Random Interesting Homer Simpson Fan Theories (13 items)

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  (#11) We See Homer Through Ned Flanders's POV

  Part of Homer's charm is the fact that, well, he's not very charming. In fact, most of the time he's seen (or perhaps depicted), he is a dumb, lazy, arrogant, drunk, sacrilegious goon. Is that an accurate representation of Homer Jay Simpson, or is our perspective a bit skewed? According to Redditor /u/Anomalocaris, the reason Homer (and, by and large, the entire Simpson family) appears to be less than "Okally-Dokally" is because we are seeing him through the eyes of holy-man neighbor Ned Flanders. That's right. In this theory, the entirely of The Simpons is told from Flanders's point of view. Ned, a deeply religious and morally stringent man, looks at Homer and sees a sinner, so that's what we see. If the tables were turned and we actually experienced Springfield from Homer's perspective, perhaps Ned would look like a callous, God-fearing zealot instead of a kind neighbor who's just looking out for everyone's soul.
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  (#3) Homer Chooses To Be Stupid

  It's common knowledge that Lisa is the egghead of the family. Her acumen at everything soars high above her immediate family members, especially her father. But if you ask Redditor /u/kerbyklok, the notion that "ignorance is bliss" might be more more proactive than genetic.

  We know from "HOMЯ" (S12E9) that Homer would actually be a highly, highly intelligent man if not for a crayon that's been lodged in his brain since childhood (and then re-lodged by unlicensed physician Moe later on). When not hindered by a wax coloring stick, Homer's IQ actually goes up 50 points. The crayon logic tracks within the episode, but it begins draw questions when you think about the supposed 'Simpson Gene' from "Lisa the Simpson" (S9E17), which suggests that the Simpson men (but not the women) get gradually dumber as they age. But if this were true, then how could Homer regain his intelligence when the crayon is removed from his noggin? To that end, if Simpson men can be smart, then what's going on with the dimwitted (often clever, but let's face it, ultimately dumb) Bart? The answer: willful ignorance. Homer and his son know that life is better if you're dumb and happy, rather than smart and constantly reeling. Maybe Homer didn't actually need the crayon removed, but when it was he simply used it as an excuse to moonlight as his true, intelligent self for a bit. Experiencing the social strain of mental superiority confirmed what he already knew: his life is more comfortable in his regular, knuckle headed persona. 

  Is Homer just dumb? Probably. But if he isn't, he'd never let you know.
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  (#9) Homer Knows He's a Cartoon

  Does he now, Redditor /u/raysofdavies4? Well if Homer knows he's a cartoon, then how did he find out? Did he ask Matt Groening? Did he tune into the Sunday night block of animated shows on Fox and see himself on screen?

  Well, as the Redditor will tell us, Homer got the news from God himself. In "Homer the Heretic" (S4E3), our lazy antihero makes the sacrilegious choice to stop attending church. While he ultimately learns a valuable lesson about different faiths coming together for a common good, the real takeaway from "Heretic" is that in the closing moments, Homer asks God what the meaning of life is. God's answer, at least according to this theory, is that (paraphrasing, of course), "There is no meaning; you're just a cartoon." With this knowledge, Homer is armed in future seasons with a sense of near-invincibility. He can try anything. Throw himself at danger. Switch careers. Waste money. Get wasted at Moe's. None of it really matters, for he is nothing more than a cartoon.

  A pretty grim theory, but we're not here to argue with the divine plans of the d'oh-mega.
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  (#7) Homer is a Billionaire Sports Team Owner

  This one isn't so much a theory as it is a simple truth, but to what extent it actually impacts the Simpsons livlihood is the question. As pointed out by Redditor /u/awkwardhipsters, in "You Only Move Twice" (S8E2), Homer is given the the 1996 Denver Broncos by Hank Scorpio (voiced by Albert Brooks), Homer's new boss who turns out to be a supervillain. This explains how the Simpson clan is able to continually do so many strange, expensive, distant, time-removed-from-"work" (the power plant) activities and adventures. Simply put: NFL teams generate millions and millions of dollars in annual income, and Homer has a cash cow (or horses, perhaps) in the Mile High City. Heck, two years after he acquired the team from Scorpio they won two Super Bowls, making them one of the most popular and profitable teams at the time! So there you have it. As long as you own a professional sports franchise, you'll never work a day in your life.
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  (#10) Homer Had Sex with Mindy

  "The Last Temptation of Homer" (S5E9) has a classic bait-and-switch ending. Homer, having spent the entire episode trying to resist his attraction to new co-worker Mindy, finds himself alone with her in a hotel room. He confesses that he's afraid they are going to have sex because (as is the reason most people make bad choices), a fortune cookie said they would. However, in the end he professes his love for Marge, then he and Mindy share a kiss. From there, we cut to see Homer ogling a red-dressed woman... who turns out to be Marge. It would seem he made the faithful choice. But did he?

  Redditor /u/lawangel1 thinks not. The user posits that Homer did in fact sleep with Mindy in the hotel room, but either A) imagined it was Marge to ease his conscious in the moment, or B) edited his own memory of the affair to essentially erase the presence of Mindy. In either case, it's a pretty scummy look for Homer, but frankly, a plausible one.
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  (#1) Mr. Burns Knows Homer's Name

  In Who Shot Mr. Burns? - the two-part, season-spanning Dallas sendup - almost everyone is a suspect in the titular central question. While this is true, there is no one with a more crazed, vocal grievance than Homer, who loses it because Mr. Burns cannot remember his name. This trope plays out time and time again over the course of series, to the extent that it seems almost impossible that the geriatric power plant owner could have such a poor memory. So, what if it's intentional?

  As speculated by Redditor /u/MCmnbvgyuio, that just might be the case. As the user points out, in "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" (S2E4), after Homer ruins Mr. Burns election campaign, Burns remarks, "Simpson, I shall make it the focus of my remaining years that your dreams will go unfulfilled." Normally, ol' Montgomery lashes out with violent outbursts or threats of "thrashings," but here he delivers a much more sinister decree. Could it be that from this point forward Mr. Burns decided to gaslight Homer into thinking he couldn't remember his name? By making his lowly nuclear technician seem so insignificant that even something as simple as his name is forgettable, Mr. Burns could be playing a long-game of psychological warfare.

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