South Park Theory: Cartman's V-Chip Will Come Back And Save The Day
Since "South Park" has been on the air for 26 seasons as of this writing, there's plenty of lore to be mined from the long-running animated comedy. With a show that features a festive talking piece of poop and an anthropomorphic towel that enjoys getting high from time to time, it's easy to think that anything is possible in the fictional Colorado town. Die-hard fans of the show have stuck with it over the last two-plus decades, and they never forget when something canonically happens in the series. One fan thinks one such storyline will come back and save the day when "South Park" reaches its natural end.
In 1999's "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut," the feature film adaptation of the show, Eric Cartman had a chip implanted in him that gave him a shock every time he said a curse word. The chip was called the V-Chip, and the parents of the town really got behind the product. In a satirical analogy with what the MPAA at the time decided to censor in film, Cartman was stopped from swearing until the chip malfunctioned. When it did, every time he swore, he was able to send an electric shock out of his hands. That's how he eventually defeated Satan and saved the world.
The V-Chip was never said to have been fully removed from Cartman and the power it can wield has popped up a couple of times in "South Park" lore. One Reddit user, u/eatsik, provided several examples of when the V-Chip and its powers have shown up after the movie in the show's canon. Beyond that, the user thinks that the V-Chip will come into play with whatever the show's final battle will be.
The V-Chip pops up in video games and in later episodes
In the aforementioned Reddit thread, u/eatsik proposed a theory about the V-Chip implanted in Eric Cartman in "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut." They said that the V-Chip appears in several projects that are based on the popular animated series. The first example they cite is the canceled but not forgotten N64 and Xbox game based on the show. This clip from the game directly mentions the V-Chip and shows Cartman expelling electricity. The Reddit poster thought that this game explained that the V-Chip can be re-awakened with a strong shock current.
Next, the Reddit user mentioned the "Tsst" episode from Season 10 where the V-Chip powers re-appear in the show. The 2006 episode, which spoofs Cesar Millan and his patented way of training dogs, found Cartman being treated with the same disciple techniques. After being pushed to finally realize the entire world doesn't revolve around him, Cartman battles an evil version and an angelic version of himself within him that argue about killing his mom. The back-and-forth internal tug-of-war apparently triggered the V-Chip to spark up yet again.
A commenter on the thread, u/jd17atm, seconded the thread creator's theory with an example from the "Safe Space" episode from Season 19 of the show. The 2015 episode features a musical number in which Cartman is faced by the episode's villain, Reality, when singing about no one being able to hurt him in his safe space. When Cartman stands up to Reality, he electric shocks Broadway musical-style outfits on the other singers participating in the song. While it isn't brought on by swearing, the audience actually does see a static current coming out of Cartman's hands. This surely is no coincidence.
Since Cartman is still aware of the V-Chip, he may use it to save the day yet again
Finally, u/eatsik mentioned in the Reddit thread that the "South Park: The Stick of Truth" video game in which Cartman is able to swear and then shock his enemies using his V-Chip powers. The user credits either a toxic spill in the game or the fact that Cartman is roleplaying to be the trigger that sets off the Chip. If it's roleplaying, the user admits, this may not count toward his theory, but it does point to how the minds behind "South Park" have not forgotten about the device. Therefore, it could come into play one more time before the show's end.
The user concluded his theory by saying that he thought the V-Chip will come back at the end of the series' run. They think Cartman will save the world from some cataclysmic event as he fights against it. The show and video games point to the fact that Cartman still knows how to use the V-Chip, so it may be up to him to save the world once again.