32 Mind-Blowing Moments That Prove Steve Urkel Was a Secret Genius All Along

Initially, “Family Matters” focused on the Winslow family, but after Jaleel White joined as Steve Urkel in a role that was meant to be a one-time appearance, he quickly took center stage on the show. You might recall Steve Urkel as the Chicago-dwelling neighbor who was always curious, bookish, clumsy, and sometimes oblivious. However, Steve Urkel had many instances of genuine genius in the classic TV sitcom that you can witness for yourself!

Urkel Is Recruited Onto A Space Mission

In the last episode of Family Matters, Steve Urkel is preparing for his wedding with Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams). However, NASA unexpectedly asks him to test a self-designed anti-gravity device. Unfortunately, things go wrong during the mission, and it falls on this inexperienced astronaut to navigate them back safely to Earth.

Urkel Builds A Jetpack

Titled “Defying Gravity: The Steve Urkel Story,” I found myself captivated by an episode where our protagonist, Steve Urkel, decided to break free from the shackles of low expectations in gym class. With a determined spirit and an inventive mind, Steve embarked on a mission to conquer the challenge of scaling the gym’s rope. His ingenious plan: crafting his own jetpack, propelling him straight towards the ceiling!

Urkel Repurposes Urkelbot As A Hero

Initially, when Steve Urkel unveiled his mechanical duplicate, Urkelbot, on Family Matters, it malfunctioned and attacked him. But in a subsequent episode, he reprogrammed the machine to transform into UrkelCop, who effectively arrested a robbery at a convenience store.

Urkel Invents A Time Machine

On two separate instances in Season 8, Steve Urkel employs his wristwatch time-travel gadget alongside Carl (Reginald VelJohnson). These adventures lead to undesirable outcomes. In the episode “Father Time,” Carl, unaware of Steve’s actions, alters history so that he becomes the wealthiest man in the world; however, when he realizes his children were never born and Harriette (Jo Marie Payton) is unhappy with their marriage, he enlists Steve’s aid to restore things to their original state. In the season finale “A Pirate’s Life for Me,” they find themselves joining a pirate crew from the 18th century. A blunder would have left them trapped in the past if not for Steve giving Myra (Michelle Thomas) her own time-travel device to rectify the situation.

Urkel Prevents An Innocent Man From Going To Jail

In my latest film critique, I found myself captivated by an intriguing twist on the timeless courtroom drama, “12 Angry Men,” in a series that features our beloved characters Carl and Steve Urkel. This particular episode sees them serving together on a jury for a store burglary case. Unlike their fellow jurors who view it as an open-and-shut case, Steve remains unconvinced.

Leveraging technology that predates modern deepfakes, Steve manages to unveil the truth behind the tampered security footage. The true culprit, surprisingly enough, turns out to be the store’s head of security. It’s a riveting exploration of justice, technology, and the power of doubt that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Urkel Rescues Laura With His Souped-Up Car

When I mention that Steve Urkel saves Laura, I’m actually referring to the fact that he outruns her unkind boyfriend in a competition by utilizing an exceptionally upgraded variant of his BMW Isetta.

Urkel Invents A Force Field

As a movie buff, I’d say: To gather the funds needed to repair Laura’s smashed computer, good ol’ Steve Urkel devised an unconventional plan. He persuaded Eddie (Darius McCrary) to step into the ring against a heavyweight boxer nicknamed Butterball. The twist? Steve crafted a unique belt for Eddie, one that would encase him in a protective force field, ensuring not a single punch from Butterball could reach him.

Urkel Helps 3J Learn To Read

In the episode titled “My Big Brother” on Family Matters, Orlando Brown made his debut as character 3J for the first time. This episode centers around Steven Urkel volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program and being paired with a child. As he observes that 3J struggles with reading, he decides to take it upon himself to teach him personally.

Urkel Builds A Cloning Machine

In the final episode of Season 7, Steve Urkel manages to build a machine that produces an identical version of himself, causing the Winslows quite a bit of annoyance. To deal with this new character, Laura comes up with an idea: she changes the duplicate into Steve’s alternate persona, Stefan Urquelle, allowing her to keep him for herself while Steve continues dating Myra.

