#rick and morty fan theories

[misslisamiray]

Something I've been thinking about that I never see brought up: We all know Morty saw Rick's whole crybaby backstory in the S5 finale... but Jerry has seen as much, if not more, of Rick's memory. Of what he's seen, how much does he remember?

The two have been merged in some way twice now, first in S3 ep 5, "The Whirly-Dirly Conspiracy", and more recently in S7 ep 2, "The Jerrick Trap". There have to be some lingering effects from that, right?

More below the cut, and I warn you, this gets LONG.

Maybe Jerry wouldn't necessarily remember anything from that first encounter where his consciousness, Rick's, and that of the large alien trying to kill them were all intertwined - the "I just spent an eternity merged with your essence and I'm already back to thinking you're an asshole" line implies the effects of said merging wear off quickly. So, any memories/knowledge gained then might also fade away fast. But even if he forgot almost instantly, Jerry has to have seen Rick's past (a full two seasons before Morty did!)

Now... The Jerrick Trap is where this gets interesting. Rick and Jerry spent days - maybe weeks - with their minds shuffled as Burger and Fries. Followed by at least a full day as Jerricky. While it's questionable, even unlikely, the events in Whirly-Dirly had lasting effects, there is no way, after all that, these two don't know EVERYTHING about each other.

Of course, there's, I'd say, a 50/50 chance Rick erased Jerry's memories of the entire incident, specifically because of that. He let Morty see the crybaby backstory, and Summer & the Beths have at least some vague knowledge of Prime. But I can see him drawing the line at Jerry just... being able to see all those memories as clearly as Rick himself can.

Which brings us to: Memory Rick! (and something else I never see brought up). Even if Jerry doesn't share Rick's memories for any other reason, would he automatically have them through Memory Rick being marooned in his brain? I'm thinking yes, but since Memory Rick is sentient, he *might* be able to block Jerry from accessing them.

Anyway, if Jerry has retained any of Rick's memories, I really hope the show addresses it at some point. It's actually one of my most-hoped-for-in-the-remaining-seasons things.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this. I am sorry this post got so long, and if you are seeing this, thank you for reading my essay. 😅

[courtingevil]

so do you all think evil morty specifically chose to have his signature creation be an eyepatch just because rick is scared of pirates ?

[rustychainsnorter]

What if the zombie hand in the new season 7 opening scene was actually apocalypse Jerry???

Look at the similarities in the terrain.

It would also explain why Morty looks so horrified while Rick is totally excited. Imagine having another Jerry be part of the family. I mean, why not! We already have two Beths! Plus, reviving apocalypse Jerry could result in critical information about Rick Prime's whereabouts.

[666lola666]

if the theory that rick had sort of romantic/close relationship with prime then this scene is even more fucking devestating

[on-this-side-of-the-curve]

Curve Theory

Would you believe me if I told you that Rick Sanchez isn't only the antagonist of his own series, but many more too?

The Central Finite Curve Connected Multiverse (or even Omniverse,) it's not just Rick and Morty living it up here! In my world Easter Eggs aren't just fun things to find in the background, but are actually treasures hiding a larger narrative.

References, Easter Eggs, Crossovers and Cameos, plus some storytelling to fill the holes, and you get a beautifully well pieced together puzzle.

Theories coming soon!

[misslisamiray]

I hadn't thought of that, and just took his "It's a one-person ride" at face value. I do wonder if maybe he tried to follow Morty and the Hole like... threw him back out because only one person can go in at a time?

Because how *did* Rick know that, when it's not explicitly stated in the "How to Hole" video? The Hole isn't that big, and sure it'd be a tight squeeze, but as skinny as both he and Morty are, the two of them could definitely fit at the same time.

And yes, we all know Rick was oblivious to The Horrors. To him, the worst it might have seemed was happening was Morty having a nightmare.

In short (and yes, I realize it's way too late for that, but please know I could go on for a few more paragraphs): I'm not sure I 100% agree with OP's theory, but I love it.

I'm a softie but I totally assumed Rick didn't go into the hole cause he knew he couldn't protect morty from inside. He's just stood there like "come on already" but would NEVER EVER admit that

[jerry-enthusiast]

A very short theory

Season 1 episode 4, aight?

We see Jerry in the simulation at his "job", and what do we see when he's desperately trying not to fuck up his presentation? Pure panic, pure fear and anxiety.

I'm starting to think the reason Jerry cannot get a job or land an interview is because he might have social anxiety. Ffs he might be on the edge of a panic attack half way through. Poor guy. :(

[silvershewolf247]

Like if you don't care about your plot or characters and view them as nothing more than a vessel for spectacle and comedy, then you can't be upset when the people that do care get upset about it.

