Futurama season 12, episode 10, “Otherwise,” solidly introduced the concept of a multiverse within the sitcom’s canon, and by doing so, the show is likely to have retconned a classic installment from 24 years ago. “Otherwise” is easily the most high-concept of all the Futurama season 12 episodes, but the show had teased the multiverse reveal several times before the big reveal in the finale. As well as the shocking confirmation that Futurama is canonically connected to Disenchantment (and probably also to The Simpsons), the show also provides evidence that even certain Futurama episodes aren’t set within the main universe.
Futurama season 12’s ending sends ripples up and down the show’s timeline, although only time will tell just how severe the impact is. While the peak into the show’s multiverse confirms the status of certain classic episodes now established as taking place in another reality, the setting of some of Futurama‘s best episodes remains unclear. However, some of the show’s more meta installments are far more likely to have been affected than others by Futurama‘s new multiverse twist.
Professor Farnsworth’s What-If Machine In Futurama Explained
The professor’s hypothetical scenario device was introduced as a fun gimmick
The professor’s What-If machine has appeared in two episodes of Futurama. “Anthology of Interest” parts 1 and 2 were once largely disconnected from the show’s main continuity and allowed the user to view a screen-based simulation of what would happen in several fun scenarios. The episodes show hypothetical situations, such as if Bender were human, and if Fry had never been cryogenically frozen. Given how haphazard some of the professor’s inventions can be, the What-If machine is one of his best – even if he does waste it by asking what would happen if he had invented the Fing-Longer.
The pair of episodes that revolve around the What-If machine are just a collection of short stories that, at the time, were meant to be a short diversion from the main show.
The pair of episodes that revolve around the What-If machine are just a collection of short stories that, at the time, were meant to be a short diversion from the main show. They were canon, but only as far as Futurama confirmed that its characters were watching the TV-esque device. After “Otherwise,” the What-If machine could have been retconned to be a much more powerful device than Professor Farnsworth had originally intended.
Futurama’s Multiverse Twist Suggests The What-If Machine Shows Alternate Universes
The scenarios in the “Anthology of Interest” episodes could be real
The What-If machine was introduced to the show as a way to answer the characters’ speculative questions, but it didn’t actually bring them to life. The events of “Otherwise” strongly suggest that Professor Farnsworth’s sci-fi device has been doing far more than just generating visual images. Instead, what’s now far more likely is that the What-If machine locates an alternate reality that fits the description of the character asking a question, and shows it to them. Given that the multiverse is infinite, it’s tough to think of a hypothetical that the device couldn’t link to a specific world.
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Futurama’s “Anthology Of Interest” Episodes |
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|
Title |
Season |
Episode |
Scenario #1 |
Scenario #2 |
Scenario #3 |
IMDb Score |
|
Anthology of Interest* |
2 |
20 |
What if Bender were 500 feet tall? |
What if Leela were just a little more impulsive? |
What would happen if Fry never came to the future? |
8.5/10 |
|
Anthology of Interest II |
4 |
3 |
What if Bender were human? |
What if life were more like a video game? |
What if Leela found her true home? |
8.2/10 |
|
* This entire episode uses “What if Professor Farnsworth had invented the Fing-Longer?” as a framing device. |
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If this is indeed the case, it still doesn’t change a huge amount within the world of the show. Although the characters are aware that the multiverse exists, traversing it isn’t presented as an easy task. So, the potential universes shown in the “Anthology of Interest” episodes will likely remain physically unvisited by the main Futurama cast. Then again, Futurama season 12 included a stealth sequel to a classic episode, so anything is possible. Additionally, Futurama season 5, episode 10, “The Farnsworth Parabox,” showed the professor’s now-defunct way of reliably hopping between realities. As such, the technology does exist.
How Futurama’s Multiverse Twist Changes The Show’s History & Future
Futurama season 12’s finale will forever change how the show is perceived
The existence of Futurama‘s multiverse may have been confirmed in “The Farnsworth Parabox,” but “Otherwise” made sure the sci-fi trope couldn’t just be confined to a single episode. Instead, the twist has permeated the show’s timeline in both directions. All the special episodes that were once believed to be non-canon, such as the various anthology and parody episodes, are now all essentially established as genuine realities within the Futurama multiverse. It even impacts other Matt Groening shows.
Related
Futurama Season 13 Has A Big Multiverse Story Trap To Avoid After Season 12’s Incredible Ending
Futurama’s season 12 ending was a great multiverse story, but season 13 has some risky tropes it needs to avoid if it returns to that well.
Going forward, season 12’s multiverse twist will continue to change how the show is viewed. If ever there’s a plot hole, inconsistency, or anything that could be considered incorrect/out of place, then the explanation can simply be that the episode is taking place in another universe other than the show’s main reality. Of course, the trope can be used in positive ways too, but it’d be naive to deny that the new development doesn’t risk Futurama‘s narrative integrity.
Futurama follows the exploits of Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from 1999 who is cryogenically frozen for 1000 years. Waking up in the year 3000, Fry befriends a cyclops named Leela and a roguish robot named Bender, and the three find employment with Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery service. Their work takes them to all corners of the universe, exploring space and the future as imagined by Matt Groening and the creators of The Simpsons.
- Release Date
- March 28, 1999
- Seasons
- 12
- Showrunner
- Matt Groening
