Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy/Fridge

Warning! Unmarked spoilers ahead.

Eddy's Brother beat the crap out of Eddy (as) a child. In a amusement park they are many children. Oh Crap.

—Comments section of an "Ed, Edd n Eddy" wikia page.

Fridge Brilliance

In the episode It's Way Ed, made in 1999, Edd calculates that in another ten years they'll be cool again. By the end of the movie the Ed's are accepted by the kid's of the cul-de-sac, excluding Johnny, and are indeed popular. The movie was made in 2009.
In the episode "A Twist of Ed," Ed and Edd use reverse psychology to get the Kankers to leave them alone. It worked, until Eddy's nervousness causes them to catch on to the Eds' tricks. A whole season later, in "A Fistful of Ed," Eddy finally did what he failed to do back then: fight back at the Kankers and get them to leave the Eds alone.
- Also, after "Fistful," the Kankers used new non-forceful ways to impress the Eds.
Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Ed compares himself to Eddy's brother and claims the two to be "so alike," to which Eddy dismissively replies, "Yeah, right." At first, it seemed like Eddy was saying Ed just simply wasn't cool enough to be compared to his brother. But then we learn what his brother was really like, meaning Eddy was actually COMPLIMENTING Ed.
- In fact, it could be argued this scene subtly sets up a Not So Similar situation between Ed and Eddy's Brother. While both have superficially many things in common, they actually couldn't be more different.
The series was originally planned to end with the revelation (at the end of Season 4) that the entire show was the reminiscences of three old men. There was an early series of Season 1 promos presented in a "remember that time when" format--just as if an old man were recalling all the events.
All three Eds possess an ability that each other wants. Now stay with me, it is evident that they show a trait that would more or less benefit the other. Edd can make more or less amicable relationships with people who'd otherwise antagonize or treat him indifferently; as best shown with Kevin, Sarah, Jimmy, and even the Kanker Sisters, which is the kind of skill Eddy wished he had. Eddy is shown to be resourceful enough to make his more wilder concepts and imaginations (mostly in the form of his scams) come to reality, which is certainly something Ed would want. Ed has raw physical strength and durability, which is the kind of power that Double D wishes he had.
While all three Eds are Heterosexual Life Partners and True Companions, it's Ed and Edd who are shown to be closer to each other than either of them is with Eddy. Given the fact neither of them has a brother, they naturally gravitate towards one another. Also, take into account Ed's mother isn't a good mother by any stretch of the definition, and Edd is the Eds' Team Mom, so Ed may have latched onto Edd as a Parental Substitute.
In The Movie, it seems weird that, even though Ed participated in the quicksand prank, Edd only gave him a brief Death Glare while Eddy took all the blame. However, apart from knowing Ed is too naive to be purposefully cruel, Ed has proven in many occassions to be a loyal and caring friend to him, which explains why he didn't get nearly as angry to him.
- This moment casts a very different light about Edd's anger: he got angry not because of the prank itself, but because the pranks reminded him of how much of an awful friend Eddy was to both him and Ed, and his calling out Eddy exclusively is not just because of what he did to him, but also because he frequently influenced Ed into going along with his pranks.
Speaking of Eddy, he frequently mistreats them and seems cheerfully oblivious to their plight despite being his surrogate brothers. Then you see his brother treating him almost the exact same way, it becomes clear he sees it as a normal way to show affection to them. Sheesh...
- Which makes his first Heel Realization all the more meaningful. Edd leaving him over this treatment was a wake-up call, and his breakdown isn't just because of his friends leaving due to his awful actions, it's him actually confronting the horrible, horrible truth about his relationship with his brother.
Eddy's bullying of Jimmy starts making sense once seen The Movie. Jimmy is frequently thought by Eddy as a coward, a crybaby and a doormat. When you see Eddy being mistreated by his brother, Eddy acts very much the same way. In short, Jimmy is the walking reminder of Eddy's self-hatred. In fact, this serves as a factor in his mentoring of Jimmy in "Ed In a Halfshell", which very much gives more than enough hints of Eddy's relationship with his brother prior to The Movie.
In The Movie, the Wizard of Oz reference seems to be a one-shot gag at first, but at the climax, it turns out those things are the keys they needed to be accepted, since they solve the problems the kids had with the Eds to begin with. Think about it: Edd first caught the kids' sympathy by standing up to Eddy's Brother. Then Ed follows suit by using Newton's Third Law to knock him out. Finally, Eddy cries and apologizes for everything he did, and his heart is what gains the kids' full-blown acceptance.
- Related to the above, what was the thing that made them find those missing items? Their friendship. Ed found his brain after seeing his best friends being hurt, Edd found courage upon witnessing Eddy being beaten up, and Eddy's heart was unlocked over nearly losing his best friends.
Many found weird Ed merely using a door and Newton's Third Law to defeat Eddy's Brother, given his Super Strength. But remember that the last time Ed went medieval on someone, he nearly killed Plank. He was trying to prove he's nothing like Eddy's Brother, and so channeled his rage to keep himself rational while still delivering him his just desserts.

