Long before Robert Downey Jr. was set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, he was actually another villain on the small screen as he appeared in one of Family Guy’s classic episodes as the Fat Guy Strangler. Family Guy has had a number of major stars joining the series in various guest roles over its 25 year history (with its recent Halloween special even recruiting Twisters and Hit Man star Glen Powell, for example), but Robert Downey Jr. probably has had one of the most memorable guest appearances as he was a part of the extended Griffin household in an unexpected way.
In Family Guy’s Season 4 episode, “The Fat Guy Strangler,” Lois Griffin finds out that she actually has an older brother that her parents had admitted to a mental health facility for years without her knowledge. As soon as she finds out, she goes to free her brother as Patrick Pewterschmidt is introduced to both the Griffin family and the audience. Voiced by Robert Downey Jr., it turns out Patrick has been in the mental facility for a very good reason as he starts strangling overweight men to death after being set off by Peter.
Who Is The Fat Guy Strangler?
In “The Fat Guy Strangler,” Peter finds out that he’s overweight and begins a coalition where he teams up with other overweight men in the area. The “National Association for the Advancement of Fat People” is what is running in the secondary plot of the episode as Lois meets her brother Patrick for the first time. Patrick (voiced by Robert Downey Jr.) seems a little off at first as he has imagined himself living with an invisible wife, but Lois is intent on believing that he’s not causing any harm. That is until he starts a killing spree where he strangles overweight men.
Dubbed as the “Fat Guy Strangler,” it’s revealed that Patrick has a problem with overweight men since seeing his mother have sexual intercourse with Jackie Gleason. Peter actually set him back when he imitated Gleason right to Patrick’s face, and this leads to Patrick almost strangling Peter to death as well. But thankfully Lois gets there in time, and Patrick is sent back to the mental facility. He does make later appearances in the series after this, however.
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Does Patrick Ever Come Back?
Because Patrick is part of the extended Griffin Family, this isn’t the final time he’s seen in the series. Family Guy brings the character back in the Season 10 episode, “Killer Queen,” when he’s accused of killing once more when a new fat guy strangler serial killer suddenly appears. It turns out he’s completely innocent, and he turns out to play a key role in stopping this new strangler before Chris is killed. But in this follow up appearance, he’s voiced by Oliver Vaquer instead.
As for Robert Downey Jr., he’s been in nothing but massive projects since this Family Guy episode aired in 2005. After headlining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark for a decade, he’s now set to make his return as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Scheduled to be making its premiere some time in 2026, Downey Jr. is likely far from the only actor who will be making their comeback for the new Avengers film. But he is currently the only star confirmed for the new film as of the time of this publication.
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