Why South Park Finally Killed Kenny Off Permanently - Screen Rant

Warning: Contains spoilers for South Park: Return of COVID

After 24 seasons, South Park permanently killed off the otherwise recurrently-dying Kenny in its special South Park: Post COVID for an interesting reason. For the show's first five seasons, episodes ended with an often-gruesome Kenny-death gag. While friends Stan and Kyle responded to these deaths, Kenny appeared at the beginning of the following episode. Furthering the gag would be his friends' indifferent response to his return, indicating that none of them recall his death - with the possible exception of Cartman, who's theorized to know Kenny was immortal. But, despite the prominence of Kenny's death over the years, there is actually a good reason why Trey Parker and Matt Stone may have decided to kill off the character for good.

Kenny's cyclical death and rebirth has been one of South Park's signature throughlines. However, despite the gag's prevalence, it hasn't always been a permanent feature. For instance, in season 5, episode 13 "Kenny Dies," Kenny's death is made to be permanent until his return in the season 6 finale "Red Sleigh Down." Subsequent episodes have continued to kill and revive Kenny, albeit more sporadically.  In season 13, episode 14, Kenny's immortality was explained to be the potential result of his parents' involvement with the Cult of Cthulhu due to a curse that causes his mother to give birth to Kenny the night after he dies. It's assumed that Kenny's immortality has no limits. However, the entirety of season 6 and now his death in South Park: Post COVID put this up for debate.

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A few clues prove the permanence of Kenny's most recent death. For one, since South Park: Post COVID is set 40 years in the future, Kenny's mom is too old to carry children and therefore bring Kenny back to life. Secondly, a few days pass after Kenny dies, evidenced by Stan staying at a hotel and South Park Elementary Plus' temporary shelter and Cartman's family spending the night at Kyle's house. Kenny's death in South Park: Post COVID became the plot's driving force, culminating in the following special South Park: Return of COVID with him coming back to life after Stan, Kyle, and Cartman travel back in time and fix past mistakes.  South Park often observes current cultural events through a satirical lens, with the pandemic being no exception. However, two COVID specials have already been released prior to Post COVID and Return of COVID. With 12 more South Park specials coming to Paramount+ in the next seven years and a show renewal going up to season 30, South Park needed to find a way to stay fresh. Making Kenny's death a motivating consequence instead of a gag gives South Park a way to showcase a new message about COVID-19.

Kenny in adulthood becomes a world-renowned scientist on the brink of finding a COVID-19 cure. In fact, his death from the new "Delta Plus Rewards Program" variant is implied to actually be a cover-up. Kenny's calculations reveal that Randy Marsh's "Tegridy Weed" holds significance in the cure, and the gang begins to unearth why. Furthermore, in setting up South Park: Post COVID Part 2, Kenny's hidden flash drive reveals him time-traveling in the past to save his friendships. When Stan, Kyle, and Cartman then time-travel, they reconcile their past differences and spread Tegridy Weed's "pandemic special" strain. Tegridy Weed helps people become more patient with each other, saving Kenny's life and eventually ending quarantine. The pandemic response, not prevention, is the cure.

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Kenny's death is the catalyst behind the Post COVID special, bringing all his friends back to South Park to solve his murder. Despite the Cthulhu curse's rules being vague, it's more plausible for Kenny to not resurrect in adulthood when his childhood resurrections are explained in many episodes. In fact, Kenny's season 6 return solidifies his deaths' infallibility in childhood. Kenny's adult death being permanent therefore not only avoids continuity errors for a childhood death, but also keeps South Park as relevant as ever.

Next: How To Watch South Park: Post Covid Online For Free