For more than 30 years, The Simpsons has skewered every major player in the pop culture landscape,
including Marvel. While some of these superhero jokes are obvious, others aren't quite as
easy to spot. Here are some Marvel references in The Simpsons that you might have missed.
One of the earliest and best "crusading Lisa" episodes of The Simpsons is "Lisa vs. Malibu
Stacy." In this classic episode, the sensitive, political, and staunchly feminist middle Simpson
child strikes back against the manufacturers of a Barbie-like doll called Malibu Stacy.
In the past, Lisa was a huge Malibu Stacy fan and collector, but she becomes deeply
offended by a new talking version of the doll. It has a voice chip that delivers an assortment
of stereotypical phrases, such as "Let's make cookies for the boys" and "Don't ask me, I'm
just a girl."
Malibu Stacy also utters this line, which further pushes Lisa to the edge.
"Let's buy makeup, so the boys will like us."
At this point, Lisa rants to other girls about her issues with the doll. A confused classmate
admits that there's something wrong with her Malibu Stacy.
"My Spidey sense is tingling! Anybody call for a webslinger?"
This, of course, is one of the phrases used by the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man.
It's also a much more obscure reference to an early '90s activist group called the Barbie
Liberation Organization. This group secretly replaced the voice chips of Mattel's Teen
Talk Barbie, which said things like "Math class is tough!" in favor of sayings from
talking G.I. Joe action figures, like "Eat lead, Cobra" and plenty of other battle-ready
expressions.
The Simpsons has always been loaded with sight gags that only pop onto the screen for a second
or two, making plenty of these jokes easy to miss. And whenever the Simpson family heads
to a movie, viewers should keep a sharp eye on the marquee outside the theater, because
there are likely to be a few clever takes on popular film titles.
Of course, Marvel has had more than a few of its comic book characters and movie titles
twisted by the writers of The Simpsons. For instance, in the 2004 episode "The Ziff Who
Came to Dinner," there's a brief shot of the theater's marquee, offering such era-specific
fake films as The Fashion of the Christ, Eating Nemo, and The Unwatchable Hulk. That last
one is a sly reference to the 2003 Hulk film, the first appearance of the angry green guy
on the big screen, which was far from a hit with the critics.
Similarly, in a 2018 episode, the Simpsons go to see a film at the Capital City Googolplex.
Along with titles like Transformers: Fatigue and The Lego Get Out Movie, there's a film
called Marvel: Letters to the Editor, a dig at how the company has used seemingly everything
from its comics canon as movie fodder.
After watching a Marvel film, the Simpsons stick around for the credits, which mention
that Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk, has an anger coach and that Stan Lee was created
by Stan Lee's parents.
However, as we all know, Marvel movies are never really over when the credits start to
roll, and this animated parody is no exception. The Simpsons makes fun of the MCU's love of
mid-credit and post-credit sequences that reveal huge plot twists and whet audience
appetites by setting up future movies. Marvel: Letters to the Editor has a mid-credit scene
that brings a beloved character back from the dead. In this case, it's Peter Parker's
Uncle Ben. Only now, he's unspeakably evil and revealed as the film's villain. After
that, there's yet another sequence which sets things up for an Avengers-like movie featuring
"the Assemblers."
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm assembling a team of the best team assemblers in the world and I want you to help me put
together that team."
Plenty of Marvel movies have been origin stories, such as the 2002 Spider-Man, which tells how
Peter Parker became a web-slinging, wall-crawling superhero. And many elements of this Sam Raimi
film are gently parodied in "Simple Simpson," a 2004 episode which serves as the origin
story for Homer's short-lived superhero identity, Pie Man.
It all starts at the county fair, where Lisa enters a table-setting contest. Unfortunately,
the judge, an obnoxious Rich Texan, thinks her project "stinks like the south end of
a northbound mule" and goes about humiliating her for his own entertainment. When Homer
sees his daughter being mocked by the judge, he becomes angry to the point of violence.
