Fact Check: Did 'The Simpsons' Predict the Use of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW)?

David Emery
·3 min read
A 2016 episode of "The Simpson" featured a chrome statue that reflected the sun
A 2016 episode of "The Simpson" featured a chrome statue that reflected the sun's rays into Springfield, all but destroying the town. Daily Simpsons/YouTube
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Claim:

An episode of the animated series "The Simpsons" predicted the use of a "directed energy weapon."

Rating:

Rating: False
Rating: False

Context:

In the 2016 "Simpsons" episode entitled "Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus," a newly erected chrome statue in downtown Springfield unexpectedly reflects the sun's rays in a focused beam throughout the town, virtually destroying it. While perhaps visually reminiscent of a high-power laser beam, however, it was in no sense represented in the episode as a military weapon.

 

Thanks to the proliferation of an outlandish conspiracy theory holding that the deadly and destructive August 2023 Maui wildfires were purposely started by means of a military weapon known as a "directed energy weapon" ("DEW" for short), a new entry in the canon of supposed "predictions" made by writers of the animated TV series "The Simpsons" was born. Social media users circulated an alleged excerpt of a "Simpsons" episode that they claimed predicted the use of such a weapon on a civilian populace. This example was reposted on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) after it first appeared on TikTok:

But although the video clip was real, the characterization of it as representing or predicting a "directed energy weapon" was pure fancy. (Note that the edited, decontextualized clip above only shows a destructive beam of light wreaking havoc with no explanation.) What actually happened in the 2016 episode of "The Simpsons" titled "Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus" was that a newly erected chrome statue in downtown Springfield unexpectedly acted as a mirror, focusing the sun's rays into an intense beam that then destroys most of the town. It was not represented as a military weapon, much less a "directed energy weapon."

Here's what that scene looked like in full, courtesy of the Daily Simpsons YouTube channel:

In short, the content of the episode was misrepresented in the interests of promulgating a conspiracy theory that bears scant resemblance either to the script of the episode or to real-world events. Get back to us when a real-life chrome statue is erected somewhere that destroys a town by reflecting and concentrating the sun's rays on the landscape and we'll consider revising our fact-check rating, which currently stands as False.

Sources:

Emery, David. "No, This Video Doesn't Show a 'Directed Energy Weapon' Attack on Maui." Snopes, 14 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/not-direct-energy-weapon-attack-maui/.

Emery, David. "Were 2023 Maui Fires Caused by a 'Direct Energy Weapon'?" Snopes, 11 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/maui-wildfires-caused-by-direct-energy-weapon/.

"Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus." Wikisimpsons, https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Monty_Burns%27_Fleeing_Circus. Accessed 15 Aug. 2023.

Salahieh, Nouran. "At Least 99 People Were Killed in Maui's Wildfires. With Only 25% of the Burn Area Searched, Officials Worry the Death Toll Will Climb." CNN, 15 Aug. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/us/hawaii-maui-wildfires-death-toll-tuesday/index.html.

Staff, Snopes. "'The Simpsons' Didn't Predict That." Snopes, 22 Aug. 2019, https://www.snopes.com/collections/the-simpsons-didnt-predict-that/.

The Simpsons - STATUE DESTROYS SPRINGFIELD. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04FiCZbEI_U. Accessed 15 Aug. 2023.