Turanga Morris
Secondary character | |
Turanga Morris | |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Species | Human (Mutant) |
Planet of origin | Earth |
Relatives | See family section. |
First appearance | "I Second that Emotion" (2ACV01) |
Voiced by | David Herman |
Turanga Morris is a middle-aged mutant human who spent his life before the mutant revolution in the sewers. He is happily married to Turanga Munda and they have a grown-up daughter together.
Personality
As a mutant, Turanga Morris has some special characteristics: as with his wife and daughter, Morris has only one eye, and he has a sideways mouth. He has gray hair and is balding. In his very first appearance, however, he had a horizontally-oriented mouth, he also appeared to have fangs reminiscent of a vampire.
Morris seems to be prone to drinking, both beer and tequila, and he enjoys fishing. He is very friendly and dedicated to his daughter Leela up to and beyond the point he'd rather die than let something bad happen to her, though like his wife he always fear (or even suppose and accept) that she might be ashamed of her parents. He and his wife own a mutant cat with a tail that is a snake. He later remarks that he's allergic to animals when trapped by the Zookeeper (4ACV04), leading one to theorize that he is only allergic to non-mutant cats. He lived in a small house in the sewers up until the Devolution Revolution of September 3010, when they were allowed up on the surface (6ACV12).
Biography
Leela's birth
Turanga Morris was married to Turanga Munda in 2972. When his daughter was born the "least mutated mutant ever" three years later, he and Munda conceived a plan to give the newborn a better life on the surface, by leaving her on the steps of an orphanarium, keeping Leela from living "the horrible degrading life of a mutant".. Munda used her Ph.D. in exolinguistics to write a note in Alienese, so people would think she was an alien rather than a mutant. The note read "Your parents love you very much", but was never properly translated. Both swore to rather die than let her daughter know the "shameful truth of her origin."
Leela's homeworld
However, many years later, in an attempt to save Leela from persecution by the other mutants, they accidentally attracted attention, and after a lengthy chase were almost killed by their own daughter, who mistook them for her parents' murderers, noticing Munda wore a similar braclet as herself. Morris and Munda avoided telling her the truth, believing it was better for them to die than for her to realise she was a mutant. Only Fry's research and timely intervention saved them and told the truth, and the little family was reunited.(4ACV02)
Later, they both made a trip to the surface with permission from Citihall to meet with their daughter, however Leela could not meet with them because she had to protect her secret identity as Clobberella, which caused her some pain. When the Zookeeper learned Leela's true identity, he kidnapped her parents to coerce the New Justice Team to deliver the Quantum Gemerald to him.(4ACV04) When the crew was reverted to their teenage selves and later into childhood, Morris and Munda provided assistance by letting their daughter stay with them and briefly take up the childhood she had always wanted. Wanting to experience the real thing, Leela asked them to be as strict as they could, but they were constantly too lenient and Leela had to encourage them to be stricter. They also allowed the youthified crew to stay with the teenage Leela until the Professor worked out a plan to restore their true ages. Apparently the book containing the story about the Fountain of Aging belonged to them as well.(4ACV09)
The Devolution Revolution
In September 3010, Leela was discovered to be a mutant illegally living on the surface, and she was banished into the sewers. From there she led the Devolution Revolution, which her parents among other mutants joined, bringing rights to all mutants to be on the surface as much as anyone else.(6ACV12)
Divorce
Soon after his 40th anniversary party he divorced with Munda due to that she wanted to explore the Universe, as mutants now had rights equal to regular Earthicans, and Morris didn't. He then spent his time surfing great sewer waves around the world, and then later reunited with Munda.(7ACV05)
Family
- Turanga Munda, wife
- Turanga Leela, daughter
- Grandfather to several dozen of Amphibiosan offsprings that Leela is the biological mother of; however, Amphibosan culture considers Amy Wong to be the true mother of Kif's offspring.
Additional Info
Quotes
Morris: No beer until you finish your Tequilla!
Munda: [About Leela after her birth.] She's completely perfect!
Morris: Fine, Sweetiekins, we'll be the strictest parents ever. Now, let's all have some tequila to celebrate!
Leela: Dad! I'm underage!
Morris: Oh, right. Here's a silly straw.
Leela: And if some kid picks on me, my dad can beat up his dad.
Morris: Can't I just beat up the kid?