8 TV Mysteries You Didn't Know Were Revealed

While The Simpsons is very much about the, err, Simpsons, one major part of the show's continued success is the great array of supporting players so often seen in Springfield and beyond.

Names like the Flanders clan, Moe Szyslak, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Klown and plentiful more can be seen in a large number of episodes, but there are those other memorable characters who appear in one, maybe two episodes and make a monumental impression.

Case in point: Herb Powell.

Introduced in Season Two's 'Oh Brother, Where Art Though?', Herb is the half-brother who Homer never knew he had. The product of a fling between Grampa Simpson and a carnival worker, Herb is a rich carmaker... who then loses his fortune after letting Homer design a new vehicle.

The following season, Herbski would pop up in 'Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?', where a broke Herb turns to Homer for help in getting back on his feet. By the end of that episode, the Danny DeVito-voiced Powell was 'up' again, having created a baby translating device that made him some of his fortune back.

To most fans of The Simpsons, Herb was never seen or heard from again.

That's where you'd be wrong, for we get an update on Herb Powell the series' 24th season, when a call is made to him to discuss becoming the guardians to Bart, Lisa and Maggie should anything happen to Homer and Marge. What we learn is that Herb is once again poor - which causes Homer and Marge to hang up on him.