For the first several seasons of South Park, the series' biggest running gag was Kenny's many deaths and rebirths. Each episode found a new way to kill the young boy in the orange snowsuit, only for him to reappear in the next episode alive and well. While the gag was eventually abandoned, there was no explanation as to what was happening to Kenny for a long time. Eventually, some clarity was provided, and the root of Kenny's immortality was unexpected.
Kenny McCormick made his first appearance in Season 1, Episode 1 at the bus stop alongside Stan, Kyle and Cartman. His continuous deaths started in that same episode and continued through the next few seasons. By the time Season 5, Episode 13 rolled around, the show's creators had obviously and understandably gotten bored of the joke and killed him permanently. That only lasted until Season 6, Episode 17 when Kenny made an inexplicable return.
Since then, Kenny has remained alive. Every once in a while, South Park kills Kenny again for old time's sake. Honestly, the joke is funnier when it doesn't happen constantly. Now, long-time fans are left wondering when Kenny will die and how it will happen. Anything is possible at this point in the series, so Kenny's deaths can get quite creative.
But as the years went on, South Park did little to explain how Kenny came by his powers. Then, Mysterion came along. Many of the kids in town have a superhero alter ego, most of which popped up for the first time in Season 13, Episode 2. In Kenny's case, that secret identity is a popular hero named Mysterion. Cartman has his own identity, The Coon, who is much less beloved and, unsurprisingly, a borderline villain.
The Coon finally went full villain when he partnered up with H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu in Season 14, Episode 11. The unlikely duo spent the next few episodes wreaking havoc together. It was during this arc that it was revealed that Kenny's parents used to attend Cult of Cthulhu meetings. However, they weren't believers. They just went for the free alcohol.
During the episode, it was heavily implied that attending those meetings created a connection between Kenny and Cthulhu. Every time Kenny is killed, his mother almost immediately gives birth to a new infant Kenny who returns to the age and state he died at within hours. What's even worse about this situation is that Kenny is the only person who remembers that he died.
At one point during the battle with Cthulhu, Kenny tries to convince the cosmic creature to kill him. Apparently, the only thing that can kill an immortal is another immortal, or at least that's what Kenny hoped. In the end, the little boy remained immortal. At one point, he even shot himself in the head in front of his friends because he needed a break. They were horrified by this, but they'll never remember it happened.
What this means for Kenny as he grows older is completely unclear. He was a baby at some point and grew to be a nine-year-old boy, so he does age. But he might stop aging once he reaches adulthood and remain that way until he is killed by another immortal. But if the process requires his mother, it's unclear if the phenomenon will continue in some fashion after she eventually passes away. As crazy as it sounds, Kenny might actually be stuck in some kind of Highlander-esque situation.
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