Eric Cartman (Trey Parker) is one of South Park‘s most iconic characters and one of the series’ four main characters. He lives with his single mother, Liane (April Stewart). Cartman is antisemitic, bigoted, sexist, and an all-around terrible person. His offensive personality is often played for comedy. However, there are many instances where his actions cross a line as he leans into his psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies.
Cartman’s evil actions are numerous, and he rarely shows any remorse for his actions. Some of the evil things Cartman does impact others for the rest of their lives. Other actions show just how racist, sexist, and generally xenophobic he has always been. The most evil things Cartman does throughout the series impact many people and reinforce his own warped beliefs about the world around him.
10
He Shamed His Mother When She Wouldn’t Buy Him an iPad
“HumancentiPad” (Season 15, Episode 1)
In South Park‘s Season 15 premiere, Cartman pretends to have an iPad. He’s humiliated and mocked when people find out that this is a lie he made up to make himself seem more impressive. When he demands that his mom buy him one, she refuses, citing its high price. She suggests that they buy the less expensive and less impressive Toshiba HandiBook, which causes Cartman to have a massive meltdown in the middle of the store.
While Cartman’s relationship with his mother is always contentious, to say the least, this is a boiling point. Cartman doesn’t just yell and freak out at his mother. The fact that he’s willing to make such horrific claims to a police officer, and then in front of Dr. Phil‘s massive audience shows just how depraved he can be. He shows no remorse for accusing his mother of abuse and spreading this lie to thousands of people.
9
He Mocked a Little Person
“With Apologies to Jesse Jackson” (Season 11, Episode 1)
This season premiere follows the aftermath of Randy Marsh (Trey Parker) saying the n-word while he’s a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. Cartman finds this hilarious and is completely dismissive of the word’s impact. The school brings Dr. David Nelson, a little person and an author, to speak to the students in an effort to foster their sense of empathy. However, before Dr. Nelson can even start speaking; Cartman breaks down in hysterics.
This entire episode shows just how horrible Cartman is as a person, since he has multiple opportunities to mock people who are different from him. Cartman specifically targets Dr. Nelson, and everything about him. The fact that Cartman is able to continue making fun of such a renowned speaker for so long, when he could have walked away at any point, is an evil act that shows how broken he is inside.
8
He Faked His Way Into the Special Olympics
“Up the Down Steroid” (Season 8, Episode 2)
When Timmy (Trey Parker) and Jimmy (Trey Parker) earn spots on the USA’s Special Olympics team, Cartman becomes jealous and thinks he can fake a disability to gain a spot himself. When it’s revealed that Jimmy’s been taking steroids to give himself an unfair advantage over his fellow competitors, Cartman becomes even more convinced of the fact that he’ll easily be able to beat anyone with disabilities. He’s proven wrong almost immediately.
This is an example of Cartman showcasing how he can be solely motivated by money, regardless of any possible consequences. It’s also evil of Cartman to lean into the assumptions that he has about people with disabilities and rely on stereotypes to think that he can simply beat any of the competitors in the Special Olympics without any effort. South Park succeeds here in giving Cartman exactly what he deserves by having him fail spectacularly.
7
He Rigged a National Election
“Obama Wins!” (Season 16, Episode 14)
In the middle of the 2012 presidential election, Cartman dresses up as a child to steal ballots in swing states to prevent President Obama’s victory. After President Obama is re-elected, Cartman reveals the stolen ballots to Kyle (Matt Stone), who then reports the crime to the police. It turns out that Cartman was hired by a Chinese government operative who was tasked with securing a second victory for President Obama.
In addition to committing a crime by interfering in a federal election in this way, Cartman uses this situation to prove that he couldn’t care less about democracy or the democratic process. This demonstrates his willingness to work with anyone, regardless of their intentions. This is a chance for Cartman to show that his evil nature comes from the fact that he’s so profoundly selfish and incapable of appreciating the larger impact of his actions.
6
He Pitted Babies with Addictions Against Each Other
Crack Baby Athletic Association (Season 15, Episode 5)
When Stan and Kyle are emotionally devastated by a Sarah McLachlan commercial that draws attention to the plight of babies born addicted to crack, they decide to volunteer at their local hospital’s NICU. They are surprised to find Cartman and several of his friends already volunteering to help these babies. Cartman tells Stan and Kyle that they have started a new kind of fight club where the babies fight each other over a ball filled with crack. He films these fights and posts them on the internet.
