Relationships With Other Characters
Even though in the first season, Nelson seemed to be Bart's antagonist, he becomes Bart's friend in later episodes.
In the earliest episodes, Lisa became the target of Nelson's bullying, which prompted Bart to defend her. Bart's actions resulted in frequent beatings by Nelson and his gang, but finally ended when Bart received help from Herman, who came up with the idea of standing up to Nelson and his gang by pelting them with water balloons. From that point on, Nelson shows a grudging respect for Bart, though he occasionally reverts back to his past behavior towards him.
Although still prone to violence, Nelson occasionally hangs out with Bart and his outcast friends, such as Milhouse Van Houten and even common bullying target Martin Prince. In "The Debarted," it is shown that Nelson has become Bart's "other best friend", along with Milhouse.
Nelson has many other moments where he displays his hidden good nature, such as his brief amorous relationship with Lisa. Although he cannot control his delinquent tendencies, he treats her with respect and even tries to change for her, although both of them realize that he is not being true to himself by doing so. In "Lisa's Date With Density", Nelson kisses Lisa, only to be berated by Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph, who believe that kissing girls is "gay" (Despite the events that occurred revolving around Jimbo in "New Kid On The Block").
He also punishes Sherri and Terri for tormenting Lisa. Another curious example of his "good side" is with Martin, a boy whom Nelson picks on perhaps more so than any other kid in town. Despite the utter cruelty, there are occasional hints that Nelson does not harbor any real hatred towards Martin and only does so to maintain his 'tough guy' reputation. In "Dial 'N' for Nerder", when it is believed that Martin has died, Nelson seeks out to learn the truth and find Martin's killers. When it is revealed that Martin is alive, Nelson mocks and punches him, but also states that he is glad Martin is not dead. In this same episode, however, when Lisa tries to bribe him to not rat her out by offering to get back together with him, he rejects it. In another episode, it is revealed that both Martin and Nelson went to space camp, and that Nelson was a loyal officer to Martin.
In "Loan-a Lisa", Lisa uses $50 to help Nelson fund his bicycle company, which becomes a success. When Nelson almost drops out of school to spend more time on the company, Lisa is saddened and attempts to stop him from doing so, but eventually respects his decision after realising he won't change despite the money used to fund it. Nelson eventually decides not to drop out after all and takes Lisa skating to make it up to her.
As of that episode, it is currently unclear whether or not Lisa and Nelson have gotten back together.
Interestingly, on "Sleeping With the Enemy," Moe Szyslak appears briefly during a Muntz family reunion. The facial similarities between Moe and the Muntz are surprisingly quite apparent and Moe's childhood experiences and behaviors are somewhat relatable with Nelson's. Moe briefly appears and claims he is part of the family and is then shunned off screen by the Muntz' confused looks.
Read more about this topic: Nelson Muntz
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