11 Futurama Characters Every Planet Express Fan Should Know
Fry, Leela, Bender, and eight other fan favourites take centre stage alongside the voice actors who bring them to life
Since its 1999 premiere, Futurama has become one of television’s most beloved adult animated comedies. Created by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, and developed with David X. Cohen, the show follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy who is accidentally cryogenically frozen on New Year’s Eve 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years into the future. He soon joins the eccentric crew of Planet Express, setting off a string of hilarious and often surprisingly moving adventures.
Throughout its many seasons, Futurama has built a universe of humans, mutants, aliens, and morally flexible robots. Here are some of the show’s most memorable characters and the actors who give them their unmistakable voices. Then, get better acquainted with the gang by streaming 11 essential Futurama episodes on Disney+.
Fun fact: Billy West alone voices four characters, including Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, and Zapp Brannigan.
Meet The Planet Express Crew
The Planet Express crew is at the heart of Futurama. Fry’s fish-out-of-water perspective, Bender’s endless schemes, and Leela’s levelheaded leadership give the show its emotional core. Even when episodes teem with bizarre aliens, eccentric scientists, and ridiculous villains, the crew keeps Futurama grounded as an animated sci-fi classic.
Fry voiced by Billy West
Philip J. Fry starts out as a directionless pizza delivery boy who is accidentally frozen in 1999. When he wakes up 1,000 years later in New New York, he discovers a bustling world of robots, aliens, celebrity heads in jars, and pneumatic-tube transit. He accepts the only job he’s qualified for: delivery boy at Planet Express, a company founded by his distant relative, the brilliant yet doddering Professor Farnsworth. There, he befriends hard-partying robot Bender and meets the love of his extended life, one-eyed pilot Leela. Fry’s first name is a tribute to actor Phil Hartman, the original voice of Troy McClure and other characters in The Simpsons.
Bender voiced by John DiMaggio
Originally built in Mexico to bend girders, Bender Bending Rodriguez leaves factory work behind to join the Planet Express delivery crew. Everything that’s bad for humans tends to be good for Bender, and he draws energy from alcohol and the heat of cigar smoke. He also enjoys gambling, stealing, romancing fembots, and tap dancing. Magnets can even make him burst into folk songs.
Leela voiced by Katey Sagal
Turanga Leela is a one-eyed pilot and captain of the Planet Express ship. Her integrity, intelligence, and combat skills make her a natural leader. Leela grows up believing that she’s an alien from an unknown planet, only to discover that her parents are mutants Morris and Munda, who live beneath New New York. At first, she has little patience for Fry’s clumsy attempts at romance, but she gradually sees the good heart behind his foolishness.
Professor Farnsworth voiced by Billy West
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth is a brilliant, elderly scientist and legendary inventor. After building the Planet Express ship by hand and founding the company, he now sends his reluctant crew on wildly dangerous missions across space. He’s Fry’s distant relative and has a young clone named Cubert. He once worked for Mom at Mom’s Friendly Robot Company and has had a long, complicated romantic history with her. His archrival in both science and love is Professor Wernstrom.
Dr. Zoidberg voiced by Billy West
Dr. John A. Zoidberg is a lobster-like Decapodian from Decapod 10, a planet whose native species die when they mate. Despite his medical training, he knows remarkably little about human anatomy. He’s poor, lonely, perpetually hungry, and lives in a dumpster behind the Planet Express building. He occasionally saves the day, though that rarely earns him any respect.
Amy Wong voiced by Lauren Tom
Mars University graduate Amy works alongside Professor Farnsworth at Planet Express. A talented scientist with a soft spot for all things cute, she’s the daughter of wealthy ranchers Leo and Inez Wong, and is married to Lieutenant Kif Kroker of the Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP). Amy and Kif have three children, Newt, Mandy, and Axl, though in a quirk of Amphibiosan biology, Leela was the one who contributed the DNA to Kif’s offspring.
Hermes Conrad voiced by Phil LaMarr
Born in Jamaica, Hermes Conrad oversees the bureaucracy at Planet Express, and his childhood love of filing and alphabetising made him perfect for the job. In his younger days, he was also a champion of limbo, once competing with fellow limbo champion Barbados Slim for LaBarbara’s affection. She and Hermes are now married with a son, Dwight. Season 14 explores more about Hermes’ past and his relationship with his father, Badrick Conrad.
More Fan-Favourite Characters
Beyond the main cast, Futurama is packed with memorable supporting characters. Whether Scruffy is quietly reading in the background, Zapp Brannigan is failing his way through space, or Mom is plotting another corporate takeover, these recurring figures regularly steal the spotlight. They deliver some of the show’s biggest laughs and moving moments.
Scruffy voiced by David Herman
Scruffy is Planet Express’s extraordinarily lazy janitor, which explains the building’s persistent mess. When he isn’t working, which is most of the time, you’ll find him napping in his cot and reading not-safe-for-work magazines. The love of his life was a robotic mop bucket, though the relationship wasn’t meant to last.
Zapp Brannigan voiced by Billy West
Zapp Brannigan is a pompous 25-star general who commands the Nimbus, the most powerful warship in the fleet of the DOOP. His preferred strategy is sending waves of soldiers into battle, much to the dismay of his long-suffering first officer, Lieutenant Kif Kroker. Zapp is convinced that his short-skirted military uniform makes him irresistible, though few others agree. He repeatedly tries and fails to woo Leela and enjoys loud, off-key karaoke.
Kif Kroker voiced by Maurice LaMarche
Kif Kroker is Zapp Brannigan’s mild-mannered, long-suffering lieutenant. Originally from the swamp planet Amphibios 9, Kif is married to Amy Wong, his ‘fon-fon-ru’ in Amphibiosan tradition. Amphibiosans pass through several stages of metamorphosis, beginning as tadpole-like creatures, then emerging onto land, and eventually transforming into clouds of flies.
Mom voiced by Tress MacNeille
Mom is the billionaire owner of Mom’s Friendly Robot Company and numerous other corporations. She plays the part of a kindly grandmother in public, but behind closed doors she’s ruthless and foul-mouthed, and her three adult sons, Walt, Larry, and Igner, often bear the brunt of her temper. Mom once employed Professor Farnsworth, and the two have shared an on-and-off romance for more than a century.
Where To Stream Every Season OfFuturama
You can watch all 13 seasons on Disney+ in New Zealand.
Subscription required.
The information in this article is correct as at the time of publication.
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