However, remembering that Chief Wiggum told him he'd go to jail if he committed another
felony assault, Homer takes another path to vengeance. He steals items from various fair
booths and fashions them into a crude superhero outfit, announcing himself as Pie Man, and
avenges Lisa by throwing a pie in the Rich Texan's face.
Before Homer can right any other wrongs, he needs a proper Pie Man costume. The episode
then launches into a montage of Homer drawing up ideas for his Pie Man look, then dutifully
sewing one together that doesn't look quite as good as what he'd probably imagined.
The whole thing is reminiscent of Peter Parker creating his own less-than-stellar first outfit
in Spider-Man. This Simpsons episode has another big reference to the film, with an upside-down
kiss between Pie Man and Marge.
"I'm looking up your nose but I feel like I'm staring into your soul."
"Moe'N'a Lisa" from 2006 is a truly classic episode of The Simpsons in that it gives viewers
its signature mix of references to highbrow interests and accessible pop culture. Renowned
authors Jonathan Franzen, Michael Chabon, Tom Wolfe, and Gore Vidal make voice cameos,
while there's also an extended sequence involving a side character from the Spider-Verse, specifically
as he was presented in the first trilogy of Spider-Man movies.
During the episode, Lisa discovers that Moe the bartender is a dark, sad, everyman poet
in the vein of Charles Bukowski, and she sends his work to the literary journal American
Poetry Perspectives. And who happens to be the magazine's editor? It's none other than
J. Jonah Jameson, who's apparently moved on from his job at the helm of The Daily Bugle.
"I need photos. Photos of Spider-Man."
"This is a poetry journal."
"Okay, then poems about Spider-Man."
Jameson is voiced by Academy Award-winning character actor J.K. Simmons, who portrayed
him in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, as well as Spider-Man: Far From Home.
References to comic books and its surrounding culture have been part of The Simpsons for
decades, even back when collecting comics was a relatively niche pastime. Bart Simpson
and Milhouse regularly visit Springfield's comics source, The Android's Dungeon & Baseball
Card Shop, run by the usually arrogant and dismissive Comic Book Guy. However, in the
episode "Beware My Cheating Bart," two of Springfield's young residents wind up at the
store not for comic books but for a romantic refuge.
The trouble starts when neighborhood bully Jimbo forces Bart to escort his girlfriend
Shauna to places he doesn't want to go and the two develop romantic feelings for each
other. After they're caught kissing at the public pool, Bart and Shauna hide from Jimbo
and his bully friends at The Android's Dungeon. Comic Book Guy greets them with words that
would make any Thor fan feel at ease.
"Think of this as your personal Asgard, and I, the all-seeing Heimdall, guardian of the
gate."
That's three references to Norse mythology in one sentence. But since this is Comic Book
Guy, it's safe to assume that he's referring to the Norse mythology-inspired world of Marvel's
Thor.
But wait, there's one more Marvel reference in the scene. After Shauna makes fun of Comic
Book Guy's weight, he alerts Jimbo and the bullies where she's hiding. Shauna then starts
a flame war with him, and he drops a classic Marvel line.
"Oh, flame on!"
Even casual fans will recognize "flame on" as the catchphrase of the Human Torch from
the Fantastic Four.
In "Bart the Bad Guy," Bart becomes the most powerful person in Springfield after he watches
an advanced copy of the superhero saga Vindicators: Crystal War 2: Resurgence. He was able to
view it on a laptop that he lifted from a drunk, passed-out star of the film. Now Bart
can get anything he wants by threatening to reveal spoilers for the highly anticipated
blockbuster.
Clearly, the film is a sendup of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, complete with a
powerful space titan and emotional cliffhanger.
The episode starts with just about everyone in Springfield watching the first Crystal
War movie. In the film's final climactic scene, the Thanos-like Chinnos [CHIN-nohs] comes
into possession of the Doomsday App, which he uses to turn the protagonists into crystals
that shatter.
