Excellent... For this list, we’ll be looking at the absolute worst atrocities that Mr. Burns has committed throughout the entire run of “The Simpsons.”
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00:00 "Release the hound."
00:01 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 worst things Mr.
00:07 Burns has done. "And if the rest of you beer-swilling tube jockeys out there
00:11 have a problem with this, talk to Homer Simpson."
00:15 For this list, we'll be looking at the absolute worst atrocities that Mr. Burns has committed
00:20 throughout the entire run of 'The Simpsons'. Can you think of any more deplorable actions?
00:25 Let us know in the comments.
00:29 Hey Mojoholics, for a chance to win cash prizes, play our live daily trivia challenges every day
00:35 at 3pm and 8pm Eastern, only at watchmojo.com/play.
00:40 Number 20. Hitting a laborer with a bumper car.
00:44 "Oh, I'll never forget my carefree boyhood days on this old boardwalk."
00:48 It's clearly established throughout 'The Simpsons' that Burns has always been evil.
00:53 Even as a child, the diabolical businessman displayed sociopathic tendencies,
00:58 which foreshadowed the depravity to come. In this season 5 episode, Burns recollects a time
01:04 from his childhood when he ran into an Irish laborer with a bumper car. He doesn't just do
01:10 it once, he repeatedly runs into the man until his legs are broken, cackling all the while.
01:16 And speaking of cackling, the memory clearly tickles Burns, as he has a prolonged laughing
01:21 fit while fondly recollecting the event. He even laughs in church. Why Burns is attending
01:27 church is beyond us. "Oh, what was I laughing at now? Oh yes, that crippled Irishman."
01:35 Number 19. Wasting Thanksgiving Food. "Hey boy, come here. You're a good dog.
01:44 Come on, we don't need them to get a Thanksgiving dinner."
01:47 We're going all the way back to season 2 for this infuriating infraction.
01:52 Bart vs Thanksgiving contains a scene inside Burns' mansion as the business magnate eats a
01:58 tiny slice of turkey. He tells Smithers that he's full and orders that the rest of the food be
02:03 thrown away. The camera then comically reveals the rest of the table, which resembles a feast
02:09 at Hogwarts. It's adorned with delicious Thanksgiving fare, including a whole untouched
02:14 turkey and numerous pies. When it comes to symbolic visuals, it's hard to beat Burns
02:20 sitting all by himself at a table adorned with expensive shareables. "Mmm. Stay here, boy."
02:27 Number 18. Hijacking TV to Threaten Homer. "Give me my bear, Simpson."
02:33 Rosebud is a classic half-hour of The Simpsons that vaguely manages to humanize Mr. Burns.
02:41 He attempts to retrieve his childhood teddy bear from Maggie, who got the bear from Bart after he
02:46 found it in a bag of ice. Homer refuses to give it up, prompting Burns to take drastic action.
02:52 He hijacks all 78 channels that are broadcasted to Springfield,
02:57 even interrupting the baby show that Homer was clearly enjoying.
03:00 "Ha ha ha ha, I can see why this is so popular."
03:04 Burns holds the city's TV hostage until Homer gives up the bear, which seems like a serious
03:10 breach of broadcasting laws. But hey, at least he was nice enough to make a sitcom with Smithers.
03:15 "Smithers, I'm home."
03:16 "What? Already?"
03:20 "Yes."
03:23 Number 17. Letting the Window Washer Die. "It's just a movie, son. There's nobody
03:28 that evil in real life." Last Exit to Springfield is arguably the greatest episode of The Simpsons,
03:35 and it features one of the most diabolical actions from Mr. Burns. Coincidence? We think not.
03:41 The episode opens in hilarious, if surprisingly dark fashion, with a great bit of meta-humor.
03:48 Bart and Homer are watching an action movie, when Bart comments on the evil nature of the villain.
03:53 Homer reassures him that evil like that doesn't actually exist in real life. Cut immediately to
03:59 Mr. Burns, who is sitting in his chair and gleefully watching a window cleaner dangling
04:03 from his platform. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then closes the blinds and ignores the screams
04:09 as the cleaner falls to his death. Boss of the year right there. "Smithers, where's that union
04:16 representative? He's 20 minutes late." Number 16. Shutting Down Lisa's Newspaper. "I know how to
04:23 change the way the public thinks of me. I'll buy every media outlet in town." Hijacking television
04:29 to coerce Homer into giving him a teddy bear was bad enough. But now he's threatening The Simpsons
04:34 directly, and that's crossing a line. The episode is Season 15's "Fraudcast News," and it sees Burns
04:42 acquiring every media outlet in the city except for Lisa's red dress press. He does many deplorable
04:48 things in his effort to buy her out, like cutting the house's power and even drugging Homer with a
04:53 truth serum. This causes him to slander Lisa in the press, and she is so humiliated by the news
04:59 that she gives up the fight and closes her newspaper. The episode has a happy ending,
05:04 but it was rather shocking to see Mr. Burns actually winning this particular battle. "It's
05:09 not fair. Oh, I can't stand seeing one of my children like this. Oh, I can still hear her."
