Character

Bender

Bender in Futurama (1999), played by John DiMaggio.

Bender is a bending unit fresh off the assembly line when Fry stumbles into the future, and he's already exactly who he'll be: a foul-mouthed, cigar-chomping robot with no interest in his job, a taste for booze and theft, and an ego large enough to fill a cargo hold. He wants to do crimes and be left alone.

The joke is that a robot built for menial labor turns out to be the most gleefully human-flawed character on the ship, and John DiMaggio's growl gives him a swagger no amount of moral failing can puncture. He's selfish, cowardly, vain, and somehow the friend you'd actually want, which is the whole trick.

Played by

Appears in

Futurama1999