Like Infinity War, the Crystal War films are overloaded with superheroes, most of which
have easily identifiable Marvel counterparts. For instance, there's the Simpsons' version
of Iron Man, Magnesium Man, who is always ready with a witty bit of dialogue. Another
main character in the episode is Airshot. He's clearly based on Hawkeye. except instead
of being an expert archer, he's mastered the pump-action air gun.
"Yes, Airshot, pump that air gun."
"Five pumps? Think of the pressure!"
The episode is packed with visual references to recent Marvel movies, but it also throws
in a musical nod to one of their films from the previous decade. During one scene, we
hear the song "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul," while Bart walks down the hall
of his school. This is the same James Brown tune that accompanies Peter Parker's infamous
strut down the street in 2007's Spider-Man 3.
In "Elementary School Musical," an episode from 2010, Krusty the Clown achieves the unthinkable.
He wins the Nobel Peace Prize. However, it's all just a ruse to get him onto a plane, which
lands at The Hague, whereupon Krusty is arrested and is set to be tried by the International
Court of Justice. He'll be released only if someone can find proof that Krusty has contributed
significantly to culture in any way.
Homer and Bart scramble to locate some kind of evidence of Krusty's artistic importance.
After scouring the internet, they find a "MyTube" clip of the PBS educational show The Electric
Company. The Simpsons' version of the show features a character who seems to be inspired
by Easy Reader, who was portrayed on the real Electric Company by a young Morgan Freeman.
Predictably, Krusty's appearance on the show goes completely haywire.
"You gotta hide me. I slept with the lighting director's wife, and owww!"
This is a deep Marvel cut, as a low-budget version of Spider-Man really did appear on
The Electric Company in the '70s.
The 2017 episode "Springfield Splendor" alludes to the title of the classic indie comic American
Splendor, but on the whole, the episode satirizes all kinds of comic books and other properties
they've spawned in recent years.
After Lisa writes a confessional, autobiographical graphic novel called Sad Girl as art therapy,
Comic Book Guy publishes it without her permission.
"You published my private art therapy as a comic book?"
"Um, actually, it's a graphic novel. The distinctions are threefold."
"Shut up!"
However, the graphic novel becomes a hit, and Lisa is invited to be on a panel at a
comic-con. Like real-life pop culture conventions, attendees dress as their favorite comic book
and movie characters. There's a very brief shot of a fan wearing a cheap, ramshackle
tree costume. Clearly, he's attempting to cosplay as Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Also, it looks like Stan Lee is in the background.
Later in the episode, Lisa's Sad Girl gets turned into a musical, which is ostensibly
a send-up of the graphic novel to Broadway success of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. Also,
the score for the Sad Girl live experience is the same score from the ill-fated Broadway
musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
The late Stan Lee was basically synonymous with Marvel Comics. He was a lifelong cheerleader
for the company where he helped invent dozens of legendary characters. It was only fitting
that he turned in an extended cameo in a Simpsons' episode that finds Bart becoming a major player
in the comics business. After Bart visits The Android's Dungeon to get Comic Book Guy's
opinion on a character he created, Lee offers up his own expert critique.
When Bart returns to the store later, he notices that Lee is still hanging around. Comic Book
Guy posits that Lee's "mind is no longer in mint condition," which is illustrated when
he's shown trying to convince a customer that an action figure of the Thing can fit into
a much smaller Batmobile.
Later in the episode, Homer becomes enraged after falling into an inflatable pool filled
with green paint and is mistaken for the Hulk. When Lee sees this happening, he can't help
but get involved.
"I'm the Hulk!"
"Oh, please. You couldn't even change into Bill Bixby."
Twelve seasons later, a vision of Lee tries to convince Comic Book Guy to pursue the girl
he loves. When he asks for help, Lee declines and says, "I can only watch. I cannot interfere."
That's a subtle nod to a bit of dialogue spoken by the Watchers, the Marvel characters seen
in Guardians of the Galaxy and Fantastic Four.
However, when Comic Book Guy starts to lose his nerve, the vision of Lee returns to lend
a helping hand.
"Come on, nudnik. Ask her out."
"You're interfering."
"Hey, I'm 90 years old. I can do what I want."
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