SpongeBob Squarepants’ Goofiest Character Was Once One of HBO’s Scariest Villains

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Okay, so everyone knows Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, right? He’s the hilarious, lovable starfish, and he’s even got his own show now, The Patrick Star Show! But get this – it totally blew my mind when I found out the actor who voices Patrick, Bill Fagerbakke, played a seriously scary villain way back in the late 90s on HBO! The character might be gone, but honestly, it’s a role you definitely won’t forget. It’s so weird to think the guy who makes me laugh so much as Patrick could also be so menacing!

Bill Fagerbakke is well known as the voice of Patrick Star, a role he started in 1999 with the very first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, “Help Wanted.” However, a year before that, he played a very different character: Karl Metzger, a prison guard on HBO’s drama Oz. The show centered around an experimental prison, and Metzger secretly aligned himself with a white supremacist group within its walls. He did their bidding, creating trouble throughout the prison – nicknamed the “Emerald City” – as the staff began to suspect his involvement. Ultimately, his deception was discovered, and his time at the prison came to an end.

The Threat of Karl Metzger

The second season of the show introduced Karl, but he was quickly killed off in the third season’s first episode while trying to harm a prisoner named Beecher. Beecher was a controversial character – he was in prison for hitting a child while driving under the influence. When guard Metzger tried to get information from Beecher, Beecher attacked him, using sharpened fingernails he’d secretly been filing into weapons. While Karl’s death started the season, the show continued to thrive, thanks to compelling characters like corrupt guards and dangerous inmates, becoming a major hit for HBO at the time.

While actor Jim Metzger, who played O’Reilly, passed away and didn’t reappear on Oz, the show itself continued for six seasons, concluding in 2003. Throughout its run, Oz featured a large number of characters – both inmates and correctional officers – though many didn’t survive to the series finale. Despite its popularity, Oz hasn’t been revived or rebooted, which is surprising considering the current trend of bringing back successful shows. Given the lack of recent prison dramas, a revival of Oz would likely be well-received.

Patrick Star’s Horror History

Bill Fagerbakke, best known as the voice of Patrick Star, has a surprisingly extensive live-action resume. Before voicing the iconic character, he appeared in films like Jennifer’s Body and Halloween II, and had a notable role in the TV miniseries The Stand. He’s also lent his voice to many animated projects, including Gargoyles, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Jumanji, and Batman Beyond, among countless others. Despite decades of voicing Patrick, Fagerbakke shows no signs of retiring from his role in Bikini Bottom anytime soon.

I’m really curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on Patrick’s role in the upcoming Oz project. What do you all think? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments, and let’s discuss it further over at the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-15 00:19