05:25 Number 15. Refusing to donate to the orphanage. "Thanks, Flanders. I have to agree that
05:32 everything certainly-" "Huh?" It's no secret that Mr. Burns is stingy with his money, so his lack
05:38 of charitable donations doesn't come as a big surprise. But it's the method of his refusal that
05:43 makes this particular instance so cruel. Burns mentions to Smithers that he will donate $1
05:49 million to the local orphanage when pigs fly. The comment alone is horrendous, as Burns could
05:55 easily just donate that money and do a world of good to children in need. But just then,
06:00 Homer's roast pig flies by the window. It's a long story. Despite seeing a pig fly firsthand,
06:07 Burns still refuses to donate the money. It's not even that he can't; it's that he would prefer
06:13 not to. That's a whole new level of evil. "Will you be donating that million dollars now, sir?"
06:18 "No, I'd still prefer not." Number 14. Turning Mona into a criminal.
06:24 "You just made a very big mistake. You'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
06:29 "My asthma's gone! Listen to me breathe!" One action from Mr. Burns changed the course
06:34 of many lives. "Mother Simpson" is a wonderful episode of the show, blending the usual hilarity
06:40 with an incredibly emotional and intricately woven story. Mona broke into Burns' laboratory
06:46 as a political activist, and he in turn notified the police, turning her into a wanted criminal
06:51 and forcing her to flee Springfield. This in turn left Homer without a mother. He's eventually
06:56 reunited with Mona, but Burns strikes again and notifies the FBI of her whereabouts. But in one
07:03 of the show's best endings, Chief Wiggum helps her escape, and Homer contemplates his life by
07:08 staring at the stars. Burns is often satirically evil, but this time, we actually just hate him.
07:15 "There's nothing to be alarmed about. But could you take one last look at the family and join me
07:19 in the kitchen?" Number 13. Kidnapping a soccer team. "Why, that's a fabulous idea. Anything else
07:25 you'd like? How about real lead in the radiation shields? Urinal cakes, maybe? Smithers, throw this
07:31 at him!" Mr. Burns is a terrible boss who treats his employees like dirt. Maybe even less than dirt.
07:38 But as we learn in season five's "The Last Temptation of Homer," those paid employees are
07:43 the lucky ones. The Department of Labor visits Burns' power plant and finds countless infractions,
07:50 including a missing Brazilian soccer team working in the reactor core. As Burns explains,
07:56 the soccer team's plane crashed on his property. "We found a missing Brazilian soccer team working
08:00 in your reactor core." "That plane crashed on my property!" So rather than helping them,
08:05 he simply kidnapped the team and forced them to work, undocumented and very likely unpaid,
08:12 inside a highly dangerous environment. Ain't that just like Mr. Burns?
08:16 Number 12. Keeping a trillion dollars in aid money, then financing a dictatorship. "Well,
08:24 this is a kick in the knickers. Should we complain to somebody?" "No. I say we just act snooty to
08:31 Americans forever." Season nine's "The Trouble with Trillions" has a great one-two punch when
08:36 it comes to Burns' wickedness. Back in 1945, President Harry Truman had a $1 trillion bill
08:43 printed in an effort to fund the reconstruction of war-torn Europe. It was up to Burns to
08:48 personally deliver the bill, but wouldn't you know it, he just kept it for himself.
08:53 We know Burns is greedy, but leaving an entire continent decimated simply to boost his net worth
08:58 takes that greediness to unfathomable levels. But that's not all. Burns then attempts to buy
09:04 Cuba from Fidel Castro, but Castro simply steals the bill and banishes Burns. So not only did he
09:11 prevent much-needed aid from reaching Europe, he indirectly financed a dictatorship with the money.
09:17 "And if it's a crime to steal a trillion dollars from our government and hand it over to communist
09:21 Cuba, then I'm guilty of that too." Number 11. Dumping nuclear waste. "Agent Malone,
09:28 Environmental Protection Agency. Some Boy Scouts stumbled on your little game of hide the ooze."