Fridge Horror

In The Movie, Eddy's older brother is revealed to be a colossal dick who beats his kid brother up for fun, probably for Eddy's entire life. He also lives at an amusement park, where there's no shortage of children to torment.
- Even worse is the seemingly normal episode "Ed, Pass It On", which actually kind of sort of turns out to be an Innocuously Important Episode when we finally meet Eddy's brother in The Movie. Eddy, in an attempt to get spillover respect, starts telling everyone that his brother is coming home. Edd points out that what the other kids are showing isn't respect, but fear. When we finally see Eddy's brother, we see exactly WHY everyone was running scared when they heard he was returning. Then there's his reaction when he finally sees (what he thinks is) his brother.
In The Movie. Just what DID the Eds do that A) resulted in Jonny getting a bear trap on his head, Kevin getting set on fire, Nazz being forced to wear a box & having most of her hair sheared, and Rolf getting a chunk bitten out of his torso; and B) that Eddy thought going to his abusive big brother was the better option over letting the other kids get back at him?}}
- Eddy's entire childhood becomes one of these when we see the absolute monster his brother is. Yeah, he left at some point, but its clear from how he talked that Eddy's brother always abused Eddy like he did in that scene...
  - The fact that Eddy thought acting like his brother would make him cool. When you remember that abused children often go on to become abusers themselves, you have to wonder how Eddy would have turned out as an adult if the other kids hadn't eventually accepted him and the other Eds...
- What about the fact Eddy's Brother asks him Have You Told Anyone Else? when he arrives? Including their parents. At first this seems to simply be something any big brother may ask...then we see he's a sadistic Sociopath who takes a great deal of glee in outright torturing his little brother. Think about that for a moment. He knows their parents and no one else knows where Eddy and his friends are at and loves sadistically torturing them...
In Season 3's Momma's Little Ed, one of Eddy and Ed mock notes requested Edd to put lint in his belly button. That seemed like a simple gross assignment at first, one fitting for their minds. But in Season's 5 I am a Curious Ed, Eddy reveals he believes babies come from belly button lint. So what was he trying to do to Edd…?
On Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy's Big Picture Show, the scene where Eddy's brother shows his true colors and beats up Eddy is pretty terrifying on its own, but it gets worse when you realize that a grown man whose idea of fun is torturing a 12 year old is working at an amusement park, where he'd have no shortage of victims.
- - His asking Eddy if their parents or anyone else know he's come to his house. Initially, it just sounds like something any incredulous older brother might say. In hindsight, however, it arguably becomes the creepiest moment in the entire series.
- This turns into Nightmare Fuel when you realize that Eddy is only 12, and his brother has to be in his 20s, and has probably practiced this level of abuse during the entire time he lived with his parents. This also says a lot about Eddy's parents.
- Notice Eddy's behavior throughout the series. It's implied that he has a Porn Stash, has a pair of his brother's leopard skin undies, takes showers with his bathing suit on, hates being touched, absolutely loathes being stripped, screams, "I'm a minor! Stop!" whenever someone (particularly the Kanker sisters) attacks him, and acts macho, even though he's not. Eddy could have been mentally (and most likely, sexually) abused by his brother and his parents either condoned it or never knew about it. Ugh!
Another thing...his brother thinks Edd is a girl at first. He beats the crap out of not just Eddy, but Edd as well in the same scene. Which means he evidently has no qualms about mercilessly beating girls... can you imagine what this guy would do if he had a girlfriend or a wife?
A bit of a meta example, but most of the cast is based on the creator and people he knew, which means that Danny Antonucci knew people who were complete bastards like Eddy's brother, B-movie loving Cloud Cuckoolanders turned Up to Eleven like Ed, or insane, lovesick trailer trash like the Kanker sisters.
Ed has repeatedly demonstrated that he possesses phenomenal physical strength, able to take enormous amounts of punishment even by the Amusing Injuries standard of the series as well as carry absurdly heavy things with no apparent difficulty. Usually, he is a cheerfully clueless dope, but when he was in a Bad Mood (which naturally went away at the end of the episode), there was absolutely nothing the rest of the cast could do to stop him. Just imagine the damage he could do if, one day, that cheerfulness went away...
- - Now consider that Ed is genuinely afraid of his little sister, Sarah. However strong Ed is, Sarah is even more dangerous and she's younger than Ed is.
    - Now to throw some gas on that fire. Ed has shown and two occasions to hopelessly outmatch Sarah when he actually tries to fight back and that she is scared of Ed when he has stopped letting her bully him. Ed also shows more fear of mental/emotional threats that sarah inflicts in the form of "I'll tell mom!!!", we've all seen this before. Ed's feats of strength are considered extraordinary by the standards of this world, even when compared to those implied by Eddy's brother, who could be used as a measuring stick for the physical capabilities of the adults. They use punishments that effect him emotionally and mentally (like when they removed his stairs, a jump he could easily make but didn't because he was "grounded", and the effects of that weird dream episode),this implies that Ed's parents KNOW he is capable of overpowering and unleashing any amount of pain on them he could see fit, so they break him like an animal. The flashback episode shows ed eating a TV, this means he's been superhuman since he was a toddler, that means they've been doing this to him since he was a TODDLER....Ed,Edd, n Eddy now has an example of Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?
