Top 20 Worst Things Mr. Burns Has Done
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.”
Transcript
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]