It is a mysterious dimension that serves as a repository for all the world's mistakes and forgotten ideas. It appears as a vast, surreal, static landscape filled with discarded objects, forgotten characters, and abandoned plotlines from the show itself.
The Void can be considered the overarching antagonist of the series, as it eventually threatens to destroy all of reality, with this threat having been foreshadowed throughout episodes like "The Oracle" and "The Future" before occurring in "The Inquisition."
Any person, object, invention, game, claim, fashion style, animal, prototype, or miscellaneous item deemed a mistake is expelled from reality into the Void. Sometimes, people banished to the Void are frozen in time like a paused video, though a simple touch can break this stasis.
The Void's landscape consists of TV static or outer space, and the laws of physics are distorted within it, resulting in reduced gravity that can shift its direction unpredictably. "Mistakes" float freely throughout this dimension unless they are anchored to floating platforms, occasionally glitching or phasing in and out of existence.
When something enters the Void, all evidence of its existence vanishes from the real world: memories are wiped (except for those wearing tinfoil hats), images disappear from photographs, and locations associated with the mistake cause reality to fold upon itself, concealing the previous location. These folds can be forcibly opened to create portals between the Void and reality. These portals pull in nearby objects and function bidirectionally, though they gradually shrink and can eventually seal to prevent Void inhabitants from returning. Attempting to pass through these portals precariously can result in disfigurement, as demonstrated by Rob's fate.
Typically, anyone escaping the Void loses all memories related to the dimension. However, memories can potentially return, as proven by Rob, who ultimately recalled his time there in "The Nobody," making him the sole person to accomplish this. Also, Banana Barbara, despite never entering the Void herself, appears knowledgeable about it, having created multiple artworks depicting the dimension.
Additionally, the Universal Remote can open a Void portal via the "AV" button, which also serves to change the "channel" of the Void's expanse.
Appearances[]
Season 3[]
"The Void" marks its introduction as a major plot element. In this episode, Gumball, Darwin, and Mr. Small discover that Molly and Janice were erased from existence and transported to this dimension, prompting them to mount a rescue mission inside of it. Then, they discover all of Elmore's mistakes and the true nature of the Void. As the crew try and make it out, the dimension attempts to seal them inside forever. They manage to escape, but their memories are erased afterwards.
The Void appears depicted in one of Banana Barbara's paintings in "The Oracle," where the Watterson family is seen running fearfully as Elmore collapses into it.
In "The Nobody," we see Rob's escape from the Void through a flashback to "The Void" episode, explaining his disfigured appearance as a consequence of his escape. It's revealed that without Gumball, Darwin, Small or Molly noticing, he was there calling out for help, and when he was ignored, Rob clung onto the back of Janice as it launched back to Elmore.
Season 4[]
The Void briefly shows when Darwin accidentally breaks a screen in "The Compilation."
In "The Disaster," Rob uses the universal remote to banish Gumball to the Void, opening a portal and later sealing it. His goal is to make Gumball's existence obsolete, though Gumball manages to escape by rewinding time.
Season 5[]
"The Rerun" shows Gumball turning the tables by sending Rob to the Void using the remote after rewinding the events of "The Disaster," but later rescuing him out of remorse.
Season 6[]
In "The Vegging," the background panel outside of the Watterson family's window collapses and reveals the Void, the impact moving the TV remote slightly away from Gumball.
"The Future" references the Void in many of Banana Barbara's paintings, which depict only static. It also appears behind or within areas that Banana Barbara brush erases in reality. At the end of the episode, a painting is created that depicts Rob falling into the Void.
The series builds to a climax in "The Inquisition" as the Void begins consuming all of Elmore, starting with the school. Rob is seen falling into it as the abyss expands, and the last shot is a freeze-frame of his descent, mirroring the last impact of Barbara's in "The Future.
Witnesses[]
Molly—banished to the Void due to her dull and forgettable personality. She was later rescued by Gumball, Darwin, and Mr. Small, who brought her back to Elmore, though her memories of the Void were erased following her escape.
Rob—condemned to the Void, presumably because he was an insignificant, unmemorable character lacking a clear purpose or reason for existence. He escaped by clinging to Mr. Small's van, resulting in his distorted, polygonal appearance. He opened (and closed) a Void portal in "The Disaster" before being physically ejected back into the Void in "The Rerun" when Gumball used the Universal Remote against him. His subsequent return to the Void was foreshadowed in "The Future" through Banana Barbara's painting, eventually occurring in the series finale, "The Inquisition," when he falls back in. He remains the only person to consistently retain memories of the Void after escaping.
