Movies News Talk
Futurama has always revolved mostly around the charming, cynical robot Bender. Still, the show has constantly changed his beginnings to expose fresh aspects of his family and background. Beyond basic retcons, this investigation reveals a rich and sophisticated character inside the sci-fi comedy.
Bender starts his trip on the outskirts of Tijuana at one of Mom's Friendly Robot Factories. From Season 3's "Bendless Love," this insight reveals Bender's Mexican background and assigns his last name as Rodriguez. But Bender's lineage transcends his birthplace as well. In "Crimes of the Hot," we learn that Bender is descended from robots created by Professor Farnsworth, therefore establishing an unanticipated link between the two.
Though Bender is first shown in "Teenage Leela's Mutant Hurdles" and "Lethal Inspection" as a robotic infant, he was really rebuilt in "Bendless Love." Bender regards his actual "mother" as the assembly line and robotic arm that gave him his appearance and personality.
Bender's family has grown over the program to portray a convoluted web of relationships. Like all contemporary robots, Bender in "Mother's Day has a maternal affection for Mom, the mysterious person in charge of the world's robots." Bender's father is mentioned in many episodes even though he never shows on-screen; his death by a can opener in "I Second That Emotion" gives Bender's background some sad weight.
Season 12's "The One Amigo" introduces Bender's grandma and cousins. This episode looks into the secrets of Bender's mother, who left her hometown following Bender's birth. In "The Honking," Bender reveals his other extended family—who live in the Robo-Hungarian Empire. Hinting at a possible relationship to Bender's father, his uncle Vladimir leaves his riches to his son Tandy and his castle to Bender.
"Bendless Love" offers understanding of Bender's existence prior to "Space Pilot 3000." Bender was developed for a specific use, bending girders, just like other robots are. He moved to New New York and carried on his career following "bending around Europe for a few months." But Bender's guilt for unintentionally building suicide booths resulted in a near-suicide attempt and a meeting with a disoriented Fry that prepared the ground for their explosive relationship.
For Bender, this meeting also signaled a sea change. At the Head Museum, an unintentional electrocution helped him to overcome programming and "bend" anything he wanted. Crucially important for his future, this transformation confirmed Bender's erratic and chaotic character.
Over the years, Bender's beginnings have been subject to many retcons, which have layered complexity into his background. Although at first shown as always having his current appearance, "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" shows his development as a robot. "Lethal Inspection" presents Hermes, a robotics inspector for Mom before to joining Planet Express, highlighting his crucial part in letting Bender flourish despite his flaws.
"The One Amigo" from season 12 explores Bender's mother's background more thoroughly. Her exodus from her family house and her link to an old line of computers add much more information about Bender's background. These retcons illustrate Bender's complicated background and relevance inside Futurama's universe, therefore augmenting his beginnings.