5 Wild Futurama Fan Theories That Came True After All
Did you know they weren't always canon?
Can you believe it's been over 24 years since we first saw Fry emerge from his cryogenic sleep in 2999 and join the Planet Express crew?
During its twice-cancelled journey, Futurama featured many sci-fi storylines that took its characters through heaven and hell. Of course, this has given rise to a lot of fan theories about the staff of the Planet Express and the universe they live in.
Some of these theories even found their way into the show and became canon.
Leela is not an alien
While it was initially said that Leela's one-eyed appearance came from her alien heritage, fans began to doubt this in Season 2 when they saw mutants living in the sewers beneath the city.
Sure enough, in a heartbreaking twist, later episodes revealed that Leela was born in the sewers, but since her only abnormality was the limited number of eyes, her parents gave her up so she could live a normal life.
Bender is not faulty
Since Bender never behaved like a programmed robot, it was assumed that his settings were distorted by the electrical charge in the pilot episode. However, many fans theorized that the shock wave didn't break him, but rather removed his inner limitations and gave him the freedom to be different, much like when people get high.
A few episodes later, this theory was confirmed when Bender developed an addiction to electricity.
Zoidberg is not useless
Dr. Zoidberg may seem like a useless crew member and a terrible doctor, but many fans have suspected from the beginning that there was something in his and the Professor's shared history that allowed him to stay on Planet Express.
In the sixth season, that story was told. It turns out that the Professor is holding on to Zoidberg because the doctor once saved him from a Yeti and promised to mercy kill him if the hyper-malaria he contracted from the encounter showed symptoms. Both are still waiting for that to happen.
Fry's cryogenic sleep was no accident
While the pilot showed that Fry ended up in the cryogenic chamber due to his own clumsiness, the small shadow lurking nearby led fans to believe otherwise.
Season 4 confirmed that Fry's 1,000-year sleep was no accident, but a calculated plot by Leela's pet Nibbler, who turned out to be a member of an ancient race. Nibbler needed Fry in the future to save the universe from a Brain Spawn attack.
Futurama and Disenchantment share a universe
It would seem that Futurama and Disenchantment have nothing in common other than the same creator, Matt Groening. But ever since Disenchantment briefly showed a time machine with Fry and the Professor in it, fans have been sure that the two shows take place in the same universe.
The new Season 11 of Futurama on Hulu confirmed this theory by showing a cameo of Disenchantment's Princess Bean, Elfo and Luci. It turns out that the kingdom of Dreamland was created during Futurama's Second Medieval in the 24th century.