The South Park Theory That Makes Cartman A Part Of The Mafia

Eric Cartman (Trey Parker) from Comedy Central's long-running adult animated series "South Park," has committed a wide assortment of crimes and atrocities over the years. Since the series premiered all the way back in 1997, we've seen Cartman technically murder dozens of people, routinely commit a wide assortment of hate crimes, participate in terrorism, vandalism, and arson, and in one memorable episode, force Scott Tenorman (Toby Morton) to cannibalize his own parents. (As most longtime fans know, it would be revealed several seasons later that Cartman and Scott are actually half-brothers.)

The list of Cartman's crimes continues to increase with each passing season, and one user on Reddit theorized that many of these crimes are related to a little-known event from Cartman's past — his alleged involvement with the Mafia. In a thread posted to the official South Park subreddit, this user pointed out that Cartman appears to have a "gang" at his disposal whenever he needs, and regularly participates in Mafia-related activities throughout the series. These include executing two Triad mob members in the Season 9 episode "Wing," and the child gang members he recruits throughout the Season 6 episode "My Future Self 'n' Me."

The most compelling part of this theory is the fact that, despite Cartman's enormous criminal history, he is almost never arrested and has escaped justice at every turn — something this user attributes to the Mafia paying off the prison wardens so Cartman can walk free and fulfill his role within their plans.

Hilariously, this isn't the first time that Eric Cartman has been involved in an organized crime ring –- although fans will remember his previous offense was related to Kentucky Fried Chicken, not the actual Mafia.

In the Season 14 episode "Medicinal Fried Chicken," every Kentucky Fried Chicken in Colorado is banned as a result of a new state law, causing Cartman to seek out illicit means of getting his "fix" for Colonel Sanders' (Trey Parker) chicken. He eventually starts smuggling the chicken in and out of South Park alongside another accomplice named Billy Miller (Trey Parker), and from there, the plot of the episode directly parodies the 1983 film "Scarface," with Cartman embodying the role of Al Pacino's Tony Montana and Colonel Sanders taking on the role of Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa.

Billy is later hanged from a helicopter over the Colonel's immense villa (recreating a similar scene from "Scarface") and Cartman's operation later crumbles when Colonel Sanders sends hitmen to kill him. Though Cartman escapes once again from any wrongdoing, this is yet another example of criminal activity that could be linked back to the Mafia, or at least mirrors the smuggling and drug running known to occur under organized crime. 

Although Eric Cartman has never specifically acted under Mafia orders within "South Park," the fact that he always escapes justice is still very suspicious. There's no question that this sadistic fourth-grader would absolutely join the Mafia should the opportunity arise.