This Simpsons fan theory will change how you look at the show forever

Wow, that's a dark theory...

The Simpsons is one of the best shows of all time, and there are so many jokes and characters that can only really be appreciated for their brilliance on second viewing. Like any show worth its salt, there will be discussions and fan theories going around disputing what certain scenes and episodes could mean. We've seen one which seems to have discovered where The Simpsons is set, and now we've another, much darker theory which has been doing the rounds for a while. Reddit user Hardtopickaname has a theory about the Simpsons which revolves around season 4 episode 'Homer the Heretic', where Homer skips church on Sunday and ends up speaking with God. The conversation goes something like this:

"Homer: God, I gotta ask you something. What's the meaning of life? God: Homer, I can't tell you that. Homer: C'mon! God: You'll find out when you die. Homer: I can't wait that long! God: You can't wait six months? Homer: No, tell me now! God: Well, ok. The meaning of life is…"

Now, we know by this stage that this happened far longer than six months ago, and of course Homer is still alive and well. Not according to Hardtopickaname, who claims that six months later, during season 4, episode 18, 'So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show', Bart plays a prank on Homer where a vending machine falls on him putting him in a coma. In the closing moments of the episode, Homer wakes up choking Bart. But did he actually wake up? Hardtopickaname thinks that Homer may still be in a coma, which would explain why nobody in The Simpsons ages, and also fulfilling God's promise that Homer would find out the meaning of life in six months. There's also discussions about how outlandish the storylines become following this episode compared to more the more mundane and grounded storylines prior to it. Is this fan theory true? We don't know, but then again, this is a cartoon we're talking about... Can you get 15/15 in our Simpsons occasional characters quiz?