 23, 2005). "Futurama Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection". Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  42. ^ "A Big Piece of Garbage"
  43. ^ Cohen, David X (2003). Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "My Three Suns" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  44. ^ The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings
  45. ^ DVDtalk .com, Review: Futurama: Bender's Big Score
  46. ^ CHUD.com Archived January 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, A film site for the brilliant
  47. ^ TVshowsondvd.com Archived May 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Futurama DVD news: Press Release for Futurama – Bender's Big Score
  48. ^ a b "Al Gore reprises role on 'Futurama' cartoon". Associated Press. November 8, 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  49. ^ Zulkey, Jack (June 7, 2007). "Al Gore, The Futurama President". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  50. ^ "Veep guest stars in TV cartoon". USA Today. Associated Press. May 22, 2000. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  51. ^ David X. Cohen, Al Gore and Matt Groening (2007). Futurama: Bender's Big Score DVD commentary for "A Terrifying Message From Al Gore" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  52. ^ Eric Horsted (writer) (April 6, 1999). "I, Roommate". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 3. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  53. ^ Futurama, season two episode "Raging Bender". Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  54. ^ Susan Dietter (director) and Ken Keller (writer) (March 17, 2002). "Godfellas". Futurama. Season 3. Fox.
  55. ^ Hofstede, David. 5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows on DVD. Back Stage Books. p. 120.
  56. ^ "5 Recurring Movie Extras You Won't Believe You Never Noticed". cracked.com. March 29, 2013. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  57. ^ Futurama Season 2, Episode 9 – "Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love?" episode commentary
  58. ^ Pinsky, Mark (2003). The Gospel According to the Simpsons. Bigger and possibly even Better! edition. pp. 229–235. ISBN 978-0-664-23265-8.
  59. ^ de Lange, Catherine (December 30, 2011). "The man who saves Stephen Hawking's voice". New Scientist. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2012.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""