The Untold Truth Of Evil Morty

The series "Rick and Morty" walks the line between nihilism, sci-fi parody, and themes of generational trauma that feel a little too real. The show asks, "What if you were the main target of a narcissistic abuser-slash-mad scientist, and what if that person controlled your reality? What if you couldn't escape, no matter where you went? How far would you go to end it once and for all?

"Rick and Morty" follows 14-year-old Morty, a stammering, naïve boy trapped in an abusive cycle by his narcissist alcoholic grandpa Rick, a scientist who lives with his family and conducts dubious experiments in their garage. Enabled by Morty's self-involved family, Rick drags Morty on dangerous adventures in alien worlds. Morty has to survive and maintain Rick's lies, taking on bigger and bigger secrets. Despite the harm inflicted by Rick, nothing changes. Rick repeatedly weasels out of accountability, and Morty continues to be exploited by his grandfather. 

Soon we learn we're following one of many Mortys living amongst many dimensions, unified by oppression. Unbound by time, space, or morality, Rick finds a way to produce an endless supply of Mortys for many Ricks to exploit across countless universes within the Central Finite Curve (CFC).

The only character in the show to take charge of their own destiny is Evil Morty, a Morty who uses Rick's twisted system to rise to power and escape the CFC. Evil Morty's appearances over four episodes impact the shape of the entire show, opening a portal in the episodic series to explore new plot arcs, and asks a new question: "What if things change?"

What is evil? Oxford Languages says evil is "a manifestation of profound immorality and wickedness, especially in people's actions." If Rick is the moral authority in "Rick and Morty," what's (belch) evil anyway?

According to Rick, a Good Morty is useful, so it makes sense Evil Morty is evil — he doesn't want to serve a Rick. Rick uses the CFC to trap Mortys in purgatory while inflicting damage to their psychological development. When asked if Rick might turn Morty Evil, developmental psychology researcher Kelly Sheehan said, "Children with a not-so warm, unresponsive, or absent caregiver often develop an insecure attachment. They learn the opposite: that they are essentially on their own and that the world is a dangerous place." Sound familiar?

Trauma is passed down from generation to generation. Sheehan said, "Kids don't develop in a vacuum. They are often aware and often internalize family conflict, their parents' (and grandparents') mental health issues, etc." Evil Morty is a reflection of his family's trauma. He didn't choose the situation he was born into, but he is choosing to get himself out. 

His actions are also his choice; he ruthlessly exploits and kills anyone in his way. He manipulates the political system (designed by and for Ricks, of course), only to abandon Ricks and Mortys alike to certain death when he finally escapes.

Do Evil Morty's motivations justify his actions? Nope. Evil Morty and Rick both treat others as expendable, but unlike Rick, Evil Morty has the capacity for empathy, which he uses to manipulate and exploit others for his personal gain. Maybe he's evil, maybe he's not, depending on who you ask.

Evil Morty doesn't stutter. Literally every other Morty has a stutter splattered into the mix of their whiney prepubescent cringey cadence. Evil Morty delivers icy one-liners and velvety smooth soliloquies alike with a self-aware twist. In "The Ricklantis Mixup," Evil Morty drops one of fans' favorite lines — "This seems like a good time for a drink, and a cold, calculated speech with sinister overtones. A speech about politics, about order, brotherhood, power. But speeches are for campaigning. Now is the time for action."

Evil Morty doesn't stutter in a figurative sense, either. He's careful with his words, and he seems to have eerie knowledge of what others are thinking before they've had the thought. Nothing can touch Evil Morty, it seems. That is, besides the CFC.

Did Evil Morty originally have a stutter that he managed to change? As the only character to take charge of their own destiny, perhaps the lack of stutter symbolizes that Evil Morty changed that by himself, too.

"Rick and Morty" fans are unique; they love potty humor, they love elaborate mysteries, and they love making up theories. Let's talk through some of the "Rick and Morty" fan theories about Evil Morty that turned out to be wrong.

First, let's look at the "Replacement Morty" theory. According to this line of thinking, the Morty we start the show with is replaced by a new Morty, and the original Morty becomes Evil Morty. This theory is based on the opening credit sequence — frog creatures chase down Morty while Rick bounces, abandoning the original Morty. However, after he's mercilessly brutalized by frogs, Morty survives and vows to take down Rick C-137, becoming Evil Morty.

