Kenny’s South Park Replacement Character Only Became Great After Kenny Returned

South Park brought Butters in to replace Kenny after his death, but when Kenny finally returned to the main group of boys, Butters became an even better character. In the first seasons of South ParkIt became a popular joke that Kenny would be killed in every episode and then return in the following episode without any explanation for his resurrection. But in Season 5 Episode 13, “Kenny Dies,” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone decided to kill Kenny off for good.

Kenny finally returned in Season 6, Episode 17, “Red Sleigh Down.” Despite being absent throughout the season, South Park maintained its policy of never explaining Kenny’s resurrections and continued as normal (although the series later provided a historical reason for Kenny’s immortality in season 14). During Kenny’s absence, Parker and Stone elevated Butters to the main roster. and made him the new fourth member of Stan, Kyle and Cartman’s group. He was expelled soon after, but this set him on the path to becoming one of the South Parkbest characters.

South Park replaced Kenny with Butters, but Butters only became awesome after Kenny returned

Butters ranks alongside Randy and Cartman as fan-favorite South Park character

Replacing Kenny with Butters and giving Butters a fuller personality ended up turning him into a fan-favorite character on par with Randy and Cartman. Butters’ transformation into one of the South ParkHis biggest characters started even before he replaced Kenny. After Kenny died, Parker and Stone highlighted Butters in the season 5 finale – Season 5, Episode 14, “Butters’ Very Own Episode” – to prepare you to join the main cast in Season 6. The episode parodies 1950s sitcoms with a very dark twist, juxtaposing Butters’ sweet naivety with the unspeakable horror of his dysfunctional family life.

This distorted dynamic was perfect for South Parksensitivity and presented endless comedic opportunities for Butters’ character. Even after Kenny returned, Butters headlined some of the South Parkbest episodes. Season 7, Episode 11, “Casa Bonita,” finds Cartman putting Butters through hell just to go to a Mexican restaurant. Season 8, Episode 1, “Good Times with Weapons,” finds Butters taking a ninja star to the eye — and his day only gets worse from there. Butters became one of South Parkone of the most beloved characters, and he owes it all to Kenny’s death.

Why Butters Didn’t Work as a Direct Replacement for Kenny in South Park

Kenny brings a unique energy to the dynamic

As adorable as Butters is, he didn’t work as a permanent replacement for Kenny because he looks nothing like Kenny. Kenny is the coolest and most laid-back member of the group. By replacing him with the most idiotic and anxious character in the series, South Park introduced the completely opposite type of energy to dynamics. It was an interesting change of pace for a while, but it wouldn’t have worked if Kenny had stayed dead and Butters had remained in the main cast.