List of recurring Futurama characters
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
Futurama has eight main cast members and many other incidental characters. For an overview of the show's main characters, see the list of Futurama characters.
Main recurring characters
Zapp Brannigan
Zapp Brannigan is a 25-Star general in the military of the Democratic Order Of Planets, although his title varies. Brannigan was first seen in the episode "Love's Labours Lost in Space" as Captain of the starship Nimbus, where he imprisons Fry, Leela and Bender for violating "Brannigan's Law".Zapp is generally idiotic, egotistical, boorish, cowardly, and painfully short-sighted. He will often mispronounce words, such as champagne and guacamole in the episodes "Love's Labours Lost in Space" and "The Problem with Popplers". Soon after first meeting him, Leela has sex with him out of pity. He mentions this encounter repeatedly in later episodes while remaining convinced that Leela lusts after him despite her vocal opposition to the idea. He is known to make catastrophic mistakes, yet, in the public eye, he is seen as an established and reputable leader of the Earth's army. Though viewed publicly as a respected hero for his numerous military victories, almost all of these victories are against comically weak opponents or achieved through tactics that wantonly disregard the safety of his own soldiers.
The character is based on the Star Trek captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. The show's executive producer David X. Cohen has described Brannigan as "half Captain Kirk, half actual William Shatner". Zapp is voiced by Billy West, though he was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman. Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "of course, just nailed it" according to creator Matt Groening. However, after Hartman was murdered on May 28, 1998, West was given the role. On a Futurama DVD commentary, Groening reveals that Zapp's character and mannerisms were established in West's original audition for the character, and any similarity to Phil Hartman or his other well known cartoon characters is simply coincidence. On the other hand, in an interview for the website TV Squad, Billy West states that his Zapp Brannigan is an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew." During a live event, West stated that he partially modelled Brannigan's cadence after the radio persona of Doug Tracht, also known as "The Greaseman."
Kif Kroker
Lieutenant Kif Kroker is the long-suffering assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan, and Fourth Lieutenant on the Democratic Order of Planets starship Nimbus. Kif is a short and thin green-skinned alien crew member. His frustration with Brannigan's arrogance and general incompetence in Season 1 leads him to be a disaffected, indifferent, sardonic lackey, although his personality develops through the course of the series, becoming more emotional, tender and sweet-natured later on. Zapp thinks Kif to be his best friend and loyal confidant, whereas Kif sees Brannigan as an incompetent buffoon, going so far as to call him a jackass in "Love's Labours Lost in Space". Despite this, Kif seemingly has some loyalty to Brannigan, even continuing to associate with him after Brannigan caused him to be court-martialed along with him in "Brannigan, Begin Again". Kif is in a relationship with Amy Wong.Nibbler
Lord Nibbler masquerades as an innocent, cute and unintelligent pet during most of the series. In reality, he is a highly intelligent Nibblonian and capable of communication, but tries to avoid suspicion while he protects the Earth in general and Fry in particular from the Brainspawn. As with all Nibblonians, Nibbler's feces consist of dark matter, which can be used as starship fuel. It is an extremely dense material, "each pound of which weighs over ten thousand pounds", according to Professor Farnsworth in the season 1 episode, "Love's Labours Lost in Space". After he accidentally reveals to the Planet Express crew that he can speak in , he forgets to wipe their memory of his intelligence, which it turns out does not affect them much, and from then on he speaks freely to the crew. In the pilot episode, Nibbler's shadow can be seen as Fry falls into the cryogenic freezer, alluding to what is revealed in the fourth season episode The Why of Fry, which is that Nibbler helped send Fry to the future.Morbo
Morbo the Annihilator is the misanthropic alien anchor for News, Entertainment and Earth Invasion Tonight, Good Morning Earth, and other shows on the Television Network. Morbo is an advance scout for an upcoming alien invasion and does not bother to be subtle about it, often expressing his contempt and extreme hatred for mankind during live news broadcasts and commenting frequently on his species' extremely violent invasion plans. He appears to be using his job to gather information about the human race to aid the planned invasion. He is good friends with President [|Richard Nixon]. His co-host Linda van Schoonhoven seems either blissfully ignorant or entirely dismissive of Morbo's hatred and usually responds with an empty-headed laugh to Morbo's contemptuous outbursts. He is married to Mrs. Morbo, a member of his species.Linda van Schoonhoven
Linda van Schoonhoven is the co-anchor of News with Morbo. She is blissfully unaware of or indifferent to his hatred for humanity, often giggling absentmindedly when he calls for the death of humans. Linda joins Leela and her feministas in Into the Wild Green Yonder due to Morbo being treated better than her by the producers with higher pay and more air time. In "Benderama", it is revealed that she is a severe alcoholic, which may explain her cheerful and seemingly oblivious demeanor. It is also revealed that a contributing cause to her alcoholism is her relationship with her children. In Simpsonorama, she is eaten alive by one of the rabbit-shapped creatures that breaks into the studio.Scruffy
Scruffy is the Planet Express janitor and a recurring supporting character. Scruffy first appeared "Hell Is Other Robots" as a stagehand at a Beastie Boys concert, he was later added to the cast as a little-seen staffperson at Planet Express with the second-season episode "Anthology of Interest I". Scruffy generally approaches both his job and the rest of his life with a high level of apparent apathy, as shown in "Parasites Lost", in which he ignores a broken boiler in the Planet Express Headquarters to read a pornographic magazine, and continues to read even after said boiler explodes, declaring, "Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived." In "Future Stock", it is revealed that he is deeply fond of the company, and owns four times as much stock as the other employees. The first several times he is referred to or seen by his co-workers, they ask who he is, to which he replies, "I'm Scruffy. The janitor." He is shown several times to read porn magazines like National Pornographic and Zero G Juggs. The Season 6 episode "The Prisoner of Benda" reveals that he is in love with his robotic wash bucket, but avoids entering into a relationship with it. He is murdered by Robot Santa in the non-canonical anthology episode "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular". In "Law & Oracle", it is revealed that Scruffy died at some point and was brought back to life as a zombie, remarking that "Life and death are a seamless continuum." Scruffy was seen in the 2014 The Simpsons crossover episode "Simpsorama" with the rest of the Planet Express staff.Planet Express crew relatives
Cubert Farnsworth
Cubert Farnsworth is Professor Farnsworth's clone, which the Professor produced in order to serve as his heir and continue his scientific legacy. He is introduced in the episode "A Clone of My Own", in which he rejects Farnsworth and becomes hostile to the entire Planet Express crew. Professor Farnsworth reveals that he had been lying about his age, and is taken to the Near Death Star for retirement. The crew rescues the professor, and Cubert announces that he will continue the professor's science after all.The Professor created Cubert with the intention that he would continue his work after discovering that his life was wasted with nothing but failed or worthless inventions. Hubert is delighted until he discovers that Cubert's intentions are not as he planned. Cubert wants to do something 'better' with his life and does not accept the responsibility Hubert gives to him. He believes that most things happen to be "Impossible" contrary to the Professor's belief that nothing is impossible. Cubert has an epiphany after getting hit on the head, realizing how the starship engines Hubert invented work, allowing them to be repaired while Hubert is incapacitated. After this, he decides he wants to follow in his "father's" footsteps after all.
