Since Bart became outdated and overused in the mid-90s, Homer has been the driving force of The Simpsons. His brash and bold behavior coupled with a concerning morbid obesity and alcohol dependence seem to create the most well-loved and laughed at character of all time.
There are a lot of things that make him great, but also a fair few problems that might make many consider him the worst. We’ve weighed up the options.
Best: He’s Relatable (But You Don’t Want To it It)
He might take things to the extreme, but Homer is a relatable character. Sure, you don’t actually want to strangle your son, but they most likely do a few infuriating things every now and again. You might not neglect your daughter’s gifts, but her know-it-all attitude probably gets a little annoying.
Similarly, you might not gorge on incredible amounts of dangerously unhealthy food or drink in the pub most of the time, but there is no denying that you’d quite like to.
Worst: He Strangles Bart A Lot
This started off as a funny gimmick, but, as time progressed and the average television viewer got a little more sensitive, it has somewhat lost its spark. The dramatic overreactions and strangulation of a young child to the point that their eyeballs bulge and their mouth contorts would be something really quite harrowing if this was live-action. The yellow cartoon allows the creators to get away with a lot, but, in recent seasons, the trope seems to have disappeared.
Best: He Gets To Do A Lot Of Cool Stuff
Somehow, despite being shown to be incredibly unintelligent and one of the laziest people around, Homer Simpson has held down a well-paying job at a nuclear power plant. That, in itself, is pretty cool.
He has also been in space, won a Grammy as part of his band The Be Sharps, owned and operated a snowplow business, and had a float at the Superbowl halftime show. A very impressive CV for someone with his fatal flaws.
Worst: He Isn’t The Best Parent To Maggie
Despite Maggie being so young she is unable to talk, Homer has let her get away with a lot. Beyond the countless times he has lost her or ignored her obvious gifts, he has also failed to stop her undertaking some truly whacky tasks for a child. She literally shot Mr. Burns (and was allowed to point a gun at him again), bullied various other young children without Homer even intervening, and was even able to ride Santa’s Little Helper like a boat through the sea.
Best: He Is A Musical Genius
The Simpsons are known for creating some of the best hits in cartoon musical history. Homer is at the forefront of quite a lot of these, providing his singing talents in tracks such as ‘Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?’, ‘We Put The Spring In Springfield,' and ‘We Do’. He also co-wrote the brilliant ‘Everybody Hates Ned Flanders’ and, as previously mentioned, was the lead songwriter for his Grammy award-winning band The Be Sharps.
His talents don’t stop at singing and writing, though, as he has proven time and time again that he has an impressive grasp of guitar and bass.
Worst: He Doesn’t Care About Lisa’s Gifts
Throughout The Simpsons, Lisa is consistently shown as a genius with an impressive IQ and ideas way beyond her humble eight years. Homer very rarely cares, often cringing at the sound of her "saxomophone" or palming off her intelligence when he doesn’t understand what she is saying.
Arguably his worst treatment of Lisa came when his own lack of intelligence was shown to be because of a crayon in his brain. He forms a great new bond with his intelligent daughter before sacrificing it all by shoving the crayon straight back up.
Best: He Is One Of The Most Quotable Characters Of All Time
The list of quotes that have sprawled from Homer’s evergreen mouth speak for themselves. “Mmm, fifty slices of processed cheese," “No TV and no beer make Homer something something," “Marge, you know it’s rude to talk when my mouth is full," “Stupid sexy Flanders," “Do not touch Willie. Good advice," “I wonder where Bart is, his dinner is getting all cold and eaten," and, of course, “D’oh!”
Worst: He Does A Lot Of Bad Stuff To Marge
that time that Homer went off with a woman from his work and genuinely thought he had to have sex with her? It didn’t happen, but he really considered it. that other time when he went to Las Vegas with Ned and got married and never told Marge?
that time when he became the manager of a country singer who was clearly in love with him and didn’t give up his role even when Marge pleaded with him? We know Homer cares deeply for Marge, but he has really put her in some tough situations over the years.
Best: But Deep Down, He Really Loves His Family
Despite his various flaws and selfish moves, Homer provides for his family. He works a good job that gets them an impressive house and a happy, comfortable life. He would also do almost anything to keep his wife and kids happy. Whether it’s selling his blimp ticket for Lisa and working two jobs to buy her a pony, keeping a photo of Maggie on his desk at work, or spending half of his life trying to prove to Marge that he would love her forever, Homer is a good man deep down.
Worst: He Is The Reason Maud Flanders Died
Despite Homer’s good heart, he is the cause of one of the saddest and most impactful moments in the history of The Simpsons. When Maude Flanders is hit with a T-shirt gun and falls out of a stadium to her death, Ned feels the fallout of this loss for the rest of his life.
Not only does Homer feel no remorse or guilt, he pretty much jokes about it within just a couple of seconds of her demise. Making it even worse, he explains (with a small giggle) that he parked in the ambulance space, preventing any possible resuscitation. This was almost unforgivable and could have certainly led to some people thinking Homer was the worst thing about The Simpsons.