[misslisamiray]

Time for a random headcanon thing!

At this point, it's widely accepted/practically canon that Diane was the breadwinner & Rick was the stay at home parent. So he would have spent the most time with Beth.

Another widely agreed upon thing (though maybe less so than the first one) is that Rick, without all his cybernetics, is/would be kinda weak & wimpy, yes? There was a popular post about this a few months back, but sadly the account it was from deactivated, so I can't link it. 😔

Little kids bring home lots of germs from school. This is a fact even non-parents like myself are aware of. If you have friends with kids, you've definitely heard at least one of them say they thought they had a great immune system, then their kids started school. If you are a parent, perhaps you've said it. I'm assuming this is all the same in the RnM world, so.....

Put all these thoughts together and you get: Young Rick was definitely that one unfortunate parent who caught EVERY bug that went around little Beth's classroom. Even when Beth herself didn't.

Is this an important theory? Nope, not at all. But it made me go "awww", and I am sure that I'm right, so I figured I'd share.

[courtingevil]

For a while now, my headcanon has been that Rick hasn't been drooling as much because he hasn't been drinking as much. I know the studio said this is for practical production reasons, but I really think he's been drinking less.

I've noticed that Rick's been drinking from beer cans instead of his flask recently. Does that mean something? He's still drinking, so it seems insignificant, but it's a weird change. Maybe it means he's (at least) not carrying around alcohol at all times?

[hmvw2015]

[sirdiesiejosepha]

Season 7 is here, Gadies and Lentlemen!

I enjoyed the first ep, though it’s a very casual start. I was just wondering whether anyone‘s noticed this detail, too; when Hugh Jackman offers them the ✨ tic tacs ✨ everyone‘s shown grabbing some except for Rick? I mean, afterwards he’s clearly high too so maybe they just didn’t show it? Or it’s something he takes more often and keeps on his person. I also noticed that everyone had the same green stain on their face that Rick often has. Maybe there’s a connection. Maybe I’m stupid. Either way, what do you think?

[thesoftboiledegg]

"Fear No Mort" was constant whiplash. In fact, I struggled to evaluate this episode at first because it was one twist after another. Throughout the episode, I had flashbacks to "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" (the rap scene might've been a direct reference) and the Rickbot reveal in "Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation."

For better or worse, season seven's had a lot of callbacks and episodes that mirrored previous ones: "That's Amorte" played out like "Mortynight Run"; "Air Force Wong" brought together Dr. Wong, the president and Unity; "Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie" was a "Get Schwifty" sequel.

Seasons six and seven have also piled on the fanservice. The first four seasons stubbornly refused to give us what we want, dangling fan theories or a gentler Rick in our faces before yanking it away. Rick started to change in season five, but it's another ten episodes before you get Rick in a suit and tie, Rick announcing that Rickcest is canon, Rick regularly going to therapy, Space Beth joining the family and other content that's floated around the fandom since 2017.

And let's not forget the big one: C-137 Rick and Morty, Prime Rick and Evil Morty in one episode, fighting and teaming up after we saw Evil Morty's once-forbidden backstory.

Some call it cheap thrills, but I call it a gift to the fandom that's patiently waited for the fakeouts to end. And now that I've said that: "Fear No Mort" was one giant fakeout.

But was it, though?

This is the most unpopular opinion in the world, but I'm not invested in Rick and Diane's relationship. As a gay woman, I just don't connect with opposite-gender couples. Also, I dislike the trope of the idolized dead wife that the audience only learns about through her widower. She's not her own character, just an extension of the male protagonist.

When the fake Rick and Diane reconnected, I thought "Oh boy, this is getting cheesy." They're falling for each other again: check. Rick feels guilty about her death: check. We see how similar they are: check. Rick doesn't want to leave: aaaand, check.

I'm also a little lost after the ending. Morty was the only one in the hole, so why did we see all these scenes from fake Rick's perspective? Was an NPC really that busy?

How much we learned about Diane is debatable, too, since Morty never met her. I guess his ideas came from whatever Rick's told him and maybe the ship's voice since she's based on Diane.

I did like how the episode kept reminding us that Morty's still in the Fear Hole. I mean, we didn't know that, but we knew that. No "Are they in the Fear Hole or not??" until all the twists in the third act.

Aside from that, I don't want the show to revisit the past too much because Rick needs to let go. If you're a Marvel fan, you saw the backlash to Steve Rogers traveling back in time to spend a lifetime with Peggy in "Endgame." He had a life in the present, but he refused to move on.

