Summary
Futuramaseason 12, episode 5 just brought back a classic character for the revival who has been around since the show’s pilot, and it is a chilling reminder of the darkest cut storyline. The world ofFuturamafamously has a surprising amount of lore, with the franchise’s worldbuilding meaning that there are a lot of background details that most fans may have missed. Onecharacter within the world ofFuturamais a reminder of this more than anyone else, and while his big storyline may have been cut, he still highlights some dark secrets about the 31st Century ofFuturama.
Futuramaseason 12, episode 5 finally gives Leela her own episode, fixing a problem that some series fans have had with the revival. The episode sees Leela decide to get her own friend group after constantly being left out by the men of thePlanet Express crew. Meanwhile, the aforementioned men head to a doomed music festival that is a parody of the real-life Fyre Fest, with many ofFuturama’s most beloved side characters attending the festival. One of these characters, however, highlights a cut storyline that would have made the world ofFuturamaso much darker.
The Number 9 Man From Futurama Was One Of The Show’s Biggest Mysteries For 10 Years
His Background Activities Raised A Lot Of Questions
The Number 9 Man finally returns inFuturamaseason 12, episode 5, with him being one of the attendees at the music festival. While the Number 9 Man may now not seem like anything more than one of the many background characters who populate the world ofFuturama, he was actually one of the show’s biggest mysteries for the first 10 years. The writers ofFuturamahad big plans for the Number 9 Man, and while his story wasn’t meant to be revealed until later, the crew sprinkled him throughout the show’s early episodes in order to tease this future storyline.
The mysterious background activities of the Number 9 Man were noticed by many fans, leading to a lot of theories centering on the character. Due to how intricate the world ofFuturamais, many viewers knew that this character had to mean something, with the large number nine on his chest being the main subject of theorization. The seemingly crazed homeless man was clearly in on a conspiracy that the audience wasn’t aware of yet, and the original cut plans for this character were so much darker than fans could have thought.
However, these plans were cut before the show produced this story, meaning that audiences had to wait even longer until the Number 9 Man’s big mystery was resolved. Luckily, it finally happened a decade after his first appearance in theFuturamapilot, with him finally playing a big role in theFuturamamovieInto the Wild Green Yonder.
Futurama Finally Calls Out The Show’s Worst Curse That Began 21 Years Ago
Futurama’s opening subtitle gag just called out the show’s most unfortunate trend, directly addressing one of the biggest problems it has faced.
Futurama’s Number 9 Man Was Meant To Be Part Of A Dark Caste System (But It Was Cut)
His Story Was Never Revealed
As it turns out,the nine on the Number 9 Man’s shirt was supposed to be part of a dark caste system that existed in the world ofFuturama, but it was cut before the show actually revealed it. As has been explained by theFuturamateam, Fry would eventually discover that the 31st century had implemented a harsh caste system in which everyone was assigned a number. The higher numbers would have been treated as if they were royalty, while the lower numbers, as seen on the Number 9 Man, were undesirables who would wander the streets.
For unknown reasons, theFuturamateam decided to cut this storyline, entirely removing it from the show. Despite this, they decided to keep the Number 9 Man inFuturama, regularly using him throughout the show’s original run. The constant use of the Number 9 Man without any hints at the cut caste system is what made him so mysterious in the show’s early days. While it is possible that this caste system could have madeFuturamatoo dark or too complicated, it is strange that they decided to use the Number 9 Man without his original storyline.
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Season 1 of Futurama has some missing elements and rough edges that make it hard to return to after the heights of the show’s later seasons.
Number 9 Man’s Story Was Retconned For The Futurama Movie
“Into The Wild Green Yonder”
Although the Number 9 Man’s original story was cut fromFuturama, he was brought back in a big way for theFuturamamovieInto the Wild Green Yonder. In the film, Fry is knocked out and brought to a mysterious underground society that is run by the Number 9 Man, now sporting a tinfoil hat.It is explained that the Number 9 Man is part of a large group of psychics that populate New New York, with them always scouting for new members. This explains why he is always wandering the world ofFuturama, retconning his original storyline.
In the movie, is is explained that the Number 9 Man has coordinated all of these psychics for a big reason: saving the universe. The Number 9 man explains the concept of the universal energy known as Chi to Fry, with him then sending Fry on a mission to stopFuturama’s wealthy businessman Leo Wongfrom setting off a chain of events that will lead to total destruction. So, while the Number 9 Man is still part of a massive conspiracy that influences all of society, this storyline is far less dark than the caste system that the show had originally planned.
All 26 Futurama Side Characters Who Return In Season 12’s Squid Game Parody (& What Happens To Them)
Futurama season 12 just brought back most of its most famous side characters for a Squid Game parody, and here is everyone who appears.
Hulu’s Futurama Revival Finally Pays Off Matt Groening’s Hidden Number 9 Man Gag
Finally Connecting Him To Music
Although the Number 9 Man’s original story has never come back into play,Futuramacreator Matt Groening also hid another joke involving the character, with this gag not being paid off until season 12. As it turns out, the Number 9 Man’s design is actually a hidden musical reference. The conspiratorial character’snumber nine on his white robe is actually a reference to The Beatles track “Number 9 / Turn Me On Dead Man” from the White Album, a track that caused a lot of mystery within The Beatles fandom.
While the Number 9 Man’s musical origins were never referenced within the show, the decision to have him be a prominent attendee at a music festival in season 12 does bring the character back to his roots. Although it doesn’t directly reference The Beatles, the acknowledgement of the character’s musical origins is a fun way to nod at Groening’s original gag with thisFuturamacharacter.
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
