Is Marge dead or isn’t she? That’s the question Simpsons fans were left asking after the long-running animated series’ blue-haired matriarch appeared to have been killed off in a recent season finale.
The episode – aptly titled Estranger Things – offers a glimpse of Marge’s tombstone bearing the words “Marge Simpson. Beloved wife, mother, pork chop seasoner”.
It also shows daughter Lisa referring to her “late mother”, and opening a letter that was supposed to stay sealed until after Marge’s death.
Homer – who might well have been expected to kick the bucket first given his sedentary lifestyle and fondness for beer – is still alive and living in an unlicensed retirement home without her.
Perhaps most shocking of all, viewers see Marge watching her family from Heaven before being joined by The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, who says: “Love, we’ll be late for the Heaven buffet. There’s a shrimp tower.”
The truth? It’s all a flash-forward scene 35 years into the future. Lisa, Bart and baby Maggie are grown up, with the older two having become estranged but forced to reunite to help Homer.
Marge Simpson was the glue that hold the family together it shows how for so many years she had to put up with Homer shenanigans. So maybe this makes Simpsons more interesting of a show,#TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/v4HRuJm9O3
— Justinnnnnn☕️🤗 (@fivefortweeting) June 25, 2025
The episode screened in America on May 23 at end of the 36th season of The Simpsons, which was created by Matt Groening and debuted in 1989. It has aired close to 800 episodes since then, with fast-forwards featuring in a number of others.
E! News reports that while the season finale left some viewers angry or confused at the loss of one of their favourite characters, others saw it as a “welcome change” for the series and suggested it even made The Simpsons more interesting.
“Thankfully for Simpsons fans, the series has been renewed for four more seasons, so they’ll be able to see how the show follows up Marge’s shocking death when season 37 premieres this fall,” the website said.
Entertainment website Screen Rant also argued that the episode bodes well for the future of The Simpsons, stating it had enjoyed “something of a critical renaissance since around season 33”.
“A big part of this success comes down to consistently surprising, unpredictable character writing, and this means the series takes major risks on a regular basis… Estranger Things featured plenty of unexpected twists, but it was Marge’s temporary death that made the episode’s plot so impactful.”
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