Dwight Conrad
Dwight Conrad is the son of Hermes Conrad and LaBarbara Conrad. He is the close friend of Cubert Farnsworth, and takes after his father in the ways of accounting and bureaucracy.LaBarbara Conrad
LaBarbara Conrad is the wife of Hermes Conrad and mother of Dwight Conrad. She is the ex-wife of Barbados Slim, the rival of Hermes, who she refers to as "a human Adonis" and "a mahogany god". Hermes is insecure when Barbados is around, and LaBarbara leaves Hermes temporarily in Bender's Big Score to be with Barbados Slim after Hermes loses his body. She often wears clothes that reveal her belly button.Leo and Inez Wong
Leonardo "Leo" Wong and Inez Wong are the very wealthy parents of Amy Wong. They are human Martians of Chinese descent who own the entire western hemisphere of Mars and the Wong buggalo ranch. They often pester Amy about their lack of grandchildren and meddle in her love life, trying to find a man to father their grandchild. When Amy and Kif Kroker begin dating, they decide Kif is not man enough for her. They do seem happy when he and Amy have children. Leo is one of the primary villains in Into the Wild Green Yonder.Morris and Munda
Turanga Morris and Turanga Munda are Leela's father and mother and later on Fry's parents-in-law. They are sewer mutants who love Leela deeply and try to give her as normal a life as possible by passing her off as an alien and leaving her to be raised in an orphanage. They participate in her life as much as possible from the sewers until Leela finally learns the truth and attempts to form a real relationship. They each have one eye, Morris has a vertically oriented mouth, ten toes on each foot, and the ability to shed his skin, while Munda has a lion tail and octopus tentacles in place of arms. Their original appearance in "I Second That Emotion" shows them as plain cyclopes like Leela. The plot of "Leela's Homeworld" required the addition of extra mutations to fit with the idea that Leela is able to live a normal life, while they cannot. In the same episode it is also revealed that Munda has a Ph.D. in "exo-linguistics", which allows her to write in "Alienese".Yancy Fry and Mrs. Fry
Yancy Fry and Mrs. Fry are Fry's father and mother and later on Leela's parents-in-law. They are humans in the 20th century who tended to be absorbed in their own interests. Fry's ex-girlfriend Michelle later informs Fry that the police wanted to look for him, but his parents felt it was a waste of taxpayer's money. However, it is revealed over the course of the series that they did indeed miss Fry and searched for him to no avail. Yancy is a traditional family name going back to the Revolutionary War, so it is unknown if Yancy is properly referred to as "Yancy Sr.".Yancy Fry, Jr.
Yancy Fry, Jr. is Fry's older brother in the 20th and 21st centuries. Yancy Jr. is initially rude and competitive with Fry as seen in "The Luck of the Fryrish." His jealousy of his brother dates back to Philip's birth, when Yancy preferred that name, but is informed his name, Yancy, is a family tradition dating to the Revolutionary War. After Fry disappears, Yancy becomes so devastated that he eventually names his son Philip J. Fry in his honor. Yancy is also the direct ancestor of Professor Farnsworth.Antagonists
Mom
Carol "Mom" Miller is an aggressive, threatening and Machiavellian bully, reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West. She manages and owns 99.7% of MomCorp, a large, multibillion-dollar industrial complex with numerous subsidiaries and a monopoly on robot production, as well as being the company that created Bender. Publicly, she retains the corporate image of a sweet, bustling old woman who often slips into the stereotype of a Deep South grandmother; behind the scenes, she removes her fat suit and emerges as a skeleton-thin, malevolent, and foul-mouthed old crone. She has three sons, Walt, Larry and Igner, whom she terrorizes and often employs to do her dirty work. Mom has a romantic history with Hubert J. Farnsworth, who worked at MomCorp when he was younger, and she was previously married to Dr. Ogden Wernstrom.Her given name is revealed to be Carol in "The Tip of the Zoidberg".
In the episode "Leela and the Genestalk", Mom works out of "Momsanto", a floating castle that hosts a genetic engineering facility. Its name is a reference to Monsanto, an American agricultural company known for genetic engineering of plants.
