Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty is one of the twistiest, timey-wimey shows on television. Because of its multi-layered narrative structure, there are hundreds of Rick and Morty fan theories (if not more), all supported by quotes from the show. This list looks at some of the most interesting theories that cut through the BS and elaborate on the show’s philosophical elements. Some fan theories about Rick and Morty are so good that you might question everything you thought you knew about the weirdest grandfather, and grandson duo on television. Some of these Rick and Morty conspiracy theories might even substantiate your own theories about the show. Take a look at these crazy good Rick and Morty theories and try not to lose your mind.
The big question at the center of almost every Rick and Morty theory is “Who is Rick Sanchez?” And why is he so obsessed with Morty? This list has theories about whether or not Rick and Morty are from the same universe, ponders the upsides of cloning, and even plumbs the depths of the most important substance in the world: ice cream.
1. The Rickest Morty Is the Ultimate Villain
Are you wondering what happened to the Rickest Morty? Well one Redditor posits that the Morty who vowed to take revenge on the council of Ricks wasn’t actually defeated in his Morty dome and will be coming back in further seasons to steal Rick’s intelligence and make himself the ultimate villain.
Now that we’ve seen him get elected as President of the Citadel, this theory seems almost sure to be accurate.
2. Rick Hasn’t Always Been with the Morty We Know and Love
Are you ready for this? Rick might not be from Morty’s universe. There’s a very good possibility that the Rick we know came from another universe where his family was dead for one reason or another and that when he showed up on his family’s doorstep he was actually brand new to the universe.
3. The Mortiest Morty Is Very Special
Ricks need Morties help mask their superior brain waves, so it makes sense that the Rickest Rick, who’s the most intelligent Rick, would hang out with a Morty who comes with his own special advantage. The Mortiest Morty’s got charisma baby!
4. Evil Morty Is the Morty from the Opening Credits
In the opening credits of Rick and Morty, Rick jumps through a portal leaving Morty behind on a hostile alien planet. Is it possible that this Morty is the evil Morty who would go on to enslave thousands of other Mortys and try to bring down the council of Ricks?
5. Rick Is So Smart Because of Super Trees
In the first episode of the series we not only learn that super trees and their seeds are important to Rick’s research, but that when ingested they make you super smart. It would make sense that Rick’s been distilling super tree seeds into the liquid that he keeps in his flask to help his stay one step ahead of all the other Ricks.
6. The Jerriest Jerry
Everyone knows that Morty’s dad is a big ol’ wimp, but what if the Jerriest Jerry was actually a great dad who was waiting for the right moment to step up and be a man? When Rick accidentally turned their original (at least for the sake of discussion) universe into a Cronenberg Universe, the Jerry who was there was just waiting to be the best he could be, making him the Jerriest Jerry.
7. Evil Morty Is Actually a Rick
This theory is actually pretty nuts, but it’s so crazy it might just be true. One fan believes that Evil Morty is actually Rick who swapped his brain out with Morty in an attempt to easily bring down the Council of Ricks. An even more intriguing twist to this theory is that Evil Morty’s old brain is now residing in Doofus Rick (which is why Doofus Rick is so stupid).
8. Rick Committed Suicide
Well, one of the Ricks might have killed himself. This theory feeds into the idea that the Rick we know isn’t originally from the universe we’re presented with at the beginning of the series, but instead he took over for the original Rick who succeeded in committing suicide while he was estranged from Beth.
9. Rick And Morty Represent A Bicameral Mind
In 1976, Julian Jaynes unveiled a wild hypothesis: before humans were capable of language or metacognition (that is, being able to think about thinking), cognitive functions were divided between two parts of the brain. One part of the brain – the “speaking” part – tells the other part of the brain what to do. In terms of our dear friends Rick and Morty, a theory posited by Real Dimension Pictures suggests that Rick is the telling part of the brain and Morty is the one who puts the thought into action.
The are other things aside from Rick’s dominating personality that feed into this idea. Rick’s ship is oddly shaped – almost like a brain. The same person (Justin Roiland) voices both the characters. And, even if the two are in a vehicle aside from Rick’s ship, Rick is always the one in the driver’s seat – always the one in control.