10 Wasted Simpsons Characters That Deserved Better
4. John
With the possible exception of 'Stark Raving Dad', there aren't many episodes as divisive or controversial as 'Homer's Phobia'. Homer is excited about a new friend the family meet, until he learns that he is gay. This changes Homer's entire attitude around John, and he no longer wants Bart to see him for fear of his son also turning out to be gay.
In terms of Homer's character, it is incredibly reductive as it paints him as an ignorant homophobe, but John himself was actually a wonderful character. He was funny, he was charismatic, and he taught Homer a very valuable lesson by the end of the episode.
However, though John may have turned up in the background of one or two episodes after this, he never had a speaking role again. This is frustrating, as there was so much potential for the character to become a Springfield regular.
He had a pre-existing relationship with Smithers, which could have been wonderful to explore, he was a unique character, and could have changed the pace of any episode he was inserted into. A continued friendship with Homer could have been a regular reminder of the themes and lessons learnt from his debut appearance, but instead the show decided to limit him to just the one main role.