Walt, Larry, and Igner
Walt, Larry and Igner are Mom's three sons, who are often on the receiving end of her verbal and physical abuse. It is revealed in Bender's Game that Professor Farnsworth is Igner's father.Omicronians
The Omicronians are an alien race from the planet Omicron Persei 8.Lrrr
Lrrr is ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8, and always introduces himself as such. He aims to project a strong ruthless demeanor of a conqueror, but often ends up showing a sensitive side. He is currently married to Ndnd, his second wife, with whom he has one son, Jrrr. His first major appearance in the series was in the episode "When Aliens Attack". In "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences", he claims to have murdered his father for his cape.Ndnd
Ndnd, is Lrrr's second wife. She is overbearing and bossy, often nagging Lrrr to eat more healthily and fulfill his duties as supreme ruler of Omicron Persei 8. In "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" she seems entirely unconcerned by Lrrr's infidelity with another Omicronian woman, but is deeply upset by him listening to Leela's nagging over her own. Their marital problems also feature heavily in "Spanish Fry".Robot Mafia
The Robot Mafia is a three-member crime syndicate operating out of "Fronty's Meat Market" and "Small Bill's Laundry", who periodically dine at Elzar's, hijack shipments of Zuban cigars, arrange "accidents" for robots who act against them, as well as other unspecified Mafia-related illegal activities. They are made up of:- The Donbot - The leader of the Robot Mafia. He is often depicted to be oblivious to various plots against him, particularly repeated infractions by Bender, including having sex with the Donbot's wife, having sex with his daughter, stealing from the Donbot, and stealing the Donbot's own foot.
- Clamps - A goonbot with an angry, aggressive disposition obsessed with using the clamps that act as his hands. In the Season 6 episode "The Silence of the Clamps", his name is revealed to be Francis X. Clampazzo.
- Joey Mousepad - A burly goonbot wearing a computer-mouse necklace. He is somewhat dim-witted, as noted by his occasional malapropisms. In one instance, Joey offered to dub Bender with the nickname "Clamps", which infuriated Clamps.
Additional family members
Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
Dr. Ogden Wernstrom is a former student and now rival of Professor Farnsworth, in the field of science. He resents an "A−" grade given for sloppy penmanship by Farnsworth in 2900, and worked for over one hundred years in order to obtain revenge. Farnsworth usually greets him with an angry shaking fist and a long, drawn-out "Weeeerrnnn-strom!" He often competes against Farnsworth in various competitions, such as the Annual Inventors' Symposium, though their rivalry appears to have softened over the years, and they have even managed to collaborate with one another every once in a while. Wernstrom also appears to respect some of Farnsworth's decisions if he himself believes them to be right as well, as showed in The Beast with a Billion Backs. In Bender's Game it is revealed that he was once previously married to Mom, and may be the father of Mom's two eldest sons Walt and Larry. The Season 6 episode "Cold Warriors" reveals that Wernstrom has been appointed Surgeon General of Earth.Richard Nixon
The former president is kept alive as a [|head in a jar] like many other celebrities. He originally resides in the Hall of Presidents in the head museum, but he eventually leaves and becomes the President of Earth, winning by a single vote. Nixon's administration is marked by a violent and aggressive foreign policy, frequently entering into wars which serve little or no purpose. Nixon's head is sometimes accompanied by the [|headless body of Spiro Agnew].Billy West has commented that he is not impersonating Richard Nixon for the role; he is impersonating Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, and that he, instead of trying to cultivate a good impersonation, cultivates the flaws in his impersonation. Matt Groening also frequently expresses his pleasure that he can continue to poke fun at Nixon 30 or 40 years after he was in office. Nixon's head was included in TV Squad's list of the five best television appearances by Presidents in animated or puppet form. The character was considered to be particularly interesting because he could be "pure evil" but also command respect and also because "Nixon's head trapped in glass is just really funny."
Roberto
Roberto is a criminally insane, psychotic robot who often carries a knife with which he is prone to stabbing. He is often depicted as a patient receiving treatment for criminal insanity. In his first appearance in "Insane in the Mainframe", he is committed to an insane asylum after he targets the same bank for robbery three times in a row, and is seen killing other robots when escaping that hospital. In Bender's Game he states that his creators were trying to make an insane robot, but "failed". This violent nature is enhanced by a body that David X. Cohen and Matt Groening say is based on the shape of a tombstone. Roberto appears in Bender's Game as a patient in the same asylum. He later appears in the Middle-earth spoof scenes of that film as a role equivalent to that of Denethor. He briefly becomes sane after he is hit on the head during a battle, but reverts to insanity after he is immediately hit a second time. He appears in "Proposition Infinity" in the same asylum, this time with a sock instead of his usual knife. He says to Bender, "You ever kill a man with a sock? It ain't so hard."In the season 7 episode "The Six Million Dollar Mon", Roberto is arrested when he tries to rob Hermes Conrad and his wife LaBarbara of their skin. He is executed for this crime, but Bender later digs him up and steals his brain circuitry so that Hermes can have it installed in his own head to complete his transformation into a robot. When the robot tries to steal the skin from the real Hermes, it melts down due to the accumulated residue of heavy spices from LaBarbara's cooking. Roberto appears again in the series' penultimate episode "Stench and Stenchibility".
Robot Devil
The Robot Devil serves as the leader of Robot Hell, which is hidden beneath the "Inferno" ride at the amusement park "Reckless Ted's Funland" in New Jersey. His function is to torment robots who have committed various sins under the practice of Robotology. If a deal is made with the Robot Devil, he appears to have unlimited power and can grant almost any request. The voice acting of the Robot Devil by Dan Castellaneta has been described as a "bravura performance" on his part. The Robot Devil is available as a build-a-figure from the first three series of Futurama action figures by Toynami.He first appears in "Hell Is Other Robots", kidnapping Bender and tormenting him until Fry and Leela manage to save Bender. He plays another major role in "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", in which Fry makes a deal with the Devil to improve his holophonor skills. Fry wins the Robot Devil's hands, though the Robot Devil manages to reverse the trade after setting up a complicated scheme to force Fry into relinquishing them. The character also makes brief cameos in "A Tale of Two Santas" and "Crimes of the Hot". In the episode "The Silence of the Clamps" he is shown as one of the wedding guests. He plays a key role in the Season 6 episode "Ghost in the Machines", offering to reunite Bender's body and spirit if Bender scares Fry to death. This same episode reveals that he keeps several spare bodies in his office and can transfer his spirit to one of these if his body is destroyed.
