Futurama: Aliens or Mutants?

Happy Friday, Fanaticals! We are almost through Futurama week! Today we are going to break some thoughts about the so-called “aliens” of the show. While a lot of our favourite friends are, in fact, aliens there are some that leave it open for question. Not only that, but the reproduction of a certain species of alien leave questions as well. Let’s take a quick look into some of those questions, and see if we can’t deduce some answers ourselves!

Is Morvo an Alien or Mutant?

Morvo, the adoreably hateful news anchor, is very adamant that he is an alien species; something we do see every now and then when you see others that look exactly like him. However, how true is the whole “alien” label? Is his species really full alien, or are they only part? Maybe their planet has made them all mutants but we see them as an alien species? Now, for how this question came about, we take a look at the newest season of the series.

In the newest season, they-like many other shows-have their own COVID episode. However, they have a “ew” strand come out that they call the “Mutant COVID” that supposedly only mutants get, until suddenly it seems like everyone has it. However, while reporting with Linda on the Mutant COVID, Morvo shows signs no symptoms of having it and that is before you even see Leela come back from her parent’’s while showing signs as well.

So, the question surrounding Morvo: is he really full alien, or part mutant? Or maybe the “Mutant COVID” actually affects aliens too? However, if it affected aliens too the wouldn’t Kif potentially caught it before it spread also? This brings a lot of questions to Morvo’s species.

Zoidberg's Parents

Poor Zoidberg, losing the girl he had a crush on for years to Fry first, and then the “king” of his species; but his first real loss was his parents. Back in Season 2, Zoidberg gets a bit crazy only for us to find out that he is, for lack of better comparison, in “heat”. When the crew takes him back to his home planet for mating season, he is rejected even worse than how they reject him on Earth. However, at the end after he and Fry are fighting in the arena, everyone disappears. It is only when the entire crew is leaving that you discover the horrible secret of his species: you either mate and die, and stay celibate and live a long life. This opens up so many questions about how his planet’s family dynamic is.

Later in the show, he writes to his Uncle, who is a big name in Hollywood. It’s here that we find out that he was raised by a woman and two men according to his letter. Often, you hear Zoidberg talk about his “mother”, but it’s hard to imagine him actually having a mother if it’s fate that you die once you mate. So now we are left with the bigger question of who actually RAISED Zoidberg? Was it a sibling of his actual parents? Was his “uncle” another sibling?

In Episode 7 of Season 5, we watch as the crew de-ages until thy find the Fountain of Aging in the end. We literally watch them all age backwards, and at one point we even see Zoidberg as he, himself, houses his own siblings on his body. Zoidberg’s speccies definitely has a lot of questions that are confusing, and hard to answer. I believe the biggest questions surround who actually raises the “children” that come about from the mating season.

Obviously, there are many who choose to remain celibate as you see them in and out throughout the series, including during the Earth Day episode when Zoidberg eats the flag as “freedom of speech”. This theory has a lot of open-ended questions, and leaves a lot of room for more theories and discussion.

What are YOUR theories over these? Is Morvo really an alien? Who are the three that raised Zoidberg and how do they relate to his actual parents? Come join our community, and talk about it! I, personally, would love to hear what your think about these questions! Join me tomorrow for our final Futurama post, as we dive further into the descrepancies of the show. Until then, keep on theorizing and come share your theories with us!