The Horrific Act Futurama Fans Forget Bender Performed As A Parent
It's no secret that Futurama's Bender Bending Rodriguez is one of TV's rudest robots. He's one of New New York's most eminent small-time crooks and aspires to wipe out all of humanity in a bloody, mechanical rage. On top of all that, he's a selfish, womanizing alcoholic — though this isn't entirely a bad thing when you're a robot fueled by alcohol. It's no surprise then that Bender has a long list of sins attributed to his person.
For instance, he once became the pharaoh of an Egyptian-themed alien world. Instead of honoring the last pharaoh's wishes and freeing the slaves, Bender kept them around for his tenure and forced them to build a statue of himself tall enough to reach space. He also once underwent a disingenuous sex-change operation so that he could rig the women's robot Olympics in his favor. However, Bender's worst deed may have been more of a personal offense than something that caused widespread harm. Believe it or not, a violent criminal like Bender doesn't exactly make for the best parent.
Why Bender is Futurama's worst dad
During Futurama's second straight-to-DVD movie, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender finds himself in need of a robot army to help overthrow humanity. So, as anyone would do when they're looking to cut a deal, he paid a visit to the Robot Devil. Ever the craftiest automaton around, the Robot Devil agrees to provide Bender with an army of mechanical demons on one condition — he has to hand over his first-born son.
Bender does not hesitate. He quickly rushes to a picturesque suburban neighborhood where a rotund mini-Bender is seen playing by himself in the front yard. When the young robot spots Bender, he rushes forward eagerly to embrace his long-lost father. The film quickly cuts again to Bender bursting into the Robot Devil's office, delivering his son unto the Robot Devil with a swift drop kick that sends Bender Jr. flying through the window and into a bubbling cauldron of molten lava.
The scene is so grim that even the Robot Devil is surprised by Bender's ruthlessness. Bender replies simply with "no backsies" — just to show how little he really cares. However, Bender is a fluid character despite being made of steel. The poor tale of Bender Jr. isn't Bender's last stint at fatherhood. When it's time for him to play daddy again, he actually shows promise as a parent.
How Bender redeemed himself as Futurama's best dad
In episode 1 of season 7, "The Bots and the Bees," Bender engages in a bittersweet affair with Planet Express' new automatic vending machine, Bev. At first the two seem to hate each other, but that animosity turns to desire after one particularly heated debate. What neither of them expected, however, was that Bev would dispense something other than Slurm soda. Instead of Fry's desired beverage, Bev dispenses a baby robot with a striking resemblance to Bender himself.
The rest of the episode focuses on Bender's relationship with his son, Ben. Bev soon leaves the picture, leaving Bender to raise Ben by himself. Things go well, and as Ben matures, he expresses the wish to be a bender just like his father. Unfortunately, Ben has no talent for bending. He could get a bending chip installed to give him the strength for the task, but unfortunately, he has no remaining expansion slots. This is where Bender shows his true colors as a father.
Knowing that his son wants to be a bender more than anything, Bender agrees to allow Ben to have his memory card replaced by the bending chip. Ben can now bend, but he loses all memories of his life prior, including those regarding his father. Bender is heartbroken at this fact, but permits it simply so that his son can chase his dreams. It's one of the few times Bender makes a genuine sacrifice for the betterment of others.