Along with Kyle Broflovski, Stan Marsh, and Eric Cartman, Kenneth “Kenny” McCormick is a made-up person who appears in the adult cartoon comedy South Park as one of the show’s four central characters. Co-creator Matt Stone provides his speech, which is frequently muddled and difficult to understand because of the parka hood over his mouth.
He originally appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts produced by Stone and frequent partner Trey Parker in 1992 Jesus vs. Frosty and 1995 Jesus vs. Santa, making his debut appearance on August 13, 1997, after South Park premiered. Here is everything you need to know about Kenny and what happened to him in South Park.
What Happened To Kenny In South Park
The repeated death of Kenny McCormick was one of South Park’s most distinctive and famous running jokes when it first aired. Up to his “final” demise in season five, the group’s muffled-voiced, the parka-clad kid died throughout every show.
Since then, the character has returned and continues to periodically pass away, although the joke is no longer a given in each episode. The basic explanation for this is that Kenny’s killing had grown tiresome to the show’s creators. After 24 seasons, South Park finally put an end to Kenny’s recurring deaths in the intriguing South Park: Post COVID episode.
In the first five seasons of the show, each episode concluded with a frequently gory Kenny death joke. Kenny showed up at the start of the subsequent while buddies Stan and Kyle reacted to these tragedies. One of South Park’s recurring throughlines involves Kenny’s recurrent dying and resurrection.
The joke hasn’t always been a constant, regardless of how common it is. Kenny’s death, for instance, is meant to be final until his resurrection in the season 6 finale, “Red Sleigh Down,” in season 5, episode 13, “Kenny Dies.” Even though it happened less frequently, Kenny was killed and then revived in later episodes.
In season 13, episode 14, it was revealed that Kenny’s immortality might have been caused by his parents’ connection with the Cult of Cthulhu because of a curse that made his mom give birth to Kenny the night before he passed away. Kenny’s immortality is thought to be without bounds.
Kenny’s most tragic death was irreversible, according to a few hints. One of the reasons Kenny can’t be revived is that Kenny’s mother is too old to be a mother and thus unable to do so even though South Park: Post COVID is set 40 years down the line.
Fact that Stan stays at a motel, South Park Elementary Plus uses Kyle’s home as a temporary refuge. And Cartman’s family spends the night at his house, which shows that a few days have passed since Kenny’s death. The Post COVID special was inspired by Kenny’s passing, which inspired all of his pals to return to South Park to investigate his homicide.
Despite the ambiguity of the Cthulhu curse’s laws, it makes more sense for Kenny not to resurrect as an adult, given the frequent explanations of his childhood rebirths. The fact that Kenny is back for season 6 just serves to confirm how unavoidable his deaths were as a child.
Therefore, by having Kenny’s adult death is final. South Park remains as current as ever while simultaneously avoiding inconsistencies for a child murder.
The Changes In The Plot Of South Park After Covid
The plot of South Park: Post COVID was driven by Kenny’s passing, and the ensuing special, South Park: Return of COVID, featured Kenny’s resurrection as a result of Kyle, Stan, and Cartman going back in time to make amends for their mistakes.
The epidemic is just one example of how South Park frequently satirizes current cultural phenomena. Prior to Post COVID and the Return of COVID, two COVID specials were, however, already available.
South Park needed to find a way to stay interesting, with 12 additional South Park specials coming to Paramount+ over the course of the following seven years and a program renewal lasting up to season 30. South Park has a chance to present a fresh message about COVID-19 by making Kenny’s passing an inspiring result rather than a joke.
When Kenny reaches adulthood, he develops into a well-known scientist who is just about to discover a COVID-19 treatment. In fact, it is hinted that his passing from the new “Delta Plus Rewards Program” variant was a cover-up. The gang starts to find out why Randy Marsh’s “Tegridy Weed” is important in the treatment after Kenny’s calculations show that it does.
To further build up South Park: Post COVID Part 2, Kenny’s secret flash drive indicates that he traveled back in time to preserve his friendships. As a result of their time travel, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman are able to make amends with each other and spread Tegridy Weed’s “pandemic-unique” strain of marijuana.
In the end, quarantine is lifted, and Kenny’s life is saved thanks to Tegridy Weed’s ability to make people more understanding of one another. Preventing is not the answer; the solution is the global epidemic reaction.