The Simpsonshas visited multiple timelines over the years, with some being far more positive than others. Due to the static nature ofThe Simpsons' canon, the characters never age even as the world seems to adjust to fit into modern events. That has opened up the show to tell multiple non-canon stories set in possible futures, depicting what could happen to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie as they get older.
Notably, some of these futures are positive for the family, while others are surprisingly grim. Some of them have been revisited repeatedly, showcasing the ways the family could grow in future generations, while others (likethe season 36 finale) highlight bittersweet futures for the family. Others highlight some somber possible directions for the family, with a few even depicting the apparent end of the world. Here are all thepossible future timelines thatThe Simpsonshas teased over the years.
Bart Becomes Chief Justice Of The Supreme Court
Two Episodes Hint That Bart Has A Future As A Judge
The first possible future forThe Simpsonswas all the way back in season 4,establishing a trend that’s been revisited several times over the years. In season 4’s “Itchy & Scratchy the Movie,” Homer punishes Bart’s latest pranks by keeping him from seeing the titular film.
Homer’s argument, spurred on by Marge and Ms. Krabappel, is that with discipline, Bart could grow up to become a huge success, even achieving the role of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A flashforward at the end of the episode revealsthis actually did come to pass in this timeline.
This timeline also goes in some unexpected directions…
It’s a brief gag but a fun one, especially as the now elderly Homer finally sits down with Bart to watch the film.This timeline was also seemingly revisited in “Flanders' Ladder,“which ended with a montage of how many of the show’s most important characters would die in this future.
This includes Bart, shown to be the Chief Justice, setting off a prank that kills Skinner, which then backfires and gets him killed. This timeline also goes in some unexpected directions, such as a widowed Marge marrying Ned Flanders, Ralph Wiggum eventually taking over the world, andMaggie becoming one with the universe.
Lisa Goes To Oxford (And Almost Marries Hugh)
“Lisa’s Wedding” Was The First Episode Of The Simpsons Largely Spent In A Future Timeline
Introduced in season 6’s “Lisa’s Wedding,” the flashforward told to Lisa (and the audience by a fortune teller) is largely focused on a college-aged Lisa and her great thwarted romance. While the rest of the family remains healthy and happy in Springfield,Lisa attends Oxford and falls in love with the wealthy Hugh.
The Springfield of this timeline is largely similar to the present day, albeit with some new career paths for characters. Bart has found his calling as a construction worker, while Maggie has developed an (unheard) angelic singing voice. Homer and Marge remain as happy as ever.
Meanwhile, Lenny and Carl are shown as major figures at the Nuclear Plant, Milhouse has taken Smither’s job as Homer’s direct superior, and Prof. Frink is hard at work restoring a near-death Mr. Burns after he was repeatedly stabbed.Other characters whose futures are teased include a highly successful Otto and a disgraced Mayor Quimby.
Unfortunately, despite the Simpsons' well-meaning (but painfully flawed) attempts to welcome Hugh into their family, Hugh is revealed to be excited to bid farewell to all of them.This prompts a rift that splinters the wedding before it can ever begin, leaving the present-day Lisa reaffirmed in her connection to her family.
Lisa Becomes President While Bart Starts A Band
The First Timeline To Turn Lisa Into A Major Political Figure
Season 11’s “Bart to the Future” operates in a similar fashion to “Lisa’s Wedding,” showing Bart a possible future through a potentially mystic source. In this timeline, Bart and Lisa have gone very different paths in life, with Bart largely remaining at home in Springfield whileLisa becomes President of the United States.
In this timeline, Bart never realized his true potential and instead gets by relying on the generosity of his parents and Ned Flanders. Alongside his bandmate/roommate Ralph Wiggum,Bart initially gets by working for Nelson Muntz, who owns a beach bar in town.
“Bart to the Future” includes one of the most infamous timesThe Simpsonspredicted real life, as a throwaway gag in the episode suggests that Lisa’s predecessor in the White House was Donald Trump.
Although she’s far more successful, President Lisa Simpson still faces plenty of challenges. With Milhouse as her Chief of Staff,Lisa struggles to deal with the pressures of being a world leaderwhile also contending with Homer and Marge, who find themselves dedicated to finding the “lost gold” of Abraham Lincoln.
The Simpsons: The Next Generation
The most consistent future glimpsed for the Simpsons family, multiple episodes have visited a specific potential future. In this timeline, Bart and Lisa both got married and had families of their own, with both eventually living in Springfield despite divergent career paths. Meanwhile, Maggie went on to become a world-famous musician before having a daughter.
Season 16’s “Future-Drama” introduced teenage versions of Bart and Lisa, along with Bart’s love interest Jenda. Season 23’s “Holidays of Futures Passed” revisited them later, introducing Bart’s sons Jiff and Skippy by Jenda while establishing thatLisa eventually married Milhouse and gave birth to a daughter, Zia.
“Days of Future Future” was largely focused on the ways technology evolved in this timeline, as well as delving into Bart’s relationship with his ex-wife, Jenda. Season 29’s “Mr. Lisa’s Opus” was an episode focused on Lisa’s entire life, but it shares many notable aspects of this timeline (such asLisa’s experimental phase in collegeand Homer’s sobriety).
Despite seemingly killing off Homer and Marge in a comical way,this timeline was seemingly revisited in season 35’s “It’s a Blunderful Life.“The framing device for that episode revisits a timeline with Zia, Jiff, and Skippy, only decades later. The family has expanded in the decades since the present day and Homer is revealed to have lived a long life before peacefully passing away.
