The Simpsons Shares First Look at John Cena’s Animated Debut

The Simpsons is officially returned for Season 36 of the long running animated sitcom later this weekend, and the series has shared the first look at WWE superstar John Cena’s animated debut. The Simpsons is one of the many franchises returning this Fall for a new season of episodes following a truncated Season 35, and the animated series is going to kick things off with a bang. Previously teasing fans about some of the guest stars that will be seen in the upcoming premiere, The Simpsons is finally gearing up to make that debut and potentially have much bigger shake ups in tow. 

The Simpsons Season 36 will be making its return to FOX’s Animation Domination block this Sunday evening at 8PM EST, and will then be available for streaming the next day. This premiere episode will feature WWE superstar (and star of Peacemaker, The Fast and Furious franchise and more) John Cena making his animated debut in some kind of cameo role. Along with the returning Conan O’ Brien also making an appearance in the coming premiere, you can check out the first look at these The Simpsons guest stars below. 

View on X

View on X

What to Know for The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 1

Showunner Matt Selman previously teased during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 earlier this Summer that The Simpsons Season 36’s premiere episode is titled “Bart’s Birthday.” Along with featuring guest stars John Cena and Conan O’Brien, the episode was also teased to feature Tom Hanks and Danny DeVito (who once previously guest starred in the series as Homer’s long lost half-brother, Herb Powell) as well. Even with these guest stars, this would be the animated debut for Cena as he’s the only one in this line up who has not been previously featured in the series before. 

As for what to expect from the episode itself, Selman played coy about what could be going down in the episode but teased it would be big. “It’s kind of crazy, star-studded premiere,” Selman stated of the premiere. “It’s a pretty bold, big idea.” This is also further teased by the promotional materials for the episode which are touting that “It’s the episode fans have waited for since 1989…” on social media. As for what this could pertain to, and the fact that it’s titled “Bart’s Birthday,” this could be Bart’s 11th birthday…officially moving the timeline forward in some small way. 

What’s Happening in The Simpsons Season 36? 

It’s hard to believe that anything gamechanging could happen in The Simpsons Season 36’s premiere episode as we’ve gone this long without any major shift in the status quo that isn’t reset by the end of a particular. Outside of natural progressions such as characters being retired after their voice actors pass, or killing off a character who has been in the background for a long time, The Simpsons hasn’t changed too drastically for the core family unit at the center of it all. But the tease that something could happen makes for an intriguing tease for what could be coming next. 

As for the rest of the season, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXV is also scheduled for its premiere some time later this October. It will feature a Venom parody where Homer bonds with a pair of sentient jeans titled “Denim”. The Simpsons Season 35 will be streaming with Disney+ on October 2nd, and will soon feature four new exclusive special episodes for the service titled “The Past and the Furious,” “Yellow Planet,” and “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” that will release before year’s end.