It’s difficult to imagine many things more evil than exploiting vulnerable babies who have serious medical issues. However, South Park has never shied away from controversial stories like these. This episode is a chance to spotlight how exploitative Cartman is and how he never hesitates to use others, even the most vulnerable, to benefit himself. What makes it worse is that he’s able to convince Kyle, someone who’s normally more level-headed, that what he’s doing is fine.
5
He Took His Revenge Against Scott Tenorman Too Far
“Scott Tenorman Must Die” (Season 5, Episode 4)
After Cartman excitedly brags to his friends that he’s the first of their group to reach puberty, he realizes he’s been conned by high-schooler Scott Tenorman. Tenorman tells Cartman that “getting pubes” means purchasing pubic hair, and Cartman pays him $10 for a bag. Cartman is outraged that he’s been conned and makes it his mission to seek revenge against Tenorman. He is single-minded and will stop at nothing to seek his twisted version of justice.
While Cartman’s wild schemes to seek revenge are funny at first, it quickly becomes clear that he’s willing to commit horrific acts in the name of healing his bruised ego. The real evil of Cartman’s revenge fantasy in this episode comes in the final minutes when he resorts to murder and cannibalism to seek his revenge. The fact that he is even able to plan these actions shows how dark his mind has always been.
4
He Killed Hippies
“Die Hippie, Die” (Season 9, Episode 2)
Cartman channels his hatred for hippies by creating a “pest control” service to help rid the town of them. Although Cartman first tries to go through proper channels, including the town council, to reduce their presence, he is soon arrested for keeping a number of hippies imprisoned in his basement. People eventually plead with Cartman to do something about the hippies when their presence becomes disruptive to everyday life.
While it’s ultimately death metal that drives the hippies out of town, since they hate that kind of music, Cartman again proves just how far he’s willing to go to satisfy his own self-interests. He doesn’t care that the hippies are causing genuine chaos for his fellow citizens. Instead, he’s willing to gleefully run through a crowd of people with a bulldozer to prove a point. He’s willing to murder human beings in the name of doing what he sees as best for himself, which shows how twisted his mind is.
3
He Assaulted Butters When He Was Sleeping
“Cartman Sucks” (Season 11, Episode 2)
Cartman has always proven his ability to push boundaries and uses his young age to engage in activities that would be considered completely unacceptable for adults. This episode is an example of this, as Cartman spends his time taking inappropriate pictures of Butters while he sleeps. Cartman never acknowledges how violating this is for Butters, and instead spends his time finding his pictures funny.
This is one of South Park‘s most important episodes because it shows how irredeemable Cartman is as a character. Even when he’s faced with the consequences himself, Cartman never fully appreciates the fact that what he’s doing to Butters is assault. Rather than acknowledging how horrible his actions are, he takes the opportunity to protect himself from any possible fallout from the photos while leaving Butters to endure conversion therapy camp alone.
2
He Gave Kyle HIV
“Tonsil Trouble” (Season 12, Episode 1)
“Tonsil Trouble” begins with the unfortunate news that Cartman has been infected with HIV due to a botched blood transfusion. While this could have immediately garnered him sympathy, Cartman infects Kyle with the disease after Kyle laughs when he hears the news. Kyle sees this as Cartman getting a kind of karmic treatment for being such a terrible person. This episode is ultimately a commentary on how inaccessible HIV and AIDS treatments are to so many who need them.
This is one of South Park‘s most important episodes because it’s a pointed commentary on a serious issue while highlighting just how twisted Cartman is. The fact that Cartman is willing to infect someone with a life-altering illness because they laughed at him shows how truly sick he is on the inside. This is another example of Cartman showing no remorse for changing someone’s life and not considering the consequences of his actions.
1
He Became a Hitler Knock-Off
“The Passion of the Jew” (Season 8, Episode 3)
For most of the series, Cartman has been vocal about his antisemitism. It may not be surprising, considering he comes from a small, insular town filled with people who reinforce his beliefs. However, after seeing The Passion of the Christ, his hatred of the Jewish people takes on a new life. He gathers fans of the movie, and leads them in antisemitic chants while insighting them to commit acts of violence.
This is arguably the most evil thing Cartman does, because he recruits others with his hateful beliefs. He’s able to harness the passions of those who love a movie about Jesus Christ and channel this into something horrifying. What makes this uniquely evil is the fact that it’s a commentary on how easily people anywhere can get caught up in hateful rhetoric without a second thought. Watching Cartman lead others down a hateful path is proof beyond a shadow of doubt that he is a deeply broken boy.