Is Marge Simpson dead in The Simpsons? Season 36 Finale delivers shocking twist

The Simpsons Season 36 finale titled Estranger Things, has stunned by revealing the future death of Marge Simpson, the iconic matriarch of the most famous animated family. The episode skips ahead 35 years, showing Bart and Lisa in their 40s, estranged after their mother’s death—though no details are given about how or when she dies.

Despite the time jump, Marge is confirmed to be dead in this projected timeline, marking the first time a flashforward episode has depicted the permanent loss of a core Simpson family member.

A tearful reunion and one final Itchy & Scratchy

In the future, Bart runs an unlicensed retirement home while Lisa is a successful professional. The episode explores how their relationship has fractured in adulthood, but they reconnect after discovering a posthumous video message from Marge. Her heartfelt plea urges them to look after each other—and their aging father Homer, who is about to be sent to a dystopian nursing facility in Florida that functions more like a prison.

Moved by her words, the siblings reconcile and rescue Homer, ending the episode by bonding once again over an old episode of Itchy & Scratchy—the cartoon that once brought them together as kids.

A classic Simpsons stunt

The emotional twist is the latest in a long line of clever narrative stunts from the long-running series, which has often used flashforwards, dream sequences, and alternate realities to keep things fresh across its three-decade run.

So fans can rest easy—for now. Marge is still very much alive in the present-day continuity, and The Simpsons has already been renewed for a 37th season, airing in late 2025.