09:33 Now, we're not experts or anything, but we're pretty sure that there are some
09:37 very stringent rules when it comes to disposing of nuclear waste. We don't think you can just,
09:42 say, take it to the local park and stuff it in a tree, but that doesn't stop our old pal Burns.
09:48 In the classic Marge vs. the Monorail, it's revealed that Smithers and Burns have been
09:53 dumping waste at local playgrounds and getting children sick. "Well sir, where should we dump
09:58 this batch? The playground?" "No, all those bald children are arousing suspicion. To the park!"
10:05 It's probably one of the darkest jokes in the entire series, and it speaks to how low Burns
10:10 is willing to go to avoid the law. They then take the waste to a park and stuff the barrels inside
10:16 various trees, turning both the trees and some squirrels radioactive. Number 10. Mistreating
10:24 and endangering his employees. "I suppose that's normal background radiation." It's no secret that
10:32 the megalomaniacal, greedy, and incredibly selfish Mr. Burns isn't the greatest employer in Springfield.
10:39 Sure, there are relatively little things like intentionally spying on his employees through
10:43 security cameras and not bothering to learn their names. "Hello, um, who, um, um?" But then there's the fact
10:51 that he callously cuts their dental plans, "So long dental plan!" willfully ignores even basic safety
10:57 regulations, and regularly drops them down a secret trapdoor in his office with the full intention of
11:03 killing them. Next time you whine about your boss, just remember they don't have a secret trapdoor in
11:07 their office. At least we hope they don't. "There's a light bulb out on level P2!" "Oh good lord, the trapdoor is under renovation, it's not safe."
11:16 Number 9. Lil Lisa's patented animal slurry. "Yes, thank you everyone, but 10% of your applause should go to my little
11:23 partner, Lisa Simpson." If you thought that Mr. Burns was redeemable, your hopes were crushed when he
11:28 unveiled Lil Lisa's patented animal slurry. Throughout the episode, "The Old Man and the Lisa,"
11:34 Lisa tries to steer Burns away from his evil ways by teaching him the value of recycling. "I'm afraid
11:39 I'm not familiar with that term, you adorable little ragamuffin." He even opens his own recycling
11:44 plant, but earns the ire of Lisa when he shows her the best part of the factory. One million
11:49 plastic beer holders netted to catch sea life and turn them into an edible slurry. Yeah, that's not
11:55 how recycling works, at least for not evil people. "What's going on?" "I call it the Burns Omni-Net, it sweeps the sea clean."
12:04 Number 8. Stealing oil from an elementary school.
12:13 Once he discovers that there's oil underneath Springfield Elementary, Burns immediately begins
12:18 a slant drilling operation and steals the oil from the school. Not only is stealing the school's
12:23 wealth despicable, but his actions result in consequences throughout Springfield.
12:27 Nearby Moe's Tavern is closed because of dangerous fumes, some school staff is laid off, the Springfield
12:33 Retirement Castle is destroyed, and Santa's little helper is injured when an oil stream
12:38 annihilates Bart's treehouse. It's all a brilliant commentary on the total disregard of greedy oil
12:48 tycoons and business magnates, and it shows that Burns will do anything, including destroying
12:54 Springfield, for a profit. "Oh, those wheels are squeaking a bit. Perhaps I could sell him a little oil."
13:04 "You twisted old monster!" Number 7. Hitting Bart with his car and not caring about it.
13:10 While he's skateboarding around Springfield, Bart is hit by Mr. Burns and suffers a near-death
13:18 experience. While accidents certainly happen, it's Burns' callous disregard for Bart's well-being
13:23 that earns this a spot on our list. While Smithers checks on Bart and shows some concern for his
13:28 health, Burns just wants to give him a nickel and drive away. "Just give him a nickel and let's get
13:33 going. I think we should call an ambulance, sir." Later in the episode, he offers the Simpsons $100
13:38 in compensation, which Homer refuses. We first see Mr. Burns' penchant for evil, and with that
13:44 revelation, a classic TV villain was truly born. "So extortion is the name of your little game,
13:50 is it Simpson? Very well, then you get nothing." Number 6. Planning to kill puppies to make a
13:56 tuxedo. "There you go, there you go." The sixth episode, "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds," was
14:02 clearly influenced by "101 Dalmatians," not just in its title, but in the way Mr. Burns mirrors
14:08 Cruella de Vil throughout the episode. When Santa's little helper fathers a couple of dozen
14:13 puppies with a race dog, Burns and Smithers kidnap the young doggos so Burns can make a fancy greyhound
14:18 fur tuxedo out of them. "But a greyhound fur tuxedo would be best, so let's prepare these dogs." "Kill
14:25 two for matching!" To be fair, he ultimately doesn't go through with the plan. On the other
14:30 hand, he does bust out these lyrics. "See my vest, see my vest, made from real gorilla chest,
14:38 few this sweater, there's no better than authentic Irish setter." Number 5. Harassing and firing
14:45 Marge. After the Simpsons are faced with an expensive house repair, Marge gets a job at the
14:50 plant to pay for the work. Burns immediately takes a liking to Marge, but she refuses his advances.
