10 Wasted Simpsons Characters That Deserved Better
8. Ruth Powers
One of the greatest things about The Simpsons is the simply immense cast of characters that reside in Springfield. There are the main characters, with secondary and even tertiary characters that build up the town's population, but that doesn't mean there couldn't have been more.
In season four, Ruth Powers moved in next door to Homer and Marge, and her daughter Laura quickly became friends with Bart. She grew closer to Marge in the criminally underrated 'Marge on the Lamb' before a main role in season 14's 'The Strong Arms of the Ma', but other that, her appearances were limited to just popping up in the background every now and then.
To say that she is literally the Simpsons' next door neighbour, surely she should have had a bigger role in the series after her debut. Instead, while their neighbour on the other side continued to be a main character, Ruth was left out in the cold.
Not only was she a strong character in her own right, it would have been nice for Marge to actually have a consistent friend in Springfield, rather than leaving her as a relatively lonely housewife. 'Marge on the Lamb' was a lot of fun, and the two could have a lot more strong episodes based around them if given the chance.