The Three Devils of The Simpsons Explained

Introduction

In its 35 years on the air, The Simpsons has introduced three contradictory versions of the Devil into the show’s fictional universe. The Simpsons isn’t exactly fastidious when it comes to the show’s canon. After over 750 episodes, any series would inevitably run into some plot holes, but The Simpsons goes out of its way to ignore continuity in favor of humor. Details like a character’s backstory, birthdate, or even whether they are alive or dead can change from episode to episode without warning in the chaotic animated sitcom. However, even within this context, the show’s history with the devil is bizarre.

A grinning devil introduces himself in The Simpsons season 2

While The Simpsons season 36 might change this, the series has had three distinct, contradictory versions of the devil co-existing in its canon for over two decades now. Early seasons of The Simpsons featured a few appearances from a sinister version of the devil who was genuinely creepy, as befits the show’s darker, more cynical tone in this era. This take on Lucifer was replaced by the seemingly pious Ned Flanders as the show entered its faster-paced, more anarchic, and goofier Golden Age. Finally, the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons brought with it a new, more traditional vision of the devil that has persisted since.

Ned Flanders as the devil nerd in The Simpsons

The Simpsons has never been clear on what the devil looks like in the series, but the first few seasons did stick with one design. The Simpsons introduced Bart to the devil in season 2, episode 10, “Bart Gets Hit By a Car” via a near-death experience. Bart was involved in a car accident and traveled to Hell, briefly conversing with the Prince of Darkness. This bug-eyed version of the villain looks like Springfield’s resident antiques dealer/jeans smuggler Herman and he appears again in episode 13, “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment.” This take on the devil hasn’t been seen in the series for a while, but he still graced the promotional art of season 34. Not only that, but the Herman lookalike is also the only version of the devil featured in two episodes that aren’t Treehouse of Horror specials, whereas the other versions of the devil mainly appear in non-canon Halloween outings. However, even this devil only appears in hallucinations, fantasy segues, and dreams, so there is no way of saying whether he is the “Real” devil of The Simpsons. Considering how characters like Homer have changed a lot over the years, there is no reason to think the devil hasn’t.

The devil gives Homer a noogie in Hell in The Simpsons season 12