Fox
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon first appeared on “The Simpsons” during the animated series’ inaugural season. As the owner of Springfield’s Kwik-E-Mart, he was part of the show from the beginning and became increasingly prominent over the years. Apu eventually featured in several beloved and highly rewatchable “Simpsons” episodes. Yet his character carried a long-standing problem: his job, the culture-based jokes built around him and the decision to have white actor Hank Azaria provide his voice combined to create a familiar, outdated South Asian caricature.
The controversy surrounding Apu intensified in the late 2010s. By June 2020, the character had largely disappeared from “The Simpsons” as the series moved away from having white actors voice characters of color. Azaria also issued sincere, emotional apologies for playing Apu for so many years. It appeared to mark the end of Apu’s story on the show, with the character effectively retired apart from occasional silent cameos in 2020s episodes such as “Night of the Living Wage.” Then came an unexpected twist: Season 38’s “The Revengening” brought Apu back, this time with a new voice actor.
So how did Apu return, and what does the comeback mean for his future on “The Simpsons”? The answers arrived in one of the show’s most surprising returns of the year.
How did Apu come back?
“The Revengening” is a mostly non-canon Halloween story modeled after “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Like the most violent “Treehouse of Horror” installments, the episode embraces a gruesome premise. Homer, Marge and numerous other Springfield residents discover that a figure dressed as Daft Monk—a monk-themed spin on Daft Punk—has returned for revenge after they all played a role in killing him one Halloween earlier.
The masked figure is eventually revealed to be Apu, now voiced by Sunil Malhotra. Although he seemed certain to die after his body was thrown into the ocean, Apu washes up on an island filled with things Springfield abandoned. Among the debris are relics from earlier “Simpsons” episodes, including Homer’s infamous car, “The Homer,” as well as controversial characters such as Dr. Nick Rivera and Leon Kompowsky.
When Apu finally makes it back home, he realizes that no one remembers him or even noticed that he was gone. He responds by plotting a bloody revenge against Springfield’s residents. As the violence grows increasingly elaborate, however, the entire sequence is revealed to be a dream Apu had while asleep behind the Kwik-E-Mart checkout counter. The episode ends on a warmer note, with Homer inviting Apu to a BYOB Halloween party and insisting that everyone appreciates having him around. A final joke, involving the Daft Monk costume concealed beneath Apu’s counter, reinforces the suggestion that “The Simpsons” has brought him back for good.
Where does Apu go from here?
Fox
“The Simpsons” had previously indicated that it would “definitely” address the controversy surrounding Apu. Nearly a decade later, the show has done so by recasting the character in “The Revengening.” The next question is whether Malhotra’s performance represents a permanent change rather than a one-time experiment. In a Variety report about Apu’s return—and Janina Gavankar’s casting as Manjula, Apu’s significant other—showrunner Matt Selman confirmed that the episode signals the beginning of a new chapter for the character.
“We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons-y’ way that allowed him to evolve,” Selman explained to Variety. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.” Because the show kept Apu’s appearance in “The Revengening” secret before the episode aired, there are no details yet about which upcoming “Simpsons” episodes will include Apu and Manjula. Still, the Halloween story offered a clever, self-aware way to restore Apu to Springfield.
That careful approach was especially important for a character who has been celebrated as one of the 50 greatest “Simpsons” characters while also being criticized as a racist caricature reflecting the limited opportunities historically available to South Asian performers in American culture. Whatever comes next, one point is already clear: Sunil Malhotra sounds entirely at home as the new voice of Apu.