Between Loki's penultimate episode dropping on Disney+ and Black Widow finally hitting theaters over a year later, this week was already set to be a major one for Marvel. But apparently, two projects in the space of a few days wasn't enough for Disney+, as The Simpsons: The Good, The Bart, and The Loki hit the streaming service as well.
Across its five-minute run time, the short film told a brief story of Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief being banished from Asgard by Odin, sending him to Springfield before he meets the Simpson family.
On top of Loki, the Marvel-inspired Simpsons short sees many of Springfield's citizens take on the mantles of most of the Avengers. But which of the iconic animated characters became which Avengers?
THE SPRINGFIELD AVENGERS ASSEMBLE
While most major Springfielders took on a heroic Avenging persona, the titular Bart Simpson was one of the few not to.
At first, this may seem like an odd omission. However, the prankster's character essentially acted as a mirror of Loki. Within the Simpson family, Bart is the mischievous sibling, neglected by his father, and always feeling inadequate compared to a blonde sibling. Does that sound familiar?
After forming a bond with Bart, Loki sends Lisa away to the dungeons of Asgard at his request. Within this dark dungeon, the giant wolf Fenris from Thor: Ragnarok's climax is dormant, with a design inspired by the Simpson's family cat, Snowball.
While stuck in the depths of Asgard, Lisa discovers Thor's enchanted Mjolnir She then finds herself to be worthy and able to lift it, giving her a Jane Foster-inspired suit of armor, and the many powers of the God of Thunder.
Upon returning to Springfield, Lisa's God of Thunder summons the Springfield Avengers to take on Loki, leading to appearances from many of the legendary team's members.
Along with the Loki-centric projects, this week will also see Black Widow finally releasing. Naturally, it'd be rude to not include her in the Springfield Avengers, in which she is played by Principal Skinner's elderly mother Agnes.
She-Hulk will feature in her own Disney+ series next year, but for now, the character has made her streaming debut in the newly-released short, with Lisa's school teacher Elizabeth Hoover becoming the powerful hero.
Within the background of the shot, Pepper Potts' Rescue armor from Avengers: Endgame can be spotted worn by Mindy Simmons.
While most of the characters were clearly drawn from the MCU, there were several deeper cuts from Marvel Comics among the crowd.
On top of the Simpson's neighbor, Ned Flanders, donning Scott Lang's Ant-Man suit, movie star Rainer Wolfcastle became Giant-Man. But it wouldn't be Ant-Man without the Wasp, whose Simpson counterpart of the iconic dummy-sucking baby Maggie.
For many, one of the harder to identify characters in the group for most viewers is Hans Moleman. But in a genius move by the writers, Springfield's unlucky pensioner became Moleman, a Fantastic Four supervillain yet to appear in live-action.
There is possibly nothing funnier in this short than Disney acknowledging its growing portfolio as Giant-Man held up a sign saying: “This is what happens when Disney buys Marvel and Fox.” While the House of Mouse acquired the comic publisher over a decade ago in 2009, it only took over Fox in 2019, giving them ownership of the legendary cartoon series.
Sadly, antique shop owner Herman Hermann didn't don the Stars and Stripes for his Captain America role, but he did hold the legendary vibranium shield, making his identity clear. Given his connection to history and its artifacts, there may be no better choice for Springfield's Star-Spangled Man.
Marge's chain-smoking sisters Patty and Selma took on the looks of Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness, respectively, a fitting inclusion, given the witch-like nature of the pair. Funnily enough, the two were joined by bartender Moe's Vision and Comic Book Guy's Quicksilver, completing the WandaVision crew.
Quicksilver wasn't the only role Comic Book Guy took on within the Marvel universe, as he also became the Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos in a recreation of Avengers: Infinity War's climactic snap.
Many Springfield Avengers returned from the previous scene, including Doctor Strange, who was fittingly replaced by Dr. Nick. But in an unforgivable canonical flaw, two Time Stones feature within the shot as it can be seen in both the Infinity Gauntlet and the Eye of Agamotto around Strange's neck.
Despite recreating the iconic Infinity War moment, several characters who survived Thanos' snap were shown to fade away in the Simpsons' adaptation. The unforeseen casualties included Millhouse's Hawkeye and Helen Lovejoy's Captain Marvel.
Given the appearances of both Loki and the cast of WandaVision, it was only fitting to round out the Disney+ Marvel line-up with an appearance from the Falcon, who's Springfield counterpart was Dr. Hibbert.
The Avengers would have never assembled if it weren't for Nick Fury, and it seems the animated team were the same. While Samuel L. Jackson's is of course irreplaceable as SHIELD director, Homer's friend Carl does an excellent job pulling off the iconic eye patch.
Surprisingly, Moe's regular Barney Gumble donned Tony Stark's Iron Man armor for the adaptation, a truly hilarious decision as his large stomach frequently droops out from the suit. During the credits, the character appeared to be drying the billion dollar advanced suit on a washing line after getting it soaked.
Largely the short film centered around the Avengers, but the Springfield Guardians of the Galaxy were given their due during the credits. While Homer and Marge became Drax and Gamora, Santa's Little Helper sported a Rocket Raccoon-inspired look, and the family's tree house served as the wooden giant Groot.
Oddly, a shot during the credits offered fans a second version of Wanda and Vision in Millhouse's parents Luann and Kirk. The pair were shown to recreate the magic show of WandaVision's second installment, which Maggie then watches on TV, cleverly referencing the plot of the Disney+ series.
The Good, The Bart, and the Loki told an original story of its own, but that didn't stop the writers from adapting an iconic Loki scene from The Avengers. Despite his small stature, schoolboy Ralph Wiggum served as the team's Hulk, throwing the God of Mischief from side to side at the top of Stark Tower in a comedic adaptation of the 2012 blockbuster's final confrontation.
Alongside the many Springfield Avengers, some Marvel character did appear in their stand forms within the short's final post-credit scene, including Hunter B-15 and Judge Renslayer. The final moments placed a comedic spin of Loki's opening, poking fun at the flaws in the God of Mischief's character and the general concept of post-credit scenes.
The Simpsons: The Good, The Bart, and The Loki is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
