Six Simpsons Characters Who've Evolved Over the Years

The Simpsons has built up an amazing universe, although perhaps that isn’t that hard when you have brilliant writers crafting a world over 574 episodes. The depth chart on this show is fantastic. Its tertiary characters are funnier, and sometimes more well-rounded, than the main characters in lesser shows. However, not every single one of its secondary characters sprung fully formed out of the head of Zeus. Some characters have grown and developed over the years, gaining new traits and engraining themselves into the fabric of this show. Here are six Simpsons characters who evolved over the years.

1. Waylon Smithers

Smithers was black, to begin with, so that’s a pretty major change right there. However, that has nothing to do with his characterization. He began as just Mr. Burns’ lackey. Then he became, in the parlance of Simpsons showrunner Al Jean, a “Burnsasexual,” which is to say he was attracted to Mr. Burns, but not really sexual beyond that. Over time, though, Smithers has seen his life fleshed out, becoming one of the focal points of gay life in Springfield. He even seems to be semi-out of the closet, now. That’s a lot of growth for a character that began life accidentally drawn a different color.

2. Ned Flanders

Flanders and Homer have always had a complicated relationship. Ned was always nice to Homer, but Homer resented him anyway, mostly because Ned’s life was better. In the beginning, though, Ned was not the supreme conservative Christian he is today. He was just the well-to-do neighbor, who even mentioned spending some time in a frat in “Dead Putting Society.” Not only did Ned get to become the paragon of religion, for better or worse, in the world of the show, episodes like “Hurricane Neddy” even gave us some background into his life with his lousy beatnik parents, and on occasion he’s gotten the chance to repay Homer for his years of mistreatment.

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3. Nelson Muntz

Nelson has always been a bully. In the first couple of seasons, he was the bully, especially in the episode “Bart the General.” These days, though, Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph are the one-dimensional bullies. Nelson has become much more. Sometimes he’s friendly with Bart, he had a romantic fling with Lisa, and, of course, we’ve learned a lot about his family life. Much humor, and some pathos, has been mined from Nelson’s sad family life. It doesn’t excuse his behavior over the years, but it makes him three-dimensional, and much more interesting.

4. Ralph Wiggum

Wiggum was basically just a kid in Lisa’s class at first. Sometimes Nelson’s voice was used for him. He was thought of as a “mini-Homer”—early-season Homer that is—and was named after Ralph Kramden. Of course, now everybody knows Ralph as The Simpsons’ non-sequitur machine. He’s the dumbest kid in a town full of dumb kids, but in a delightfully weird way. Plus, episodes like “I Love Lisa” and “This Little Wiggy” have made him more than just a serious of jokes about pyromaniac leprechauns.

5. Carl Carlson

You could put Lenny and Carl together, and they would probably appreciate it if you would. They began as a couple of buddies for Homer to hang out with at work and at the bar. They are still that, but oh so much more. Lenny and Carl have had their childhoods fleshed out, and also have developed a complicated relationship that Marge insists they be allowed to figure out. Carl gets the nod here, though, because of “The Saga of Carl,” an episode dedicated to Carl’s Icelandic boyhood.

6. Kirk Van Houten

Why would a parent of Bart’s friend Milhouse ever get so much development? Early in the show, it wouldn’t have made much sense. Kirk existed because Milhouse needed parents. Then came “A Milhouse Divided,” where the Van Houtens get divorced. Suddenly, Kirk became a sadsack loser, basically an adult version of Milhouse. He’s also become one of the best, funniest tertiary characters on the show. He lost his job at the cracker factory, but he gained a real impact in the world of The Simpsons.

Six Simpsons Characters Who’ve Evolved Over the Years