John Frink. Hubert Farnsworth. Both of Matt Groening’s animated shows have given us a classic mad scientist character. But who’s the champion? Which Mad Professor can out-invent the other? Let’s compare the two, and see if we can’t come to a definitive conclusion on that front.
Origin Story
Both of these men struggled with difficult childhoods. In the Treehouse Of Horror segment “Frinkenstein,” we find out that Frink had a difficult relationship with his father (played by Jerry Lewis, appropriately), who was disappointed that his son had ended up being the nerdy kind of scientist and not a macho type like himself. Of course, one could argue that Treehouse Of Horror segments don’t qualify as “canon,” but since it’s the only insight we have into Frink’s upbringing, it will have to do.
But whatever issues Frink had growing up, they pale in comparison to what Farnsworth dealt with. A tormented genius who had an inordinate amount of talent but lacked the maturity to handle it, Farnsworth actually spent 25 years in a mental institution (“it felt like a minute compared to grad school!”). When he was released, he began a prolific career as an inventor and a university professor, but he certainly dealt with a lot to get there. Frink’s childhood was difficult, but Farnsworth definitely overcame more to get to where he was.
Winner: Professor Farnsworth
Whose Inventions Are Actually Useful?
Let’s take a look at some of the creations our pair of scientists has actually thought of. You can find all of Frink’s creations here, while every invention of the Futurama universe can be found here. Not all of them are Farnsworth’s, but most of them are.
Frink’s most impressive invention likely came in the episode “Future-Drama,” in which he perfected the science of astrology, which apparently is a science in the Simpsons universe. As a result of this, he is able to invent a machine that can broadcast exactly what will happen in the future, including the precise moment that Lisa gives in and starts dating Milhouse.
If inventions from “Treehouse Of Horror” episodes are allowed, we can count the De-bigulator, something that a version of Frink who exists only in Lisa’s tiny universe creates in order to shrink Lisa down to their size. Then again, is that even the real Frink? Or just a tiny man who happens to look and sound like him? And either way, why couldn’t he develop a Re-bigulator, so that Lisa might have actually helped?
A lot of Frink’s inventions seem cool at first, but have devastating effects. In “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dime,” he develops a remote-controlled airplane that his son flies in, but that ends up with the kid flying out of the building and disappearing (“my wife’s going to kill me!”). Likewise, his invention of a mobile house in “Homer The Vigilante” seems impressive, until we find out that the actual people in the house will burn up in seconds (but not quite as fast as in the prototype). Still, the flying motorcycle from “Lemon of Troy” is pretty impressive. Frink’s ideas rarely pan out, but when they do they’re pretty stunning.
It almost seems unfair to compare him to Farsnworth here, since the latter has the luxury of working 1000 years in the future, where the technology has advanced considerably. I mean, could you imagine something as glorious as the Fing-longer existing in 2015? I think not.
Farnsworth’s “What-If” machine is particularly impressive, essentially going one step further than Frink’s perfection of astrology. Whereas Frink’s invention strictly shows you what will happen in the future, Farnsworth’s creation allows you to play out any scenario you want. It can be something simple, like “what if Leela were impulsive?” or something more complex like imagining the world as a video game.
While Farnsworth’s death clock may not have gone over well with the other scientists (“Wernstrom!”), it’s actually nothing short of miraculous. If the technology is accurate, Farnsworth actually found a way to measure exactly how long someone has to live. The science behind that would seem incomprehensible. Then, there’s the Smelloscope, which gave us the ability to smell objects from all around the galaxy (“if a bear craps anywhere in the universe, you can bet I won’t be out of the loop!”). Not only is the technology impressive here, but it also saves New New York from being destroyed by 20th century garbage.
This is a difficult battle. On the surface, Farnsworth’s creations are more impressive, but Frink — with only 21st century technology at his disposal — does more with less. When you factor in the degree of difficulty, he’s the clear victor.
Winner: Professor Frink
Who’s The Madder Scientist?
Frink has the wackier catchphrase, with his flailing, “OH GLAYVIN DON’T HURT A PERSON WITH THE THING!”, but Farnsworth is clearly the bigger lunatic. After all, he was willing to give Hermes a robot brain, and essentially turn him into a cyborg capable of destroying the world. He also messes with Bender’s mind by planting his free will chip in a Bender action figure. Frink seems crazy, but Farnsworth is a truly a mad man.
Winner: Professor Farnsworth
Conclusion
Hey look, we’ve got two great mad scientists on our hands here, and there are no true losers, but I’ll give a slight edge to Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Frink gets credit for the things he is able to invent with lesser technology at his disposal, but Farnsworth is a mad scientist extraordinaire. What would be truly interesting is to see what they could create if they worked together. We’ve already seen one crossover between the Simpsons and Futurama universes, now let’s see what Frink and Farnsworth might come up with if they worked together. It would likely be an unholy creation beyond our worst nightmares.