- Also, there are implications that Ed and Eddy have Abusive Parents. They try to change their grades so as to not get in trouble. That's just being dishonest, right? Well, offscreen, it seems that their parents either beat them or subject them to severe verbal abuse. Suddenly, their actions seem a lot more justifiable.
- What about Edd's home life? On the surface, he seems to be the perfect child. But he's extremely OCD to the point where he measures if his bed is completely flat, and you don't see anything of his parents except for the sticky notes everywhere. Makes me wonder how messed up his home life really is...
- This might be an uncomfortable thought, but when you put enough thought into it, you realize that a good majority if not all the kids of the Cul-de-sac have abusive parents. Take, for example, that none of the parents are ever seen. The only other character who was never revealed was Eddy's Brother until The Movie, and we all know what he ended up being... Now enough can be assumed from Eddy's personality and his home life to infer that he was abused. With Ed, we get a small glimpse at what life under his parents must really be like during the episode Rock-a-Bye Ed, but it certainly explains a lot of why he secludes himself off from his family and, well, reality. Edd appears to be more or less untouched by abuse, but when you consider his OCD and that his parents only seem to ever communicate with him through sticky notes, it's more than possible that Edd suffers from severe child neglect, opting to be the best son he can be just for a mite of attention or praise. Jimmy is clearly sheltered, his only gateway to outside activities being Sarah. Rolf is an only child who adorns almost ALL the responsibility of his home. Johnny chooses to associate more closely to Plank than anyone else in the cast (though more a show of disassociation from the other kids rather than any actual signs of abuse.) The Kanker Sisters all seem to come from different fathers. In fact, the only ones who show no real signs of suffering any abuse are Nazz and Kevin.
  - It gets better if you know why the characters are designed the way they are. For example, the Eds are representations of the creator's (Danny Antonucci) personality when he was a kid. If you took your personality and split into three people then highlighted their personalities until they were as developed as real people you would have three kind of messed up people. Then you have the Rule of Funny which stated that Flanderization should occur. In fact the crew had to reverse the process because it got too ridiculous. Then you look at the other characters who were based on people that Danny knew. Rolf was based on the fact that Danny was the foreigner in his neighborhood when he was growing up. Nazz wasn't developed until the movie. Sarah is similar to real life girls who use their cute demeanor to get their older brother in trouble. I've seen that in real life, but it seemed to get better with the case I saw. We have also seen Sarah generally worried about Ed in the past, though. Johny could have a real problem, but he could simply be a 12 year-old whose parents haven't yet figured out that he is too old for an imaginary friend. The Kankers sisters are definitely messed up since they came from a broken family. Jimmy is only 9 and he has plenty of time to develop, so he isn't in too much trouble. Science has proved 90% of personalities are determined at birth. He would end up shy, but he probably would have anyways and he could still become better adjusted. Kevin is a jerk jock, but he could still grow out of it. Everyone except Johny, Eddy's brother, and maybe the Kankers took a step in the right direction with their personalities during the movie. Then you consider the fact why there aren't any parents according to the Word of God that Danny provided. He said that the reason there isn't parents is that in real life during the summer you wouldn't really see much of your parents or other kids' parents when you were outside playing. That is a very true statement. Parents would be at work or doing choirs while kids are outside playing. I for one hardly ever saw other kids' parents or my own when I was playing with friends. I may occasionally get a glimpse or two, but we were generally left on our own. The show is basically about kids growing up and hanging out with people their own age, so the trope is justified. For everything else, you can assume therapists exist in this world. -Thecommander236
Just look at the part in The Movie when Eddy's bro asks if their parents know Eddy's here. Hearing this, their parents must know when Big Bro does to Eddy. Maybe they're not as bad as we thought.
- Plus the implication that Eddy's brother abused him when Eddy was a toddler, due to a flashback in "Every Which Way But Ed" depicting a younger Eddy as a scamming Jerkass like in the present.

Fridge Logic

The Halloween special. Ed was put into a receptive trance by his overdose of movies in which he confused them with reality even more so that normal. The question is, if he was in a trance the whole time, how did he put the rest of the movies in?
- I was more concerned with the Fridge Logic at the end of the special.