The Robot Devil appears in the film series on several occasions, most notably , where Bender makes a deal with the Robot Devil exchanging his first-born son for the Armies of Hell. Bender more than happily locates his son and kicks the child into a vat of lava, causing the Robot Devil to comment, "That was pretty brutal, even by my standards." Bender simply replies, "No backsies!" In Bender's Big Score, he conducts the band at Lars and Leela's wedding.
In the commentary for "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", Castellaneta says the voice is based on a "bad impression of Hans Conried".
Robot Santa
Robot Santa is a robot created in 2801 by The Friendly Robot Company to judge beings as naughty or nice and distribute presents or punishments accordingly. Due to a programming error, his standards are too high and he judges everyone to be naughty. This leads him to go on destructive rampages across Earth every Xmas using Christmas-themed weapons, such as grenades shaped like Christmas ornaments, bicycle guns, and T.O.W. missile launchers to punish the "naughty" beings. He resides in a death fortress on Neptune along with a number of Neptunians that act as slave labor for the toy factory. In Bender's Big Score, he assisted the Earth's population in reclaiming their planet after it was purchased by the devious Scammers, forcing his Neptunian elves to build weapons for an assault and participating personally in the ensuing battle. He is part of an alliance called The Trinity, a trio of holiday-themed madmen, comprising himself, Kwanzaabot, and the Chanukah Zombie in the song.Barbados Slim
Barbados Slim is Hermes' arch-rival. He not only defeated Hermes at the 3004 Olympics to win the gold medal in limbo, but is also the only person ever to win gold medals in both limbo and sex. He was formerly married to LaBarbara Conrad, who still refers to him as a "mahogany god". In Futurama: Bender's Big Score, after Hermes was decapitated in a limboing accident, LaBarbara left him and got back together with Barbados, even going so far as to take his last name, even though they never remarried and Dwight was never adopted. After Hermes uses his bureaucratic prowess to save Earth from the scammers and wins back LaBarbara, Slim vows "You have not seen the last of Barbados Slim!" before adding "Now goodbye forever!" As he prepares to leave the bridge, the sliding door malfunctions and goes down halfway. Slim then tries to limbo beneath only for the door to fall and crush his chest.Other recurring characters
Abner Doubledeal
Doubledeal is a businessman usually depicted organising or owning various sporting events, to which he would recruit various season regulars. He first appeared in "Raging Bender" as the owner of the Ultimate Robot Fighting League, and later in "A Leela of Her Own" as owner of the New New York Mets blernsball team. He was a television producer in "Yo Leela Leela", at the end of which he adopted all of the orphans from Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium to help him produce Leela's show Rumbledy-hump; and by the time of the events of "The Butterjunk Effect" episode Doubledeal was in charge of the Butterfly Derby.Amazons
The Amazons first appear in "Brannigan Begin Again" but first feature in "Amazon Women in the Mood" when Zapp, Leela, Amy and Kif are stranded on their planet. The Amazons are primitives who live in huts, and they are ruled by a female computer called "Femputer". Femputer is revealed to be a fembot operating the giant computer facade from a small control room.Antonio Calculon
Calculon is an acting robot renowned for his melodramatic roles and his dramatic speaking style. His most famous role is as the lead character in the long-running robot soap opera All My Circuits. It is claimed in "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" that Calculon received his acting ability from the Robot Devil. Calculon is from the 21st century, having been created as a standard industrial robot called Calculon 1.0. He changes his name and appearance every few decades to conceal his true age, claiming that one of his disguises was David Duchovny. In the episode "The Honking", it is revealed that his first job was as a motorised service arm building the most evil car in existence, Project Satan. Calculon was run over by Project Satan, and became a were-car. The curse is broken at the end of the episode, when Project Satan is destroyed. It is revealed in "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV" that throughout his entire time on All My Circuits, he has only ever done one take for each scene. In "Bend Her", Calculon begins a relationship with Coilette of Robonia, who is actually Bender after undergoing gender reassignment to become a Fembot. He becomes smitten with Coilette, who is merely using him for material gain. Calculon proposes to Coilette, who accepts and then decides that she cannot continue the deception, and subsequently fakes her death at their wedding. In the conclusion of the episode, Coilette undergoes surgery to become a Manbot again, and Calculon makes a film in tribute to Coilette. It is shown in ' that Calculon is the leader of the League of Robots, a robot supremacy society. Bender cheats in a duel with Calculon, resulting in the loss of one of Calculon's arms and the destruction of the league's headquarters. Calculon subsequently becomes outraged at Bender and resigns from the league, relinquishing the presidency to Bender. In ', it is said that his operating system is Windows Vista. In re-airings of the movie on Comedy Central, he says his operating system is Windows 7.Calculon dies in "The Thief of Baghead" when he tries to defeat Langdon Cobb in the World Acting Championship after Leela and Bender advise him to do the Romeo and Juliet scene and give him water and food coloring. Unfortunately, food coloring is fatal to robots. Calculon decides the only way to win the award is to actually drink the food coloring and die. After he dies, Cobb wins the award instead of him, making his death pointless.
