A distinct character in adult animation, South Park’s Kenny McCormick is based on a real person. As strange as that may seem, the real-life inspiration for Kenny is the muse for the running gag about the character’s frequent deaths. Based on a childhood friend of the show’s creators also named Kenny, the real Kenny always wore an orange coat, mumbled his words, and was the poorest kid in the neighborhood. He often vanishes, leaving his friends to wonder if he died, albeit jokingly.
Kenny’s early years in South Park didn’t do much except for his muffled dialogues, which are occasionally understood, and the varying inventive ways he died in practically every episode. The character was essentially a joke, killed over a dozen times in Season 1 alone. As superhero Mysterion, Kenny explains how he returns to the series every time he dies. He’s apparently immortal and simply wakes up in his bed after dying. With the character explored more in later seasons, here’s a ranking of his most interesting deaths.
5. When He Was Accidentally Shot In “The List”
The recurring joke about Kenny seems to be more effective when it’s least anticipated. Season 11’s finale, “The List,” features a good instance. In the episode, Kenny ends up as the story’s victim, despite being away from what was unfolding. The story revolves around a disruptive list from fourth-grade girls, ranking the boys at school from cutest to ugliest.
With Kyle at the bottom, he sets out to burn down the school, but Wendy intervenes after uncovering that Bebe altered the list. Bebe’s gun goes off while scuffling with Wendy over the forged list. They both stare around to see who has been shot, but the scene cuts to Kenny at home having dinner with his family. The bullet flies in through the window and strikes Kenny in the head, killing him in front of his family.
4. When Eric Removed His Feeding Tube
“Best Friends Forever” (Season 9, Episode 4) depicts one of Eric Cartman’s vile deeds, culminating in another interesting Kenny death in the series. After he was run over by an ice-cream van and left in a vegetative state, Cartman declares himself Kenny’s BFF in a disingenuous ploy that prioritizes inheriting Kenny’s PSP over his life. Cartman approaches Colorado’s Supreme Court and gets an order to remove Kenny’s feeding tube. Kenny dies and returns to heaven, where Angel Michael delivers the catchphrase: “Oh my God! They Killed Kenny!” His death in this episode is purposeful as he commands God’s legion of Angels to victory against Satan’s army.
3. His Spontaneous Combustion In Season 3, Episode 2
When South Park returned for Season 3 in April 1999, Kenny had died so many times and in so many ways that his deaths were readily expected. Yet, “Spontaneous Combustion” features a Kenny death that surprised viewers. While walking down the street with the other boys, he spontaneously bursts into flames, combusting into ashes. The death was so unexpected and sudden that it took his friends a while to exclaim the usual “Oh, my God! They Killed Kenny!” Unlike other deaths that went unexplained, viewers learned the combustion happened because he’s been spending so much time with his girlfriend and holding in fart.
2. Kenny’s Death In South Park: Post COVID
The 2021 South Park film ranks among the most interesting Kenny deaths because of its fascinating premise. Set forty years after the pandemic, the film depicts a grim future where Eric Cartman is a rabbi; Stan a whiskey consultant living with a snappy Alexa in Colorado, while Kyle works as a guidance counselor at their elementary school. This time, the hooded character lost his life to a new variant of COVID-19, and his friends must solve the mystery around his death for a better future. They succeeded in the sequel, The Return of COVID, but Eric becomes the kind of adult every South Park fan imagined — a homeless drunk.
1. When He Was Killed Off In Season 5, Episode 13
Apart from his death being permanent this time, the storyline leading up to it makes “Kenny Dies” the most interesting death of the character. In the episode, Kenny succumbs to a terminal illness after Cartman opted to use the stem cell research that could have saved his life to duplicate Shakey’s Pizza. He stayed dead for multiple episodes, prompting fans to agitate for his return. After 17 episodes, he returned in the end scene of Season 6’s finale, acknowledging what every fan was thinking — things are now back to normal. Check out the truth about Eric Cartman’s dad in South Park.
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