Gumball—entered the Void through a portal to rescue Molly, then returned to the normal world but lost all memory of the experience shortly after. He revisited the Void in "The Disaster" after Rob threw the Universal Remote into a portal leading there. In "The Rerun," he ventured into the Void a third time to find and rescue Rob after banishing him there. However, this timeline was ultimately erased by Rob, and therefore, again was Gumball's knowledge of the Void.
Darwin—entered the Void through a portal to rescue Molly, then escaped back to the world, but his memory of the experience was promptly erased afterward.
Mr. Small—entered the Void through a portal to rescue both Molly and his beloved van, Janice, then returned to the world, losing all memory of the Void shortly thereafter.
Banana Barbara—depicted and observed the Void through numerous paintings, though she never personally experienced it.
Entities sent to the Void[]
Many artifacts have been sent to the Void. Below is a scrolling list of all that are confirmed:
Gumball, Darwin, and Mr. Small's hats—banished to the Void to erase their memories and preserve the secrecy of the world's discarded mistakes.
80s hair spray—eliminated due to extreme toxicity.
Keytar—removed for being merely a passing trend.
Darwin's preliminary design—presumably discarded after Darwin's final form was established.
Zeppelin—purged following the catastrophic 1937 Hindenburg disaster.
Transmission tower—eliminated due to hazardous high voltage risks.
Janice—banished for its eccentric hippie qualities and appearance. Later recovered when Gumball, Darwin, Molly, and Mr. Small drove it through the portal out of the Void.
A ship—removed for unspecified reasons; possibly due to sinking.
Basketball hoop—likely eliminated for being an outdated design.
Refrigerator—possibly removed for significant design flaws.
Wheelchair—likely discarded when newer models rendered it obsolete.
Gas tanks—probably eliminated for dangerous leakage issues.
Disco—expunged after its demise in the early 1980s.
Disco shoes—removed after falling out of fashion.
Jorts—eliminated once no longer stylish.
Mullet—banished after its popularity waned.
Shutter Shades—removed after going out of style.
Payphone—eliminated following the widespread adoption of cellphones.
70s cellphone—consigned to obsolescence.
Molly's treehouse—sent to the Void along with Molly herself.
Early Watterson house version—removed after the house design was finalized.
Saxophone—eliminated for undetermined reasons, possibly for being annoying or outdated.
Models from "How to Ratatwang Your Panda"—discarded for being cheap knockoffs designed to deceive consumers.
LaserDisc—eliminated following DVD's arrival, due to its cumbersome size and "Laser-rot" issues.
Pluto—banished following its 2006 reclassification as a dwarf planet (contradicted by Pluto's appearance in "The Singing").
Various low-polygonal CGI models.
2009 Gumball design head outline.
Office Assistant (Clippy)—removed following widespread criticism.
Dodo birds—consigned after extinction.
Crazy Frog lookalike—eliminated due to waning popularity and irritating nature.
Titanic ventilation tube—banished following the 1912 sinking.
Pogo balls—eliminated after their trend faded.
Rock cloud—similar to the one that crushed the Wattersons' car in "The Job."
Various car models—removed due to poor performance or changing designs.
Mixtapes—eliminated as obsolete media.
Early Elmore Junior High design.
Segways—banished for underwhelming sales and performance.
Early CD media in caddies—eliminated once superior technology emerged.
YOLO ("you only live once")—removed after trending ceased.
Penny-farthing—banished when superseded by modern bicycles.
Kettle—possibly removed for primitive design.
Socks with sandals—eliminated after fashion rejection.
Helicopter ejector seat—removed due to fatal design flaw (blade collision).
Platybelodon—banished following extinction.
Soda cans and coffee cups—sucked into the Void upon the first portal opening, possibly as common litter.
ACARI cartridges—parodies of Atari 2600 games (especially E.T.), removed for poor reception.
Various terrain pieces—eliminated either coincidentally or for unspecified faults.
School bus—possibly removed when newer models rendered it obsolete.
