"Bones heal, chicks dig scars and the United States of America has the best doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world!"
-- Lance Murdock, daredevil, patriot
Also known as Captain Lance Murdock, Murdock is the World's Greatest Daredevil in the
Simpsons character
pantheon. He appears in "Bart the Daredevil" (first aired December 6, 1990, episode 7F06). Murdock takes pride in the fact that twenty four times in his career he's fractured every bone in his body performing a stunt. His motto is "No stranger to danger; if he's not in action, he's in
traction."
Murdock also considers himself something of a
polyglot. He knows how to ask for
morphine in over twenty languages.
His ultimate stunt was performed on the grounds of
Springfield Speedway. He attempted to jump over a water tank filled with
great white sharks,
electric eels, hungry
piranhas, and
alligators. A ravenous lion is tossed into the drink to heighten the danger to a new level. Unfortunately, the stunt went slightly wrong. While making a showy test run up the ramp, Murdock fell in. After being mauled by the submerged lion, Murdock was pulled from the tank and got rushed to a hospital. He declared his retirement.
Being the World's Greatest Daredevil comes with a few social responsibilities. In an effort to reduce teen daredevilsm, Murdock hosted his own
after-school special The Car that Became an Accordion. Murdock also tours children's wards, visiting kids hospitalized after performing copycat stunts. Off the record, he believes "it's always good to see young people taking an interest in danger!"
His prompting encouraged Bart to put aside his childish skateboard stunts and attempt the ultimate skateboard stunt: jump
Springfield Gorge.
Actor
Dan Castellaneta does the voice work for Murdock.