Urkel Transforms Himself Into Stefan Urquelle

It might be put this way: Steve Urkel’s standout creation on Family Matters, as you may know, was his transformative device, which he frequently adjusted for diverse purposes, and its most striking feature was its ability to change his genetic makeup into another character named Stefan Urquelle. Jaleel White, the actor who played Urkel, initially didn’t want to portray Urkel’s smooth alter ego, but eventually understood that it provided an opportunity for viewers, particularly Black women, to watch a more genuine representation of him on the popular show.

Urkel Gives Aunt Oona A High-Tech Makeover

Among the standout guest roles on Family Matters was Donna Summer, the iconic Disco queen, portraying Aunt Oona of Altoona, who reappeared in a Season 8 episode noticeably heavier. In an attempt to win over the local Reverend Fuller by losing weight, she sought Steve’s help and he introduced her to a device that temporarily reduced her size to normal until its effects faded away.

Urkel Invents A Remote-Controlled Lawnmower

Frankly speaking, not many Steve Urkel inventions appeal to me, but given a chance, I’d snap up his remote-controlled lawnmower in an instant! Even if the original model tends to malfunction and breaks through the Winslows’ kitchen wall, with some modifications, it would surely make my yard work less of a chore.

Urkel Invents Self-Playing Bagpipes

For those who’ve struggled with breathlessness while playing the bagpipes, Steve Urkel might devise a solution: an automated version of the woodwind instrument that operates independently. It may seem like just regular bagpipes connected to a vacuum, but it’s quite remarkable nonetheless.

Urkel Plays A Mean Game Of Pool

In episode “Fast Eddie Winslow” from Season 2, Steve Urkel assists Eddie in resolving a dispute with a tricky pool player by demonstrating his exceptional skills at billiards. Regrettably, the young man also experiences the consequences of defeating an angry professional. Eventually, to save him, Carl and Carl’s mother, Estelle (Rosetta LeNoire), step in, displaying their own expertise in navigating a pool game.

Urkel Invents Smell-O-Vision

Have you ever found yourself watching TV and seeing an enticing food advertisement, wishing you could catch a whiff of the deliciousness on screen? Well, there’s a device called Steve Urkel’s special helmet that lets you do just that – it transmits scents related to what you’re watching. However, like all technology, it has its flaws and unfortunately caused Carl to smell his own hair burning. Despite this minor hiccup, the product was quite remarkable before the issue arose.

Steve Invents A Powerful Duck Call

During a time when ducks are typically far from Chicago, Steve Urkel somehow lures an entire group of ducks over the Winslow residence using a unique duck call he made himself. Unfortunately, these birds decide to soil Carl’s brand-new car, but I’m certain this skill would prove useful during hunting season.

Steve Gives Himself Telepathic Powers

In a twist of events, Steve Urkel creates a unique device, unintentionally granting him psychic abilities to read minds. However, this extraordinary gift turns out to be too much for him to handle. Eventually, he manages to undo the effect, but inadvertently develops temporary memory loss as a side effect.

Urkel Creates A Tornado In The Winslows’ Kitchen

You might imagine that the Winslow’s home has been hit by several tornadoes given the chaos Steve Urkel has caused. However, there was an instance when, with assistance from Richie (Bryton James), he successfully generated a real cyclone in the kitchen, though the experiment ended up causing quite the ruckus and left a mess behind. Nonetheless, it’s an impressive feat.

Urkel Saves Carl’s Life

On numerous occasions, Carl has openly expressed his desire to be free from Steve Urkel’s presence in his life. However, it seems that without his neighbor, Carl might not have the same life he currently enjoys. In Season 5’s episode titled “Saved by the Urkel,” it was Steve who managed to save Carl’s life after an electrocution incident by administering CPR.

Urkel Invents “The AM/FM Urkel Brush”

The design of Steve Urkel’s musical toothbrush leaves a surprising impact on Carl, but the idea itself is quite humorous, and interestingly enough, there’s a real-life version of this product that has proven to be successful.

