South Park Fans Still Upset About Controversial Cartman Ending

South Park fans, more than three years later, are still upset about the controversial Cartman ending in South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID, the 311th episode of the long-running series and second South Park television special for Paramount+. The episode aired all the way back on December 16, 2021. Despite this, it is regularly spoken about by South Park fans, and elements of the special remain celebrated and contentious as they were back in 2021.

Without going too deep into spoilers for the episode, it features time manipulating and alternative timelines. It’s a crazy episode that is at times hard to keep track of. And it ends showing the main characters as adults. And as an adult in this timeline, Cartman is not doing very well. More specifically, at the end of the episode, we see adult Stan and Kyle looking at a homeless, bitter alcoholic Cartman from across the street, reflecting on how there is nothing that can be done for their former friend.

Three years later, South Park fans are still talking about this episode. And this is most evident on the South Park Reddit page, where not one, but two of the top posts this week are about homeless Cartman. One is still upset about the fate of the character while another is equally upset, but also critical of the ending, calling it out of character.

“Is it only for me that homeless Cartman seems out of character,” reads one of the posts. “I was thinking about Cartman ending in the streets and it doesn’t seem right since he always and a big brain for business (like the Christian rock band and South Park Reality Group) Honestly, I feel like this ending is kinda unfair.”

The other post adds: “I genuinely can’t stop thinking about Cartman ending up homeless. I know it’s a cartoon and all but it makes me sad to see Cartman who changed for the better to end up a homeless bum.”

Judging by the popularity of the two posts, and the fact they exist at the same time, this is not an isolated take. And many of the comments on the posts echo the sentiment.

“It made no sense, Cartman, a psychopathic narcissist, will do whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if it means harming others. This type of personality would naturally rise to the top of the hierarchy in any chosen field,” reads one of the top comments on the second post.

The fact South Park fans are still talking about South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID ending is a testament to not just the significance of this episode in the long saga of South Park, but how contentious it is among some South Park fans. To this end, the Cartman homeless ending is no doubt one of the more divisive bits of South Park content among South Park fans, at least of the last few years.