Commentary: ‘Rick And Morty’ Has A Refreshing Multiverse Outlook

The multiverse, as a concept, has been around in storytelling for a while, but it has received a lot of renewed interest in this golden age of superhero adaptations. Within these stories, there is usually a moral lesson to be found: generally that people should be happy in their own lives because the multiverse is a trap. People living in alternate realities might look and sound like their loved ones. But they are in fact not. They are someone completely different with completely different lives and personalities. It’s such a prevalent theme and message that it’s refreshing to see something go in the complete opposite direction, which is exactly what Rick and Morty does.

Developed by Dan Harmon, the basic premise centers on Rick, a brilliant scientist who can pretty much create anything through technology. His trademark is a portal gun he can use to access any point in space and time, including an infinite multiverse. In fact, Rick takes this to such an extreme that he is willing to abandon his native reality (or any reality) on a whim and take the place of a Rick in an alternate universe.

This outlook on life leads Rick to become a nihilistic sociopath who has zero regard for any members of his family. The common message of multiverse stories — that alternate versions of our loved ones are in fact not our loved ones — is lost on Rick. He doesn’t care. This message either goes right over his head or he refuses to believe it. To Rick, an existence with an infinite multiverse means that he has infinite opportunities to regain his family. They may be different, but there are realities where those differences are minuscule. And that’s okay with Rick. He may not be an ideal role model, but he does have a refreshing perspective on the multiverse.

Rick and Morty is now streaming on Hulu.