Carl Carlson

Biography

Carl is an African American Buddhist who apparently grew up in Iceland (he once nostalgically referred to his "Icelandic boyhood"). He holds a master's degree in nuclear physics and is fond of bowling and drinking at Moe's Tavern. Lenny, Carl and Homer have apparently been friends for most of their lives. Flashbacks show them as friends during childhood and high school, and they all began working at the nuclear power plant around the same time.

Personality

Carl often serves as a taciturn, straightforward man to Homer and company, probably because of his harsh but true opinions of others. On one occasion, he makes everyone in Moe's Tavern cry and then turns to the camera, explaining: "See, this is why I don't talk much." He is Lenny's best friend, often being seen with him. He is also Homer's friend, and it was shown that Carl's willing to help Homer in several different jobs, such as when he and lenny helped Homer run the private security company SprinShield, a company created due to the police forces incompetence. However, Carl is also a person with a coward streak. When Fat Tony and several others criminal chiefs started to aim towards SpringShield due to making a far better job than the actual police, Carl and Lenny, fearing for their lives, literally locked themselves up in one of the station's cells, leaving Homer on his own. Aside, due to Wiggum becoming Police Chief again, this may be one of the reasons SpringShield was shut down.

Relationship with Lenny Leonard

There is a constant allusion to homo-eroticism in Lenny's and Carl's relationship, although no one seems to care much about it, particularly Carl. Lenny seems to deeply idolize Carl, yet Carl is usually indifferent or oblivious to the attention. Lenny once dreamily recalled carving "Mount Carlmore", a huge bust of Carl in the side of a sandstone cliff, during "one wonderful summer". When Homer asks Lenny what Carl thought of it, Lenny replies "You know, we've never discussed it." When various characters looked at the stars to "see into their souls" during a blackout in Springfield, Lenny sees an image of Carl, and Carl sees an image of himself.[3] On another occasion, Lenny and Carl are at the Springfield Baseball Stadium, watching the Kiss Cam, and Lenny says: "Remember when we used to kiss like that, Carl? With our respective girlfriends?" Lenny once said he can't tell apart the remains of his sculpture with Carl's remarking "I don't know where Carl ends and I begin!", An irritated Carl interjects "it's stuff like this that makes everyone think we're gay."

Relationship with Lenny Leonard

At the same time, there have been many scenes that counter the homoerotic narrative. Carl and Lenny drunkenly suggest to a sober Barney that he will take them to the Playboy Mansion and the Girls College, respectively. Although not seen by the audience, Carl claims to have a girlfriend who is having an affair with one of the VP's at the power plant to feed Carl inside information. While at a football game, he mentioned planning to give his wife a ring for their anniversary. Carl has been seen with a woman when he attends Homer's marriage class and Homer has mentioned that Carl and Lenny have mistresses they spend time with.[9] In addition, he and Lenny were clearly aroused by the female stars of Lemony Lick-It's A Series of Horny Events when they accidentally stumbled upon the filming of the film, and were also shown to be extremely willing to take up Homer's bribe of giving them roles to buy their silence to Marge, their opting to do the sex scenes with the girls and be the foul-mouth boy, respectively. In addition, when Homer was describing a movie he saw that weekend regarding a buxom blonde (implied to be the same movie Mr. Burns held disgust over due to her being "naked as a jaybird" for half the film), Carl, alongside Lenny, acknowledged that it was "their kind of film" in bemusement, while also proceeding to oink (alluding to Mr. Burns' earlier claim of how the unwashed masses will "oink for more" regarding oversize breasts and a happy end.).

Relationship with Lenny Leonard

At times, Carl gets annoyed at Lenny. When Carl learns that he is paired with Lenny in a team-building exercise on a power plant retreat, his irritated response is, "Aw, nuts. [brief pause of remorse] I mean...aw, nuts." It should also be noted that earlier in that event, Carl and Lenny, shortly after a fire drill at the plant that went south and thus necessitated the team-building exercise in the first place, got into a huge fight. At one point, when a fire was about to hit the flammable district during Springfield's massive fire, Lenny mentioned that their mother was working there, suggesting they were maternal half-siblings. Carl and Lenny both have the long-form of their first name as their surnames: Carlson and Leonard.

Job

Carl works in sector 7G along with Homer and Lenny. Carl's job position over the course of the series has generally been that of a supervisor, as mentioned in "Blood Feud" and implied by Mr. Burns' high regard for him in comparison to Homer and Lenny. Carl's position may have changed throughout the course of the show however, as he was again promoted to supervisor after Ted, a previous supervisor, left. Carl played bass in Homer's band Sadgasm, which later broke up.

Hair Black, grayish jacket, hot pink shirt, brown pants, black dress shoes, skin color brown