Despite having one of Rick and Morty‘s longest-running plotlines, not much is known about Evil Morty’s origins, including his official name. While his actions seem to be guided by his hatred for Rick from Earth C-137, their history together remains unknown. Evil Morty isn’t entirely shrouded in mystique either. He’s clearly cunning, charismatic and more intelligent than many of the Ricks that inhabit the show’s boundless world. Here is everything we know about the sinister Morty variant going into Rick and Morty Season 5.
First introduced in Season 1’s “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind,” Evil Morty manages to frame Rick of Earth C-137 for 27 Rick murders across different universes, getting the scientist arrested by the Council of Ricks. While his plot to kill Rick and download the contents of his brain ultimately fails, he manages to escape repercussions by carrying out the plan through an Evil Rick, who is secretly controlled by Evil Morty’s eye patch. At the end of the episode, he disguises himself as a kidnapped Morty to exit the planet.
“Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” establishes Evil Morty’s complete disregard for the lives of other Rick and Mortys, as he is willing to dispose of both to achieve his goal. It spotlights his ability to create intricate plots, which successfully outwit the smartest people in the universe. Evil Morty’s speech pattern is also different. He lacks Morty’s anxiety and stuttering, using a cold, detached tone.
There are a couple of reasons why Evil Morty sought to destroy Rick C-137. At the end of the episode, Rick utters, “Don’t get too big for your loafers, Buster Brown. A cocky Morty can lead to some big problems. It can be a real bad thing for everybody.” Rick tells Morty he’ll explain what he means when his grandson is older. Some fans have interpreted this to mean he’s referring to the Evil Morty, who clearly believes he’s more intelligent than Rick, which has led to numerous fan theories about a possible past together.
After taking a break from Season 2, Evil Morty achieves actual power in Season 3‘s “Tales From the Citadel.” He is voted president of The Citadel and orchestrates a violent coup to eliminate his opposition. In this episode, Evil Morty wins over large groups of Ricks and Mortys with powerful, commanding speeches about unity and equality. “Tales From the Citadel” also underscores Evil Morty’s ruthlessness, as he manages to survives a nearly fatal shooting to achieve his goal. By the episode’s conclusion, Evil Morty constructs Evil Rick, revealing his gift for inventing, which rival Rick C-137’s abilities.
The canonicity of Evil Morty’s appearance in Season 4’s “Never Ricking Morty” is disputed. It could show an alternate universe where a showdown between Rick and Evil Morty takes place. In this possible alternate reality, an eye patch-donning Morty is accompanied by an unidentified individual that looks like Mr. Poopybutthole with purple skin, alongside an army of Ricks, Mr. Meeseeks and male Gazorpians, who are controlled in an identical manner to Evil Rick from Season 1. While Story Lord states that this is “how the story ends,” his earlier concepts were dubiously canon, especially as characters like Tammy are killed off later that season. Evil Morty’s two solidly canonical appearances were also both surprises, while this type of reveal was more predictable.
A small detail in “Never Ricking Morty” also hints that Evil Morty may be delaying his plot to kill Rick of Earth C-137. As president of The Citadel of Ricks, Evil Morty could’ve easily confronted Rick on his turf, where the inventor bought the story train set. Furthermore, Rick is shown to be apathetic toward fighting those in power until they interfere with his plans, and Evil Morty is patient in pursuing his own goal. While their next showdown remains unknown, the mention of The Citadel reveals Evil Morty is likely alive and well in Rick and Morty Season5.
Rick and Morty stars the voices of Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammar and Sarah Chalke. Season 5 premieres on Adult Swim Sunday, June 20 at 11/10 p.m. ET/PT
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