Nostalgia makes us yearn for earlier years, but if Rick abandoned his family to live with Diane in another reality, I wouldn't call that a sweet ending. I'd call that a disappointment and a waste of his character.

Turns out, Rick never had that option at all.

Well...in a way, he did. And when Morty told him what he saw in the Fear Hole, Rick ran back to the restroom. He looked into the hole. He thought about it. And then he did what I wanted him to do, which was walk away. In this moment, he chose the present.

Admittedly, Morty's fear came true: Rick didn't jump in the hole after him, he did just sit there and watch, and he didn't want to say that Morty's irreplaceable out loud. Plus, Rick was bewildered when Morty hugged him. But for the first time, instead of standing stiffly or gently pushing him away, Rick started to hug him back.

We also saw what Morty didn't: Rick smiling to himself after hanging up the picture of Morty that he kept in his wallet. He had the chance to wallow in shadows of the past, but he didn't take it. Rick chose him.

"Fear No Mort" could've ended with Rick just saying "Let's go" and leaving, but it didn't. Seasons one and two Rick would've bitched and moaned about Morty taking so long. Season three Rick would've left him there for a while to torment him. Season four Rick would've found a way to take advantage of this.

But seasons five, six, seven? That's real character development. That's what all the Twitter users saying "Wow, Rick and Morty is actually good" have been missing out on.

And for the first time in the series, a season didn't end with Rick relapsing or getting a (well-deserved) ass kicking. Is Morty going to get the grandfather that he deserves? Or will he move on, too, now that Rick's releasing his iron grip? Speculating is fun, but for now, let's focus on today.

[courtingevil]

I'd love to read more about what other people think about The Citadel. The more I think about it - how it came to be, how it operates - it gets weirder and weirder.

I like that we have to accept the weird conceit of the existence of The Citadel and that the Infinite Rick is capable of assuming so many different roles but at the same time it's just so much fun to consider the why and how.

A few questions I have about The Citadel:

If Rick is the smartest person, why does he choose to build things himself on The Citadel (S3E7 - The Ricklantus Mixup) where we clearly see him able to utilize his advanced knowledge to develop automatic building tools (robots) like when he raised a society with/on Gaia (S4E9 - Childrick of Mort)? I could expand on this point a lot...

Why don't we see any not-Ricks / not-Mortys on The Citadel? Rick has proven that he can utilize Beth and Summer's skills (S5E7 - Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion and more), so why aren't there any of them on The Citadel? I can think of other professions that the Infinite Rick might like to have on The Citadel (in the comics, there's a Rick Resort with all indulgences he could possibly want - wouldn't there be a place like that on The Citadel?)

How did The Citadel recover from being transported directly into a Galactic Federation prison? (S3E1 - The Rickshank Rickdemption)

How are utilities produced and delivered on The Citadel? We clearly see a farmer growing mega fruit (S3E7 - The Ricklantus Mixup), and he's committed to the roll damnit, but do we have other farmers on The Citadel or is that an automated task? Which tasks even get relegated to automation?

I'm sure I could go on if I thought about it long enough. I'd love to read other people's takes on all the weirdisms that would crop up on The Citadel and how it would function (if only barely)

Citadel, Citadel, Citadel.

I have lots of questions about the Citadel.

First of all, what happens to the Ricks and Mortys’ families after they move to the Citadel? I mean, Ricks have a lot, A LOT of enemies in the universe. If he’s not there, who would protect the rest of the family? And wouldn’t they miss their family? If not Rick, wouldn’t Morty miss their family?

I think they would probably visit them time to time and probably made some device to keep their family safe, but what made Ricks decide they should move to the Citadel?

What even is the Citadel’s purpose? We got hints that Prime had something to do with Citadel, most likely one of the first Ricks that made the Citadel. But… how? Why? Why make a community, why choose to live in a community with someone they hate the most, aka themselves? What got them to think Citadel was the best choice?

It might be because they think they are the only ones who can understand themselves, but… still. Citadel is… weird. More like creepy, if you think about it.

I’ll make another post more organized about the Citadel in the future. Also, sorry for the delay, I’ m still busy with my Major. I’ll try to make at least one or two posts a week.

Thank you!

[glitteringcrab]

Morty Prime's personality regression

Some fans (and I'm among those fans) feel like it seems Morty Prime's character development has regressed after Unmortiricken (S7E5).

Like he's more docile... less challenging of Rick... more accepting of Rick's shit...

