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The Devils I Know - Number 31

Welcome to “The Devils I Know!” For this spooky time of year, from now till Halloween, I’ll be counting down My Top 31 Depictions of the Devil, from movies, television, video games, and more! Today’s Devil is a real Metal-head. Number 31 is…Beelzebot, a.k.a. The Robot Devil, from Futurama.

“Futurama,” I must admit, isn’t a show I’m mega familiar with. In fact, full confession time…I actually don’t usually watch a lot of adult cartoons. Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, Robot Chicken, South Park…I’ve seen bits and pieces of all of them, but I’ve never really been that into such programs. I don’t really know why: it’s not the humor, I don’t think, because I’ve definitely gotten a giggle out of various stuff from all of them. But for some reason, I’ve just never cared about any of them enough to give them a thorough look. “Futurama” is no exception…but it’s one I’ve come the CLOSEST to liking a whole lot. In fact, alongside “The Simpsons,” it’s the only animated show of this variety I’ve ever watched full episodes of, and many of the episodes I’ve looked at are the ones featuring this character.

The Robot Devil (voiced by Homer Simpson himself, Dan Castellaneta, with one episode’s exception) is one of two examples on this countdown of a character who isn’t necessarily THE Devil, de-facto and straight on, and more a Devil for a specific group. (Technically three characters, if you count Lucia from the Honorable Mentions yesterday.) Beelzebot is a robotic demon who commands Robot Hell, which is…exactly what it sounds like. Robot Hell, incidentally, is accessed via a creepy old abandoned amusement park in New Jersey…because of course it is. Beelzebot is a recurring antagonist in the show; he seems to be the secondary villain, after the perennial pain known as “Mom,” and he’s definitely one of my favorite characters in the program. Flamboyant, theatrical, and often childish, he is nevertheless a cunning and ruthless trickster: by his own admission, the only character who could rival him on the evil scale, at least among robots, is probably Bender. (No surprise there.) I love all the references to other Devils throughout this character’s run. Not only is his appearance obviously modeled after the stereotypical Devil we all see around Halloween, and not only does he have a crafty personality befitting the master of evil, but even just little quirks about him are directly influenced by other Devil-related pieces. His love of opera is a reference to the MANY operatic versions of Faust; his love of playing the fiddle (which is made of gold) is a reference to the song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia;” the list goes on. There’s really not much more to say about this one: the Robot Devil is just a fun and funny take on the idea, and definitely earns some kudos in the Top 31.  

Tomorrow, the countdown officially continues with Number 30! HINT: She’s one bad kitty.