0049 - Martin Prince (Patreon)

Martin is a character that I hated as a kid...probably because I saw too much of myself in him. But let's not celebrate him by playing armchair psychiatrist.

Now, I appreciate Martin a lot more. Despite the hardships thrust upon him by the kids of Springfield Elementary, he is 100% comfortable with who he is, a rare quality in an intelligent child. No matter how many times he is bullied and ridiculed, he does not stop being exactly who he is, whimsical and flamboyant.

Unlike Lisa, Martin's intelligence is not often seen as a source of misery. As a side character, Martin is not forced into the foreground of a plot very much, and as such does not have to wrestle with his feelings as much as Lisa. This in turn has shaped him into a jolly fellow, a counterpoint to some of the unhappier kids of Springfield. In a way, he's almost the child version of Flanders - not religious obviously, but a version of "perfect" that we are to compare our main characters to.

In "Bart the Genius" Martin is a foil to Bart, a goody two-shoes who we are meant to hate because we see him through the eyes of underachiever Bart. I never understood why he was not taken to the genius school that Bart was enrolled in once we realise that his and Bart's IQ tests were switched, but I am glad he stick around. Some early child characters fade into the background, but Martin gets to shine.

I'm going to take a moment here to acknowledge Martin's original voice actor, the legendary Russi Taylor, who passed away in 2019. It's always great to hear Russi's voice in anything (I especially love her as Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie), and it's clear that so much of the uniqueness of Martin was defined by her performance. I have not heard Grey DeLisle's portrayal of Martin yet, but the passing of the torch with some of these voices is something we are going to have to wrap our head around as the show ages.

This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.