The following consists of spoilers for South Park: The End of Obesity, now streaming on Paramount+

South Park has been steadily developing up Eric Cartman towards a tragic fate that was initial teased more than twenty years ago — and specials like South Park: The End of Obesity highlight how it really is turn out to be inevitable. One of South Park‘s central characters and arguably 1 of the show’s most iconic additions to modern day pop culture, Eric Cartman is 1 of animation’s most vindictive characters. A tiny boy with a vicious streak, numerous of episodes across South Park‘s lengthy 27 season-lengthy run have focused on regardless of whether or not Cartman had any hope to transform and develop as a particular person.

While some storylines have shown Cartman empathizing with other individuals or gaining short flashes of understanding for other individuals, these are generally quick-lived bursts of emotion that do not carry more than into subsequent episodes. It enables the series creatives, like South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to use Cartman as an eternal satirical punching bag. This appears to be steadily pushing Cartman to a precise fate inside the planet of South Park such as in the ending of The End of Obesity, and it really is quite equivalent to the ending for the character that was initially teased twenty seasons ago.

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Cartman’s Modern Choices Are Dooming Him To A Tragic Future

Eric Cartman’s choices in stories like South Park: The End of Obesity highlight his resistance to development, which other episodes have revealed will at some point doom him to a tragic fate. One of the core elements of The End of Obesity is Cartman seemingly coming to terms with his obesity and deciding to do some thing about it. This stems from his belief that he can not be overweight and then mock other individuals for their physical flaws. This prompts the other boys to attempt and assistance Cartman obtain medicine to combat weight acquire, only to be stopped by the insurance coverage and sugar organizations.

While most of the boys determine they really should refrain from mocking obese individuals for their weight out of genuine empathy, Cartman interprets that as carte blanche to mock other individuals regardless of his weight. Ignoring the lesson of the episode, Cartman lashes out at everybody and ends the particular much more or significantly less delighted but isolated from everybody else in his orbit. It’s constant with Cartman’s characterization across the course of South Park, whose short flashes of character transform for Cartman are generally subverted in brutal approaches. However, this is all developing to a genuinely tragic fate for Cartman, which has been teased out in numerous episodes.

South Park Has Already Confirmed Cartman’s Fate

Despite his genuinely impressive intellect and craftiness, Cartman’s possible has been doomed due to the fact the early seasons of South Park. The season 6 episode “My Future Self ‘n Me” revealed that Cartman could develop up to be a wealthy, thriving company owner. However, Cartman’s suspicious nature leads him to double down on his terrible behavior, top his future self to transform into an overweight and bitter mechanic. While it was largely played for laughs in season 6, the two-element Paramount+ South Park: Post COVID specials produced it tragic by revealing that Cartman could come across peace. Converting to Judaism in adulthood could lead him to turn out to be a neighborhood leader, come across a wife, and have young children.

However, that version of Cartman was eventually erased when they went back in time to reintroduce empathy to the town of South Park. While everybody else in town got a improved life as a outcome of the transform, the Cartman of this new timeline apparently in no way got more than his worst qualities and eventually became unemployed, bitter, and alone. The ending of the particular and the subsequent episodes have underscored this possible future by displaying characters who Cartman had previously beaten down like his personal mother or Butters providing up on him, suggesting Cartman is heading straight to that tragic fate.

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Is There Any Hope For Cartman’s Redemption?

Cartman’s actions more than the course of South Park have steadily transformed the character into 1 of animation’s most vicious figures. He’s killed thousands more than the years, each straight and indirectly. His failings are utilized as a essential element of South Park‘s strategy to satire, with Cartman’s involvement generally applied as shorthand for what ever societal element the show is mocking in any provided episode. While some storylines have hinted at his possible redemption, it really is generally for his personal selfish targets or self-preservation as an alternative of stemming from any genuine want to develop as a particular person.

This plays into some of the underlying themes of the show, which includes Cartman facing consequences for his actions. While Cartman may perhaps win minor victories more than other individuals in the town of South Park, most of his plots are undone and his schemes just as generally blow up in his face. Cartman is South Park‘s most constant supply of vindictive humor, but he’s also the target of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s views on societal ills. As a outcome, it appears not possible that South Park will ever completely redeem Eric Cartman in a meaningful way.

South Park

Beginning in 1997, South Park has turn out to be 1 of the most thriving and common adult animations ever. The 5-time Emmy-winning series follows Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, as they come across themselves in unbelievable scenarios in South Park, Colorado, when attempting to navigate the planet as fourth graders.

Cast

Trey Parker , Matt Stone

Release Date

August 13, 1997

Seasons

26

Franchise(s)

South Park

Writers

Trey Parker

Directors

Trey Parker

Showrunner

Trey Parker

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