| “ | Okilly-dokilly! | „ |
| ~ Ned Flanders' famous catchphrase. |
| “ | Hey-Diddly-Ho! | „ |
| ~ Ned Flanders' other catchphrase. |
Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. (also known as Ned Flanders) is the Simpson Family's extremely religious next "diddly-door" neighbor. He is a genuinely well-meaning good-natured person, and is one of the few in Springfield to whom that description applies. Though firmly religious, he can be timid and something of an easy pushover. He thoroughly worships of God and strictly follows the Bible as literally as possible and is easily shocked when challenged on any point of dogma, such as the Theory of Evolution in the episode The Monkey Suit where he and Reverend Lovejoy work on having it banned from Springfield and having Springfield Elementary replace it with the religious version of creationism. He also owns the Leftorium and a home business, Flancrest Enterprises, which makes religious hook rugs. He also works as a member of the Springfield Volunteer Fire Department. He is sometimes the main antagonist in Treehouse of Horror and has taken several villainous roles.
History
Devilish Flanders
Devilish Flanders
Homer found that he was out of donuts at work, and even his emergency donut was gone (Homer had already eaten it). Anguished, Homer lamented that he would sell his soul for a donut. As soon as the words were out of Homer's mouth, the Devil appeared in the guise of Ned Flanders. After confirming that Homer really did want to sell his soul for a donut, the Devil produced a contract and a flaming pen. Homer signed, and the Devil gave him the donut (straight from Hell's Kitchen). Homer devoured most of the donut in seconds, but in a rare moment of clarity, he realized that the Devil would not be able to claim his soul if he didn't finish the doughnut. Homer started dancing around and mockingly singing "I'm smarter than the Devil!" The Devil transformed from his Flanders guise into a more demonic appearance and roared at Homer, "You are not smarter than me! I'll see you in Hell yet, Homer Simpson!" Then he returned to Hell.
Homer saved the last bite of the donut and put it in the refrigerator, labelling it "Daddy's Soul Donut. Don't eat!" Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, Homer wandered half-asleep to the fridge, found himself unable to resist the "forbidden donut," and ate it. The Devil Flanders immediately reappeared to take possession of Homer's soul. Marge and Lisa pleaded with the Devil and persuaded him to hold a trial the next night, in spite of his complaints about how difficult they were being: "You Americans with your 'due process' and 'fair trials.' This is always so much easier in Mexico." In the meantime, Homer was to spend the next day in Hell, until the trial.
Homer's punishments during his day in Hell were being chopped into tiny pieces on a conveyor belt, and then being force-fed donuts in the Ironic Punishment Division of Hell Labs. The latter wasn't much of a punishment for Homer—he happily ate thousands of donuts and begged for more, much to the confusion to the demon administering the punishment. At the stroke of midnight, the Devil Flanders brought Homer back to the Simpson home for trial. Unfortunately, Marge had retained Lionel Hutz to defend Homer. Inept as usual, Hutz committed the blunder of allowing the Devil to hand-pick the "Jury of the Damned" in exchange for bathroom breaks. The Devil Flanders, opening the trial, stated to the jury that he and Homer had a contract—Homer's soul in exchange for a donut "which I delivered! And it was scrump-diddily-umptious!" Hutz, for his part, blundered again, reminding the jury that by definition a contract was unbreakable. When Hutz realized he had no chance to win, he called a bathroom break and ran off by sneaking out the bathroom window.
The judge (the Grim Reaper) was about to deliver a verdict, but in a last-ditch effort, Marge produced a wedding day photo where Homer had written on the back that he pledged his soul to Marge. The jury then ruled that Homer's soul was the property of Marge Simpson and not of the Devil, and the judge dismissed the case. Furious, the Devil Flanders conceded the loss, but bestowed a curse on Homer: "Let that ill-gotten donut be forever on your head!"
The next morning at breakfast, Homer had a giant donut for a head. Marge scolded him for picking at it, and Homer was afraid to leave for work because Springfield Police officers with cups of coffee were waiting expectantly for him to come out of the house.
Flanders again turns into the Devil when he takes the kids into the church, which became the Heck House on Halloween.
Flanders Zombie
After Bart and Lisa revived the corpses in Springfield Cemetery (in Treehouse of Horror III), Flanders was the first to fall victim to the zombies, after he let them into his house (being the good-natured person he was) and they ate his brain, making him one of them. Later, as the Simpsons are fleeing their house, Zombie Flanders tries to eat their brains, only for Homer to shoot him with a shotgun (though Homer was unaware that Flanders was a zombie).
Ned Flanders (Treehouse of Horror V)
Ned Flanders is normally portrayed as a good person (often excessively so) however in a notable Tree House Of Horror V episode he became a tyrannical dictator in an alternate reality/future caused when Homer Simpson accidentally rewrote history several times with a home-made time-machine.
Ned Flanders ruled over a False Utopia and forced everyone to comply to his high-standards of "good" behavior or face the dire consequences - he often appeared on a giant TV screen much like the antagonist of 1984 (Big Brother).
This version of Ned Flanders vanished when his reality was erased by Homer using the time-machine.
Ned Mutant
Appeared in the episode "The HΩmega Man" as a mutant among other citizens due to a nuclear missile. They formed a cult and prepared to eat Homer's skin. When Homer reunites with his family, who survived the explosion due to the lead paint around their house, the mutants are warmed. They decide to form an alliance so "freaks and norms" can get along, but the Simpsons sans Homer blast them away with shotguns.
Flanders Were-Wolf
The Simpsons after having escaped from the vampires go on a misty path, Marge accidentally runs over Ned Flanders. Homer, not wanting them to get caught, then pretends Ned is not dead, before leaving the corpse of Flanders at the door of his house so everyone can believe that he had died of a heart attack. After the funeral. The Simpsons had messages on the walls saying "I know what you did". Horrified, the family attempts to leave, but their car breaks down, and have to walk. But it was there they see Ned Flanders alive and well, Ned says "you can't kill the the undead". Ned then reveals that during the night they hit him, he was attacked by a wolf during one of his midnight walks, and turned into a werewolf. Ned would of killed them if they had not ran over him. They laugh about it, but then the full moon comes and Ned turns into a Werewolf again. But while the others ran off, Homer fell behind and was violently attacked from off view.
Ned Flanders (Dial D For Diddly)
Ned Flanders is tricked to kill by Homer using a voice warper to pose as God. Ned kills many of Homer's enemies, starting Charles Montgomery Burns after Ned sees Mr. Burns dumping radioactive waste into a lake. Homer tells Ned to turn Mr. Burns to ashes, then pee on the ashes. Ned then cuts Mr. Burns' head off and throws it into the lake, and Mr. Burns' head grows a third eye. Ned also kills Sideshow Bob, then Patty and Selma. Patty and Selma are lured by free cigarettes, then killed, parodying Wile E. Coyote but without failure. Ned figures out Homer made him into a serial killer when Homer says hi to Bart. Ned then appears behind Homer. Homer starts burning Ned's Holy Bible that he had under his arm when suddenly the Simpson's roof is torn off and the real God chokes Homer to death and avenging Mr. Burns', Sideshow Bob, Snake also Patty and Selma's deaths. Marge comes in and asks if God can fix everything, but God says the Devil wouldn't like it. The Devil appears with a devil Maude, and it is shown that God is under the Devil's power when the Devil asks for a coffee.
