Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Futurama season 12, episode 3!
Summary
Futurama’scast of villains is full of iconic characters, but season 12 just introduced an all-new antagonist, and this new character is the show’s most tragic yet. ThroughoutHulu’s two seasons of theFuturamarevival, many of the show’s most memorable villains have had their time in the spotlight once again, with them being just as wacky and fun as ever before. However,Futuramaseason 12’s newest villain doesn’t get this same zany treatment, with him instead having a backstory that is far sadder than any other villain from throughout the show’s twelve seasons.
Futuramaseason 12, episode 3 starts out in a mysterious way, although it is simply treated as another normal day at the Planet Express office.Leela, Bender, Farnsworth, and the rest of the characters are there, and while they don’t seem to notice that anything is wrong, audience members can’t help but notice that Fry has been replaced by an all-new character. This is the first introduction toFuturamaseason 12’s newest villains, with this surprisingly powerful force of evil having a backstory that has the potential to make fans of the series sympathize with him.
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Futurama Season 12 Introduced An All-New Villain Named Frank The Temp
He Is The Show’s Newest Villain
Futuramaseason 12, episode 3 starts out with a flashback to 23 years ago, with it picking up in the immediate aftermath of theseason 3 episode “Amazon Women in the Mood.“Due to the traumatic events of the episode, Fry decides to go on vacation, with the Planet Express crew deciding to get a temporary employee in order to fill in for a few weeks. They eventually hire a temp named Frank, and although his aloof attitude makes it seem as if he doesn’t enjoy his job, he eventually becomes so fond of it that it drives him to villainy.
It is eventually revealed that, by the time thatFuturamaseason 12, episode 3 starts,Frank has hypnotized the entire Planet Express crew into thinking that he is Fry. For six weeks, Frank has completely replaced Fry, with him wearing his clothes, living with Bender, and being in a relationship with Leela. Meanwhile, Frank has secretly stranded the real Fry on a desolate planet that is filled with garbage books, with none of the Planet Express crew members remembering this. Eventually, Frank’s plan is thwarted, with his true motivations then being revealed.
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Frank’s Planet Express Backstory Makes Him The Most Tragic Futurama Villain
The Planet Express Crew Made Him A Villain
It takes a while forFuturamaseason 12, episode 3 to put all the pieces of Frank’s backstory together, but when it finally does, it paints him as an incredibly tragic villain. Throughout his life as a temp, Frank has hated every job he’s worked, with him feeling dejected and forgotten each time he interacts with coworkers. However, Frank finds happiness for the first time during his tenure at Planet Express, with him enjoying his work despite the crew constantly forgetting about him.
One of the first deliveries that Frank goes on tasks the crew with taking a bunch of books from a public library and dumping them on a desolate planet. Upon dumping the books,the Planet Express crew forgets about Frank, leaving him behind. Frank is left alone on the planet for 23 years, with nobody remembering him at all. Once theFuturamatimeline catches up to season 12, the characters eventually realize that they forgot about the temp, with them traveling back to the planet in order to see if he is alive.
Frank has managed to survive the harsh 23 years of isolation, with him using the books to learn hypnotism during the time. Upon reuniting with the Planet Express crew and realizing that they still don’t remember his name despite ruining his life, he hypnotizes everyone. He forces the Planet Express crew to leave Fry behind and for them to believe that he is Fry, with this plan going on for six weeks until it is thwarted upon the gang realizing that something is wrong.
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Frank’s Futurama Addition Is The Best New Direction For Hulu’s Revival
The Revival Needs More Original Characters
Characters like Frank are a rarity in Hulu’sFuturamarevival, as he is an all-new original antagonist. Many of thecharacters inFuturamaseasons 11 and 12 have returnedfrom the old seasons, with very few original characters getting added to the show. This has led to some storylines feeling a bit repetitive. However, creating new storylines centered around new characters like Frank can help Hulu’sFuturamarevival stand out from the previous seasons, and it is something that needs to continue in the show’s future.
Futurama
Cast
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.
