Marge Simpson: After watching Marge Simpson’s death in The Simpsons, I wonder if there is more of the character that viewers can expect ahead

The Simpsons, the long-running animated sitcom, aired its 36th season from September 29, 2024, to May 18, 2025. To my utter surprise, the finale, Estranger Things, featured a shocking moment - Marge Simpson's death. Moreover, the shocking plot development came with its own twist.

The family matriarch, voiced by Julie Kavner, is shown to have died in a flash-forward scene that takes place 35 years into the future, which means Marge is technically alive in the show's current timeline.

The official synopsis of The Simpsons season 36, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads,

"Bart celebrates the most shocking birthday party of his entire life -- one that might just change everyone in Springfield forever."

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What does Marge Simpson's death mean for the future of The Simpsons?

After watching the episode, I had to remind myself that Marge did not die in the present timeline. She will be back with Homer and their kids - Bart, Lisa, and Maggie - for season 37, which was greenlit on April 2, 2025, along with three more seasons. Also, Marge's death sequence will not have any impact on the storylines for the next season, as the episodes do not follow any chronological order.

The show's executive producer, Matt Selman, responded to the online backlash over Marge's death by reminding fans that the beloved character is not really dead. On June 26, 2025, he told Variety that Marge's death is not "canon."

"There is no canon. The Simpsons doesn’t even have canon! Obviously since the The Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time. Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago," he said.

How did Marge die in The Simpsons season 36 finale?

The Simpsons season 36 finale is directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Tim Long. It takes place 35 years into the future, where the titular family is broken down following Marge's death. However, the circumstances leading to her death are not revealed in the episode.

With regards to the subject, only a funeral scene is shown where the family members gather around her tombstone that reads - Marge Simpson: Beloved wife, mother, pork-chop seasoner. The emotional moment is underscored by Sarah McLachlan singing "Marge passed before Homer, if you can believe it."

Over the years, Bart and Lisa grew apart after they stopped watching The Itchy & Scratchy Show—the one thing they bonded over. In the future, Lisa becomes the NBA commissioner, while Bart runs an unlicensed retirement home, where Homer ends up living.

When Lisa returns to Springfield to give a speech at her old school, she finds a video from Marge, meant to be seen if she passed away before Homer. In it, Marge asks her kids to take care of each other, leading Bart and Lisa to finally reconcile after years of being estranged.

At the end of the finale, Marge Simpson watches over her kids from the clouds. She is then seen in heaven where she marries her first crush, Ringo Starr from the Beatles, and gets her happily ever after.

Viewers can watch all seasons of The Simpsons on Hulu and Disney+ in the United States.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Divya Singh