Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Futurama season 11, episode 6!
Futurama season 11 just confirmed a massive Disenchantment theory after five years, finally answering one of the greatest questions about the two shows. Futurama‘s timeline has always been a bit confusing, as the convoluted canon of the beloved sci-fi series has never been exactly fixed. However, there are some details about Futurama‘s lore that have been set in stone for a long time now, with many viewers speculating about the show’s connection to Matt Groening’s other series, Disenchantment. While the two shows already seem to take place in the same universe, Futurama season 11 has just unveiled another major tie between the two popular animated series.
Futurama is finally back, with Matt Groening’s beloved animated series being revived by Hulu for another batch of episodes. This comes more than a decade after Futurama was last taken off the air, meaning that a lot has changed since the Planet Express crew was last seen. Futurama season 11, episode 6, “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” sees Professor Farnsworth travel back in time. While whizzing through the centuries between 1999 and 3023, Disenchantment‘s Princess Bean, Elfo, and Luci can briefly be seen looking into a crystal ball. This cameo was huge news for Disenchantment fans, as it confirms a popular Futurama fan theory.
Futurama Reaffirms That Disenchantment Takes Place In The Same Matt Groening Universe
By having Princess Bean, Elfo, and Luci appear in Futurama season 11, the series has confirmed that both shows take place in the same Matt Groening-shared universe. This has already been hinted at, with the Futurama gang having a prior appearance in Disenchantment. Disenchantment season 1, episode 10 sees several characters viewing the events of the past in a crystal ball. Among the various goings-on of Dreamland, Fry, Bender, and Farnsworth can briefly be seen flying in a time machine. This image is from “The Late Philip J. Fry,” in which the trio goes forward in time, past the end of the universe, and through the birth of another.
This Easter egg already confirmed that Disenchantment and Futurama share a timeline, but due to Futurama going off the air before the fantasy series began, Futurama has never been able to repay the favor. Futurama season 11 finally took the opportunity to reference Matt Groening’s newest show, reaffirming the connection between the two. It has already been confirmed that Futurama and The Simpsons share a universe, and now that Futurama has confirmed its connection to Disenchantment, it’s safe to say that all three Matt Groening shows exist within one cohesive timeline. However, this reference has even greater implications for the universe’s canon.
Futurama Finally Confirms Disenchantment’s Second Middle Ages Timeline Theory
Disenchantment takes place in the fictional world of Dreamland, with the various magical creatures throughout the series making it hard to piece together its position in the Matt Groening shared timeline. However, one popular theory that explains this posits that Disenchantment takes place much closer to Futurama than one may expect. In the Futurama timeline, New York was destroyed in the year 2308, leading to a Second Middle Ages that lasts throughout the 24th century. Futurama presents the Second Middle Ages as an era full of castles, knights, and fantastical creatures, which perfectly fits with the setting of Disenchantment.
Although the years that Disenchantment takes place in have never been confirmed before, Futurama season 11, episode 6’s cameo confirms that the show takes place in the Second Middle Ages. While traveling backward through time, the Disenchantment cameo is seen before Professor Farnsworth reaches the destruction of New York, meaning that it is well after the time period of the real-life Middle Ages. Because of this, it seems clear that Disenchantment takes place not in the past, but in Futurama‘s Second Middle Ages, confirming this years-old timeline fan theory. This confirmation could completely change how fans see Disenchantment‘s fantasy setting.
When Disenchantment Is Set Between The Simpsons & Futurama
Due to the timeline seen in Futurama season 11, it turns out that Disenchantment is actually set between The Simpsons and Futurama. So, here are the time periods that all three shows take place in, explained. The Simpsons is the earliest point in the timeline, with the show typically taking place in its release year. Because of this, The Simpsons is set in the modern era. Futurama, however, takes place 1,000 years later, with season 11 being set in the year 3023. A lot happens in this 1000-year gap, and as it turns out, all of Disenchantment‘s story takes place within this time period as well.
According to the timeline presented in Futurama, the Second Middle Ages spans most of the 24th century, with the destruction of New York City being the event that kicked off the era in 2308. The exact dates of Disenchantment‘s story aren’t known, as Professor Farnsworth’s time machine doesn’t give a precise reading when passing Princess Bean, Elfo, and Luci. However, it is clear that the show takes place within the century. Thus, Disenchantment takes place around 700 years before Futurama and around 300 years after The Simpsons. However, if The Simpsons keeps going at its current pace, that gap might get even smaller.
Futurama Suggests That Bender Caused Disenchantment’s Story
While Futurama‘s timeline placement of Disenchantment already has a major impact on the show, season 11, episode 6 actually goes even further. On top of confirming that it takes place in the Second Middle Ages, Futurama implies that Disenchantment might not have happened if it wasn’t for Bender. As Futurama has already confirmed, it turns out that the destruction of New York was actually caused by a time-traveling Bender, as can be seen while Farnsworth is traveling through time. Since the Second Middle Ages wouldn’t have happened without Bender, Disenchantment wouldn’t have either, making the Futurama character responsible for the series.
Although it’s unlikely that Futurama or Disenchantment will ever address this implication, it is a funny detail to think about. It is possible that Bender could appear in Disenchantment at some point, with season 5 releasing on September 1. Bender already crossed over with Homer Simpson in the Futurama and The Simpsons crossover episode “Simpsorama,” so it would be a treat to pull off the same trick with Disenchantment. Although there are still a lot of questions surrounding Futurama‘s confusing timeline, it’s nice to have this Disenchantment mystery finally cleared up.
New episodes of Futurama release Mondays on Hulu.
