Springfield Assemble! The Simpsons' new short The Good, The Bart and the Loki is out now on Disney+ and parodies Marvel Studios' titular God of Mischief. Following the Star Wars parody, The Force Awakens From Its Nap, The Simpsons' next target for satire is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And with Springfield's deep roster of supporting characters to pull from, the writers had no shortage of beloved locals to recreate Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Tom Hiddleston expertly reprises his role as Thor's ne'er-do-well half-brother. For crimes against Asgard, Loki is banished to Springfield where he runs into Bart Simpson and family. The God of Mischief vanishes Lisa to Asgard who lifts Mjolnir and transforms into Thor, foreshadowing the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Lisa flies back home to confront Loki using her newly gifted abilities and brings the Springfield Avengers along with her -- a clear homage to the portals sequence from Avengers: Endgame. Considering the sheer number of characters on screen, it's worth examining a proverbial who's who of The Simpsons' biggest oddballs.
Beginning with the Phase 1 Avengers, Barney Gumble flies in as Iron Man, belching all the way and busting out of his mechanical suit due to his massive gut. The gun-toting Herman Hermann is an odd choice to play Captain America, brandishing a less than impressive garbage can for a shield. Hapless Ralph Wiggum, who managed to split his pants in a brand new way, is the Incredible Hulk. At the end of the short, Ralph-Hulk tosses Loki like a rag doll as previously seen in 2012's The Avengers. Millhouse plays Hawkeye, which is funny considering his terrible eyesight, and Agnes Skinner plays his Budapest partner, Black Widow. Rounding out the original team, Homer's co-worker Carl Carlson plays the role of leader as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury.
As for the newer heroes, Comic Book Guy finally gets in on the superhero action portraying Quicksilver -- specifically Aaron Taylor Johnson's Avengers: Age of Ultron rendition of the speedster. Bartender Moe Szyslak plays the Mind Stone incarnate, Vision. Marge's cantankerous twin sisters Patty and Selma play Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness, respectively, which is beyond perfect. Ned Flanders strikes his iconic, sexy ski pose as Ant-Man and Rainier Wolfcastle plays his muscle-bound counterpart, Giant Man.
Dr. Hibbert portrays Falcon, and Helen Lovejoy plays Captain Marvel. The unlicensed quack Dr. Nick is this team's Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange, an unequivocal disaster in the making. Lisa's second grade teacher Ms. Hoover is She-Hulk. And though it's hard to tell, it appears that the female Homer Simpson, Mindy Simmons might be Rescue. Hans Moleman fittingly plays... Mole Man, the Fantastic Four villain who ironically hasn't made an MCU appearance yet.
Maggie breaks with the theme and plays Tinker Bell for some reason. All in all, the Springfield Avengers are of no real help, causing Lisa as Thor to take care of her devilish half-sibling herself.
In addition to the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy get their due as well. Trusty canine Santa's Little Helper is Rocket Raccoon, and the family tree house has turned sentient in order to play Groot. Marge wears her hair down to play Gamora and Homer wields dual-blades as Drax the Destroyer. Later art in the episode also depicts Comic Book Guy as the Mad Titan, Thanos. And right before the post-credits stinger, Maggie watches Kirk and Luann Van Houten re-enact Wanda and Vision's magic show from WandaVision.
The Good, The Bart and The Loki pays a loving tribute to the Marvel Comics lineage in such a brief amount of time, utilizing numerous characters at their disposal as well as Alan Silvestri's unforgettable Avengers theme. Having the short coincide with the multiverse-jumping Loki (with Tom Hiddleston's voice for added effect) was a stroke of brilliance that is to be expected from the long-running animation titan. Following the parody of Star Wars, and now Marvel, it is exciting to see what beloved property The Simpsons will take on next.
The Good, The Bart, and The Loki is available on Disney+.
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