Videos[]
The Amazing World of Gumball - The Void - Cartoon Network Africa
The search for a missing child - The Void - Gumball - Cartoon Network
Season One: "The DVD" • "The Responsible" • "The Third" • "The Debt" • "The End" • "The Dress" • "The Quest" • "The Spoon" • "The Pressure" • "The Painting" • "The Laziest" • "The Ghost" • "The Mystery" • "The Prank" • "The Gi" • "The Kiss" • "The Party" • "The Refund" • "The Robot" • "The Pi" • "The Goons" • "The Secret" • "The Sock" • "The Genius" • "The Poltergeist" • "The Mustache" • "The Date" • "The Club" • "The Wand" • "The Ape" • "The Car" • "The Curse" • "The Microwave" • "The Meddler" • "The Helmet" • "The Fight"
Season Two: "The Remote" • "The Colossus" • "The Knights" • "The Fridge" • "The Flower" • "The Banana" • "The Phone" • "The Job" • "Halloween" • "The Treasure" • "The Apology" • "The Words" • "The Skull" • "The Bet" • "Christmas" • "The Watch" • "The Bumpkin" • "The Flakers" • "The Authority" • "The Virus" • "The Pony" • "The Hero" • "The Dream" • "The Sidekick" • "The Photo" • "The Tag" • "The Storm" • "The Lesson" • "The Game" • "The Limit" • "The Voice" • "The Promise" • "The Castle" • "The Boombox" • "The Tape" • "The Sweaters" • "The Internet" • "The Plan" • "The World" • "The Finale" Season Three: "The Kids" • "The Fan" • "The Coach" • "The Joy" • "The Puppy" • "The Recipe" • "The Name" • "The Extras" • "The Gripes" • "The Vacation" • "The Fraud" • "The Void" • "The Boss" • "The Move" • "The Law" • "The Allergy" • "The Mothers" • "The Password" • "The Procrastinators" • "The Shell" • "The Bros" • "The Mirror" • "The Man" • "The Pizza" • "The Lie" • "The Butterfly" • "The Question" • "The Saint" • "The Friend" • "The Oracle" • "The Safety" • "The Society" • "The Spoiler" • "The Countdown" • "The Nobody" • "The Downer" • "The Egg" • "The Triangle" • "The Money" Season Four: "The Return" • "The Nemesis" • "The Crew" • "The Others" • "The Signature" • "The Check" • "The Pest" • "The Sale" • "The Gift" • "The Parking" • "The Routine" • "The Upgrade" • "The Comic" • "The Romantic" • "The Uploads" • "The Apprentice" • "The Hug" • "The Wicked" • "The Traitor" • "The Origins" • "The Origins: Part Two" • "The Girlfriend" • "The Advice" • "The Signal" • "The Parasite" • "The Love" • "The Awkwardness" • "The Nest" • "The Points" • "The Bus" • "The Night" • "The Misunderstandings" • "The Roots" • "The Blame" • "The Slap" • "The Detective" • "The Fury" • "The Compilation" • "The Scam" • "The Disaster" Season Five: "The Rerun" • "The Stories" • "The Guy" • "The Boredom" • "The Vision" • "The Choices" • "The Code" • "The Test" • "The Slide" • "The Loophole" • "The Fuss" • "The Copycats" • "The Potato" • "The Outside" • "The Vase" • "The Matchmaker" • "The Box" • "The Console" • "The Ollie" • "The Catfish" • "The Cycle" • "The Stars" • "The Grades" • "The Diet" • "The Ex" • "The Sorcerer" • "The Menu" • "The Uncle" • "The Weirdo" • "The Heist" • "The Singing" • "The Best" • "The Worst" • "The Deal" • "The Petals" • "The Nuisance" • "The Line" • "The List" • "The News" • "The Puppets" Season Six: "The Rival" • "The Lady" • "The Sucker" • "The Vegging" • "The One" • "The Father" • "The Cringe" • "The Cage" • "The Neighbor" • "The Anybody" • "The Faith" • "The Candidate" • "The Pact" • "The Shippening" • "The Brain" • "The Parents" • "The Founder" • "The Schooling" • "The Intelligence" • "The Potion" • "The Spinoffs" • "The Transformation" • "The Understanding" • "The Ad" • "The Ghouls" • "The Stink" • "The Awareness" • "The Slip" • "The Drama" • "The Buddy" • "The Possession" • "The Master" • "The Silence" • "The Future" • "The Wish" • "The Factory" • "The Agent" • "The Web" • "The Mess" • "The Heart" • "The Revolt" • "The Decisions" • "The BFFs" • "The Inquisition"
