The Simpsons Season 36 Brings A Historic Meeting Of Two Homers

"The Simpsons" is an institution. It's one of the most influential TV shows of all time (let alone animated sitcoms) and remains beloved by millions of U.S. viewers.

Around the world, however, "The Simpsons" sounds different. That's because the show has been dubbed over in several languages globally, with various casts doing their own interpretations of the characters. The French dubbing of the series is notorious for giving different accents to certain non-white characters, like having Apu speak with a Goan Portuguese accent, or Kirk Van Houten talk with a Brussels accent. Dubbing is an art form that's as important as the original voice acting. At its best, it's more than just a translation; it's also a localization and adaptation, and the dub actors become as important as the originals.

In "The Simpsons" season 37, episode 12 (titled "¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!"), the show finally pays homage to dub actors — specifically, the Latin American Spanish dub (there is a separate Castilian Spanish dub) — by featuring a historic meeting between two Homer Simpsons. The episode centers on Bumblebee Man, who gets his own origin story and decides to hire Homer (Dan Castellaneta) as his stunt double after wrecking his body from years of doing slapstick comedy. The two then form a friendship in a storyline that references Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," all the while exploring the pains and art of stunt doubling.

Most of all, "¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!" is notable for having Bumblebee Man be voiced by none other than Humberto Vélez, who's voiced Homer in Latin American Spanish for years. Not only that, Vélez also cameos as himself at the end of the episode, where he does his iconic Homero voice in Spanish.

Overall, "¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!" is a great love letter to the history of "The Simpsons" in Latin America and its impact in the region. By focusing on Bumblebee Man, the episode homages the slapstick comedies that inspired the character while at the same time taking on deeper meaning by having Vélez voice the character. As a result, most of the episode features two Homer actors interacting, even as Vélez voices someone else.

It doesn't stop there, either. Patricia Acevedo, who voices Lisa Simpson in that dub, and Claudia Motta, who voice Bart and Marge Simpson in that iteration, also play small roles here. Couple that with Vélez getting to use his iconic Homer voice to play himself, and the whole thing makes for an incredible nod to the Latin American Spanish dub of "The Simpsons."

As another treat for Spanish-speaking fans, "¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!" officially recognizes Homer's name in Latin America as "Homero." It's more meaningful than you may realize, given that the name has long been the source of endless debates between Latinos and Spaniards about the correct pronunciation ("Homero" versus "Jomer"). We hear this from Marge herself (Julie Kavner), who calls out to "Homero!" near the end of the episode as Homer falls down the stairs of the pyramid of Teotihuacan.

This nod makes it clear that the Latin American dubbing of "The Simpsons" is more than an afterthought or translation. Rather, it's an adaptation that's influenced "Simpsons" fans worldwide. Thus, by tipping its hat to the Latin American translation of "Homer," the show has embraced its legacy in that region. Far from invalidating the Spaniard dubbing, it simply acknowledges the millions of people who know this iconic character as Homero Simpson.