There are a few possible explanations for this:

1. Morty sub-consciously trying his hardest not to act like Evil Morty

2. Evil Morty planting in Morty Prime's head the poisonous idea that Rick C-137 might commit suicide if Morty Prime is not there to emotionally support him

3. Rick C-137 is not so much a jerk these days. He hasn't messed with Morty with any Vats of Acid, hasn't created a robot version of himself. The worse thing he did was the Valhalla thing.

4. Morty Prime being more understanding of Rick C-137's mental state and finding more patience to deal with him.

But... at the same time, some of Morty's behaviors seemed so out of character that we fans (and I was among those faaaaans) built a whole theory that Morty Prime had been replaced by Evil Morty post Unmortricken....! ("Freaky Mortys Theory", for anyone interested. There are tags with it)

I think if we look a bit deeper in this season's Morty Prime (and the previous seasons) we'll notice some... interesting things.

Let's compare Morty Prime's and Evil Morty's capabilities and personality characteristics across the seasons, shall we?

Charisma

Evil Morty got himself elected:

Morty Prime convincing (little pieces of himself) as Marta:

Morty Prime rallying the trapped Mortys:

Gosh, they even do the same gestures

A "healthy" Morty Prime, no longer burdened by his awkwardness can climb the social ladder really fast:

And of course, the attribute slider:

Intelligence (probably one of Evil Morty's defining characteristics - "you're like an evil Morty, a clever one" as Rick Prime put it)

I'd have to put screenshots of every single scene Evil Morty is in, so let's dig in straight to Morty Prime instead lol

See above attribute slider.

See above Morty managing to become a Stock Broker, totally something a moron could do

Morty Prime casually disarming neutrino bombs, totally something a moron could do

Morty Prime beating Rick at a board game (and Rick freaking mind blowing him over it, the giant 8-year-old)

Suddenly being able to do math, which meant that he always could do math, he just wasn't really motivated to try:

And mind you, this was in Season 7 post Unmorticken, during the time we felt that Morty Prime's personality had regressed, and it was one of the "clues" we fans used as "proof" that this was really Evil Morty.

Of course, Morty Prime has A LOT (like, A LOT) of dumb moments as well. But the capability of intelligence is definitely there.

Manipulation

All of Evil Morty, where to even start lol

Let's head for Morty Prime instead.

Morty Prime presenting himself as super ecologically sensitive to Planetina. I mean, he definitely was on board with ecological activism etc, but he also wouldn't visit random forest fires to help. The liar. Planetina somehow fell for that.

"I'm your little brother, you have to take care of me!" was Morty Prime trying his hand at manipulation with Summer. And this was in Season 7 post Unmortricken, during Morty Prime's "regressed" phase.

The "trickle down effect" with Tricia seeing him ripped by the attribute slider was pretty clever, and manipulative (not maliciously, but still). This was ALSO in Season 7 post Unmortricken, during Morty Prime's "regressed" phase.

"Why would I be friends with a witch" was very fast thinking on Morty's part:

Again, this was in Season 7 post Unmortricken, in Morty Prime's "regressed" phase.

Physical abilities

Lookit Evil Morty flying:

And now look at Mort Prime performing Evil Morty's flying kick, which he definitely couldn't do before Unmortricken:

This was one of the "clues" we fans interpreted as "proof" that this was really Evil Morty, but since that theory has been jossed, the next obvious conclusion is that Morty Prime has been training.

And this was in Season 7 post Unmortricken as well, where we fans have been complaining about Morty Prime's personality regressing.

Extreme self harm as a step to freedom

I'm a hundred percent sure Evil Morty orchestrated his own assassination attempt and willingly walked towards the person who'd shoot him:

And, as another fan pointed (check out the tags!), Morty Prime did this:

Even the other guy, who was trying to kill Morty in that scene, is disturbed lol

Murder

Evil Morty probably has the biggest body count out of anyone, along with Rick C-137... But Morty Prime can get... trigger happy as well.

Shooting Rick C-137 in a fit of rage:

Getting really happy in the "trigger-happy" part during the Purging episode:

(thankfully, it was not played as a joke)

The Death Crystals deserve a special mention. So many people dead, just so he could grow old with his crush ("and people call me Evil Morty") and somehow it's played as a joke:

All those poor dudes in the Narnia dimension:

Desensitization to murder

It seems that any amount of murder is small potatoes to Evil Morty:

In "Mort: Ragnarick" Morty Prime complains about being desensitized to murder, and then Rick makes him kill people repeatedly (which Morty does obediently), during an episode where he has one of the highest body counts:

Most of the people he keeps killing are immortal Viking ghosts who literally live to die (lol) but Morty still is the one committing the murder, and he even tells Rick not to kill the Vatican guards (who die for real) every time, which I think Rick actually agreed with, thankfully...

