South Park Theory: The Boys Represent The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse
"South Park" has been on television for decades at this point, and it shows little sign of disappearing any time soon. Fans love it, and the minds behind it are still hard at work on new episodes, so expect it to continue for many more years to come. At the same time, we can also likely expect the ever-growing "South Park" fanbase to continue cooking up intriguing theories about their favorite adult animated series. One of the most fascinating of the bunch posits that the main cast represents the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
This theory was brought up by Reddit user u/Entinu, who equates each of the four main characters to one of the Four Horsemen. Eric Cartman (Trey Parker) is Conquest given his desire to assert control over all, Kyle Broflovski (Matt Stone) fits War considering his constant battles with Cartman, Kenny McCormick (Stone) is Death since he dies all the time, leaving Stan Marsh (Parker) to be either Famine or Chaos. It's not a perfect theory, but if nothing else, it's certainly an interesting way to look at these long-established characters.
As it turns out, this idea isn't limited to u/Entinu's comment. "South Park" fans have discussed what the core four characters represent for some time now, generating new theories and altering this one.
South Park fans have different takes on what the core four represent
Years after Redditor u/Entinu mentioned the Four Horsemen-"South Park" theory online, another Reddit user, u/FishButMoreHuman, came by to put their own spin on it. Cartman remains Conquest, but this time around, Kyle stands for Famine due to the moral starvation he feels while living in South Park, Stan is Death since he always announces Kenny's deaths, making Kenny himself Famine due to his low-income living situation. This version of the theory also points to the boys as the reason why apocalyptic events take place in their town, and it explains their connections to supernatural entities and high-ranking government officials.
Meanwhile, other "South Park" viewers have presented ideas of their own for what the "South Park" gang represents. A fun one was posted by u/PirriP on Reddit, which theorizes that Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Kenny can each stand for one of the four Hogwarts houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw — from the "Harry Potter" series. Stan is Hufflepuff due to his comparatively nice demeanor, Cartman is Slytherin because he's a master manipulator, Kyle's introspection makes him a Ravenclaw, and Kenny's adventurous spirit puts him in Gryffindor.
So, will Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny usher in the end of days, or will they enroll in a magical wizard school? Probably neither, but it's still fun to imagine how they'd fit into such contexts.