The Simpsons stunned fans with a dramatic and emotional twist in its season 36 finale, revealing the death of beloved matriarch Marge Simpson.
The unexpected moment occurred during a flash-forward sequence set 35 years into the future, where Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are now adults. The episode, titled “Estranger Things,” aired on May 18 and showed the family’s future dynamic, with Marge notably absent from the present timeline.
In the story, Marge’s worst fear comes true—Bart and Lisa grow apart after losing interest in their childhood favorite show, The Itchy & Scratchy Show, which once bonded them. Their lives diverge dramatically: Lisa becomes the commissioner of the NBA, while Bart runs an unlicensed retirement home where Homer now lives—alone, without Marge.
Though the episode never discloses the cause or circumstances of Marge’s death, a short funeral scene at her gravestone is included. Lisa refers to her “late mother” and reads a letter Marge left behind to be opened after her passing. In the heartfelt moment, a youthful-looking Marge remarks, “very unlikely” that she’d die before Homer.
Eventually, Bart and Lisa reconcile and bring Homer back home, sitting down together to watch The Itchy & Scratchy Show once again. The scene shifts to a touching visual of Marge looking down from the clouds, saying, “I’m so happy my kids are close again.” Suddenly, Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles, appears beside her and says, “Love, we’ll be late for the Heaven buffet. There’s a shrimp tower.”
That’s when fans are hit with yet another twist—Marge has remarried in the afterlife, and her new husband is none other than Ringo Starr. “Okay Ringo,” she says with a kiss. “I’m just so glad that we’re allowed to marry different people in Heaven.”
The finale’s surreal and emotional developments sparked strong reactions across social media. One viewer exclaimed, “They f–king killed off Marge Simpson. That’s insanity,” adding, “Might as well kill off Randy Marsh from South Park and Stewie from Family Guy while you’re at it.”
Another wrote, “Community justice for MARGE that they killing in season 36 finale in a flash forward scene. She has been one of my fav character of Simpsons all these years.”
The bold narrative choice marks one of the most surprising moments in the show’s decades-long history.