Needless cruelty

There was no need for this, Evil Morty!!!! It served zero rational purpose!

Oh, you're gonna think. Morty Prime is not like that. Sure, he kills people, but he never draws it out.

Think again:

"Careful, Ethan. Your s'more is burning."

Ethan simply dumped Morty's sister!! That's not good enough reason to turn him into a deformed monster, Ethan was just being an immature teenager!

...Not to mention Morty Prime literally tried to roofie Jessica (not exactly cruel, but... quite evil).

Morty (!!!) suggesting they use brainwashed clones to solve the spaghetti shortage, and holding his hands behind his back while he did it, freaking Evil Morty style (also EVIL).

Okay, I'm gonna stop here and say that I don't mean to stretch things. We've known Morty Prime for 7 seasons and the amount of times he has been manipulative, trigger-happy or evil can each be counted on one hand, while those same characteristics are pretty much defining of Evil Morty. The potential exists in Morty Prime, but it becomes reality in its most extreme form in Evil Morty.

In addition, there are some differences between the two:

Evil Morty has patience, single-minded focus and the ability to come up with incredibly convoluted schemes (it's... almost like he spent unimaginable amounts of time trapped as a prisoner in his own body, unable to act, unable to do anything but wait and plan), while it also seems he is devoid of empathy (cough), forgiveness, or the desire for connection (I will probably make separate posts for the those two).

POINT 1: I suspect that their differences can be accounted for if the theory that they grew up differently is true; one in the safety of his home and family, the other in the uncertain and hostile environment of the Citadel.

Morty Prime never had to be manipulative, because he could always just ask to get what he needed. His more violent tendencies get suppressed by the humane examples his (non-Rick) family members set. He tries to do the right, moral thing 99% of the time because he grew up learning the virtues of kindness and compassion, and did not get brainwashed by a hundred different versions of his nihilistic grandpa into discarding universes and people like single-use coffee cups.

I suspect that Morty Prime and Evil Morty might be WAY too similar, and it's just that Evil Morty's brain is in constant overdrive survival mode, while Morty Prime is in normal kid mode.

I suspect that the parallel between Morty Prime and Evil Morty is meant to be a story of "nature vs nurture" and the effects of long-term abuse and neglect can have on a child.

POINT 2: I suspect that the series' climax might revolve around a revelation that Rick was wrong all along:

That Morty Prime (and any Morty) is just as clever as any Rick, and he doesn't get to show his brilliance because he's just a young child who can do stuff like waste time playing videogames and date girls and hung around with his family instead of honing every skill he has into a deadly weapon just so he can survive.

I feel like this is a revelation that has been building up for a while:

(and poor Morty doesn't react in this scene during Rick's admittance, because of course it doesn't concern him: he is just an idiot, he is not "intelligent in a different way" like Bigfoot is)

POINT 3: While it may be true that Morty Prime has been more... docile and patient and forgiving of Rick post Unmortricken, the way I see it, he's also physically training, is becoming more manipulative and we have more proof that he's actually really smart.

...So, I wouldn't call his personality change a "regression"...

...more like... a shift... towards higher forgiveness and tolerance and towards cultivating his capabilities.

Which, if Rick C-137 screws up and does something to betray Morty Prime's unconditional love, would bode really badly.

[rustychainsnorter]

What do you think would happen if Prime Rick and Morty interact in season seven?

Oi! You asked the one question I've been pondering since the day of my freakin birth, lol.

I think it all depends on Prime's intentions and the given circumstances. If Morty met Prime face to face, I think it would be during a moment where he and C-137 Rick are temporarily separated. Morty would probably be intimidated, torn and frightened, holding onto the desire to avenge his grandpa but hesitating because this is his 'real' Rick.

Prime might be able to crack a conversation with Morty that opens his mind a bit. Perhaps Prime isn't as bad as he thought? In fact, he seems pretty cool. Or maybe Morty empathizes with him in some way and decides that he wants to know more about him before they try to kill him.

By the time C-137 Rick comes back, Prime is gone and Morty's mind has been changed. I think Rick would be angry that Morty let him escape; he won't give him a chance to speak, he degrades him and complains. Morty just wants him to listen to what he has to say but he won't. Rick keeps being mean, and he's overly obsessed with finding Prime. This attitude might alter Morty's feelings towards him, and he may try to find Prime by himself later on.

Whether Rick Prime is a manipulative bad guy and wants to use Morty for bait, or whether he's a somewhat good guy who has no idea what's going on, I have no idea :)

I have so many thoughts and theories about this, I could talk all day. But thank you for the ask, thesoftboiledegg, it was fun!