Barthood
“Barthood” Is The Most Grounded Future Timeline In The Simpsons
Season 27’s “Barthood” focuses on Bart growing up in a parody ofBoyhood, with flashbacks to his younger years giving way to an extended plotline about Bart as a teenager. As opposed to other versions of the Springfield future, this timeline is a much more grounded and realistic setting.
Bart’s primary issues in this timeline stem from being overshadowed by Lisa, even as he tries to make his mark as a skateboarder and artist. After the death of Abe Simpson, Bart becomes a moody teen and drifts apart from Lisa after a falling out just before she goes to college.
However, this argument is what prompts Bart to follow his passions and open a custom bike shop.This proves to be a great outlet for Bart’s artistic abilitiesas well as a way of keeping him connected to Abe even years after he passed away.
The episode’s ending reveals that Bart and Lisa eventually do reconcile. This timeline also ends on the suggestion that Lisa has ended up with a well-adjusted version of Nelson, hinting that it won’t be like the other future where Lisa has a daughter with Milhouse.
Lisa’s Romance With Nelson
Season 34 Teases A Timeline Where Lisa And Nelson’s Romance Took Decades To Reach Fruition
Another timeline where Lisa ended up in a romance with Nelson was the focal point of season 34’s “When Nelson Met Lisa.“That episode, a loose parody ofWhen Harry Met Sally, focused on how Lisa and Nelson’s lives could be impacted by a long-term will-they-won’t-they relationship.
In this timeline,Lisa is still drawn to Nelson and almost runs away with him after graduation, but decides to pursue her higher education ambitions. Lisa ends up married to Hubert Wong, a fellow genius who proves to be incompatible with her personality. Despite multiple attempts to reconcile, Lisa and Wong eventually broke up.
Eventually, Lisa and Nelson find themselves opposite one another as the maid of honor and best man at the wedding of Jimbo Jones and Krusty’s daughter, Sophie.This spurs on a reunion and decision to make an actual attempt at a long-term romance.
The future of this timeline isn’t shown any further down the line, but it’s possible that this was a world whereLisa and Nelson were able to make a long-term romance work. It’s possible they even had a child, this world’s version of Zia.
President Simpson (Can’t Get Along With Her Mother)
This Timeline Has One Of The Most Succesful Arcs For Bart
Many glimpses into the future ofThe Simpsonshave suggested that Lisa will go on to become a powerful and important political figure. This is even true in season 32’s “Mother and Child Reunion.” In this timeline,Lisa decides not to pursue a college degree, taking some unintended advice from Bart to focus on herself.
This leads to a long-running feud between Lisa and a disappointed Marge. After years, Lisa throws herself into the world of education, eventually replacing Superintendent Chalmers before rising in the ranks of politics to become governor and then President. This timeline is also notably one of the most promising ones for Bart.
In this world, Bart eventually shaped up his act without losing his sense of self, becoming the CEO of a successful cannabis company.This version of Bart is also shown to be well-adjusted and close with the whole family, eventually playing a big part in convincing Lisa and Marge to get over their feud.
The Simpsons Splinter After Marge Passes Away
The Simpsons' Latest Future Is One Of The Show’s Saddest Timelines
The most recent possible future glimpsed inThe Simpsonswas the focus of season 36’s “Estranger Things.” In this timeline,Bart and Lisa drifted apart over time, a problem that was only exacerbated after Marge passed away from an unknown cause.
By the events of the episode,the family has largely gone their separate ways. Maggie is never seen, but is apparently happy in her life as an auctioneer. Lisa has found great success in the world of sports, becoming a major figure in the women’s basketball league.
Bart has remained in Springfield, living in the old family home with Homer. Having converted it into a makeshift “retirement home” to keep Homer and his friends out of the now draconian Retirement Castle,Bart and Milhouse are shown to be sleezy (but surprisingly caring) caretakers.
The episode focuses on Lisa returning to Springfield and making peace with Bart, coming to terms with the good he’s doing with Homer. The episode also teases a painfully grounded Springfield where Nelson’s life fell apart without Lisa while Rod and Todd found success as realtors in the stead of minor characters like Cookie Kwan.
The End Of The World As We Know It
Multiple Episodes Tease How The World Of The Simpsons Comes To An End
While many of the potential futures ofThe Simpsonsare focused on bittersweet timelines where the family endures an ever-changing world,some episodes have instead opted to showcase grim possible futures not just for Springfield but the world at large.
In season 5’s “Rosebud,” a grim timeline is introduced wherePlanet of the Apes-style creatures control the world and force hordes of Homer Simpson clones to do their bidding. However,somehumans (like Mr. Burns and Mr. Smithers) have used robotics to survive for centuries.
Perhaps the most startling future depicted inThe Simpsonsis the one seen during the credits montage of season 27’s “Cue Detective.” In this episode,a massive drought eventually wiped out much of Springfield, with the survivors killed by the mutated and dangerous wildlife.
In that timeline,the episode’s Honeycomb grill is one of the few things in Springfield that survives into the future, where it is found by bee-like aliens. It’s an unexpectedly dark but deeply silly future to imagine forThe SImpsons.
The Simpsons
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The Simpsons is an animated series set in the fictional town of Springfield, following the daily lives of the Simpson family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Premiering in 1989, the show is renowned for its satirical commentary on politics, media, and American culture, featuring numerous celebrity guest appearances.
