The Simpsons Season 35 Proves Who The Show's Best Villain Is (& Always Has Been)

Summary Mr. Burns emerges as the ultimate villain in The Simpsons during Season 35, showcasing his rapacious capitalism and pettiness.

The show's extensive character roster makes it easy to forget the thousands of named characters within The Simpsons universe.

Season 35's "It's a Blunderful Life" episode highlights Mr. Burns' scheming nature, showcasing his betrayal of the Simpson family.

While The Simpsons has always had one perfect villain, it took a few episodes before season 35 utilized this particular character's full potential. The Simpsons has a massive cast of characters. Although The Simpsons season 36 might change this, most of the show’s episodes to date have centered on the eponymous family. As such, it can be easy to forget that there are thousands of named characters in the show’s universe, hundreds of whom have appeared in more than one outing. Since the Simpsons never age, most of these characters could still potentially come back in season 35 episodes.

Having a large cast can be both a blessing and a curse for the series. The Simpsons doesn’t have a single primary villain, in part because the show’s ensemble is so large and because its central family differs in age. Bart’s enemies are not usually Marge’s enemies and vice versa, even if Marge and Bart are more similar than they seem. However, there is one character who has wronged every member of the Simpson family, including baby Maggie. It took season 35 a few episodes to utilize this figure as a villain, but their comeback was worth the wait.

The Simpsons Season 35 Episode 7 Proves Mr. Burns Is The Show’s Best Villain

The Power Plant Owner Facilitates Smart Corporate Satire

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Although everyone from Fat Tony to Sideshow Bob has been the villain of numerous episodes throughout the show’s long history, Mr. Burns is the main villain of The Simpsons. A corporate overlord fueled by insatiable greed and petty cruelty, Burns is the most cartoonish embodiment of rapacious capitalism that the show has ever offered. He harassed Marge when she worked for him, almost killed Bart with his car, tricked Lisa into harvesting ocean wildlife, attempted to steal candy from Maggie, and wronged Homer innumerable times. One of the greatest episodes of The Simpsons even focused on Homer fighting him.

However, it wasn't until season 35, episode 7, "It's a Blunderful Life,” that the long-running sitcom’s latest outing acknowledged his nefarious nature. In this episode, Mr. Burns' scheme to replace all the plant’s staff with non-union workers ends with him framing Homer for a disastrous blackout. The plot worked particularly well because Burns’s betrayals were layered. Allowing Homer to take the fall for a screw-up made by Smithers was cowardly, but the problem only occurred because Burns was already replacing his workers with non-union graduates whom he intended to underpay. His scheme harkened back to earlier seasons when Burns was laughably evil.

Mr. Burns’ Villain Story Reverses His Portrayal Earlier In The Simpsons Season 35

Earlier Episodes Of Season 35 Were Surprisingly Sympathetic To Burns

Until "It's a Blunderful Life,” viewers of season 35 could have been forgiven for thinking Burns wasn’t a villain at all. Episode 1, “Homer’s Crossing,” made Burns a hard worker, while episode 4, Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story,” focused on his love life. Darker episodes of The Simpsons season 35 delved into the internal worlds of the show's heroes, but "It's a Blunderful Life” succeeded admirably by taking the series back to basics. The episode depicted Mr. Burns as a shameless oligarch with no moral center, allowing The Simpsons to prove its oldest villain is still its best.

Episode Number Episode Title Air Date 1 "Homer's Crossing" October 1 2 "A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream" October 8 3 "McMansion and Wife" October 22 4 "Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story" October 29 5 "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" November 5 6 "Iron Marge" November 12 7 "It's A Blunderful Life" November 19 8 "Ae Bonny Romance" December 3 9 "Murder, She Boat" December 17 10 "Do The Wrong Thing" December 24 11 "Frinkenstein's Monster" February 18 12 "Lisa Gets An F1" February 25 13 "Clan of the Cave Mom" March 24 14 "Night of the Living Wage" April 7 15 "Cremains of the Day" April 21