Bender and Fry decide to revive Calculon after deciding that they do not care for his replacement on All My Circuits, Vaxtron. They journey to Robot Hell and obtain Calculon's soul from the Robot Devil. The Professor has the crew perform a series of ritualistic "scientific" tasks to put the soul of Calculon back in his body. After Calculon is brought back to life he returns to acting. He first performs a one-man show. When the show receives poor reviews, Calculon determines that maybe he should not be acting and should have remained in hell. Leela, who opposed Calculon's return to acting, now wants to help him return to All My Circuits. She explains that he should go to an audition in disguise to play Calculon for the show. When he lands the part, Calculon returns to his former ways. Leela then makes him feel bad by saying that he has no acting skills, and that the world had forgotten he had even been alive within the first month of his death. She then explains to Bender and Fry that it was a ploy to save his part in the show. The show crew is smitten by his down-to-earth acting skills, and he reveals himself as Calculon. As he takes a bow, once again thinking that his life is worth living, a massive lighting fixture falls, crushing him. His life as Calculon 2.0 is honored; he watches the ceremony in Robot Hell where his soul resides once more.
Celebrity heads
Various celebrities and historical figures are kept alive as heads in jars of liquids. The technology is crucial to Futuramas connection with 20th- and 21st-century culture since it allows significant figures from the past to make appearances in the series. This also allows for contemporary celebrities to make guest appearances as themselves. The technology was invented by Ron Popeil, himself a head. People seem to be able to be resurrected using this technology, as every U.S. President is found in the "Head Museum"; the most prominent head is that of Richard Nixon who becomes the President of Earth.The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer
The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer is a large blue/green rooster-like chicken with southern mannerisms and a pince-nez perched on his beak. The show never reveals the Hyper-Chicken Lawyer's name ; in "Brannigan Begin Again", it is revealed that the Hyper-Chicken Lawyer's species is "hyper-chicken". In the commentary of "A Tale of Two Santas", David X. Cohen explains that the script simply used the designation "hyper-chicken" to refer to the character. He is a terrible lawyer and routinely loses cases for the main characters. The Hyper-Chicken Lawyer is a parodic cross between "folksy" country lawyers such as Matlock and Atticus Finch with Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn. In a deleted scene from , he is named Matcluck.Elzar
Elzar is a famous four-armed Neptunian chef with his own New New York restaurant, "Elzar's Fine Cuisine", and television show. Elzar is crass and unpleasant, and has a very high opinion of himself. He never passes up an opportunity to milk money from his customers and fans. He has also been known to steal from his own cash register on occasion. Elzar's favorite cooking implement is his Spice Weasel, a mustelid-like creature which propels a cloud of spices from its snout upon having its body squeezed. Elzar often uses the phrases "Bam!", "knock it up a notch", and "no question". The character of Elzar is an allusion to Emeril Lagasse.The Globetrotters
The Globetrotters are a race of basketball playing humans who reside on Globetrotter Planet. Aside from showboating basketball shenanigans, the Globetrotters are all known for their scientific prowess and have aided in saving both Earth and the Universe.The Globetrotters are commanded by Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate. Other known core members include 'Sweet' Clyde Dixon, 'Curly' Joe, and 'Goosh', although there are several other unidentified members of the team seen throughout the series.
Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate
Ethan 'Bubblegum' Tate is a renowned physicist and the leader of the Globetrotters, who once randomly challenged Earth to defend its honor by playing a game of basketball for no reason. Tate is one of "the finest scientific minds in the universe", according to Professor Farnsworth. He is also a senior lecturer in physics at Globetrotter University. He has appeared in many episodes with the rest of the team, but also made a solo appearance in several episodes.'Sweet' Clyde Dixon
'Sweet' Clyde Dixon is a core member of the Globetrotters, who excels at calculus and is another one of the "finest scientific minds in the universe". In "The Prisoner of Benda", he becomes a Duke.Hattie McDoogal
Hattie McDoogal is an old woman who lives alone with her cats and often uses nonsense words and phrases, such as "kajigger" and "whatchacallit". She briefly serves as the landlady of Fry and Bender, and holds a single share of Planet Express, allowing her the decisive vote for its CEO. She has been married twice, surviving both of them, and often dates. She once hired Kif Kroker as a male escort. MacNeille also voices the Crazy Cat Lady on The Simpsons.Hedonismbot
Hedonismbot is a golden robot built in a lounging position that displays the typical characteristics of hedonism and decadence, such as constantly eating from a bowl of grapes on his stomach. He was first seen in "Crimes of the Hot" at the Galapagos Island Robot Party. He has a human servant named Djambi and he has stated that "I too have known unconventional love" with references to doomsday devices. He enjoys having a bath of chocolate, having his nipples rubbed with industrial sandpaper, and seeing how long he can remain entertained during an opera.Hypnotoad
The Hypnotoad is a large toad-like alien with pulsating, multicolored eyes, which emits a loud, ominous buzzing noise. It has the power to hypnotize almost any living thing at will, even mass numbers of creatures. The Hypnotoad first appeared in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid", in which it hypnotized a flock of sheep to herd themselves into a pen and close the door behind them, the panel of judges to win the pet show and then the audience of the pet show to force their approval of that victory. It later acquired its own television show, Everybody Loves Hypnotoad, in which it hypnotizes the audience. The DVD includes a full 22-minute episode. The episode mainly features the Hypnotoad staring into the camera, occasionally intercut with a laugh track or shots of the exteriors of various locations to indicate a scene change. The finale of the show consists of a voiceover telling the audience that they will wake up remembering nothing and feeling refreshed, and the credits are all attributed to Hypnotoad.Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer
Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer is the mayor of New New York. He is often depicted as a corrupt and incompetent politician. He first appeared in the season 1 episode "A Big Piece of Garbage". Throughout the later seasons, he is seen having a rather open affair with the Queen of Yonkers.Officer Smitty
Officer Smith, better known as Smitty is a policeman partnered with [|URL] in New New York. He is sometimes seen with a lightsaber-like nightstick. The two often use excessive force in non-violent circumstances. In one episode, he claimed that he became a cop because his father owned a restaurant, and frequent dine-and-dashers kept it from going regional. Smitty retires later in Season 6 but returns a few episodes later.Officer URL
Officer URL is a robot police officer paired with Smitty. The two often use excessive force in peaceful situations, and make use of various features built into URL, such as a siren, megaphone and violations printer. He also appears in the parody of Cops, called Cop Department. His catchphrase is "Aww, yeah." In "Law and Oracle", URL becomes Fry's partner after he joins the police force.Petunia
Petunia is an elderly woman who wears a revealing pink dress and uses a lot of make-up. She is a chain-smoker and a keen gambler. In the episode "Put Your Head on My Shoulders", Bender sets her up on a Valentine's Day date with Fry after setting up a dating agency. She rejects Fry after learning he does not have a body and is merely a head attached to Amy. Petunia states she can do better than a slot-player when Fry reveals he controls only one arm. Petunia later joins the Feministas in Into the Wild Green Yonder. She has children and used to live in a house with wheels.Sal
Sal is a, overweight, blue-collar worker with a thick Bronx accent. His first appearance is as a janitor on the Moon in "The Series Has Landed", servicing the machines in the amusement park. He has appeared many times since, always employed in a tedious job that he does not perform well. He is also seen to have a painting tattooed on his stomach and comments that he is "on loan from the Louvre". His trademark is to add an "s" to many words that do not need it: "He's busteds. Gets hims outta heres!" At one point in "", it is implied that it is intentional, when he says "I gots an idea. I means, I gots an ideas." David X. Cohen said in a commentary that the writers debate whether Sal frequently changes jobs or has been cloned many times. He was also featured in as the five-time winner of a demolition derby. After losing the derby, he promises to "changes" his life.Tinny Tim
Tinny Tim is an ill-fated orphan-bot with a crutch for an arm and one shortened leg, a reference to Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He speaks with an English accent and is programmed to beg, sell oil-ade, and write in cute backwards letters on signs. He is shown with the Planet Express crew on both Xmases, and appears to be friends with Dwight and Cubert. In the subtitles of "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV", he is called "Tiny Tim-Bot".Guest characters
Al Gore
The former vice-president appears as a head in a jar during most of his appearances and also appears with his body during scenes involving Fry's time period. He is First Emperor of the Moon and has "ridden the mighty moon worm". He lives in an elaborate jar; the base is colored silver-white, and possesses several hologram projectors, two small rockets for mobility, a pair of lasers, and is backed with the top of a cape. He plays a role in , where he appears in multiple scenes that take place in the past and during the space battle in the future. During one of these scenes, Gore was shown to have won the 2000 Presidential Election, but Bender accidentally destroys the ballots in favor of Gore when hunting for Fry. During the Clinton presidency he is shown to have led the Vice Presidential Action Rangers, a group tasked by the US Constitution to preserve the space-time continuum.The real-life Gore has said that Futurama is his favorite show. His daughter, Kristin Gore, was a writer for the show in its later seasons. Gore has also voiced the cartoon version of himself in "A Terrifying Message from Al Gore", the promotional video for An Inconvenient Truth along with John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender, and Billy West, the narrator.
Boxy
Boxy is a crude robot only able to communicate by beeping. He is frequently seen in the company of Calculon, and played the role of Calculon's half-brother in the All My Circuits soap opera where his objections sound like he's backing up. His noise is made by a synthesizer.Brain Slugs
Brain Slugs are small, one-eyed, vaguely sluglike aliens which attach themselves to the heads of sentient beings in order to control them. Brain slugs apparently use this as a method of trapping more "prey", since those beings under brain slug control are driven by the desire to place brain slugs on other beings. It is hinted that the host under the brain slug's control retains awareness of their condition, which Hermes referred to as a "nightmare". The brain slug can be seen in numerous episodes, normally attached to Hermes. For a short time, Fry had one attached, but according to the professor, it "starved to death" due to Fry's low intelligence.Brainspawn
The Brainspawn are a race of flying telepathic brains that wish to collect all of the data in the universe and kill all other intelligent beings, because the mere act of them thinking causes them great pain. They are able to use "stupefaction fields" to render all intelligent beings on a planet too stupid to resist them. This allows them to collect all knowledge on the planet and destroy it. Their main enemies are the Nibblonians, who send Nibbler on a mission to find Fry, the only being resistant to the Brainspawn. Fry lacks the delta brainwave, so he is able to repel the Brainspawn when they attack Earth. Fry later sends the Brainspawn and their space station, the Infosphere, into another dimension with a bomb given to him by the Nibblonians.Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium
