Mind-Blowing Futurama Scientist Cameos: The Ultimate Ranking!

Summary

Futurama features real scientists as guest stars, paying homage to intellectual minds of the modern day.

Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a cameo in the series through an advertisement promoting a mobile game based on Futurama. Among the scientist cameos, Stephen Hawking not only appeared multiple times but also had the most prominent and memorable roles.

Futurama, a sitcom at its core, also serves as a science-fiction series, featuring appearances from various real-life scientists. The show embraces a plethora of cameos, as renowned actors, politicians, and other notable figures lend their voices to portray themselves. Futurama has frequently welcomed scientists as guest stars, paying tribute to the brilliant minds of our time. In this breakdown, we rank the real scientists who have made appearances on the show, portraying themselves, and explore their roles within the series.

After more than a decade since its original airing, Futurama makes a triumphant return, with Hulu reviving the beloved sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening for an eleventh season. The new installment maintains many of the beloved elements and recurring themes of the original series, with celebrity guest stars once again making regular appearances. In the futuristic world of Futurama, most celebrities from the 21st century and earlier have undergone a process that preserves their heads in glass jars, granting them immortality in the 31st century. Capitalizing on this technological advancement, three notable scientists have been given the opportunity to cameo on the show.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson

Renowned for his ability to simplify the enigma of the universe, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has captivated audiences and gained significant popularity. Despite the inception of Futurama aligning with Tyson's rise to fame, it is intriguing to note that he did not make a cameo appearance in the series until 2017, years after its original run came to an end. However, his unique involvement in the franchise took on a different form, as he did not physically appear on the Futurama TV show itself.

Rather than making an appearance in any episodes of Futurama, Neil deGrasse Tyson's involvement was limited to a cameo in an advertisement for a Futurama mobile game. Tyson was brought into the Futurama universe to promote the 2017 game Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow by engaging in a fight with several other scientists in an ad that was released shortly before the game. While it is worth mentioning that Tyson also appears as an in-game character, this representation falls short compared to a proper Futurama episode, making his cameo less impactful.

Bill Nye

Bill Nye, the famous science communicator, made two cameo appearances in the Futurama franchise. His first appearance was in an advertisement for Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, alongside Neil deGrasse Tyson. However, unlike Tyson, Nye also appeared in an actual episode of the show. In season 11, episode 7 titled "Rage Against the Vaccine," Nye returned to discuss the Explovid-23 pandemic. This was a delightful nod to dedicated Futurama fans who enjoyed the previous mobile game featuring Nye. Additionally, the show's attention to detail was evident through the inclusion of a bow tie on Nye's jar, adding to its overall charm.

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist, made multiple memorable appearances in the popular television show Futurama. His first appearance was in the episode "Anthology of Interest 1" from season 2. In this episode, Fry uses the What-If Machine to explore the outcome if he hadn't been frozen and sent to the year 3000. Surprisingly, this action caused a rupture in the space-time continuum, leading to Hawking being one of the scientists assigned by Al Gore to investigate the issue. Hawking later reappeared in the episode "Reincarnation" from season 8, where he played a small role in the second segment.

In addition to these two episodes, Hawking also featured in the Futurama movie "The Beast with a Billion Backs." In this film, his disembodied head led the investigation into a monstrous space anomaly. Lastly, Hawking made a final appearance in an advertisement for the mobile game Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, alongside Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson. This advertisement proudly showcased Hawking's multiple appearances in the show. Not only was Hawking the first scientist to appear in Futurama, but his roles were also among the most significant, as he played an integral part in the episodes he was in. Therefore, of all the scientist cameos in Futurama, Stephen Hawking stands above the rest.

New episodes of Futurama release Mondays on Hulu.