Rick and Morty has proven itself to be one of the most significant animated series in history, populated with an infinite number of zany and unique characters. Even the title characters come in an endless variety, and some are more interesting than others. There are so many different kinds of Ricks, they’ve banded together to create an interdimensional government consisting of only themselves, but there is one Rick who stands unique amongst them.
But this isn’t about Rick C-137, the self proclaimed “Rickest-Rick” of them all. No, there’s another Rick out there that might be the smartest Rick of them all, and he’s known to fans as Doofus Rick. He only appears for a few minutes in the episode “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind,” but his brief storyline has inspired a few Rick and Morty fan theories that actually make a lot of sense. Doofus Rick is incredibly smart, and this Doofus Rick fan theory aims to prove it once and for all.
1. He Has An Emotional Intelligence That Outclasses Every Other Rick
A major part of nearly every Rick’s personality is a massive superiority complex, and a total disrespect for the feelings and emotions of everyone else in the multiverse. He does what he wants, even if it means hurting the people closest to him. Doofus Rick is the exact opposite. He’s a man who understands the emotions of others and can feel empathy, even towards a pathetic Jerry.
When Jerry enthusiastically shows him his collection of R2-D2 quarters, Doofus Rick holds back his own judgment and tells Jerry that their value comes from Jerry’s love for them. This brings Jerry to tears, and it’s an act of empathy no other Rick is capable of.
2. There Is Zero Evidence That Doofus Rick Eats His Own Poop
The first thing most Ricks mention when talking about Doofus Rick is that he eats his own poop. It’s a big joke on the Citadel that he comes from a dimension where everyone eats their own poop, but Doofus Rick denies it every time. He even breaks down and cries at one point when two Ricks try to convince Jerry that Doofus Rick is a poop-eater.
But Justin Roiland himself said on the DVD commentary that Doofus Rick doesn’t actually eat poop. The joke is just meant to show that the other Ricks have no respect for him, not that he’s a coprophile. The creators of the show also admit they probably shouldn’t have shown him inventing ovenless brownies in the same episode, because it falsely reinforced the idea he eats his own poop.
3. Doofus Rick Is Capable Of Forming Meaningful Friendships Almost Instantly
Doofus Rick and his Morty, who looks like Eric Stoltz from the movie Mask, appear to get along pretty well. This is, of course, a stark contrast to Rick C-137 and his Morty, who constantly squabble. In fact, pretty much every Rick treats their Morty like a used condom, and they can’t seem to form a genuine friendship if their lives depended on it.
Then we have Doofus Rick, a man who can connect with a “regular” person without a problem. Jerry’s first reaction to meeting Doofus Rick is guarded apprehension and distrust, but Rick manages to tear down those walls within seconds, with a few well-placed questions about his career. By the end of the episode, Jerry is basically in love with Doofus Rick. His ability to make genuine friends and allies out of perceived enemies makes him just as competent as the best Ricks, who often can’t even be friendly to themselves.
3. In The Comics, He Is The First To Invent A Liquid Transdimensional Portal
Transdimensional teleportation is tricky, and Rick is the only person in the multiverse who’s invent a portable portal gun. The galactic government goes through major hoops to try to steal this technology from Rick, but all attempts have meant with abject failure. There is no easy way to dimension hop without a portal gun, except for one invention that only appears in the Rick and Morty comics.
In issue #23 of the series, Jerry gets stuck in Doofus Rick’s home dimension without a portal gun. Doofus Rick manages to improvise a “portal juice” that allows Jerry to return to his own dimension, without the need of a portal gun. Doofus Rick mentions is near impossible to travel interdimensionally without a portal gun, but he specifically has invented a way to do so. He’s invented an extremely high-level technology all on his own, one that most Ricks wouldn’t even think of.
4. Other Ricks Mock Him Because They Are Scared Of Him
Ricks can be horribly cruel, both by themselves and in a group. Their judgment and cynicism only amplifies when there are more of them, and it seems like the entire Citadel gets off on treating Doofus Rick like a loser. They are the ones who gave him the nickname “Doofus Rick” after all.
Her prefers to go by Rick J19ζ7, after his home dimension. It almost seems like a concentrated effort by every other Rick to demean Doofus Rick, so maybe it’s their way of keeping a kind Rick down, and holding back his potential. It’s possible that a Rick with a heart of gold could be a serious threat to the Citadel if he were to decide the rest of the Ricks are too evil to be left alive.
5. He Is Trusted To Assist In A Murder Investigation
We first meet Doofus Rick during an investigation into a string of murders committed against Ricks, and the prime suspect is Rick C-137. A squad of Rick-vestigators barge into his home and ransack the place looking for evidence. That team includes Doofus Rick.
The fact that the Citadel of Ricks found Doofus Rick competent enough to bring along is a major red flag. Why would they trust a bumbling idiot to handle a crime scene, unless they know he’s not as stupid as he looks? Even though the other Ricks trash talk him, they seem to believe he is at least smart enough to assist on a murder investigation.
6. The Council Of Ricks Deems Doofus Rick Smart Enough To Issue Him A Morty
Even though the majority of Ricks pick on Doofus Rick, they nevertheless accept him as one of them, and even assign him a Morty. If he was really an idiot, they would likely not grant him access to the Citadel of Ricks.
Reddit user NoneApplicable points out that the whole reason Ricks keep Mortys around is to serve as a cloaking device, hiding their genius brainwaves by canceling them out with the…. Morty brainwaves. If he wasn’t a genius, why would he need a Morty?
7. He Never Had Children, So He Was Never A Terrible Father
Doofus Rick is the only Rick we see that doesn’t have a family of his own, and that’s a good thing. Rick is a terrible father, who abandoned his daughter for a life of adventure and alcoholism. It left her with a severe inferiority complex, and alcohol issues of her own. Most Ricks cannot show their love in a healthy way, and have therefore doomed their children and grandchildren to a life of psychological problems.
While we don’t know exactly how Doofus Rick would have treated his daughter, we get a sense of it from his interactions with Jerry. He says that, if he had kids, he would love them if they were as smart and successful as Jerry. Now, those are some pretty low standards, even for Doofus Rick, so it’s probably safe to assume he would not have been shy about showing his daughter that he loved her.
8. His Inventions Are Designed To Make People Happy
There’s no doubt all Ricks are geniuses, but most of them are so wrapped up in themselves they only invent things to satisfy their own ridiculous impulses. But when Doofus Rick and Jerry are hanging out, he manages to invent a recipe that results in delicious, instant brownies without the need for an oven.
This kind of technology is not only amazing, but it’s actually practical in the everyday world. The achievement leads Jerry to one of his most insightful thoughts of the series, “It’s incredible what a gifted mind can accomplish when priorities are in order.” The rest of the Ricks should take a hint.
9. He’s Willing To Give Jerry A Chance, And It Actually Pays Off
Most people, including his own family, think Jerry is a worthless loser. Doofus Rick lacks the Jerry prejudice intrinsic amongst Ricks, and it actually pays off for him. While Doofus Rick is the one who invents the ovenless brownies, he clearly says the idea itself came from Jerry.This is one of the few times we see Jerry have a good idea, and it proves he might be more capable than most people give him credit for. If only other Ricks were willing to listen to Jerry’s ideas every once in a while, the world might get some pretty amazing technologies out of it. Only Doofus Rick sees the hidden potential inside Jerry, further proving he has a great sense of the hidden value in other people.