The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 6, “Attack of the Clothes,” now streaming on Hulu
Futuramajust ret-conned the origins of Professor Farnsworth again, this time introducing a wild tweak that actually fits into the character’s personality. WithinFuturama, Professor Farnsworth is a uniquely important fixture. As the founder and owner of Planet Express, he serves an important role in the show by being the one to to send the crew on various missions throughout the universe. His inventions can be used to set up a story, complicate a plot, or resolve a conflict.
Throughout the show,he’s also found plenty of surprising development.Farnsworth has discovered a sense of familyand grown as a character. Across the course ofFuturama, the show uses Farnsworth’s advanced age and faulty memory to expand his importance or lean into absurd jokes. The latest addition to his history inFuturamaseason 12’s “Attack of the Clothes"initially feels like a hard deparutre for the character, given past revelations about his backstory. However, the emotional arc he goes through in the new episode fits neatly into his established character, allowing the wild ret-con feel surprisingly natural.
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How Futurama Season 12 Changes Professor Farnsworth’s Backstory
How Farnsworth’s New Backstory Tweak Fits Into His Established Personality
One of the turns in “Attack of the Clothes” reveals thatProfessor Farnsworth originally wanted to be a fashion designer, setting up the plot of the episode and introducing another wrinkle to Farnsworth’s backstory.Futuramahas mined Farnsworth’s backstory plenty of times over the years for comedy, quietly making him a vital character within the universe. The latest ret-con occurs in “Attack of the Clothes,” with Farnsworth’s scientific advancements failing to garner the attention his accompanying fashion design does. This prompts Farnsworth to shift gears and return to his “first love,” pivoting Planet Express into a fashion company instead.
It’s a big swing, especially when placed alongside other changes that the series has introduced to Farnsworth over the years. However, it’s also one that works on a certain level. His confidence and swagger as a genius in his field translate easily to the world of high fashion. Farnsworth’s blase attitude towards the culture surrounding fashion is similar to the disappointment he’s felt in episodes like season 8’s “Reincarnation” after he achieved a complete exploration of scientific theory. It even reflects the showy approach of his inventions and retains his genuine intellect, combiningFarnsworth’s sci-fi inventionswith new fashion ideas.
Professor Farnsworth’s Full Backstory In Futurama, Explained
How Prof. Farnsworth Became One OfFuturama’s Most Important Characters
Professor Farnsworth is one ofFuturama’s most important supporting characters. As Fry’s direct descendent, Farnsworth is able to provide the time-displaced young man a job and direction in life. Subsequent episodes of the series delved further into Farnsworth’s origins, revealing his troubled time growing up on a farm with his parents in season 9’s “Near-Death Wish.” After suffering a breakdown, Farnsworth eventually went to school, honing his intellect into a uniquely brilliant mind. Eventually hired by Mom’s Friendly Robot Company, Farnsworth was crucial to the development of modern robots.
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“Bender’s Game”
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“The Tip of the Zoidberg”
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“Attack Of The Clothes”
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During this time,Farnsworth also developed a love/hate relationship with Mom. Their romance came to a crashing halt when his fears about her weaponizing his inventions became too much to bear, prompting him to leave her employ and their relationship. Unknownly, he also left her pregnant with the youngest of her sons, Igner. Farnsworth remained an important figure in the scienfitifc community, albeit often overshadowed by his former student Ogden Wernstrom. Eventually opening Planet Express, Farnsworth settled into a comfortable job that left him time to tinker with doomsday devices and other absurd inventions.
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Professor Farnsworth’s Inconsistent Backstory Is One Of Futurama’s Oldest Jokes
FuturamaHas Changed Farnsworth’s History Before For Lore Drops, Character Reveals, And Silly Gags
Futuramahas been mining Farnsworth’s backstory since the first season, steadily teasing out a consistently hilarious and frequently contradictory history for the character. The character’s advanced age and faulty memory has left plenty of room for the show’s writers to poke fun at the expanded scope of the universe and Farnsworth’s place in it. Episodes could revel in his history, teasing a deep family history that was only explored further a decade after the show debuted. It’s also allowed the show to tie seemingly unconnected character together, creating a more intricate web of connections throughout the setting.
Fansworth’s open-ended past allows the show to easily introduce a previously undisclosed love for fashion.As with most things inFuturama, it’s largely been played for comedy. The important thing about this approach is the way the episode retains Farnsworth’s inherent qualities — a recklessly inventive nature, with a dash of internal sadness over accomplishing his goals to the point of boredom — even while filtering him through a new comedic beat. It’s a huge ret-con that doesn’t detract from the past turns or fits into the characartization he’s been given throughout 12 seasons ofFuturama.
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Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
