The Family Guy Character Who Has Never Actually Been Seen

Fox tends to love animated shows with large ensemble casts. The main staples of its "Animation Domination" line-up — "The Simpsons," "Bob's Burgers," and "Family Guy" — all sport large, sprawling casts of characters. Some of those characters have caught on enough to enjoy spin-offs or single episodes focused on them.

Thus, "Family Guy" is pretty notorious both for its no-holds-barred style of comedy and its sprawling cast of characters, which boasted a short-lived spin-off centered around supporting character Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry/Arif Zahir). Whether you're a fan of major characters like the much-put-upon Meg Griffin (Mila Kunis) or more minor characters like Bruce (Henry), there's a personality for everyone under the sun to latch onto. Even if you can't get a grip on them, like the Greased-Up Deaf Guy.

Fans of the show aren't shy about asking for more information about their favorites in places like r/familyguy. Bellying up to the virtual Drunken Clam that is the show's subreddit, they exchange thoughts and opinions about the show as well as fresh news about the series. At least one member of the forum wants to learn more about this minor character — a person who's been talked about but hasn't debuted on the show proper.

Redditor u/Some_Aside6292 is craving information about Gary, Glenn Quagmire's (Seth MacFarlane) brother. "Glenn has mentioned him a number of times, but he has yet to appear on screen," they point out. The majority of fans replying to the thread have taken a decidedly cheeky tack in answering u/Some_Aside6292. But some fans did respond thoughtfully to the notion of seeing Gary in the flesh. 

"[T]hey mentioned Quagmires sister and then she appeared in the next season, they might be keeping a Gary story in the back pocket," said u/abundanceofb. They added that it's possible the show's writing staff didn't want to overextend themselves. The subreddit's members harkened other little-seen characters to mind. "I still wanna know what happened to Lois' Sister Carol's baby boy," said u/TheCewwwn. The infant hasn't been seen onscreen since they were born, though Carol has popped up in occasionally and even married Mayor West (Adam West) before his death. Two members jokingly suggested that Gary's already on the show's radar. "Plot twist — it's the greased up deaf guy," said u/Chromattix, a notion u/eggtada agreed with.

"My first thought was Sleepy Gary from that episode of Rick & Morty. But we all know what happened to that guy," said u/TheTattooOnR2D2sFace. For those not in the know, the character was an alien parasite who invaded the Smith family and helped cause chaos in the household but was ultimately killed, in spite of his initial apparent niceness and harmlessness. "Ask Seth," said the more practical u/Wurre666, which caused other members of the subreddit to point out that MacFarlane is busy with other projects these days, such as "The Orville" and a new "Ted" TV series.

For those who aren't versed in "Family Guy" lore, Gary Quagmire has been mentioned twice on the show in passing. The first time was during Season 7's "FOX-y Lady," where Glenn says that he has a brother who happens to be deaf during a heated conversation with Brian the Dog (Seth MacFarlane). The second is during a monologue Glenn uses to distract Jeff Fecalman (Ralph Garman) while trying to protect his sister Brenda (Kaitlin Olson) during the infamous Season 10 episode "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q." At the moment, fans know more about Brenda, Gary, and Glenn's parents than they do about Gary. That's especially true for his much-talked-about mother, Ida, a trans woman whose onscreen portrayal has drawn criticism from outlets such as Out Magazine despite MacFarlane's insistence, per The Hollywood Reporter, that Ida's story sprung from an organic response from the episode's writer to events from their own lived experience.

Gary joins other unseen "Family Guy" characters such as Coco — Brian's occasionally-mentioned but never seen father — and Meg's biological father, Stan Thompson, as some of the show's most intriguing never-seen characters. Perhaps someday fans of the show will get to meet all of them.