The Simpsons Honor the Late Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking (Jan. 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018)

The Simpsons dedicated Sunday’s episode to the memory of Stephen Hawking.  At the end of the show, a graphic was displayed with an image depicting Hawking and Lisa. “In memory of Stephen Hawking,” the card read.

Executive producer Matt Selman first tweeted the image that ended the episode:

Hawking appeared on the show five times. He passed away  Wednesday, March 14.

A Frequent Guest Star

The still is from the season 10 episode “They Saved Lisa’s Brain,” which marked the famed physicist’s first appearance alongside the Simpson family. Hawking also appeared in “Don’t Fear the Roofer,” “Stop or My Dog Will Shoot,”  and “Elementary School Musical.”  He last appeared in 2017’s “Mr. Lisa’s Opus.”

But it was Hawking’s first trip to Springfield that was his most iconic.  In “They Saved Lisa’s Brain,” he miraculously comes to Lisa’s aid.  While she’s being swarmed by Mensa, Hawking swoops in on his Go-Go-Gadget WheelchairCopter and saves the day.  Later at Moe’s he considers stealing Homer’s “donut-shaped universe” theory.

Stephen Hawking also appeared in Matt Groening’s other animated series, Futurama. In addition, Hawking played himself in Star Trek: TNG, The Big Bang Theory, and Doctor Who.