14:56 "You're fired!" "You can't fire me just because I'm married." Burns instantly fires her in response,
15:02 and when she threatens to sue, he makes an inappropriate sexual remark and, uh, a purring
15:08 noise. "You don't have to sue me to get my pants off." He's not only a disgusting boss, but a
15:16 disgusting person in general. While much of Burns' evil is outlandishly exaggerated for comedic effect,
15:22 this scene is uncomfortably realistic, especially when you take the modern #MeToo movement into
15:28 account. "Come on, homie, let's go before he fires you too." Number 4. Attempting to steal Homer in a crypt.
15:34 And if he's not sexually harassing Marge, he's trying to immure her husband inside a crypt.
15:44 In the 14th season episode "C.E.D.O.E.," Homer takes a course on successmanship, overthrows Burns,
15:51 and becomes the head of the power plant. "But the titular head of the power plant is now Mr.
15:55 Homer G. Simpson." "That's right." To take back power, Burns drugs Homer and attempts to bury him alive
16:01 in the Burns family mausoleum. However, his plan is foiled when Homer simply walks over the tiny
16:06 wall he has painstakingly erected. We get wanting to take back power, but sealing a person alive
16:12 inside a tomb? Good thing he was too old and out of shape to build a proper wall. "There you go."
16:17 Number 3. Trying to kill Grandpa and Bart. "Burns is after me 'cause he wants the hellfish bonanza."
16:25 In a seventh season episode, Burns and Grandpa become the only surviving members of a World War
16:30 II infantry squad, the Flying Hellfish. The Flying Hellfish stole priceless paintings during the war,
16:35 locked them away, and made a pact that the last surviving member would inherit the expensive
16:40 artifacts. To become the last surviving member, Burns hires a hitman to kill Grandpa. "Smithers,
16:45 I want that man killed." And then, when Grandpa and Bart actually locate the paintings, Burns
16:50 kicks Bart into a strongbox, which in turn falls into the water. "So long, Sarge. See you at the
16:56 reunion in November." Burns clearly values money over everything else, including human lives.
17:02 "They're gaining on us, sir. We'll have to jettison something.
17:07 It's been an honor to serve you, sir." Number 2. Possibly murdering his mother. "Mr. Burns
17:12 can't stand talking to his mother. He never forgave her for having that affair with President Taft."
17:17 There's not a whole lot of love between Burns and his mother. First, he abandoned her for a
17:21 billionaire when he was just a child. We later learn that Burns holds a grudge against his mother
17:25 for having had an affair with President Taft, and he eventually attempted to murder her by
17:30 unplugging her life support system. However, the plan didn't work, and his mother tormented him
17:35 for five more decades. "That improvident lackwit. Always too busy striding about his
17:41 atom mill to call his own mother." That's bad enough, but in one episode, Burns references
17:46 eliminating his mother for, quote, "getting in his way." "Cause of parents' death? Got in my way."
17:53 That said, he has also stated that a lack of indoor plumbing caused her death, so we don't
17:57 really know what to believe. "Sorry about pulling the plug on you and all. Who could have known you'd
18:02 pull through and live for another five decades?" Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our
18:09 channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be
18:14 notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into
18:19 your settings and switch on notifications. Number 1. Blocking out the sun
18:24 "Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun."
18:27 Burns isn't afraid to put the entirety of Springfield at risk to get what he wants.
18:31 To discourage a strike, he once shut off the entire town's power supply. And in Who Shot Mr.
18:37 Burns?, he unveiled his most nefarious, James Bondian scheme, blocking out the sun with a
18:42 giant disc so the residents of Springfield would be forced to use his nuclear power.
18:47 "I will do the next best thing. Block it out." While Burns has always been evil, this is the
18:52 scheme that finally pushed Smithers over the edge. After voicing his displeasure with Mr. Burns,
18:57 Burns fires him for insubordination. When even Smithers calls Burns insane,
19:02 you get a feeling for just how truly evil the man can be.
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19:28 [outro]