Urkel Comes Up With A Fun Anti-Gun Violence Rap

In one of the special episodes of the sitcom I follow, the Winslow family organizes an event aimed at disarming young people who possess illegal firearms, with the intention of saving lives. In a surprising and impressive move, Steve Urkel steps up to contribute by performing a heartfelt rap, conveying a powerful message – undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments he’s had on the show for me.

Urkel Invents A Transportation Device

In Season 8 of “Family Matters”, Steve Urkel constructs a gadget that allows its user or users to travel instantly to their desired location. A mishap reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s disturbing sci-fi classic, “The Fly”, was narrowly avoided, but instead, the device takes Steve, the Winslow family, and Stefan Urquelle on a dream vacation to Paris.

Urkel Leads The School Basketball Team To Victory

It might not be widely known, but Steve Urkel from Family Matters was not purely a stereotypical nerd character. In fact, there were instances where he demonstrated impressive athletic abilities, such as scoring the winning basket in a basketball game for his school team, as portrayed in one episode.

Urkel Discovers How To Change Any Object’s Size

In various tales from pop culture lore, there have been scientists who discover a method for instantly changing the dimensions of people or items. Steve Urkel, for one, modifies his Transformation Chamber to amplify objects at will. Unfortunately, this device has an unexpected consequence: it shrinks Steve and Carl instead, reducing them to just two inches in height. They then join forces to find their way back to a normal size.

Urkel Invents A Super Turbo Tree Flocker

In one of the holiday episodes from “Family Matters”, Steve Urkel presents an item that could delight anyone yearning for a lifelike snowy Christmas tree: the Super Turbo Tree Flocker. Unfortunately, it malfunctions and transforms the Winslow’s living room into a chilly disaster instead.

Urkel Builds A Working Rocket

Building a miniature rocket, just like the one Steve Urkel creates and names after his longtime crush, Laura, on Family Matters, is no easy task. In fact, he manages to make it strong enough to puncture a hole in the Winslow’s roof, which was certainly not his goal.

Urkel Helps Stephanie Tanner Come To Terms With Her Need To Wear Glasses

Steve Urkel, from Family Matters, didn’t only shine within that show. He also popped up on other popular ABC sitcoms like Full House. In the fourth season episode titled “Stephanie Gets Framed,” Stephanie Tanner (portrayed by Jodie Sweetin) discovers she needs reading glasses, but feels self-conscious about wearing them in public. Coincidentally, Steve was visiting San Francisco at that time and provided her with some helpful tips on how to amuse her classmates instead of being the one who gets laughed at.

Urkel Has Some Serious Bowling Skills

In the first season episode “Bowl Me Over” of Family Matters, the Winslow family finds themselves at odds over their bowling skills, and it’s discovered that Carl has an unexpected talent in this sport. Interestingly, what makes Carl nervous isn’t just the game, but Laura, who feigns flirting with him to throw him off his game.

Urkel Invents A TV That Automatically Adjusts To Eye Level

Steve Urkel sets up a TV on an adjustable hydraulic stand for the Winslow family, allowing them to easily change the screen height with just a push of a button. While this gadget unfortunately sends the television soaring through the ceiling, it’s still an innovative concept that might appeal to many.

Urkel Invents A Multi-Functioning Chair

Steve Urkel shows Carl his unique creation, a reclining chair he calls “The Slug Boy”. This chair is packed with useful features such as popping popcorn and providing cold beverages. Despite ending up in a big mess due to malfunctioning, Steve’s concept was still quite innovative.

Urkel Invents An Effective Sleep Aid

Steve Urkel develops an exceptional remedy for sleeplessness, dubbed “Snooze Juice,” which unexpectedly causes The Psycho Twins, a professional wrestling duo, to fall asleep after consuming it. As a result, Steve and Carl are compelled to fill in during the match, leading us to view this invention as well-intentioned, at the very least.

Urkel Turns Himself Into Bruce Lee

In “The Substitute Son” from Season 6, Steve Urkel devises a plan to retaliate against some tormentors by creating a potion, which transforms him into Bruce Lee Urkel, an homage to the legendary martial artist. Though this plot may not hold up as well over time, it’s hard to deny that Steve’s scientific prowess is impressive enough to allow him to embody the abilities of one of history’s greatest kung fu masters.

2025-06-28 20:40