Commetary: Evil Morty Is The Perfect Nemesis For Rick

There’s no denying that Rick and Morty is a very meta show. It makes reference of itself as a television show with characters many times. It even has episodes solely dedicated to being meta and breaking the fourth wall. However, the show tries very hard to stay away from building a canon and continuity. Each episode is more or less a standalone adventure, even if its characters make references to past events. This is in large part a deliberate choice to align with Rick’s character. However, the series absolutely has a main villain whose existence is the perfect counterpart to Rick because of canon.

For the most part, Ricks are paired with Mortys in the infinite multiverse; Rick is a genius and Morty is an idiot. The biggest exception to this is Evil Morty, whose first appearance was shielded by the fact that he had an Evil Rick as a robot. In subsequent episodes, Evil Morty took over and then destroyed the Council of Ricks as part of his plan to undermine Rick’s very existence. His plan even temporarily disabled the portal gun, which is Rick’s trademark form of travel.

Because Rick is a sociopathic nihilist, he is always looking forward. He wants to go on new and crazy adventures without worrying about past events. Because of this, he knowingly hates all forms of canon that his show builds. However, Evil Morty exists because of canon. His character is built up over time with every episode that he’s in. This contrast between Rick’s hatred of canon and Evil Morty’s reliance on it make them in direct competition with one another. A perfect — and meta — reason for these two to be arch-enemies.

Rick and Morty is now streaming on Max.