Then there's the "Time Loop" theory, that states Rick is an old Morty stuck in a time loop. This theory is a fun example of cyclic self-hatred but holds little water. There's also the "Robot Evil Morty" theory, where Evil Morty is a robot controlled by the real Evil Rick. Some fans theorize that Evil Morty's eyepatch, as seen in "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind," connects to his own robotic circuitry controlled by the real Evil Rick. That would be really, really evil.

Finally, there's the notion that "Evil Morty Knows We're Watching." According to this theory, both Rick and Evil Morty are aware they're characters in a cartoon. Rick often breaks the fourth wall by speaking to the audience in meta-textural references. If Evil Morty is aware of Rick C-137's every move, he too would be aware he's on a TV show. We know that theory is wrong, because if it were true, "Rick and Morty" would be a dumb show and we refuse to accept that as a possibility.

At the end of Season 5, Rick says, "I only know one man that ever hacked my portal gun, and it turned out it was evil you." This presents the question: What's the backstory of Evil Morty and Rick C-137? 

The fan theory that Ricks are just old Mortys could hold water — perhaps Evil Morty is Rick C-137 from the past and shares the consciousness that created the portal gun in the first place.

We learn Rick C-137 doesn't actually belong in his current Morty's original universe — he comes from a timeline where he valued his family over science, and an alternate Rick known as Prime Rick murdered his wife Diane and baby daughter Beth. Our Rick travels across time and space searching for Prime Rick, eventually taking up residence in Prime Rick's home to wait. This means our Morty is actually Prime Rick's grandson. 

Perhaps Rick encountered Evil Morty during his adventures prior to settling down with the Smith family on Prime Earth, and important portal gun knowledge was shared. But it seems unlikely that anybody else would know how Rick's portal gun works since he uncharacteristically never talks about it.

Another explanation is Evil Morty may be more technologically advanced than Rick. We'll have to wait and see what "Rick and Morty" reveals and what fan theories they write around.

At the end of Season 5, Evil Morty escapes the CFC, then uses his portal gun to create a golden portal. Many fans are latching on to a spicy theory about the golden portals and Diane. According to this theory, if Rick isolated the universes in the CFC to remain the smartest man alive, perhaps someone smarter exists in the true multiverse he'd rather not face — a nemesis like none other — his former wife, Diane. 

We know that Diane's murder drove Rick C-137 to his lifelong pursuit of revenge, but what happened to the other Dianes? There are infinite Ricks, Mortys, Jerrys, Beths, and Summers, yet we never meet a single Diane. The murder of Rick C-137's Diane seems to be unique — what's the deal with the other Ricks and Dianes? Who raised the Beths who were abandoned by Ricks?

The fan theory posits that Diane is much smarter than Rick, making her his ultimate nemesis. He isolated all universes with Dianes from the CFC, but now that Evil Morty has perhaps destroyed the CFC, Rick is free game. In the true multiverse, Evil Morty may meet a Diane who's pissed at Rick, with tech to bring her to Rick's domain. Some fans hope that Evil Morty was a red herring for the villain Prime Rick, who (fingers crossed) is a red herring for the ultimate big bad — Diane.

"Rick and Morty" explores the concept that people don't really fit into boxes of good and evil — after all, the Morty-est Morty is capable of causing the same amount of harm as the Rickest Rick under the right circumstances. If we scrap good and evil, does "anti-villain" more aptly describe Evil Morty?

Tvtropes.com's definition of "anti-villain" fits. According to that source, an anti-villain is a character whose "desired ends are mostly good, but their means of getting there range from evil to undesirable....probably well aware that what they're doing is 'evil'...strive to maintain a façade of good PR...often neutral...aren't exactly benevolent, but they aren't malevolent either."

Once the truth of the CFC is revealed, we question Evil Morty's evilness — wouldn't we all do anything to escape? We're saved from having to ponder that can of spaceworms because mere moments after these revelations, Evil Morty fuels his escape with the carnage, death, and blood of The Citadel. 

In some aspects, Evil Morty may be the lesser evil character. All other characters maintain Rick's status quo, enabling ongoing misery. Perhaps Evil Morty is a logical effect, caused by the destruction of unchecked Ricks. From that angle, Evil Morty is an anti-villain.

Anti or no, Evil Morty is a load-bearing villain for "Rick and Morty" and we're sure to see him shape the show moving forward. In an alternate universe, there is a version of "Rick and Morty" that never created Evil Morty, and that universe was Cronenberged by angry fans.