Commentary: Morty Has The Best Hero Arc

Seeing a hero grow over time is a classic literary trope. The growth is especially noticeable in long-form storytelling like TV shows. Since movies are much shorter, the audience doesn’t have as much time to see the hero become strong when compared to that growth being spread out over multiple episodes. So many characters are introduced as weaklings, but through a lot of training that takes place over multiple seasons, these characters can become true warriors by the end. It can also happen by accident, which is why Morty’s character arc in Rick and Morty is so profound.

Created by Dan Harmon, the premise revolves around sociopathic genius Rick, who uses his idiot grandson Morty as cover. When the show starts out, Morty truly resembles a neurotic fool who is a complete victim of his grandfather’s agenda. But over time, it appears as if Rick and Morty truly grow an affinity for one another. Morty becomes excited and looks forward to their adventures. An inadvertent side effects is that Morty grows as a character. He becomes much more confident than he was in the beginning and even more proficient when it comes to fighting and survival.

Since the beginning of the series, Rick is always portrayed as a stone cold killer who can fight his way out of any situation. Morty managed to survive too, but it was more by accident because he was just ill-equipped to protect himself. But after seasons’ worth of adventures, Morty eventually becomes just as proficient at violence as his grandfather. He truly went from a weak and pathetic character to a strong fighter that can commit mass murder without batting an eye. In this way, Morty may just have the most profound character arc for these types of stories.

Rick and Morty is now streaming on Max.