The Cookieville Minimum-Security Orphanarium houses a large number of orphans, including Leela during her childhood. The orphans often suffer harsh conditions and various disappointing setbacks. It is run by Mr. Vogel, voiced by David Herman, who takes care of the orphans and keeps all records; he is apparently a bureaucrat grade 135 who has not been promoted since about the time Leela was born. Three orphans, Albert, Nina, and Sally, are featured most often. Albert and Nina are voiced by Kath Soucie and Sally is voiced by Nicole St. John. Sally has a third ear on her forehead which she is teased about by the other orphans. She also claims to have a tail. Twelve of the orphans were briefly adopted and later returned by Bender—who adopted them only for the government fund checks—in "The Cyber House Rules".Crushinator
The Crushinator is the robot daughter of a farmer on the moon. She is stereotyped as a southern belle and represents Earth's moon in the Ms. Universe Pageant. She first appears in "" and also appears in the episodes "Lesser of Two Evils", "Crimes Of The Hot", "Mother's Day", and "The Silence of the Clamps". She briefly appears in the background in . Unlike her sisters, the Crushinator is more machine-like and has a masculine voice. She also has two orange tubes sticking out from her head and can transform into a car.Father Changstein-El-Gamal
Father Changstein-El-Gamal is a priest in the First Amalgamated Church, a mixture of many 20th-century religions. He wears a bindi on his forehead, wears a mitre and clerical collar with a taijitu symbol on the peak, payot, an orange wrap with a shoulder scarf adorned with stars and moons. In Bender's Big Score, he uses the phrases "dearly liked" instead of "dearly beloved" and "We are gathered here today before one or more gods, or fewer..." when officiating a wedding.Flexo
Flexo is a bending robot who looks and sounds almost exactly like Bender with the exception of having a small triangular metal goatee, a reference to the Star Trek mirror universe. Flexo first meets and befriends Bender in "Lesser of Two Evils". Fry believes Flexo to be an "evil twin" of Bender, though it turns out that Flexo attempts to stop Bender from stealing the expensive crown from the Miss Universe pageant. Flexo is mistaken for Bender and is arrested for that crime. Critics have called Flexo's appearance in this episode one of the "Great Moments" in Futurama. He returns in "Bendless Love" in which Bender briefly dates Flexo's ex-wife, Anglelyne, and impersonates Flexo. Flexo is targeted by the Robot Mafia because of this. Eventually, he reunites with Anglelyne. He makes a cameo appearance in Into The Wild Green Yonder along with Anglelyne as members of the audience seeing the Encyclopod being "born".He makes another brief appearance in "Attack of the Killer App" in a garbage bin, where he is found by Bender and tells him that bending robots are now obsolete, though he is ignored. His signature character trait is the way he says something, usually a mild insult, and then immediately retracts it, laughing and saying some variation of "Naw, I'm just kidding... you're all right!" This, apparently, is also reversed when referring to situations or actions that cause him frustration or anger, such as Bender shoving him in one episode, with Flexo responding by saying, "Thanks! I appreciated that... Naw I'm kidding. That was quite annoying."
Grand Midwife
The Grand Midwife is an Amphibosian who first appears in the fourth-season episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch". She is also known as the Grand Priestess, the Grand Lunch Lady, the Grand Funeral Director, and the Grand Butterfly Curator, as she holds these various titles and positions. She appears as an aged and wizened member of the Amphibosian race, appearing at and overseeing key functions throughout Amphibios 9, including Kif's birthing ceremony, Kif and Amy's wedding and Kif's funeral. She is often direct and inflexible in her ways and acts in a melodramatic fashion.Guenter
Guenter is an intelligent monkey experiment made by Professor Farnsworth. His intelligence comes from his small hat which uses sunspots to create cognitive radiation. If he is not wearing the hat, he acts like a normal monkey. His first appearance was in the episode "Mars University" in which the Professor enrolls him at the university where he becomes Fry's roommate. Guenter later appears in the episode, "Fry and Leela's Big Fling", where he shows Amy Wong, Bender and Zoidberg around the planet Simian 7. Guenter is seen in other episodes in the background, and crowds.Gypsy-Bot
The Gypsy-Bot is a carnival fortune-telling robot. In "Godfellas" the gypsy-bot hints that she does not actually have psychic powers; after Fry asks her a question, she replies, "What am I, psychic?". The gypsy-bot appears earlier in "The Honking", telling Bender he is a werecar; and in "Ghost in the Machines", performing a séance in which Bender's ghost possesses her and causes her head to explode.Headless Body of Agnew
The headless body of Spiro Agnew joins Nixon as the Vice-President of Earth, imitating his U.S version. Though he is headless, Agnew can still make growling noises. In "Into the Wild Green Yonder" Agnew is accidentally killed by the 'eco-feministas' when a run-away golf cart runs him over. However, he does get cloned, which leads him to be referred to by Nixon as 'The Headless Clone of Agnew'.H.G. Blob
Horrible Gelatinous "H.G." Blob is a three-eyed, green, translucent, ill-tempered alien. He first appeared in the season one episode "The Series Has Landed" in a commercial the Professor made for Planet Express. He contemptuously refers to humanoids as "solids" and ridicules their one-way digestive system. In "The Route of All Evil", the Horrible Gelatinous Blob has a son named Brett Blob, who regularly bullies Cubert and Dwight. In he, or someone of his species, appears on the twenty dollar bill.Judge Ron Whitey
Judge Ron Whitey is a judge and a member of the upperclass of Earth's elite.Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie
Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie are Robot Santa's Kwanzaa and Hanukkah analogues. Precisely what role they play on their respective holidays is unknown. In the episode "A Tale of Two Santas", Kwanzaabot mentions he has been distributing books titled "What the Hell is Kwanzaa?" for 647 years, with little effect. Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie are evidently friendly with Robot Santa, as he calls them for support in Bender's Big Score, and Kwanzaabot invites Bender to join him and the Chanukah Zombie at the B'nai B'rith in "A Tale of Two Santas".From his first appearance, Kwanzaabot has been voiced by rapper Coolio. Although Chanukah Zombie had been mentioned, he did not appear onscreen until Bender's Big Score, in which he is voiced by Mark Hamill and in a reference to Hamill's famous role in Star Wars, pilots a Jewish themed TIE Fighter decorated with Stars of David on its solar arrays with a Menorah standing on its core.
