My Animated Hero: Kenny McCormick from South Park

In the animated series South Park, Kenny McCormick might not be the most attention-grabbing character, nor does he spout memorable lines like his friends (his voice is muffled under his iconic orange hoodie, making his speech nearly indecipherable). Yet, he is the closest to a true hero in this story, steeped in satire and dark humor.

Some say that among the four protagonists of South Park, Kyle is the brain, Stan is the soul, and Eric Cartman is the body. So what about Kenny? Kenny is the heart.

Initially, the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, drew viewers to Kenny through their unique setting of him. In the early seasons, Kenny met an untimely, bizarre, and often brutal death in nearly every episode, each time in a new and outlandish way: being hit by a car, electrocuted, crushed by a falling object, beheaded by a football player, burned in lava, trampled by a crowd, shredded by a fan, crushed by an elevator… the list goes on.

In those early seasons, Kenny was basically a running joke. Viewers eagerly anticipated how he would die in each episode, while most of his other personality traits were designed for humor as well: his extremely poor family, his rough, redneck parents, and his premature obsession with the female body.

But there was no one trying to understand Kenny’s inner world. As a character who dies in every episode only to return in the next, how does Kenny perceive his cycle of death and rebirth? Have these tragic events left emotional scars? Faced with such trauma, would he become jaded or show other facets of his personality?

It became apparent to Parker and Stone that if they wanted the South Park story to continue evolving, they would have to address these questions about Kenny sooner or later. Starting in the fourth and fifth seasons, Kenny's character began to develop more depth: he was no longer just a walking punchline. Audiences gradually saw more of his thoughts and emotions.

In several storylines, Kenny sacrifices himself to save his friends or the girl he likes. The most memorable one is undoubtedly the film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Early in the story, Kenny dies unexpectedly. Rejected from heaven, he goes to hell, where he advises Satan to break free from his toxic relationship with Saddam Hussein and take charge of his life for the good of the Earth.

Kenny’s efforts ultimately succeed. Satan reaches an agreement with humans to abandon his plan to destroy the Earth, but the only way to achieve this is to reset time to the day Kenny died. Kenny accepts this condition without hesitation, knowing it’s the only way for the world and his friends to survive. This story beautifully illustrates Kenny's character traits: love, compassion, gentleness, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness.

Parker and Stone's creative decision essentially casts Kenny as a Christ-like figure in the series. Like Jesus Christ, Kenny dies because of others' sins; like Jesus Christ, he sacrifices himself to atone for others; and like Jesus Christ, he resurrects after death. His journey is one of cyclical life and death.

Has Kenny ever been driven to darkness by the burden of others’ sins? Absolutely. In Season 8, we see a despairing Kenny who turns to drugs, overwhelmed by the trauma he endures. This storyline is heart-wrenching. Yet, in a bittersweet way, Kenny’s immortality allows him to keep picking himself back up.

In Season 14, Parker and Stone reveal another hidden side of Kenny’s life: he has been moonlighting as a superhero named Mysterion, vigilantly safeguarding South Park. This revelation firmly establishes Kenny as a true superhero, making the comparison more than just symbolic.

In the 2021 special film South Park: Post COVID, Kenny once again shows his heroism. Unlike Stan, Kyle, and Eric—who survive the pandemic only to end up with miserable lives due to poor choices—Kenny becomes a scientist, inventing a time machine that allows his friends to return to the past and make better choices before everything goes wrong.

By now, it’s quite clear: in South Park, Kenny is more than a hero—he is the hero. His presence has held the series together for nearly three decades, giving it a genuine emotional core amidst the chaos and crude humor. He is the glue that keeps the four friends from falling apart, and his character lends authenticity and integrity to the story, preventing it from devolving entirely into scatological jokes.

Kenny’s qualities are truly worth learning from: he is resilient, always standing back up after each bizarre death to face life again; he is forgiving, able to let go even in the face of betrayal and harm; he is loyal, standing by his friends despite often being overlooked by them.

Kenny is practically the embodiment of Romain Rolland’s famous line: “There is only one true heroism in the world: to see the world as it is and to love it.”

His presence is inspiring to all, especially to me.