The Simpsons have been around for so long, that they’ve been a part of many different facets of pop culture outside of the uber-popular animated series. Characters from the long-running show have actually made a cameo in the DC Comics Universe, which shows that even in a world full of superheroes, The Simpsons exist.
The Simpsons is the longest-running Amerian sitcom in television history, as the show has aired 31 seasons and nearly 700 episodes. The Simpsons are no strangers to making crossovers in the world of Marvel and comics, as a recent episode even featured Kevin Feige voicing Chinnos, a clear parody of the Marvel supervillain Thanos. Bart, Lisa, and Millhouse also showed up in an issue of The Immortal Hulk. However, more than 20 years ago, a few of Bart’s bullies made a cameo in the pages of Young Justice.
Young Justice #3 by Peter David, Todd Nauck, Lary Strucker, Ken Lopez, and Jason Wright, is a Halloween issue that features Robin, Superboy, Impulse and the rest of the superteam throwing a party. The story takes a detour to Chicago, where the Red Tornado is monitoring a girl named Traya, who’s trick-or-treating as a witch. On her way home, Fraya is met by a group of bullies who try to steal her bag of candy. When they get close, she uses her own tornado powers to getaway. While she meets Red Tornado, her supposed dad, in the air, the bullies are left scared. It turns out those bullies are ripped straight out of The Simpsons.
![The Simpsons Is Technically Part Of The DC Universe](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Simpsons-Bullies.jpg)
Those bullies are clearly Dolph, Jimbo Jones, and Kearney. The outfits are a perfect match, as the hats, clothes, and accessories are all practically the same as their The Simpsons counterparts. It’s a fun reference to include by David and Nauck, who could have just made run-of-the-mill bullies. But instead, they included a great easter egg to the classic animated sitcom which adds more character to the moment without being distracting.
The Simpsons, even more than 20 years ago, was extremely influential in the pop culture landscape. It’s no surprise to see the characters (even if it’s just the bullies) show up unofficially in the pages of Young Justice. It’s fair to assume many artists and writers were inspired by the show – so it’s fun to see characters snuck into a few pages, even when it’s as subtle as this.