Malfunctioning Eddie
Malfunctioning Eddie is a robot that runs a hovercar dealership. His character refers to the real life electronics chain Crazy Eddie, and its mascot of the same name. It turned out that Malfunctioning Eddie's prices were so low that he really was insane. He had an exploding-problem associated with surprise in "Insane in the Mainframe".Michelle
Michelle is Fry's on and off girlfriend from the 20th century. She dumps Fry shortly before he is frozen on New Year's Eve for a man named Constantine. They eventually split up, and she decides to freeze herself to try again in the distant future. She wakes up in 3002, meets Fry again, and restarts her relationship with him. She fails to fit into the 31st-century life to which Fry has become so accustomed, and so asks him to freeze himself with her for another thousand years. This plan fails, as does the rekindled relationship, so Fry leaves her. She later is shown in a limousine with the recently unfrozen Pauly Shore and later seen holding his hand in "Proposition Infinity".In Bender's Big Score, it is revealed that Michelle had been frozen roughly 736 years longer than she had actually intended, a result of Fry using her cryotube to return to the future and be with Leela. This, along with the fact that Fry had accidentally broken off part of Michelle's hair while climbing into her cryotube, was not mentioned or shown in Michelle's previous appearances. She was one of the many people seen on the date with Yivo in The Beast With a Billion Backs.
Nibblonians
The Nibblonians are an ancient race that came into existence 17 years before the moment of the Big Bang. They have extremely long life spans, eat animals whole to fill their stomachs, which are thousands of times larger than themselves, and excrete extremely dense and potent dark matter. Despite their nature, other beings find their small stature to be extremely adorable. Their arch-enemy is the Brainspawn. They believe Fry is the only hope of the universe in that he can stop the Brainspawn due to his lack of the Delta brainwave. The main Nibblonians in the series are Nibbler, Ken, voiced by Billy West, and Fiona, voiced by Tress MacNeille.Nine
A man who wears a white gown with a large number 9 on it. He is voiced by David Herman and is a cameo character appearing in the first and second production seasons of Futurama. He reappeared in Bender's Big Score and Into the Wild Green Yonder, where it was revealed he was the Grand Curator of the Legion of Mad Fellows. When Nine became grand curator is unknown, but the audio commentary track for Into the Wild Green Yonder hints that he was in the Legion prior to the year 3000. As grand curator of the Legion, he becomes the story teller for Philip J. Fry's mission to possibly end the epic long battle between two ancient races, as they by 3009 have noticed that the Chi have been re-emerging. It is later revealed in "Murder On the Planet Express" that he operates a discount spy store called For Your Eyes Mainly.Mr. Panucci
Mr. Panucci is the surly Italian-American owner of Panucci's Pizza where Fry worked before getting frozen. Although in the first episode it appears that he does not like Fry that much, it is shown in later episodes that he had a strong friendship with and acted as a father figure to Fry. It is revealed in Bender's Big Score that he likes Fry because Fry's life is so horrible it helps Panucci feel better about himself. Panucci is noticeably upset when Fry goes missing and he takes responsibility for Fry's pet dog Seymour Asses.In Bender's Big Score, Fry creates a time paradox by going back in time and living out his old life and thus continues working at Panucci's Pizza. Shortly after he arrives, Fry asks Panucci if he can live in Panucci's upstairs storeroom, which Panucci allows.
Pazuzu
is a gargoyle who Professor Farnsworth owned and put through college. He has a French accent and a son. He initially appears in "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", where he escapes from the Professor. He returns at the end of the episode to rescue the Professor and "earn freedom." He later appears in Beast With a Billion Backs, rescuing the Professor and Wernstrom from prison and informing the Professor that he has one wish left.Randy Munchnik
Randy Munchnik is a stereotypically gay man dressed in pink, who speaks in an effeminate voice. Originally, he is depicted with blond hair, but sometimes appears with brown hair. John DiMaggio says he is his favorite character to voice. The original design for Randy was very different. He was originally an old man in a mob, with his name in the script for "I, Roommate" literally "Man in Mob". DiMaggio changed the voice and therefore the character.Reverend Lionel Preacherbot
Reverend Lionel Preacherbot is a preacher at the Temple of Robotology. He presides over weddings and funerals of robots and humans. His speech patterns, accent, and mannerisms are modeled on those of stereotypical African-American Evangelical preachers.In the episode "Hell is Other Robots", Preacherbot encourages Bender to give up his addiction to recreational electricity in favour of the Church of Robotology, to which Bender replies; "Do I preach to you while you're laying stoned in the gutter?". During the Season 6 episode "Ghost in the Machines", Preacherbot performs an exorcism on the Planet Express headquarters in order to drive off Bender's ghost, which has begun to possess various machinery in an attempt to kill Fry.
Sewer mutants
Sewer mutants are humans mutated by years of pollution and radioactive waste poured into the sewers under New New York. Because they are considered genetically inferior they were forbidden by law to travel to the surface without special permission, so they reside in a community made out of objects flushed down toilets. Among the more prominent mutants in the series are Dwayne, Raoul and Vyolet. Dwayne is a mutant with two noses and a large forehead. Raoul is the "Supreme Mutant", the democratically elected leader of the sewer mutants. His most notable mutation is a third arm, which in his first appearance had grown in place of his right ear but above it in later appearances. Vyolet is a chain-smoking mutant with gills and a pig nose; she seems to be romantically involved with Raoul.Stephen Hawking
made a guest appearance in the episode "Anthology of Interest I" as a member of the Vice Presidential Action Rangers, who guard the space-time continuum. Along with Hawking at the end of the twentieth century they include Al Gore, Nichelle Nichols, Gary Gygax and their summer intern Deep Blue. He first appears as a customer at the pizzeria where Fry mistakenly believes him to have invented gravity for which Hawking accepts credit. After learning of Fry's inter-dimensional experience, he arranges for him to be kidnapped by the VPAR.Hawking also appears in The Beast with a Billion Backs as his own head in a flying jar, leading a scientific convention organized to study and discuss a tear in the universe. He says that despite writing a book about it, he has no idea what it is, although he has already cashed the check he got for writing it. Apparently he has the ability to shoot lasers that stun people from his eyes; he himself is surprised, remarking, "I didn't know I could do that" after stunning Professor Farnsworth and Professor Wernstrom.
Due to a debilitating, long-term illness, Hawking was unable to speak with his own larynx, but his computer-assisted speech device was a trademark voice in popular culture.