The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 10, “Otherwise,” now streaming on HuluFuturama’slatest reference toDisenchantmentquietly debunks a popular fan theory about the two shows. Both created by Matt Groening,FuturamaandDisenchantmentshare a goofy tone but are set in radically different worlds where sci-fi and magic are common place.Futuramaseason 12 has been expanding the scope of the series. Episodes have revealed more about the backstories of its characters while bringing backsupporting characters from early seasons ofFuturama.
The season finale,“Otherwise,” even expands the sci-fi scope of the universeby formally introducing the multiverse and sending the show’s main characters directly through it. Along the way, the episode is able to tease potential new timelines they could visit while also referencing previous segments fromFuturama’s non-canon anthology episodes. However, one of these minor moments quietly disproves a fan theory that overtly connected the worlds ofFuturamaandDisenchantmentin a way that still allows the former to reference the latter in future episodes.
Futurama Season 12 Just Reversed The Hulu Revival’s Biggest Retcon Of Original Season 10 Ending
Futurama season 12 just retconned a retcon, with it changing the Hulu revival’s solution to the show’s original series finale, “Meanwhile.”
Futurama Confirms It Doesn’t Share A World With Disenchantment
Futurama&DisenchantmentAre In Different Parts Of The Multiverse
Futruama’s introduction of the multiverse in season 12’s"Otherwise" includes a clear shot of Dreamland fromDisenchantment, which heavily suggests the shows share a multiverse but not a single timeline. Despite taking place in two very different settings and time periods,FuturamaandDisenchantmentshare a lot of core elements even beyond their shared creator, Matt Groening. Both shows are sardonic approaches to specific genres, focusing on the growth of unscrupulous characters into better people. There have been easter eggs in both shows referencing one another, with fans theorizing they could be in a shared universe.
Futuramaseems to have undercut that though with “Otherwise,” which drops the Planet Express Crew through a rip in the universe and into the wild multiverse. While sinking further away from their own reality, the Planet Express Ship passes by several different realities. One of them is clearly the realm of Dreamland, which wasDisenchantment’s central location.This suggests that the two shows exist within the same multiverse. However, this doesn’t meanFuturamaandDisenchantmentare connected through a single timeline, as some theories argue.
What Disenchantment Being In Futurama’s Multiverse Means
Futurama’s Multiverse Can Allow For More References ToDisenchantment
Disenchantmentsharing a multiverse withFuturamamakes sense, and speaks to the inventive elements that can make realities wildly different from one another. Both shows have directly referenced one another, with the most obvious connection being when Professor Farnsworth used his time machine in Futurama season 11, episode 6, “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” and seemingly passed through the events ofDisenchantment.Futuramasharing a multiverse withDisenchantmentallows the shows to continue directly referencing one another, even while preventing a full crossover that could undermine the sweet and conclusive finale of the latter show.
36
12
Disenchantment
5
For one thing, this suggests that the magic and supernatural elements ofDisenchantmentmay not exist inFuturama’s world. Conversely, the absurd technological advances and alien species ofFuturamaalso likely can’t threaten the fantasy realm ofDisenchantment. It explains why there haven’t been more overt crossovers of the shows, as opposed to episodes likeFuturama’s crossover withThe Simpsons.Disenchantmentbeing a Netflix series might explain the real explanation for that, but their shared multiverse allows for more referenceswithout breaking both show’s timelinesto fit them in the same world.
Futurama Season 12 Introduces The Show’s Biggest Fry & Leela Change In 25 Years
Futurama season 12’s finale introduces a major change to Fry and Leela’s story, one that could have a major impact on Futurama season 13.
It’s Good Futurama & Disenchantment Don’t Share A Universe
FuturamaAndDisenchantmentShouldn’t Break The Core Rules Of One Another
FuturamaandDisenchantmentshare a lot of the same creative DNAand moral core, but they work best as separate pieces. Similar toThe Simpsons, their unique elements make them stand out from one another, even as their goofy and bittersweet approach to their surrounding chaotic worlds give them a thematic connection.Disenchantmentis a unique spin on the fantasy chosen one narrative, which fully embraces the scope of that kind of story by the conclusion of the show. By contrast,Futuramais a more subversive approach to the sci-fi genre conventions, often undercutting those tropes for an emotional reveal.
It’s fun to see the shows reference one another, but similar toFuturama’s connections toThe Simpsons, it works best as just that. Making them all fit into the same universe takes away from their unique qualities and adds darker elements to their worlds. Confirming that they share a multiverse isa clever way for the shows to reference oneanother without screwing with any of their own specific continuities, internal logic, or overarching storylines.Futurama’s reference toDisenchantmentin season 12 is a great way to connect the shows without making them bump into one another.
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.
Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening dabbles into fantasy with Disenchantment, an animated satirical television series created for Netflix. The show follows disheveled and rebellious princess Bean and her partners in crime, an elf named Elfo and a demon named Luci. Bean’s quest to avoid her royal duties involves copious amounts of alcohol, compromising situations, and more as she slowly finds herself in the unlikely heroine role.
