Futurama’srobotic version of Santa Claus is one of the show’s most dangerous (and ridiculous) powerhouses. Within the world ofFuturama, things have changed drastically by the time of the 31st century. That inherent culture shock for the displaced 20th century slacker Phillip J. Fry serves as a lot of the comedy baked intoFuturama, especially as it compares and contrasts that bizarre future with the standard tropes of the present-day.
One of the most surprising of these turns was introduced in season 2 with the introduction of Robot Santa. Instead of being a jovial figure like most portrayals of the character across fiction, this version of Santa is a ruthless murderer who has transformed theXmas holiday into a time of fear forFuturama’s citizens. The powers behind Robot Santa make him surprisingly dangerous, even compared to the other threats of the 31st century. Notably,Futuramahas revealed more about the origins of Robot Santaand how it plays into the show’s approach to sci-fi tropes like time-travel induced time-loops.
Futurama’s Robot Santa, Explained
Robot Santa Has Been A Consistent Minor Character InFutuamaSince Season 2
Robot Santa is one of the biggest reoccurring threats inFuturama, serving as a comically durable villain with a surprisingly tragic sci-fi origin. Robot Santa was introduced in season 2’s “Xmas Story,” which reveals all the ways the holiday season has evolved and changed in the thousand years Fry has been cryogenically frozen. This includes a robotic version of Santa that malfunctioned and decided that almost everyone on Earth was “naughty.” Instead of simply giving them coal, thisRobot Santa committed to punishing the naughty through brutal and often lethal methods. Robot Santa typically only appears in holiday episodes ofFuturama.
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However, Robot Santa also played a role in one of the show’s biggest storylines, season 6’s “Bender’s Big Score.” Robot Santa is a nigh-unstoppable force, who is revealed to have been specifically constructed to overcome common robotic weaknesses like logic loops. His various weapons and surveillance tools make him a massive threat.The only limit to Robot Santa seems to be the Xmas holiday, as Robot Santa only comes to Earth on that night and departs back to his workshop on Neptune afterward. Robot Santa is one of the show’s many villains, although he only appears in certain episodes.
Robot Santa’s Origins In Futurama
Season 11 Remixed The Backstory Of Robot Santa
Episodes like “X-Mas Story” and season 11’s “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” delved into the origins of Robot Santa. The android was constructed by Mom’s Friendly Robot Factory, giving Robot Santa’s annual rampages an inherent connection toFuturama’s largest overarching villain, Mom.The robot was constructed in the year 2801and programmed to judge people on their morality. For two centuries, the citizens of Earth believed it was a malfunction that resulted in Robot Santa’s transformation into a threat, as his sensors about naughty and nice had been amplified somehow.
However, “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” revealed that a time-traveling Professor Farnsworth, in a doomed effort to undo the threat posed by Robot Santa,accidentally set Robot Santa’s standards about morality way too high. This is one of the many examples ofFuturama’s version of time-travel, which relies on time-loops to remove paradoxes at the risk of otherwise destroying the universe. The result was the deadly Robot Santa, who retreated to his death fortress on Neptune. Robot Santa even has “elves,” albeit the natural inhabitants of Neptune who have been enslaved by the murderous robot.
Who Voices Robot Santa
John Goodman Played Robot Santa Once, But Was Replcaded After That
When he first appeared,Robot Santa was initially played by John Goodman. Goodman brought a fun subversive take on the classic holiday archetype toFuturama, with his iconic “Ho Ho Ho” turning deadly mid-laugh. It’s a great little performance by Goodman, who has always been a terrific voice actor. However, according to the audio commentary included for “A Tale of Two Santas” onFuturama: The Complete Third Season, Goodman’s busy schedule meant he was unavailable to reprise the role in season 3.
“A Tale Of Two Santas” also features another brief recasting. The Robot Devil, usually played by Dan Castellaneta, was played by Maurice LaMarche in the season 3 episode. While Castellaneta eventually returned for future appearances of the Robot Devil, Goodman has not reprised his role as Robot Santa.
This led to the character being recast for his second appearance. Series regular John DiMaggio, who plays Bender as well as several other minor characters, took over the role. DiMaggio did a great job taking over the part, keeping it consistent with the version crafted by Goodman but adding his own specific touches to the character.DiMaggio has played Robot Santa ever since, although the character has only appeared a few times over the series as a whole.
Every Appearance Of Robot Santa In Futurama
Robot Santa Primarily Appears In Holiday Episodes
So far,Robot Santa has played a prominent role in five episodes ofFuturama. Season 2’s “Xmas Story” introduced the character and established how dangerous he was within a world of other lethal robots. “Xmas Story” showcased how the character’s morality worked and how characters could circumvent his attacks (all while quietly setting the stage for the Fry and Leela love story to grow intoFuturama’s primary romantic subplot). Season 3’s “A Tale Of Two Santas” brought the character back and gave him an unexpected comrodiery with Bender, all while expanding the lore surrounding the character.
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Robot Santa was one of the various characters targeted in season 6’s “Bender’s Big Score,“leading the villainous robot to make a short-lived alliance with the people of Earthso they could bring down the scammers. This subplot even established a larger pantheon of holiday characters within the universe ofFuturama. Since then, Robot Santa has appeared in thenon-canonicalFuturamaanthology episode"The Futurama Holiday Spectacular” during season 7. More recently, the time-hopping season 11 episode “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” revealed the true scope of his origins.
Robot Santa Set Up Futurama’s Pantheon Of Holiday Characters
Robot Santa’s Holiday Friends Should Return In NewFuturamaSeasons
Robot Santa’s introduction inFuturamaset the stage for other bizarre holiday characters, establishing an unseen world of new potential characters withinFuturama. “A Tale Of Two Santas” introduced Kwanza-Bot as a direct parallel to Robot Santa, seemingly constructed over 600 years ago as a means of spreading information about Kwanza. Played by the legendary hip-hop star Coolio,Kwanza-Bot may have even helped inspire the construction of Robot Santa, as he actually predates his more famous and deadly counterpart by centuries.
Robot Santa is one of the many bizarre elements ofFuturama’s world that has only grown more expansive and compelling over time, and he (along with other holiday creations) should return in the animated sci-fi’s future seasons.
Another holiday themed character introduced through Robot Santa is the Chanukah Zombie. Voiced by Mark Hamill, the Chanukah Zombie is themed around the Jewish holiday he shares a name with, and seems to opperate within the same circle as the other two. Alongside Robot Santa,Kwanza-Bot and Chanukah Zombie take part in the climactic battle of “Bender’s Big Score.“Robot Santa is one of the many bizarre elements ofFuturama’s world that has only grown more expansive and compelling over time, and he (along with other holiday creations) should return in the animated sci-fi’s future seasons.
Futurama
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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.
